The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-04-12
BOIL WEEVlL
CONTROL FACTS
Methods Generally Employed with
Success, and Mistakes Which
Farmers Make.
BY C. A. Whittle,
Soil Improvement Committee.

Soil improvement Committee.
The boil weevil has practically coz:
cred the cotton belt, but there seems
to be no marked reduction In the
amount OF cotton grown as a result
The fact IL the boil weevl can not
and will not overthrow b Soutns
greatest crop.
How are farmers meeting the
boil weevil most successfully? There
are two main ways: ID Pushing the
cotton to early maturity and (2) Kill
ing the boil weevil.
The following questions and answers
give the main things that are being
done and also the mistakes that are
being made:
PUSHING THE COTTON CROP.
What soils are preferred for hasten
Ing the crop?
Well drained. light soils warm up
earlier and grow off the cotton quick
er than heavy or poorly drained soils.
Sandy soils are, therefore. better than
clayey soils. .
10 Il advisable to use poor soils?
1t would be a serious mistake. Poor
soils never did pay, and with the boil
weevil taking toll, poor land cotton
will only put the farmer into a deeper
hole.
Remember that 1t costs moro to grow
cotton under boil weeNl conditions,
and there must be enough cotton
to make 1t worth while to fight with
the boil weevi1.
What varieties Of cotton are pro-
ferrsd2
Any variety which will set an album.
dance Of bolls early and will continue
to set fruit throughout the season. A
variety which is early but which also
quits fruiting early Is not desirable
because the weevils will do heavier
damage to tho bolls when they do not
find squares TO puncture. Cleveland
strains are most generally preferred
by farmers.
What methods Of cultivation are
used to hasten MATURITY
Frequent, shallow cultivation until
the greater part of the crop Is set.
Then less frequent cultivation. The
later cultivation should be the skip
middle method, taking alternate mid.
dies and with the next cultivation TAX.
ing the ones that were skipped. This
keeps half Of the roots Of the cotton
plant undisturbed 80 that there will be
less shedding, more s4uartuE and bet
tor protection Of the cotton bolls.
i KILLING The WEEvIL.
1t 10, but it 1s q particular method
which many farmers may fail with
when they first try it, because they
are not In the habit Of doing particu-
lar things right the first time.
II the rules for poisoning are ad-
hered to strictly the cotton farmer
will get the most complete and eco
nomic control Of the weevil Of any
method known.
Any contemplating the 8 Of
poison should get complete instruc-
tons from the Government Boil Wee
vii Station, Tallulah, LATHE State
Entomologist, or agricultural COL
leges.
Does It pay to Kill the weevils on
the young cotton stalks before squares
begin to form?
II the weevils come out Of winter
quarters in large numbers and threat
en- ITO take all the first squares. It
is considered advisable to kill as many
Of them as possible. Calcium arsenate
s%prinkled from a perforated can or
from a cheese bag on the young plants
is the most efficient and economical
method of killing the weevils on the
young plants.
1t is not necessary to apply the poi
son until just before the squares begin
to form.
Is it practical to gather and destroy
squares?
If the poison method is not used 1t
will often be found necessary to gath.
er and destroy damaged squares that
contain immature weevils, in order to
have assurance of any sort of a crop.
Picking up squares is not as efficient
nor as inexpensive as poisoning, but
IL thoroughly done a fair to good crop
can be obtained.
Is poisoned moIasses applied to cot
ton ~effeetIve7
Poisoned molasses or other poisoned
sweets will kill some boil weevtls dur