The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-02-02
65 Bales on 65 Acres in 1921

San Antonio, Texas, January a.
Lee F. Freeman is general former
at Mercedes, in the southern Texas
Belt where boil weevils were as mum
erous in 1921 as at any spot in the
entire cotton area; and to Mr.. Free
mans thinking little more so.
In one field of 65 acres he made
65 bales of standard weight cotton,
the staple running from one and
five-sixteenths to one and three
eights. In another field of 80
acres of approximately the same gross
yield in the first crop he made an ad-
ditional top crop of IL bales. This
is greater yield than the same land
produced under normal farming con-
ditions prior to the advent of the wee
vii.
And this one practical dirt farm
er" example illustrates what is be-
ing done in commercial cotton rails
ing throughout Texas by those
planters who farm as a business and
not as a play-thing, or as a means
merely of keeping body and soul to-
gether while waiting for Gabriel to
blow his trumpet.
Climatic Differences Not Potent
Factor.
Some one may say, 20, well that's
in the warm gulf coast country where
the cotton is planted in March and
picked in August
So much the worse in dealing with
the weevil, or in raising cotton under
boil weevil conditions.
My Investigations have demonstrat
ed that the weevil is much more east
ly controlled in the northern Texas
belt than in the southern, or hot belt.
The same will be found true in
Georgia.
Warm winters naturally carry more
weevils through the period Of hiberna-
ton than cold winters. That is COM
mon sense.
The weevil does not keep account
of calendar months. He emerges from
Information earlier in the hot zones
than in the cold zones, as his habits
are affected by climatic conditions.
That's common sense.
Put the two facts together, there
fore, and what is the conclusion?
That which long years of expert
ence in Texas has proven beyond a
question the weevil becomes a
menace in the hot belt earlier than
in the cold belt, and therefore in
weevil control, per sc, the farmer
in the warmer cotton zone has no
advantage over his brother to the
north.
Indeed the northern brother has
the advantage Of conditions more
conducive to higher weevil mortal
ity in hibernation.
hope that point is clear, and will
settle any controversy as to normal
climatic conditions.
This does not relate, Of course, to
abnormal climatic conditions such as
unduly wet and humid spring and
summer conductive to weevil propa-
cation: or to dry, cold winter con-
ductive to weevil mortality.
At any rate, it is just a question OF
any good, intelligent, industrious
farmer shaping his operations to his
usual local climatic conditions, and
them to the climatic conditions that
may develop, if unusual. That is plain
How Texas Farmer Mastered the
Weevil.
Now let's have Mr.. Freeman tell
his own story:
"Growing cotton successfully under
UOll W6Stli CUuulI1OuS 10 uOt ~ w
whipped before beginning; not to be
discouraged by any unforeseen condi-
ton; not to stop cultivating when the
July picnics begin; not to go to sleep
on the job; not to trust worthless, no
count tenants or help, who have moth
ing but three meals day at stake, to
do the work, without overseeing; not
to experiment with untried devices
and remedies, not to depart from the
old-time honored rules for growing
cotton; not to believe that cotton
will grow successfully on land too
poor for anything else; not to half
do anything-but on the contrary,
to bend every effort to make more
cotton on the same land than the
year before; to push it to boiling just
as fast as is physically practicable;
and to work it, and then work it; and
not to 'lay-it-by' until the staple is
ready to pick.
"The bnlk of Our cotton is gathered