The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-10
ALLGOOD ADVISES FARMERS TOBEGIN
 FIGHTING WEEV|LS
Commissioner of Agriculture Urges Planters to Use Ar senate Busting Machine
 to Destroy Pests

Montgomery, April .-(Special.)- NJ. C. Allgood, state commissioner of agriculture, today appealed to the farmers of Alabama to begin now the planning of cotton crop and the cultivation of a cotton crop which an withstand the boil weevil. He
 ged the farmers to prepare their land thoroughly, gave instructions for sueh preparation and after the cot Ion s growing to apply good amouat of calcium arsenate.
 Comm issioner Allgood said it was of great importance to start the cam paiga seainst the boil weeyiIs at the vary fitat appearance of the weevil hy g8lns an arsenate dusting ma ohioes whfch can be purchased at a small price y a said the dusting with calcium arsenate should be done dur ing the early niorning or late in the afternoon. SO lHe Jew will cause it to remain, bus tnat # should never be &rpiied during rainx weather, as the rAins will was hit 1ff.
 hiv Apgood said farmers who used the aethod suggested last year made as Eia ss b0le to he acre, while tleir neigh DOTS who aid not use 1t aautended with boil wee ails through out the year and coaid RSt no more th1n one bale of cotton OH four acres of ad. Ne said four applle ations of calc nm arsehata will cost only s2.5o for eaeh are of cotton acreage.
 Cor missioner AllEood's appeal to the cotlon farmers follows:
 ssrs !. o foundation. Lay off rows feet to 3h feet then for ordinary yield bed on 20 pounds 16 per cent acid phos- phate, plant early with season, use plenty of seed of early varieties, and put in 100 pounds nitrate of soda with seed. On sandy soils 50 pounds of kanit would be beneficial.
 "Kuock off with top harrow or section harrow a few days after planting, leave thick in rows about hoe width between plants, begin cul- tivation early and work regularly, and after cotton is about half knee high give only shallow cultivation by keeping dust mulch on top of ground stir the top of the ground every week if possible, and it is very impor- tant to keep crust broken after rains and just as important to keep land stirred in times of drouth, as this helps hold the moisture. Keep the top of the ground stirred and dust mulch until bottom bolls begin to open.
 Watch Weevils
 Keep a close watch for DOH weevils and when the first are seen use your calcium arsenate at once to keep them from multiplying. In week or ten days if you still have boil weevils, dust again, and possibly 1t will take three or four dustings to kill them, but it certainly will XII them. The calcium arsenate should be put on late in the afternoon ana at might and morning when the dew makes it stick to the cotton. Do not dust any during rainy spells, as 1t IS washed off on the ground.
 Three or four pounds will dust an acre. and it only costs around l5 cents per pound. A hand machine that will take care of eight or ten acres will cost $lO or less. s
 "There is a mule drawn machine for larger fields that cost around S7o. Write the government experiment. station, Tallulah, La, in regard 10 same. .At.
 T saw farmers last year use this raathod and make a bale to the acre, while their neighbors' cotton was eaten up and it took four acres to make a bale. Where boil weevll ln- fesation is heavy l had rather nave five acres worked this way than 10 under the old system. We not only have millions of dollars invested m lands, fertilizers, labor ana equlp ment but our prosperity depends on our success in producing cotton. Thls method is like having fire insurance nolicy with your house on fire. Tne fertilizer will cost about $5 per acre and the poison for four applications about s25O. mighty cheap insurance on such a valuable crop.