The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-03-06
BEST METHODS OF GROWING COTTON
UNDER BOIL WEEVIL CONDITIONS

q sCTCSSlng the Rlo Grande river fro,
Mexico into Texas in 1892 the to
weevii has spread over practically tn
entire cotton belt. In no section ha
the weevil been exterminated. but i
every section men have shown that
us possible and profitable to grow cot
ton under weevil conditions. Usuall
the scare is worse than the weevil.
History would indicate that the wee
! WI may not be quite so serious in tn,
Piedmont section Scof this state as |,
some of the more southerly sections
= however, we may expect a heav,
omergence of weevils this spring due
to an unusually mild winter. Compe.
tent authorities have estimated ar
Semergence Of 10 per cent of the wee.
! wills which went into Information last
fall
ft Mr. Whittle urged the farmers of
this county to profit by the experience
OF farmers who have had the weevil
5 for several years.
! Mr.. Whittle dealt with the direct
control measures which should be en-
( ployed in fighting the weevi.
|, The weevil spends the winter in a
dry warm place, usually under the
bark of trees, the roofs of houses and
other places. He never tries to live
over winter under the ground.
Mr.. Whittle advises burning of.
terraces hedge rows and ditch banks,
but he does not think it advisable to
burn off the woods.
The. weevil when he energies in the
spring is necessarily weak and the
hrst ones are usually found OH the
terminal buds of cotton nearest the
woods.
There are two methods of handling
the early weevils: First, go over the
cotton very carefully about two weeks
before the first squares form and pick
off these weevils or these early wee
wills can be poisoned by dusting little
calcium arsenate on the terminal bud
ct each plant This poison may be
applied through fertilizer S.arn or
tomato can and poisoning should be
done about two weeks before SQUARES
form, Don't use poisoned molasses as
it has no advantage over dry calcium
arsenate and i'm addition it will kill
bees hia. ;n.aets ss--.ss II.
'saThs next Stage III The Hg
the squares begin to form. The weevilI
cannot reprodce itself except in cot
ton square or boil. A single pair of
weevils and their progeny are capa-
BILE Of producing in a single favorable
season as many as 100000 Off
spring. These punctured squares
should be picked up and burned at in
tervals of four to five days until about
July 31st. This square picking, like
weevil picking, must be done thor
oughly if the desired results are ac-
complshed
If one does not care to practice
picking of squares then he can poison
with calcium arsenate.
Do your poison work right or not
at all.
Don't poison until 10 to Is per cent
of your squares are punctured.
Don't poison unless your land is cap
able of producing at least one-half
bale per acre without the weevil.
Don't poison unless you are willing
TO follow government instructions.
Calcium arsenate is a chemical COM
pound of calcium and arsenic; it will
kill the weevil but will not kill or
burn the cotton plant.
This poison is applied in dust form
and is put on by means of machines.
There are several types of machines
on the market, the hand gun which
costs from $3.50 to $1,000, is suf-
ficiently large to take care of five
to eight acres of cotton; the mule
back machine costs from $4,000 to
$550O, and will care for eight to fifty
acres; the onc-horsc machine is large
enough to care for 60 to Is acres and
costs from 500 to $l25. The larger
type machines cost about $500, but
are not advised for use on heavy Pied
mont soils.
In poisoning one must be careful
to buy good machine and standard
poison.
The best time to apply poison is dur
ing a period of still, moist atmos
phere which is usually in the earl!
morning or late afternoon. Appl,
about five pounds per acre and repea
every four days for three applications
If it should rain hard within "a hour
the poison will be washed off and an
other application should be made i'm
mediately. However, if full % hour
should have passed before it rains, yo
are alright.
The cost of the poison will be abou
$3.50 to $500 per acre.
Mr. Whittle does not advise Unio
county farmers to go in for poisonin
on heavy scale but he does advis
that every farmer who can practic
some poisoning in order that he ma
know how next year.
Plow under stalks as soon as poss