The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-05-18
WEEVIL IN TEXAS.
Takes Five Acres to Raise Bale Of
Cotton.

''The person who gave out the in
formation that We, in Texas, have
learned how to conquer the boil wee
vii must have interviewed no one in
Texas, but an agent for the boil wee
vii busting machines, and these ma
chimes are very expensive and not any
too successful
The foregoing statement was au-
thorized recently in Dallas, Texas, oy
JEFF F. Montgomery, secretary OF the
executive committee of the Texas
Farm Bureau Cotton association.
Mr.. Montgomery continued:
"The following figures should clear
the minds of farmers as to whether
Texas farmers have been able to do
ANYTHING worth while in regard to the
boil weevil:
The weevil entered Texas from
Mexico in 1895 In the year 1894 we
planted 6,S54,621 acres of cotton,
and produced 3,140,392 bales. Dur
ing the following years the boil wee
vii made steady advance.
.sIn 1913 was our next bumper
crop. That year we planted 1887
600 acres and produced 3,795,024
bales. You will note that this pro-
duction is very little more than the
number of bales produced in 1894,
and that the amount of acreage was
doubled.
I'm 1920 we made the largest crop
we have made since the boil weevil
came into Texas. In that year we
planted 12,567, 600 acres and produc-
ed 4,337, 900 bales of cotton.
LAST year, 1921, the boil weevil
did more damage in Texas than it has
ever done in one year. In 1921 we
planted 10,961,0 900 acres and pro-
dueed only 100000 bales Of cotton.
You will observe that it took five
acres on the average to make a bale
of cotton.
'fHow is that for conquering the
boil weevil?
'In Texas we figure roughly that
the boil weevil has doubled the cost
of producing cotton. Where cotton
could be produced few years ago at
10 cents per pound, it now costs 20
cents per pound.
.tR. B. Coad, expert in charge
OF the Delta laboratory Of the bureau
of entomology, maintained by the
United States department of agricul-
ture at Tallulah, La, says that the
boil weevil, on the average, gets one
fourth of the crop. Last year in
many parts of the country the boil
weevil got three-fourths of the cotton
crop.
ssMost of the cotton grown in
Texas is raised on non-fertilized land.
In east and northeast Texas we have
some land very similar to Georgia
land. We have found that the boil
weevil makes the production Of cot
ton so uncertain in this part Of Texas
that farmers do not any more feel
that they can afford to use fertilizer
on cotton because cotton crop in
that section is such gamble. In this
section of the state the farmers are
turning to other things, such as
9weet potatoes, ribbon cane syrup,
melons, peaches, etc.
'tOur experience has taught US this
about the boil weevil: The farmer
can raise more cotton on small acre
age, he is in a better position to fight
the boil weevil. If weather conditions
are favorable to the boil weevil in the
summer, il it rains in July and Aug
ust very much there is not much use
in fighting them even on small acre
age.
*Dusting machines for fighting the
boil weevil have been expensively
used because they are rather high
in price, and the poison must be used
at night or early morning when the
dew is on the plant, and the whole
process is expensive as well as un-
pleasant. Unless farmer can pro-
duce one-fourth bale to the acre he
cannot afford, DR.. Coad says, to use
poison.
Intensive. cultivation is the most
expensive means to kill out the boil
weevil. Shallow cultivation of the cot
ton fields each week is ready. This
cultivation is kept up until almost
harvest time, in the later weeks using
only one furrow in the middle with
- L. III 81