The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-04-14
TO r

McIver Williamson, in the State,
March 18th, had the following to
say:
"Not only the consultations but
the other 1000 billion stars point to
an exceeding prevalence of traps to
catch the farmer in the many awk-
ward moves which he will necessarily
make in his first conflict with the
boil weevil. Lacking fixed rules to
guide him against these pitfalls he
will prove an easy prey to the wiles
of the trained diplomat. When Philo
Gubb would become a detective he
got himself a rule book which direct
ed him under all conditions. When
he scented danger he hid himself be-
hind q tree and consulted this book.
Every farmer needs to get him a
similar book at once. When a stran-
ger drives up to your house for the
sole and unselish purpose of con-
ferring upon you a great b%enefaction,
you are to get behind a tree and con-
suit your guide book. It will tell
you that he is fixing to pull your leg
and that you should well anoint the
same with opossum grease before
again adventuring into his presence.
In times past when he wished to
sell you an oil well your guide book
would have told that you should have
required him to deliver the said we'll
in the left hand corner of your front
yard and then wait on you to pay
him from the oil obtained therefrom.
If the kind visitor had wished to sell
you a fish scrap factory the book
wouldSh have advised that you smell
over the proposition at least a year.
eff he offers you apparati which
will destroy the boil weevil, be kind
to him for it is a wonderful thing
he has accomplished. Go with him to
your demonstration agent and gather
together the farmers who have got
ten good results from this said ma
chine. If the mans time is too valu-
able to do this, by no means detain
him long enough to carry off a note
for any of your money. This guide
book will also advise that you sign
no papers, especially those that are
not to be used, or which are a mere
matter of form, or which are guaran-
teed to yield a dividend sufficient to
pay the entire amount of the adven-
ture into which you are being entic-
ed. All of US have much wondered
how it is possible for these polite we'll
dressed friends of ours who visit US
in fine automobiles and silken socks
to so ~outprosper US when all of their
time was consumed in uplifting US.
We had finally concluded that they
were able to so greatly outshine us
even when we followed all of their
advice simply because it is more
blessed to give than to receive. When
however, we consulted our guide
book it said look in the glass for the
goat. Economy is a jewel but we
find that prudence is an ever more
essential adjunct in our dealing with
wi friends"
There is only too much truth in
the above, we fear. With every sick
ness the quack comes with his nos
trum. He knows more about the dis
ease than all the doctors, and gener-
ally puts the patient where the lat
ter can no longer give testimony.
The boil weevil is bad enough,
but if those people who would prey
on the credulity of a portion of the
people are TO persuade them that 1t
is a safe thing to plant cotton since
the boil weevil can be controlled
with this or the other device, we shall
have a still greater calamity.
Clemson College is giving the far
mers of the state some sound advice
about boil weevil traps, boil weevil
killers, and other devices to get rid
of the pest. The Clemson authori-
ties offer to investigate and report
on any one of these and thus give
out reliable information, which
would be the best advertisement a
really valuable device could have