The Little River news., 1922-02-22
FARMERs ARE GAMBLING
 WviTN DCls. MEEvlL
Success of 1922 Crop Depends on Weather, Says EntOmologist-
 Pest Survives Winter.

Little Rock, Feb. 1S.-Arkansas farmers are gambling this year on the weather of next June, July and the early part of August. Unless very dry weather prevails during these months next summer Arkansas Will suffer the heaviest losses she has ev- CT suffered through the boil weevll' This is the opinion of George G. Becker, entomologist of the State Plant Board To make matters worse northeast Arkansas, where there has been no boil weevil thus far, will be visited by the pest for the first time.
 The weather thus far this winter has not been cold enough even to re- tard the boil weevil. Had the winter been severe the boil weevil would have had a setback, because the in festation of cotton army worms last year greatly reduced the number of weevils. The army worm stripped the cotton stalks of leaves and squares and left the weevil hungry. The army worm prevented the development of later generations of the weevil and sent the older weevils into winter quarters in a more or less starved condition. Had very cold weather come this winter the low tempera- +rr tho worms hpIn. would have destroyed millions of weevils, but luck favored the Weevil. Should Arkansas have temperatures as low as five degrees above zero be- fore planting time this year, the wee vil MT. Becker believes, will be eradi- cated throughout parts of the state. But there seems little hope for such weather as this.
 r Cotton as Surplus.
 MT. Becker urges cotton farmers to raise food and feed crops and to grow cotton as surplus crop. He urges thorough preparation of the seed bed, the planting of strong and vigorous seed of an approved variety, inten- sive cultivation and liberal but judi cious use of fertilizer. He also urges the planting of delinted seed.
 MT. Beckers statement follows:
 Unless We have a spell of very dry weather during the months of June and July, it is altogether likely that Arkansas will witness in 1922 the heaviest losses that she has ever suf- fered on account of the ravages of the cotton boil weevil. The winter has been very favorable for the successful Information of this pest and the sea- son is now too far advanced to expect temperatures low enough to increase greatly the mortality of the over-wint- ature recorded by the Weather Bu- reau at Little Rock thus far this winter is 21 degrees Fahrenheit Ex- cept for three or four cold snaps Iof comparatively short duration the temperature has hardly been low enough to kill many weevils. A min imum temperature of 21 degrees Fah- renheit is not nearly low enough to cause what entomologists consider a high mortality for the boil weevil. It should be remembered, in this connec- tion that if only three per cent of the Ihibe,nating weevils come through the winter successfully we may expect heavy boil weeyil losses the following year.
 irmy Worm Starved Weeyuo
 The severe outbreak of the cotton army worm last year threw the weev- il back for heavy losses, but it is likely that this setback has been largely overcome during the mild winter. The occurrence of the army worm in large numbers over all the cotton belt stripped the cotton stalks of leaves and squares thereby pre- venting the development of later gen. erations of boil weevils and at the same time causing the older weevils to go into the winter in a more ol less starved condition. It is wei known that severe army worm out. breaks have caused, in this way, 6 marked dimunition in the amount o weevil injury the following year. Sucf was the case in 1911 when a heavy outbreak of the armyworm was fol lowed by severe winter which com. pletely exterminated the weevil over part of the state. If we should have very severe weather before planting time this year. with temperature go. ing as low as five degrees Fahren heit, it is likely that the weevil vii be eradicated over a large part o1 the state. But there is little hope for this, With a minimum tempera. ture of 21 degrees the beneficial effect of the cotton army worm has beer | largely nulified