The Mena weekly star., 1922-01-26
EARME
Fight the Boil Weevil.
By c. II. ALsrAuGH. County Age'

1922 farmers must begin now to light the boil weevil. With a moderate winter adult weevils will be abundant in the spring unless they are destroy ed during the winter months. As winter approaches the adult weevil hybernates in protected places, ir- cotton and corn stalks, in grass, un- der the bark of trees and unuer leaves and trash around fence rows and the border of woods adjacent 10 cotton fields.
 The precautionary measures are simple. The principle of them IS to break up the hiding places of tne weevil during winter and destroy them directly or by exposure to freezing weather. Cotton and corn stalks. crab grass, etc., should be plowed under deep so that the weevll cannot emerge thru the soil Woods should be burned off and fence rows, ditches. etc, should be cleaned off and burned. If all farmers would on- lv observe these simple practices the infestation next spring would De re- duced to the minimum. It IS, of course, possible for your neighoor to harbor enough weevil to destroy the cotton crop of the entire community so. it Is important to talk this mat ter over and see to it that eyeryDouy helps.
 The above precautions alone cannot be relied on to insure a crop. In spite of the best efforts there will be enough weevil present to destroy the crop unless it is early. Early land should be selected, that is land which drains well and warns up early Tn the spring. The practice of bedding the land during the winter is helpful in warming up the land early in the spring because it aids drainage, loosens the soil and allows the air to enter. It also exposes a greater sur face to the warming action of the sun and air. Early maturing varieties should be used by all means as the best way to fight the boil weevil IS to have crop set before the weevil becomes numerous enough to destroy all of the squares. Experiments have shown that thick spacing gives the highest yield under weevil conditions. The idea of this thick spacing is to have two or three bolls set on each of large number of stalks before the weevil are numerous enough to pune ture all of the squares.
 Quick acting fertilizers and early planting are also helpful.
 Early applications of nitrate of soda hasten tine growth of the plant and acid phosphate is helpful in hastening the maturity. There is also the new spray treatment which some growers are using with success. This treatment is profitable only on land which will produce at least one half bale per acre when the weeyil drainage is checked. The better the land the greater the profit from the treatment. Unless this spray is in- telligently applied it will result in disappointment. There is room for considerable demonstration along these lines. The spray treatment could hardly be recommended to the farmers generally until they become more familiar with it's use. Your county agent is ready to supervise a number of tests in the county. If you are interested talk with him about it,
 Truck Farmers Meeting. A Truck and Fruit Growers meet ing is called for Saturday, January 28, at the Commercial Club office in Mena. All preliminary arrangements have been completed and we are now ready to sign up with the Sevier county growers and form school dis trict locals in order to get representa- tion on the board of directors.
 
 Do Farmers Need Cooperation?
 The present movement to organize farmers into cooperative marketing associations is directly result of the impossible economic conditions which have brought themselves on us dur ing the recent reconstruction period. The farmers condition has always been bad enough but the recent turn for the worse is critical matter. Not only for the farmers but for bus mess men and industry as well. Does it mean nothing to the welfare of the country generally that our farmers have been growing corn, cotton and other staple crops which they are forced to sell for less than the cost of production? Besides this, the farm CT is called upon to bear an unfair RARROA bAJAA OA biit tAICCCANG nlkuWdY and other taxes which he graciously meets by cutting wood for a net re- turn of about fifty cents per day. How long can such condition continue?
 It is true that we are all more or less to blame for the present agri- cultural condition but the man who must shoulder by far the largest part of the responsibility is the farmer himself. Whose business is 1t to pro- test against the present conditions and to set them right? The farmers, certainly. Do transportation com panies, manufacturers and those en- gagged in other industries wait for the general public to solve their business problems for them? Then why should the farmers2
 The farmer has been as eager to right his conditions as have the men in other industries. He has simply lacked the means. He has under taken by individual effort what oth- CTS are accomplishing by concerted effort. There has been no unity ot thought or action among farmers, nc real leadership. We have been toe l proud of our "Free-born American rights" to cooperate with our neigh.
 bor for our mutual benefit. We have been too little inteested in our owr
 affairs to gather together and study them. We have refused to cooperate
 with our neighbors because we ar,
 suspicious of them. These in briet
 are the reasons why no two farmer.
 can agree on the way to plant cot
 ton, market berries or elect the nex
 president