The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-07-14
THE BOIL WEEVIL
SITUATION RESTATED

son Board of Trustees a very inter-
esting conference was held with the
college officials in regard to the boil
weevil situation.
1t may be recalled that in 1915 the
Board of Trustees sent a commission
to study the situation in Louisiana,
Mississippi and Alabama, and as an
outcome of this investigation a bulle-
tin was published in 1916, which with
slight r~evisions has been printed and
distributed off and on ever since. The
Trustees have always had a very in
tense interest in the boil weevil situa-
ton and wanted the latest view held
by the college experts.
Despite the fact that both the gov
eminent and the college have been
sending out information through the
press, county agents, specialists, bull
letins and circulars almost every day
for several months, the statements
made by the experts to the Board of
Trustees last Tuesday are of much
public interest. In substance these
college experts made the following
statements:
We believe that the value of early
poisoning is greatly exaggerated.
Such is the testimony by the best ex-
perimentors in Alabama, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Texas, and Oklahoma,
which states have been longest in
tested with the weevil. Reports are
now being received from farmers
from all sections of the state to the
effect that the weevil has disappeared
from many of their fields. Some of
these fields have been poisoned with
calcium ~arsenate dust, some with
sweetened poison, and others not
poisoned at all. This emphasizes our
oft repeated statements that early
poisoning is not a material factor in
boil weevil control.
The early weevils are but the Skin
mishers of the hordes Of over-winter-
ed weevils that continue to come from
winter-quarters from March to July,
They keep coming out even after the
squares have begun to form. Most of
these old weevils die a natural death
before square formation begins.
Therefore, little is gained, and often
much lost through neglect Of other
farm operations on account of efforts
to destroy these early weevils. These
early weevils can be killed by appli-
cations of any kind of ~arsenical poi
son, whether in liquid or dust form.
This was demonstrated as far back
as 1902.
The weevils want squares to feed
on and lay eggs in. There being no
squares early in the season, they con-
fine themselves to the buds of the
young cotton plant and are practic-
ally surface feeders, something like
the potato beetle or the cabbage
worm, only less so. Little injury is
done to the cotton plant from this
feeding on the bud.
If all the over-wintered weevils
would come out at the same time, as
chickens come off the roost in the
morning, then we could no doubt des-
troy them with profit by early poison
ing. But when we kill hundreds of
weevils with one kind of poison or
another in early spring, thousands
are still in their winter-quarters
ready to come out later. By no man.
ner of poisoning or other control
measures yet discovered can we kill
all the weevils that are out, and the
survivors, together with those coming
out after the squares are formed,
discontinue feeding on the cotton
buds and begin to %puncture and eat
the inside of the squares and lay
their eggs there. From this time on
the only effective poisoning method
known is thru the use of calcium ar
senate properly applied in dust
form.
General Control Methods Again
Urged.
The farmer must remember that it
is at this point that the battle for the
o,op roo11,, bor;pc r. :, nou, 4Lo4 H.