Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-09-16
GEORGIA FARMERS
CONTROL WEEV|L
BY r, HI. JETER

ACCOUNTS OI l1Ow ICtu OCCll
successful in this fight last season
and there is no doubt but that these
accounts of successful effort had
much to do with many other land
owners determining to carry on a
finished fight with the pest this year.
Among those who determined to
make the fight is c. r. Fitzpatrick,
of Warrenton, Ca, one Of the largest
landowners and most influential
farmers of middle Georgia. Last
week at a meeting held on his farm
under the auspices Of the Georgia
state board of entomology over 300
farmers from all sections of Geor-
gia gathered to study the results that
he is securing. Mr.. Fitzpatrick has
in about 700 acres to cotton this
year, and confidently expects to
make about 600 bales of cotton. Even
j the most critical visitor conceded
that he will make not less than 500
bales, and he did it by waging a
courageous and intelligent fight
against the boil weevil pest.
At this meeting it was given me
to inspect closely Mr.. Fitzpatrick s
fields. He has the same general con-
ditions as would be found on most
cotton plantations Of middle Geor-
gia. This year he only used about
450 pounds of fertilizer per acre.
He had through necessity cut the
amount from about 500 to 1000
pounds as used before the advent of
the weevil on his farm. He busted
his cotton according to instructions
furnished him by the Georgia state
board of entomology, and saved prac-
tically ell of the cotton that could
be made under such conditions and
seasons as have prevailed this year.
Good Seed Essential
During the course Of the meeting.
I had an interview with J. F. Gum,
who has been manager of Mr.. Fitz-
patrick's farm for the past ten years.
Mr.. Gum states that one of the
things largely responsible for the
good Yields secured was the fact
that good seed was used throughout
the entire paintings. Seed Of the
Wannamaker Cleveland Big Boil
variety, bred on this farm for nine
years and kept absolutely pure from
mixing, was the variety used. This
seed breeding work was begun on
the farm by Mr.. G. A. McLendon,
expert seed breeder for the Georgia
board of entomology for several
years, and has been faithfully car
ried on since that time. On the day
of my visit, Mr.. Fitzpatrick had two
young men from the Georgia State
College of Agriculture making plant
selections from his fields for the
continued improvement of his va
riety.
Mr.. Gum states that he has given
these seed the best Of care, lookins
after the ginning, storing and plant
ing personally to be sure that no
mixing occurs or no faulty seed are
used.
Planted Early
This year, the cotton was planted
as early as possible in the spring.
About 300 pounds of fertilizer per
: acre was bedded upon and side
application of about $50 pounds
made right after chopping. busting
with calcium arsenate was begun
about the middle Of June. Mr.. Gum
feels that he should have begun
earlier to kill off the old weevils
that came from Information, but it
was impossible 10 get the poison and
get organized for business previous
to this time. About six applications
of poison were made on most of the
plantation, using about pounds to
the acre each time.
Mr.. Fitzpatrick plants from 10 to
10 acres of cotton to the pillow and
states that the total cost of the pro
lection work, including labor, ma.
chimes and dust, would be around
500 to the pillow. He spent a total
Of $4,000 this year in his fight on
the weevil. Eight machines were
used in the busting work on the
whole fifty-horse farm AS result,
Mr.. Fitzpatrick feels that he will
get as an average about three
fourths of q bale to the acre. Some
fields will make a bale to the acre
and above while others will make
less than the general average. On
the whole, however, this demonstra-
ton proves beyond all shadow Of
doubt that the weevil can be success
fully controlled where the proper eff
fort is put forth. Not only did Mr..
Fitzpatrick have his cotton busted
thoroughly every four days during
the critical period, but he also had
the labor to pick and burn the faller,
squares. This was done carefully
each week all season long and tho
burning doEe under the personal
supervision of Mr.. Gum.
Just before the boil Weevil came,
Mr.. Fitzpatrick was making about
20 bales of cotton TO the mule, but
in spite of all efforts he has made
poor crops since that time until this
season, when he made his first in
tensive fight against the pest. Now
he states that he can hardly wait
until spring to come again SO anx-
ious is he to begin his fight in time
and win back all that the weeVil has
caused him to lose.
It is not to cooton alone that Mr..
Fitzpatrick devotes his farming
energies, however, for he grows all
the corn, hay and oats needed on
the place. He has portable sor-
ghum mill that goes from tenant to
tenant grinding and cooking their
syrup for the coming seasons con.
sumption, and he also has a portable
gin that visits each tenant as his
cotton Is ready. He states that he
would be a poor farmer did he not
make his places practically self-sup-
porting and he is following this plan
with much success.
This demonstration Is proving to
be of great interest to neighboring
farmers all over that territory and
many visits are being paid it each
week. The rolling fields are covered
with cotton, well-grown, heavily
fruited and uniform in appearance
and type, showing the results of the
careful seed selections that have
been made during the past nine
years. At the time of my visit over
300 farmers were given bountiful
barbecue, the pigs being furnished
from the home grown meat supply.
1t Is such demonstrations as this
that are proving to the cotton farm
er of Georgia that he can grow cot
dnrraitn ,x-aoxr;l 1.