The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-04-15

/ Growing cotton under boil weevl
conditions or farming under boil
wcevil conditions is q subject about
which more reans of good white
/ paper have been consumed than
possibly any other one subject and
! know Of very few men who have
succeeded in making money on the
farm despite the weevil who have
! been able TO resist the lure Of add
ing their contribution TO the cur
/ rent literature on the subject. There
are others TOO who know nothing
about the weevil from the stand
point Of experience Or investigation.
! but who have read about it in a
haphaZard way or who have some
! thing TO sell, and so feel that they
! too are called upon to give advice
about the weevil They do some
good in that they direct attention
to the necessity for fighting the
pest, but the good is generally Off
set by the great harm done in Civ
| ing the wrong advice
j Noted Investigator.
] Among the many Investigators
| really informed about ali phases Of
i the cotton boil weevil, consider
! DR.. 3. r. Coad, Of the government
/ boil weevil laboratory at Tallulah.
! La, the peer Of any. He and DR..
Hunter, Of the bureau Of entomol-
+; ogy, have recently written FarA-
! erS Bulletin 1862. The Boil Weevil
Problem" which is a revision Of
Farmers Bulletin S4S. In bulletin
1862, the whole subject Of the boil
/ wecvil problem is discussed in q
/ clear. conscise but informative way.
! Probably not SO many farmers
are interested in the history Of the
i pest but are rather concerned IN
/ proper methods Of control. 1t is
! interesting to know, however, that
! try in 1892 and appeared in the
region around Brownsville, Texas.
I He might have flown across the Rio
Grande river, but it is more than
I!
cotton TO be sinned.
Previous to 1892, the pest had
| spread over n considerable part Of
/ Texas, but little is actually known
about it previous TO 1892 except
+. taat several areas devoted to cot
ton had been abandoned on account
/ Of serious losses to the cotton
crop. In 1894 the pest had spread
over several Texas counties and in
vestigations made then showed
j that the pest had an enormous ca
! pacity for damage to the crop.
Since 1894 the weevil has extend
ed his range annually from 40 to
lG0 miles, with winter conditions
causing some decrease in the form
erly infested area in many in
stances.
/ Indirect Losses.
| The weevii. says Bulletin 1862,
causes both direct and indirect loss
es. II is Impossible TO estimate
J the losses due to deprecated land
values, closing down of cotton gins
and oil mills and other indirect re-
suits of the weevil invasion. Al.
estimates as to the losses caused
;have been made entirely on the
! basis Of the direct loss in non
production Of lint and seed. The
! bureau OF crop estimates in the fall
F; Of 1920 placed this loss for the
! four years to be annually. about
$500 900, 900. Other estimates have
differed, but certainly the direct
annual loss is in the neighborhood
Of $500, 900, 900.
Loss varies from slight injury to
! complete destruction Of the crop.
4 fair idea as to the possibilities
OF loss is afforded by the gains Sc
cured in recent poisoning tests
which amount to five. six or even
/ seven hundred pounds Of seed cot
! ton per acre due TO poisoning. In
some cases gains Of 900 pounds
! have heen secured.
The weevil has the power OF
adapting himself 20 conditions rs
! he goes across the colton-Srow!nS
territory. When the pest goes into
q new territory serious complaint
! is heard for two or three Years
and then little more is he;irc
about it. This leaves the impress
sion that it does serious damage
in q new territory, then passes on,
5! but this is not true. The facts are
that when the weevil first comes
into new district there is ne,,rly
always a panic and anything that
causes a short crop is laid TO the
door OF the weevil. 1t generally
takes n community about three
wears 10 begin different methods OF
farming or to do better farming
F., and after Il few years We become
accustomed TO the weeVll INJURY
and are able 20 reduce his damage
by better UractlceS.
Wherever once established, how
ever. weevil damage will ccnttnlle
ond when weather conditions ere
favorable 10 survival throusf> Win
ter and TO multiplication n sum
,ner. serious injury may be expect
ed unless proper precautions are IA
ken TO insure Il crop.
Practically all cotton farmers
now know The appearance oi 'hs
wecvil. but in new territory ther"
are still many insects takt3 Tor M
pest. The entomolosiStS o! any a.
The experiment stations or colleges
can determine instantly whether