The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-09-04
THE WEEVlL

progressed far enough to justify the
assertion that boil weevil damage to
cotton NAV be so far controlled by
the proper use of calcium arsenate
as to enable farmers, in ordinary
FEARS to grow from one-halt to
three-fourths of an average crop OF
cotton. The Southern Cotton Oil
Company has been making expert
ments on the farms of numbers OF
farmers about Abbeville the present
summer and that company is now
asking the public to make an inspec-
ton of the cotton which has been
properly poisoned as we'll as that
which has not been poisoned at all.
We have not inspected the helds
where the poisoning has been done
bv the Southern Cotton Oil Company
bit we have inspected fields where
the poison has been applied, not al
WAYS when it should have been ap-
piled, but fairly we'll, during the sum-
mer. The concensus of opinion OF
those who havve watched the expert
ment is that the poisoning process
has justified it's continuance and II
gives rise to the hope that we may
still grow cotton proftablyy. Such
we know is the opinion of farmers
about Abbeville.
This being true we should turn
cur attention to the matter OF grow
ing cotton next year. And the hrst
suggestion which merits consideration
is a proposal that every farmer who
plants cotton next year shall be re-
ouired to poison it for the boil weeV-
ii and keep it poisoned according to
some Just and fair plan. 1t must
be evident that if the weevil can be
controlled by the poison until the
period of migration comes along
with every farmer poisoning, there
would be fewer if any weevils to
migrate, and therefore the ravavges
of the weevil which have been for
wears most damaging to the crop IN
the period from July 18th. on
through August, may be prevented to
a very large extent. If the results
in other parts of the state have
been o. have been the results here,
legislation to the effect suggested
should be adopted at the coming ses-
sion of the General Assembly.
The proper and general use OF the
poison will keep down the greater
part of the damage to the cotton
which is made, but it will not make
cotton grow even when there is no
weevil. In order to grow cotton
in weevil infested districts, it is
going to be necessary not only to
poison the cotton as best we may,
but to adopt other measures for MAX
ing the staple, because all the weevv-
lis cannot be killed, and it is, neces-
sary to fight those which remain.
To do this properly, several things
are necessary according to the eX-
perience of the best farmers who
grow cotton in infested areas. These
are:
First, the early and proper pre-
paration of the land; second the early
planting; third, heavy fertilization;
and fourth, proper and fast cultiva-
ton. Only the man interested in the
crop itself has an interest to see that
these are done, because it does not
hurt his neighbor if he chooses not
to work, and not to profit byb his
work.
But the growing of cotton under
such conditions as to menace the
crop of his neighbor, and that is
what a farmer does who does not
poison and seek to destroy the weevil,
must be prevented. The big COM
panies which have constructed dams
have been held in damages because
their dams we're breeding places of