Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-18
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
BN DR.. ANDREW NJ SOULE


which may be the progenitor OF
several generations of weevils
| amounting to a million OF more be-
fore frost. In many cases, children
and women can do this work while
| the men continue the cultivation.
A great many different poisons
and different combinations of poi
sons used in great many differ
ent days have been experimental
with, but most Of these have not
| proven to be successful control
measures. The only one of these
that has given uniformly good re-
suits is calcium arsenate, applied
as dust, while the dew is on, and
applied at frequent intervals. This
is the most effective, direct method
of control where it is used prop
erly. If not done properly, the con-
troll may not amount to much,
while the expense may be rather
heavy
To be effective, the calcium ar
senate should be applied as a finely
divided dust cloud ~ special busting
machinery, while the plants are
moist with dew. busting should be
begun as soon as there is general
infestation in a field after squares
begin to form and each field should
be busted every few days until
squares saved are not likely to ma
ture bolls or until the number of
boil weevils in the field is so small
that no damage is being done. The
work should be done at night or in
early morning while the dew is on
the plants, because the poison dust
does not stick on the plant except
under such conditions.
The frequent applications are nee
essary because Of the fact that the
cotton is growing rapidly and new,
tender squares are being formed
every day. The boil weevils confine
their feeding to these tender parts,
and they must be covered if the
weevils are to get any Of the poison.
With the best machinery it will
take four to seven pounds Of cal
cium arsenate per acre at each ap-
plication to cover the plants. 1t will
be necessary to make three to seven
applications each season; therefore,
the usual requirement will be about
i've applications, averaging five
pounds of calcium arsenate per acre,
or about rs or 80 pounds per acre
per year.
When the infestation in spots ap.
pears to be very severe, it is often
advisable to apply a small amount
of calcium arsenate dust in the
top of the young plants just before
they begin to set squares. This can
be done by tying a piece of cheese
cloth over the large end of a guano
horn or some similar article, plac-
ing one or two pounds of calcium
arsenate in it and dropping on the
plants by gently tapping the guano
horn. This will require about two
pounds of poison per acre.
This method is effective only at
the stage indicated, and should not
be used after squares begin to- form.
Where boil weevil, damage is an
important factor, the cotton should
be picked out early. The stalks
should then be destroyed. This early
destruction Of stalks will have an
important influence on the amount
Of damage done by the weevil to
the crop of the following year. If
the stalks are destroyed several
weeks in advance Of cold weather,
most of the weevils will starve be-
fore the time for them to hibernate.
The few that do hibernate will go
in early and will not be very well
fed, so that their chances of surviv-
ing are less. In a test in Florida,
where over $4,000 weevils were OBJ
served, the following results were
obtained:
OF those alternating October l.,
only O.3 per cent lived over winter;
of those alternating October 16, 4.6
per cent lived over winter; of those
alternating November 1, 93 per cent
lived over winter; and of those hi
bernating November IS, 14.5 per
cent lived over winter. In destroy
ing the stalks by October 1, in
stead of waiting for frost, we may
decrease the number going into win
ter quarters by millions, while we
also cut down the chance of those
going into winter quarters living
until spring.
The best method of destroying the
stalks would be to turn them under
the ground. They should be covered
completely, and this is not done in
the ordinary method of blowing wit h
one-horse pillow or even with a
two-horse pillow. A two-horse tu.'u-
ing ploW can be made to cover the
stalks by attaching one end of a
heavy chain to the outer end of the
singletree on the right, letting it
fall in a short loop and attaching
the other end to the beam in front
of the wing. The loop Of chain drags
the ends of the stalks into the fur
row so that they are covered. A disc
pillow seems to cover the stalks much
better than mould-board plow, and