The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-02-08
The Boil Wccvil and The Cotton
Outlook.

!
Of he United states as the worlds
i leading producer VIII ultimately be
{ determined by th"tco@t >of produc-
ton under new conditions nccessi-
tatcd fo. the control Of the boil
! weeyil, the National Bank Of Com
nlerce. IN New York believes.
The destructireness Of the boil
we.vil and ;hc difficulty and cost
! OF combating !; MAKE clear the
grave CONSEQUENCES OF the invasion
j Of this insect on tlac economic fu-
rure Of the cotton states. the bank
says in the February number of its
magazine. Commerce Monthly.
MOI only every farlier but every
! banker and business man in the
cotton belt is obliged TO consider
tho weevil in formulating his
course OF action.
The invasion OF thc boil wcevn
into lhc American cotton Eel: VI!
have an effect on tie prie,. Of cot
TOR throughout :he world. THIS
area has normally produced about
G5 per cent. Of the Total cotton sup
ply. .tny far;of which adds
greatly 10 the cost OF poduction oi
4 basic commodity inllicts an cco-
nomic loss. The American farm
cr will continac 10 produce cotton.
How, much he VIII produce will
depend on the effects OF better
methods IN the face Of new condi-
lions. Whatever the ultimate ef-
fcctS OF The we-vil on The total
+ American crop MAJ be. that croo
viii apparently be produced at :,
considerably higher cost.
Such progress has been made
in methods Of fighting the insect
rs TO offer fair assurance that il
may Ect prove possible to grow as
inucn cotton per>,acre under boil
wccvil conditions Is before the in
vasion but production under the
new conditions is much more cost
! ~ than under the old The labor
! coSf Of the methods necessary 10
! control IS so great that n perma-
ncH1 reduction in the acreage plant
ed 10 cotton in the United States
seems inevitable.
The worlds supply of cotton
and the ultimate working out Of
the situation in The southern states
will thus depend TO an unknown
degree CT the effects OF this higher
pcauction cost on cotton produc-
ton in olhe: countries. Higher
cost in the Cnited Sta1se, however,
will greatly change competitive
/ conditions OF production for the
international market The world
viii not lack for an adequate sup
ply Of cotton What the ultimate
effect OF tie bon weevii may be
as to the share Of the world sup
ply coming from the United States
cannot as yet be foreseen.''
The depredations OF the boil
wcevil, the bank points out, will
tend TO further crop diyersification
/ in the southern states.
Not all OF The results of the
destructivcncss Of this insect have
been bad" the National Bank Of
! Commerce in New York says
There are ways in which, the cot
ton states have benefited but wheth-
er the sum Of effects is good or III
! a new system OF agriculture must
be faced IN Important sections
! The transition has already been
. made. Before the coming Of the
! boil wccvil southern agriculture
! throughout It's history had been
based on the onc-crop syStme, and
since the invention Of the cotton
| gin that crop had been cotton.
Wherever practiccd, Il one crop sys-
tenn, regardless OF what that one
crop may be, results in land i'm
povcrisi!mcn, and subjects an asri-
/ cultural population TO such finan-
cial hazards as 10 make sound eco
! nomic conditions impossible.
IN chose parts OF the south
where the wecvil is Well establish
! cd and has been most destructive
+; the lesson has been learned a
county seat in Alabama has raised
4 monument 10 the boil wceyii, be-
/ cause the community is at last on :,
Sonnd economic foundation. as a
result Of the abandonment OF the
! onc-crop system. IN northern
Florida. in parts o: Geosia and else
who're in the areas Of earlier in
fcst:,tion, corn and hogs. peanuts,
alfalfa. beef cattle and dairy COWS.
sweet potatoes, SOY bc;ns and 9TH
CT crops are 10 some extent replac-
ing cotton.
IT is true that rs measured by
Che actu;,l acreage, statistics indi-
cate thai in the aggregate divcrsi-
iication has been but little increas-
ed. The fact remains, however,
that whether or not the decreased
cotton acreage OF 1921 is to be
taken rs an earnest OF the future,
production OF food for home con-
sumption has greatly increased in
The South. Packing plants are
SprinSinS up. and the farmer %ho
once bought his pork at the general
store from the proceeds OF his cot
ton is selling his hogs for cash. and
is likewise buying his household
supplies !oi. cash. Kitchen gardens
are The order Of the day. Cattle
ar" impovinS in quality and
many farmers are testing various
new c:opS in small acreageS.
The southern farmer viii not
permit thc boil wccv;l TO drive