Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1922-10-19
ALL FARMERS in
STATE URGED TO
CLEAN UP FARMS
Texas Chamber Of Commerce
Cooperas;no With Exten-
sion Service in Boil Weevil
Fight
(By The Associated Press.)

DALLAS. Texas. Oct. l9.-An early
cleanup of at least tive million of the
ten or twelve million acres of cotton in
Texas this year is the goal OF the com
mittec Of the Texas Chamber of Com
mcrce, appointed recently TO cooperate
with the Agricultural and Mechanical
College of Texas. the State Department
o. Agriculture and farm and business
organizations in attempting to control
the boil wccvil in Texas. according To
Texas Chamber of Commerce oific ais.
This season is declared by them to be
the most ideal season of many years for
putting control into operation by early
plowing.
This method Of control is now advo-
Gated by the boil wcevil specialists OF
the south and it is predicatcd upon the
following four facts concerning the in
sect" declared J. z. George. manager
OF the chamber. first. the boil weevl
feeds on nothing but parts OF green cot
ton plants: secondly, the boil wcevil lays
its eggs and grows to maturity in moth
ing but living forms Of bolls Of the cot :
ton plants; thirdly, the boil wecvil
while inactive during the winter. can
live several months without food. but a.
shown by repeated experiments, cannot
live longer than six days without food
while active; fourth. it cann1t at will
become inactive. but becomcs}Ao only
when impellcd by increasingly Cod wea-
thcr. roughly speaking, at time CORES
ponding to our first frost"
Infcstaiion. in the spring. is exceed
ingly light. Mr.. George pointed out,
but rapidly becomes heavy because OF
the insects great reproductive powers
ard The short time required for il TO
pass through one generation. Spring in
fcstation is initiated from the few adult
wecvils that successfully pass the winter
in Spanish moss and beneath trash along
fcrces and bitches, he sa q. Only a very
small percentage OF the insects. going
into winter and practically al the infi-
viduals. constituting this small percent
age are those with the greatest vitality
when cold weather in the fall. forced
them into winter quarters.
Early killing Of the cotton plant &C.
complishes two things IN boli ..weevil
control: first. IL dcprives the wecvil OF
breeding place. so that the ones enter
ING winter quarters are more or less
aged; secondly. il dcprives all the wee
wills OF food either by starving them be
fore cold weather allows them 10 enter
winter quarters or forcing them into
such quarters hungry and in weakened
condition, Mr. George added.
"To accomplish boil wccvil destruction
in the fall. il is necessary to kill the
cotton plant. root and stalk. ard keep il
X llel during the fall and winter. Mere
ly paSturing will not accomplish this
unless there are sufficient animals to
consume the top growth within three or
four days.
The campaign VIII hc carried on
throughout the year. consisting of clean
up campaigns in the autumn. burning or
hedge rows and Other ALTERNATING plac-
cs Of the wecvil during the winter and
poisoning and other methods OF control
during the growing season.
The committee which will carry out
the campaign comprises J. 4. Smith
chairman. Paris: =. $. Down. Jr.. Tenn
pie: c. $. T.. Holland. Houston; c. W.
Boon, Tyler; 7. o. Tackctt. Corpus
Christi; Il. c. DckcrSon. Waco: u. ".
Kirkpatrick. Mckinney; Sam y. Har-
ben. Richardson; n. r. Grow. Houston.
and Harry Williams. Mesquite.