The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-07-15

Clemson College, July 8.-At the
recent annual meeting of the
Clemson Board Of Trustees very
interesting conference was held
with the college officials in regard
te the boil weevil situation.
It may be recalled that in 1915
the board of trustees sent a COM
mission to study the situation in
louisiana Mississippi, and Ala
banaa. and as an outcome Of
this investigation bulletin was
published in 1916, which with
slight revisions has been printed
and distributed off and on ever
since. The trustees have always
had very intense interest in the
boil weeyiI situation and wanted
the latest view held by the coll
lege experts.
Despite The fact that both the.
government and the college have
been sending out information
through the press. county agents,
specialists, bulletins and circulars
almost every day for several
months, the statements made by
the experts to the board Of trus-
tees last Tuesday are of much pub
lii, interest. In substance these
college experts made the following.
statements:
We believe that the value OF
early. poisoning is greatly exag-
gerated. Such is the testimony by
the best experimentors in Ala
bania, Mississippi, Texas, and Okla.
hs1ma, which states have been
longest infested with the weevil.
Reports are now being received
from farmers from all sections of
the state to the effect that the
weevil has disappeared from many
of their fields. Some of these
fields have been poisoned with cal
|cium arsenate dust, some with
sweetened poison, and others not
poisoned at all. This emphasizes
our oft-repeated statements that
early poisoning is not material
factor in boil weeviI control.
The early weevils are but the
skirmishers of the hordes of over
wintered weevils that continue to
come from winter-quarters from
March to July. They keep COM
ing out even after the squares
have begun to form. Most of these
old weevils die natural death be-,
fore square formation begins.
Therefore, little is gained, and Of
ten much lost through neglect Of
other farm operations on account
of efforts to destroy these early
weevils. These earIv weev5is can
be killed by applications of any
kind Of arsenica1 poison, whether
in liquid or dust form. This was
demonstrated as far back as 1902.
The weevils want squares to feed
on and lay eggs in. There being
no squares early in the season,
they confne themselves to the
buds Of the young cotton plant
and are practically surface feed
ers, something like the potato
beetle or the cabbage worm, only
less so. Little injury is done to
the cotton plant from this feeding
on the bud.
If allsthe over-wintered weeyils
would come out at the same time,
as chickens come off the roost in
the morning, then we could no
doubt destroy them with profit by
early poisoning. But when we kill
hundreds of weeyils with one kind
of poison or,another in early spring,
thousands are still in their winter
quarters ready to come out later.
BY no manner Of poisoning or 9TH
er control measures yet discover
ed can we kill all the weevils that
are, out. and the survivors, together
with. those coming out after the
squares are formed, discontinue
feeding on the cotton buds and be-
gin to puncture and eat the inside
of the squares. and lay their eggs
there. From this time on the only
effective poisoning method knewn
is through the use Of calcium arse
nate properly applied in dust form.
- j.
General Control Methods Again
Urged
The farmer must remember
that it is at this point that the bat
tie for the crop really begins. It is
now that the following control
methods repeatedly published.
should be diligently and thorough
ly followed.
1. AS the bulk of the cotton
crop in South Carolina is made by
share-croppers, the women and
children should be used to pick
squares. This should be SO super
vised that it is done with great
thoroughness. otherwise it has no
value whatever. Begin picking the
squares as soon as any punctured
squares fall, and pick every infest-
ed square on the ground and on the
plants every five days.
2. Practice frequent shallow
cultivation in order to prevent
grass and weeds and to keep the
plant in healthy and vigorous
condition. This is important be-
cause it prolongs the fruiting pc
riod and helps to prevent shedding.
The boil weevil is not inclined to
attack the bo1ls if he can find
squares.
5. We realize that by far the
great ajority of cotton farmers
are not in position to use poison
this year. and it is to these that
caccsro t;oue .,r- o aSnao;ol