The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-10-28
AERIAL POISONING OF
COTTON BOIL WEEVIL


has laboratory for the study Of
cotton boil weevils. Tallulah was
selected as a site for the laboratory
because the region around looked
like a boil weevil paradise-and it
is In this favoring habitat, it was
reasoned that if the weevil could
be whipped, the methods employed
would be qeual to the job of whip
ping it anywhere.
TO the Ta1lulah region with its
bayous. jungle growth, typical cot
ton plantations and starchless sum-
mer temperature, e. r. Coad, en-
tornologist and his scientific assist
ants came and buried themselves
in their great task of solving the
problems of boil weevil control.
While many are summerings the
mountains or at the beach, these
boil weevil Investigators are hump
ed over in the blistering cotton
fields, in quest of more and more
knowledge of the habits Of the
insect.
Now and then these scientists
have arisen to proclaim a, discov-
cry and each bit of knowledge thus
acquired they. have employed to
perfect their designs in circumvent-
ing the weevil.
| Out Of the study and toll of
years has come poison known as
calcium arsenate and also machines
by which the poison can be proper
ly applied. These are the imple-
ments of boil weevi1 warfare.
!! Success has been won. The cot
ton farmer is the recipient Of inn
measurable benefits from the dis
coveries made in solving this insect
control problem which is admit
/; ted to be one Of the most difficult
i ever encountered by entomologis..s.
| But, the scientists are still ex-
ploring, seeking to find if improve
ments can be made on existing
means Of combat.
When the scientific world learn
ed that r. B. Coad mad requisition-
ed aeroplanes for use at the Tai
lulah station there was some Won
dering if DR.. Coad had not sue
cumber to the strain and if he
were not manifesting a tendency
to flightiness.
He has learned to ride the airy
steed and has flown above the
clouds long distances to direct pub
lie demonstration in poisoning boil
weevils. but no evidence of other
flightiness has shown up in DR..
Coad's conduct.
The writer witnessed a demon
stration of boil weevil poisoning
from an aeroplane directed by DR..
Coad at SCOTS Station. Miss, to
which place his party had driven
in two planes from Tallulah.
The plane swung 20, a position !
few feet above the cotton field,
released a stream Of dust that
suddenly shot forth and ducked
with great commotion into the
cotton field impelled downward
and sideward by atmospheric cur
rents created by the propeller of
the aeroplane.
Almost before one could catch.
his breath the*aeroplane had cross
ed the field; clipped off, its tail Of
dust and was circIng Tor a return.
The calcium arsenate Il left behind
was boiling among the cotton stalks
and spreading over a strip from
thirty to forty yards wide.
Directly there was another whirr
and in an incredibly short time an
other strip Of cotton thirty to forty
yards wide was seething with this
poison dust.
The acreage that 8 plane couli
cover in. an hour would be enor-
nous if the field was long and the
turns of the aeroplane were few.
or if all the cotton farms in a
community could be swept across
ct each straight away fight.
rs there anything practical
about it % was asked of DR.. Coad.
IF the poisoning operations were
organized on a community basis"
he said, .'the aeroplane acould be
used to advantage We find that
the dust is applied better from an
aeroplane than by the present dust
ing machines, for the reason that
the agitation of the air by the
aeroplane propeller breaks the
poison dust into fine particles, and
creates movements of air that
thoroughly distributes the poison
over all parts of the cotton plants.
''On account of breaking up Of
the calcium arsenate into very
fine particles it is possible effective
ly to treat field with half the
amount of poison now required to
do effective work with the ordinary
dusting machines
DR.: Coad thinks that the flying
machines have taught how to in
crease the efficiency of all the
ground machines, in that the fly
ing machines have demonstrated
the benefits of strong air currents.
Hence the Taliulah laboratory is
considering how the blowing pow
ing power of ordinary busting ma
chimes may be increased and it is
thought that compressed air may
help solve the problem.
AS experiments with flying ma
chimes continue, observations are
being made to improve their eff
ho