The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-01-18

Dalgn, has recently published a small
pamphlet giving ten steps in fighting
the boil weevil. These steps if follow
ed closely in every detail, / believe will
help farmers to make good crop of
cotton in spite OF the boil weevil.
There has been time when we could
make good fruit without spraying the
fruit trees, but that time has past. The
same thing Is tdue with making cot
ton. We must change our methods of
makng cotton, but we can continue to
make cotton by waging fight against
the boil 'w'eevil.
The following are the ten steps that
must be taken under boil weeyil con-
ditions in order to make a good crop
of cotton:
1. Plant fewer acres.
3. Use earlyl varieties.
9. Use sarly varieties.
4. PLANT early.
5. Fcrtilize literally.
6. Cultivate frequently.
t. XIII early weevils
q. Gather damaged squares.
Q. LEARN to poison.
Destroy stalks CARLY.
1t is not advisable to grow more
than eight or ten acres OF cotton to
the ploW, and IL labor is scarce five or
six acres to the plow will be enough
TO undertake. or course by reducing
cotton acreage there will be consider
able land left which should be planted
to food and feed crops for man and
beast. a system Of crop rotation
should be practiced in which money
crops other than cotton can be used.
il am recommending the following ro-
tation for general practice in Laurens
county:
First year, cotton to iDe plowed un-
der in October after picking and fol-
lowed with wheat and oats. Second
year, wheat and oats followed with
cowpeas and soy beans. The soy beans
will make a good supplementary
money crop and they can be economi-
cally harvested with Little Giant
Bean Harvester The cowpeas and
soy beams should be followed in the
fall with crimson clover or rye and
vctch. Third year, the crimson clover
or ryo and Vetch are plowed under and
corn Is planted. Velvet beans should
bo planted in tho corn The velvet
beans can be ;razed by COWS and hogs
during the fall and winter or they
can 6e r'owed under for soil improve
mcnt. This land viii be ready for cot
ton again the fourth year and should
mnke good crop OF cotton with worry
little fertilizer other than 900 lbs of
16 per cent acid phosphate to the
acre, as the crop rotation recommend
ed will improve the soil very rapidly
IL carried out
The seed bed should be prepared
early so that it will be well settled by
planting time. Heavy land should be
broken in the fall, and sandy soils
should be broken in early spring.
Early fruhting varieties of cotton
should be planted in order that a
large amount OF fruit will be set be-
fore the boil weevils have become suf-
ficiently numerous to be most seri-
GUS, which usually occurs by August.
According to variety tests that have
been conducted by the different ex-
! pertinent stations in this state, the
Cleveland Big Boil Is the best short
staple cotton for wilt free land, and
Wobber 40 and Deltatype Webber are
the best long staple varieties.
Cotton should be planted as early as
possible without risking damage by
frost. Earliness Is important. A good
stand should be secured from the first
planting II possible, as the replanted
cotton will be too late. A thorough
preparation Of the seed bed Will help
In gettinga good stand. The incor-
poration OF organic matter in the soil
through the crop rotation recommend
cd Will cause the soil to get warm
earlier in the spring, and help in se-
curing good stand from the first
planting.
Since considerable work is neces-
sary to make cotton under. boil weevIl
conditions lis very important that
sufficient 1ertilizers be used to make q
good crop In order to pay for the in-
creased amount OF labor and other ex-
pense In making the crop. Here again