Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-02-02
Arkansas Farmers Find Rotation
OF Crops Help To Defeat Weevil

| hcn they picked more cotton iron
an acre as an average, other condition.
being normally good than ever before
Within the last two year, all OF Tho
more progressive farmers have coordi
mated with the intense cultural opera
tons systematic plans for busting
with calrium arsenatc before the weevl
ntcstation gets to be menacing ant
with more than satisfactory results. II
IS no uuncommon thing to linda bale
all acre grown regularly through this
section each year on the better grades
OF land, and that in spite OF the fact
that the wccyils are more numerous
here than ever before, based upon 1921
iniestation
Three Important Agencies That Must
Be Co-Ordinated
find that the more successful farm
ers coordinate these three agencies in
cotton growing under boil wccvil CON
dltlons cultivation, rotation, dust
control; and where they do, il the land
: IS worthy to be called cotton land and
II other conditions independent of the
wcevil are normal, they never fail 70
make as much or more cotton than
/ ever beforc-the excess being due to
intense cultivation and to better farm
ing.
Rotation is very important. And par
ticuIarly is it important to keep the
land built up with velvet beans or some
such nltrogcndcpositing product
The Arkansas farmers who are rails
ing cotton successfully are not depend
ing upon commercial fertilizing alto
get1er. Indeed many of the best of
them use very little guano.
One of the essentials of weevil con-
troll Is in keeping the farm clean-even
the leaves from the fence corners the
rotting trash, the refuse. everything in
and under which Information is invited
should be removed and the rallv nro-
grcssive farmers are more largely COM
osting than ever before, turning the
labor IN keeping their farm clean into
fertilizers. TO these composts thew
add this and that particular chemical
mat the sonl needs and which nature
doeS not provide in the decomposition
Simply intelligent farmng-makipq
a business of it-that's all
Arkansas Dirt Farmers Talk
OF Weevil Control.
Now word with some of the farm
erS whom | have either interviewed
personally or have heard directIv
q. .. Zellner of this place is one Of
the large and successful cotton grow
ers OF this section. Iii 1921 he had 6SO
acres in cotton.
never saw the weevis so thick in
my life, ! pushed the cotton as fast
as could, cultivating every two
weeks which meant of course nlows
and harrows running all time. About
the middle of July weevil infestat;on
was around 20 per cent 1t looked
olue' Kan set i'll. But | kept the
RAPID cultivation going and OH the 2s
OF July | started the dustinp machines
l maze the applications about a week
apart, sometimes ten days apart on ac-
count OF rain interference. 7 had m
early variety. | had the seed beds
thoroughly prepared land got an
niit'al stand. | left the cotton thict
IN the drill. My yield ran from =
'mrd to a bale an acre, according TO
son conditions, but on the whole acre
age where was enabled to coordinate
busting with intense cultivation 7
averaged about "a of a bale to the
acre That was on $50 acres On tbo
acreage undustcd made less but even
t'eh successful crop. The cost of
u"S'ing at 1921 prices, including labor
and depreciation ran sbout $3.50 an
acre on the acres covered; as dis
triDuted over my entire cotton acreaoe
less than So per acre
| am satisfied can make 4 hale IN
acre average under normal cond;t;ors
by coordinating intense cultivation
with dust control.
1t is needless to add that Mr. 7au
h'r rotates his crops-a marked essen.
tlaI--llveS and feeds his stock AZ bo,nc
makes cotton money crop nure,v
ana III spite OF the weevil is one of the
r''h farmers of Arkansas who make,
ms money dirt farming.
II. II. Naft of Portland, Ore. I han.
pen TO know about personally. IT,
made 81 standard bales last wear .,
~ acres by identically the same meth
ouS' and the weevils were worse tina,
ever saw them" he told me
Ben F. Fearing of Hambcrg. Ark
has poor land in the hill region =
very poor land" is the descrintio,
given me- He made bales on |,
acres OF identically the same process
MIR. Fearing raised everything he eat
and eteds his own stock. His cotton !;
his net cash profit for his farm, plu
pigs, eggs, chickens and a great dca
OF grain and hay that he also turn.
INTO cash, He is a good farmer con
'tented, happy.
| And thus it is throughout Arkansa
among those who will