Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1922-04-06
BOIL WEEVIL
CONTROL FACTS
Methods Generally Employed With
Success, and Mistakes Which
Farmers Make.

The fact is the boil weevil can not
and will not overthrow the South's
greatest crop.
How are farmers meeting the
boil weevil most successfully? There
are two main ways: W Pushing the
cotton TO early maturity and (2) Kill
ing the boil weevil.
The following questions and answers
give the main things that are being
done and also the mistakes that are
being made:
PUSHING THE COTTON CROP.
What soils are preferred for hasten.
Ing the crop?
Well drained, light soils warm up
earlier and grow off the cotton quick,
er than heavy or poorly drained soils.
Sandy soils are, therefore, better than
clayey soils.
Is it advisable to use poor soils?
1t would be a serious mistake. Poor
soils never did pay, and with the boil
weevil taking toll, poor land cotton
will only put the farmer into a deeper
hole.
Remember that it costs more to grow
cotton under boil weevil conditions,
and there must be enough cotton
to make it worth while to fight with
the boil weevil
What varieties Of cotton are pre-
ferred?
Any variety which will set an abun-
dance of bolls early and will continue
to set fruit throughout the season. A
variety which is early but which also
quits fruiting early is not desirable
because the weevils will do heavier
damage to the bolls when they do not
find. squares to puncture. Cleveland
strains are most generally preferred
by farmers.
What methods Of cultivation are
used to hasten maturity?
Frequent, shallow cultivation until
the greater part of the crop Is set.
Then less frequent cultivation. The
later cultivation should be the skip
middle method, taking alternate mid
dies and with the next cultivation tax
ing the ones that were skipped. This
keeps half OF the roots OF the cotton
plant undisturbed so that there will be
less shedding, NOR squaring and bet
ter protection of the cotton bolls.
KILLING THE WEEvIL.
Is the poison method of killing the
weeVil practical?
1t is, but 1t is a particular methou
which many farmers may fail with
when they first tr:.- 1t, because they
are not in the hat't of doing particu-
lar things right the first time.
If the rules for poisoning are ad-
hered to strictly the cotton farmer
will get the most complete and eco
nomic control Of the weevil Of any
method known.
Any one contemplating the use OF
poison should get complete instruc-
tions from the Government Boil Wee
vii Station, Tallulah, Lathe State
Entomologist, or agricultural col
leges.
Does it pay to kill the weevls on
the young cotton stalks before squares
begin to form?
II the weevils come out Of winter
n,,o rtore IN Ioroa pup,barc opd throat
en- to take all the first squares, 1t
is considered advisable to kill as many
Of them as possible. Calcium arsenate
sprinkled from perforated can or
from a cheese bag on the young plants
is the most efficient and economical
method of killing the weevils on the
young plants.
1t is not necessary to apply the poi
son until just before the squares begin
to form.
Is it practical to gather and destroy
squares?
If the poison method is not used it
will often be found necessary to gath
er and destroy damaged squares that
contain immature weevils, in order to
have assurance of any sort Of crop.
Picking up squares is not as efficient
nor as inexpensive as poisoning, but
if thoroughly done a fair to good crop
can be obtained.
Is poisoned moIasses applied to cot.
ton effective?
Poisoned molasses or other poisoned
sweets will kill some boil weevils dur.
ing dewless nights, but the poisoned
sweets will kill honey bees and other
sweet loving insects that are needed
to carry from flower to flower the
pollen that causes them to fruit. Cal.
cium arsenate dust is more efficient
and less expensive to use where poi.
soned molasses are effective.
Are boil weeviI traps practical?
A farmer never tries trap more
than once. The government has tried
all kinds and recommends none.
! Can the say Of cotton be poisoned
( 50 as to poison or repel the weevll7
( The Creator has given all plants the
power to absorb through their roots
plant food and to resist all that is not
plant food. If plants could not resist the
poisons in the soil we might run a
risk Of being poisoned every time we
| eat a potato, apple. berry, etc.
Can the boil weevII be driven from
/ cotton by offensive odors7
The boil weevl has not yet been
/ successfully combatted through its
, breathing organs. 1t has been sub