Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1922-03-30


watching the weevil's progress and
wondering when their different farms
would be reached and what the results
of the coming of the weevil would be.
There is hardly any hope but that all
the cotton-growing area of the State
will eventually be more Or less in
vaded, and unless many of our grow
ers recast their present methods, they
will suffer severely if not be put en-
tirely out of business. Naturally, the
infestation win in all probability vary
in intensity and damage as one goes
from the coast westward, the pros
poets being for far less damage in
the Piedmont section than in the
lower coastal plain region. The sit
uation is not by. any means danger
Gus; however, for the man who will
adopt suitable methods of crop rota-
ton; plant suitable and high produc-
ing cotton seed; fertilize and manure
we'll and intelligently; plant early and
cultivate thoroughly, rapidly and fair
ly late throughout the season; and
practice other good farming methods
that are already being practiced by
many of our best farmers. Such a
farmer may expect far less damage
from the weevil than will be inflicted
upon the farms of those who plant
cotton on poor land every year with
out any effort at systematic crop ro-
tation and soil improvement; who
prepare their land poorly and late in
the spring; who plant their cotton late
with poor yielding seed; and who cul-
tivate the crop poorly after it is up.
This latter man will V ithout doubt be
put out of business, certainly out OF
the profitable growing of cotton.
The man who will practice gOod
and effective methods may expect, out
side of the low-lying and heavily
wooded areas of the State, to be able
to continue the growth of cotton, and
make it as profitable as in the past or
more so, provided the crop is econom-
ically produced and reasonable prices
are secured for the crop after produc-
ton. In this connection it may be OF
interest to learn of the observations
of some of those farmers who have
been farming extensively for many
wears under boil weevil conditions. In
a recent letter to the writer, Mr..
George L. Yerger of Louisiana, an
extensive cotton planter, said in
speaking of his farms:
"The coming of the boil weevil has
taught us lots of things and | am alb
solutely convinced that if we had al
ways farmed as we are now compelled
to do, that the cotton farmers, large
and small, would be best off finan-
cially of any people in the world.
Even though the weevil is with us
and we have to use our brains as
never before, l believe we can con-
slider the coming of the boil weevil
blessing. Take it as a whole, if your
people will get up and hustle and
use fertilizer early, coupled with fair
ly decent cotton weather, you will have
nothing to fear"
Mr.. Alex Y. Scott, proprietor of an
extensive Delta plantation, Missis-
sippi. wrote: %
at does not pay to plant poor land
in cotton under boil weevil condi-
tons"
The first lesson we would like to
impress after the above preliminary
in this series of articles is that cot
ton under boil weevil conditions
should he planted only on good open
land. The land should be broken
early and allowed to weather and set
tie before planting time. Farmers
should begin now to plan systemati-
cally for the attack. They. should not
become panic-stricken for outside OF
the low-lying and woody areas of the
State, they will be able to grow cot
ton proftably, provided they meet the
attack promptly and intelligently and
prices are satisfactory for the crop
after produced.