The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1922-05-25
FARMER SAYS
FIGHT MUST BE
MADE ON WEEvIL
Recommends Calcium of Arsenate
AS Most Effective and Eco
nomical Means of Combat


near Powder Springs came into the
Journal Office Wednesday and showed
the results of the experiment ex-
planned below. Mr.. Hendrix stated
that he had visited farms in all sec
tions in Cobb county and finds the
boll-weevil here in plentiful num-
bers.
The time has already arrived, it
seems, when the farmer must fight
the boil weevil or quit trying to
raise cotton. Believing Mr.. Hendrix
experience will be of benefit to the
farmers of this section, we take
pleasure in printing it here.
May %, 1922.
Editor Marietta Journal:
81 began to make war on the boil
weevil on May Is, last, just eight
days ago, since which time l have
killed between 500 and 1000 wee
wills with calcium of arsenate.
have conducted test to ascertain
the most effective way and at the
same time the most economical way
of applying calcium, and l recon-
mend a formula about as follows:
Take 10 pounds of calcium, two
gallons of sorghum syrup, or, four
gallons of thin molasses, two or three
boxes of ice powder and mix this
with Is to 20 gallons of hot water.
Use an ordinary barrel to mix it in
and it will keep for Is or 20 days.
The ice cream powder may be elm
mated if movement to obtain. NY
reason for using it is that it makes
the mixture stick to the cotton plant
better.
To apply this mixture to the cot
ton plant use a thread mop or a
cloth mop can be very easily made
by taking a stick some three or four
feet long and fastening the thread
or cloth to one end If cloth is used
in making the mop when the cloth
is securely fastened to the stick take
pocket knife and strip the cloth
into small strips. This makes an ex-
cellent mop to apply the mixture By
taking bucket full of the mixture
in one hand and the mop in the other
tn mixture can be applied to the
plant about as fast as one cares to
walk along the cotton row. When
the cotton is small just a drop or two
OF the mixture to each stalk is suf-
hclent. The cost when applied as
outlined in only about % u cents per
acre. Of course as the cotton grows
Larger more of the mixture will have
to be applied, and therefore the cost
will be proportionally increased, but
the cost at no time will exceed As
to so cents per acre.
A small quantity of this may be
mixed about as follows: Take two
table spoon fulls of calcium, two of
sorghum and mix in about a quart
of hat water. AS an experiment l
mixed up about a quart of this mix
ture and dipped into it some six or
eight small cotton plants, then placed
the plants in a jar in which there
were $50 live weevils. In ten hours
after placing the cotton plants in the
Jar with the weevils they were all
dead.
The calcium may also be used in
powdered form instead of made into
liquid as above outlined. An eco
nomlcal way to apply the calcium
IN powdered form to the cotton plant
IS to take an old fashioned guano
horn and tie piece of cheese cloth
over the large end. The calcium is
then placed into the horn and may
be busted through the cheese cloth
onto the cotton plant. The busting
must be done late in the afternoon
for it to be effective. When the
plant becomes larger a busting ma
chine made for the purpose will be
necessary in order to properly apply
the calcium in powdered form.
In order to encourage my tenants,
as well as to destroy the weevils,
am paying one cent each for all the
Weevils caught on my farm. To
date we have caught between 1900
and 1900 weevils and we haven't
been over one time yet.
am Of the, opinion that if we
succeed in making any cotton here
this year we must fight the weevil in
every known way, and by every
known method. There is no use for
one to throw away his fertilizer, his
time and labor, the labor of his stock
and the incidental expense of MAX
ing a crop of cotton, when, by adding
little more of time, labor and a
small amount of money one can make
a reasonable amount of cotton. I'm
less one plants cotton with, the eX-
pectation and intention of fighting
the weevil it would be better to leave
the cotton implanted and cultivate
the land in some other crop. The
Weevil is here in large numbers and
tnere is no question that he will ut
tterly destroy the cotton crop un-
less some steps are taken to combat
nm. Let's put on our fighting togs
and make crop in spite of him.
j. H. HENDRIX.