The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-05-26
BOIL WEEVIL CONFERENCE
Held in Aiken May 18th Discusses
Boil Weevil Problem.

On Tuesday, May 18th, the Coun-
ty Agents from this district met at
Aiken for the purpose of discussing
the boil weevil problem. At this
meeting was given the history of the
boil weevil work in each County and
it was brought out that in the coun-
ties farther South, great deal of
damage had been done to the cotton
last year and year before last. 1t was
also brought out that the methods of
poisoning that some people are prac-
ticing, namely: the use of sweet poi
son, kerosene emulsion and many of
the patented boil weevil traps and
machines had proven, very unsatis-
factory.
1t was brought out that many of
the machines now being sold in Abb
bevi!le County have been thrown
away IN the counties farther South
and the County Agents advised me
that if the people in this county
wanted to buy any boil weevil traps
except the Standard dusting ma
chimes, that they could easily get up
q large order of used machines at
one-fourth or one-fifth the price that
you are now paying for them.
The results of the Conference
were as follows:
/. That no man should attempt
to poison the boil weevil in any way
except by the approved method of
busting.
?. That the approved method of
;:::istt;ag pays only when common
sense is used in applying the dust and
god farming in connection with the
dust.
9. That where busting expert
r,en,s are being carried on in the
counties similar to the Southern Cot
ton Oil Company's experiments in
.h:s county, the men should watch
these experiments very closely be-
fore ATTEMPTING to dust for them
selves. =.
Throughout the meeting time and
time again was brought out the i'm
portance of fast, shallow and frequent
cultivation of cotton extending as
far over the period of growth as it
could be practiced without too much
damage to the cotton by knocking
off the bolls and breaking the cotton
With The singletree.
To you, the farmers of Abbevllle
County, would recommend that you
y,..--ch the dus-ing experiments that
will be conducted by the Southern
Cotton Oil Company on ten of the
farms in this county. If you have
made up your mind to dust, get in
touch with me and allow me to as
sist you to poison according to the
best methods of poisoning with cal
cium arsenate.
l would like to have about ten
farmers, in addition to the ten used
by the Southern Cotton Oil Com
pany, who will dust with calcium
arsenate according to the approved
method, realizing at the same time
that the calcium arsenate dusting is
at best only an experiment in Able
vile County and for successful re-
suits must be applied according to
the best methods and consistently.
We will, no doubt, be seriously in
jured by the boil weevil this year and
the man who does not have other
produce and plenty of feeds for HIM
self and the other farmers on the
place, will be the man who will be
hurt most. But take this into consid-
Grafton that better times are ahead
of US and by the use of good common
sense, we can to a great extent elm
mate in year or two the damage the
boil weevil will do in Abbeville coun-
ty. According to the history of the
other counties that have had the boil
weevil for quite while, this must be
accomplished by the use of dairy cat
tie, hogs, poultry and the raising of
a large quantity of food stuff.
If I can be of any service to you
in arranging your program of work
for this year or next, please do not