The Monroe journal., 1922-01-13

} reaching maturity. For this reason
Weevil damage is much worse in wet
summers.
What happens if a farmer covers
these squares with dirt while plOw-
ing his cotton? A. They are more
apt to hatch in dry weather.
How deep would they have 10 be
covered to keep the weevil from COM
ing out when hatched? A. About 1
inches.
What do good farmers do with
these squares? A. Pick and burn
them every day or two until the wee
Wis begin to migrate from other fields
in August.
Via, IS the practical value Of such
practice? A. 1t keeps the increase
Of weegils down to a minimum and
enables more cotton TO be made on
the bottom and middle of the stalks.
Have You any promise from the
Lord TO strike with lightning those
who burn the squares containing eggs
and young weevilS? \. None what
ever. The Lord Will no more pun
ish people for fighting wcevils than
flies and grass.
IS il true thst il one of your sol
dierS is killed or an egg burned in a
square that two spontaneously come
to take their places? A. Not at all.
( We only produce by natures method,
which requires about three weeks
/ fIom an egg to maturity.
General. who are the best friends
OF boil weevils? A. Farmers who
are not afraid of rs. mild winters,
wet summers, and plenty of soda on
I the cotton during summer.
( Have YOU any enemies? A. Yes,
several, but a good farmer is the
I greatest enemy we have.
Why is a good farmer your great
est enemy? A. Because he is afraid
Of Us. realizes we are menace to
cotton production. learns all he can
from the experience of others. re-
dUoeS his cotton acreage, and fights
us all the year. lie also rotates his
crops. diversiiieS. grows legumes
winter and summer, uses lime, fences
his farm ar1 grows more or less live
stock.
WAT else do good farmers prac-
t;ce that YOU particularly dislike?
4. They grow velvet beans in every
acre Of their corn, and grain with
vetch in part of i every winter, in
their cotton fields.
Why do you dislike velvet beans
so much? A. They always look like
tEe best kind of a winter hotel. but
when we lodge in them. the hogs and
cattle poster US all winter while eat
ing the beans; and long before spring
has come that good farmer is riding
all over that field with his disc har-
row followed with a two-horse plow.
Docs that affect you? A. Why it
kills the last one of us, every time.
Do You dislike velvet beans for any
other reason? A. They cause the
land to warm up earlier in spring,
which enables the cotton to come up
earlier, suffer less from cut worms
and lice, and grow off so fast that it
easily gets ahead Of me, if the farm
er picks the early weevils and squares
and good farmers do that.
Why do you dislike cover crops so
much? A. They necessitate the ear
ly destruction Of stalks and keep the
field damp or wet all winter.
Do good farmers handicap you in
~. "1H > ~ 10 III every posSl-
BE manner
What are some Of them? A. They
prepare their land well, plant their
cotton as early rs il can be safely
planted, fertilize it well with n thick
well balanced fertilizer best suited to
each type of soil, use all their soda
under the cotton or just after chop
ping, use an early, quick maturing
yor'e Y: they also cultivate the crop
rapidly on both sides of the row at
les, Cate week, and keep after us
and our eggs.
20 good farmers fight you in still
Other Ways? A. Yes. They clean
NJ and burn all trash, grass, weeds,
etc, within 200 feet OF the cotton
field during the winter. Sometimes
they pile this staff before fros, and
fool is INTO using the piles for win
ter hotels They they burn us. ho-
tel and all. Such farmers do not
stack hay near the cotton fields and
neither do they plant cotton close to
barns and o,her buildings. Few if
any Of us find them for winter no.
tel then.
If good farmer is unable to get
the cotton stalks cut and plowed un-
der before frost, what does he do?
A. He does this as soon as possible
before frost.
What is the best method Of de-
'troying cotton stalks? A. Cut them
by going up and down the rows with
, three or four mule disc harrow.
Does a good farmer burn stalks
,r anything off his fields? A. Never.
He knows that his land needs that
stuff to make humus and that an acre
If cotton stalks is worth about Sl2
or fertilizer.
What do weevils do when the farm
n begins to cut and pillow under stalks
,arly in the fall? A. We have to
cave his farm or starve.
Why? A. Because we never eat
Inything except green cotton and
annot live longer than ten or fifteen
lays in the fall without it.
Why do you not go to sleep for the
winter? A. Nature will not let us
10 that until cold weather.
Where do you 20 if the farmer de-
troys your food? A. Wherever we
an find growing cotton. Any man
Who has it is our friend.
When frost comes do you all go
ack whence you came to find win
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