The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-07-19
EARLY POISONING FOR WEEVILS
D. H. Coker Points Out Value of Molasses Mixture for
Campaign Against the Boil Weevil
To the Editor:

To the Editor.
notice appearing in all OF the
daily and weekly papers this week an
article from Clemson College purport-
ing to give advice as to the latest and
mot approved methods of handling
me boil weevil.
am sorry to take issue with the
@eeyll experts of the college on this
matter but feel compelled to do so as
my own experiments and those OF many
o1 the best farmers in the state lead
me 70 differ from them in important
particulars. Clemson college Is sup
ported principally by the farmers of
; South Carolina and l submit that
where there is important evidence
available from many of the best and
most reliable farmers in the state, it
should be given at least equal weight
with that Of the "experimenters in
Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas
and Oklahoma.
The boil weevil has been in South
Carolina for several years during most
OF which time the government and coll
lege experts have advocated q method
of weevil control which was expen-
sive, which required much judgment
in its application and which involved
night work. Besides in practice last
year the government method proved to
be DANGEROUS in that some crops were
severely damaged by plant lice after
two or three applications of the cal
cium arsenate in dust form.
I have abundaht evidence that the
early poisoning g the weevils by the
molasses-calcium arsenate method is
success and is so cheap and simple
that it can be put into universal prac-
tice. / think it fair deduction from
the results obtained that when put
into universal practice, it will greatly
delay the rapid increase Of weevils
and allow the whole crop to fruit for
some time longer than when early con
troll methods are not applied.
The eMDerimence Of Mr.. McDuffie,
farm manager for Ex-Governor r. I.
Manning on his Meredith place. is suf-
ficient on this subject although it is
confirmed by practically every other
farmer who used the molasses treat
ment in time. Mr.. McDuffie poisoned
his worst infested field Of 10 acres on
or about May "a, at which time there
were no squares upon the cotton. Up
to that time he had picked weevils
from this field frequently and upon the
day of poisoning was getting at the|
rate Of about 200 weevils per acre. Mr.
McDuffie poisoned this field several
times between May "a and June 81, on
which day he told ME that he had fire.
Quently and carefully examined this
field during that interval MAY. "a to-
June 27) and had sent hands into 1t to
search for weevils, also that ex-Gov
ernor Manning had been with him on
at least one occasion searching for
weevils, that he had been unable to
find single live weevil in this field
during that period, that he had been
carefully over the field during the past
few days and had found but two small
spots in which any squares were be-
ing punctured. (These Of course he
had carefully picked up.) The cotton
referred to was planted in March and
was carried to the end Of the period
of weevil emergence with practically
no infestation or damage. About one
week later Mr.. McDufie told me that
be had just plowed over 65-acre
field and had offered his plow hands
sc for each punctured square. They
had turned in about 100 squares or|
1-2 squares per acre.
I could quote Messrs. w. A. and
Geo. Stuckey Of Lee county; j.. w.
Goodson and r. p. Gillespie Of Harts-
Vile; A. II. Rogers Of Society Hill,
besides my own force Of experimenters