The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-02-13

Operation. The selling price ranges
from S12 to SIS each. They should be
used only when no other machine is
suitable. Not more than 8 acres should
tbe allotted to one hand gun, and it
has generally been found inadvisable
to attempt the treatment of more than
LIS acres of cotton in one organization
with hand guns.
| The one-mule machine is the small
est of the traction type of busters. 1t
lis a one-wheel, one-mule machine
which the operator handles as he
would a walking cultivator or any
other walking implement. The ma
chine has two nozzles and will treat
either two or three rows of cotton at
trip, thus covering from IS to 20
acres of cotton in a night of opera
ton. 1t should be allotted not more
than 90 acres OF cotton for treatment
throughout the season. This machine
is now selling at from $500 to SIPS.
The cart machine is a two-wheel,
two-mule machine which straddles a
row OF cotton. 1t has three nozzles
and will cover from rs to 80 acres Of
cotton in a night of operation. 1t
should be allotted not more than 100
acres OF cotton for treatment through
the season, and is the type most suit
able for large farms. This machine is
now selling at from $3.50 to $500.
In the early stages of the busting
work an engine power machine was
tried and a few of these are still in
use, but it has been found that they
are generally too complicated for sat-
isfactory operation except by expert
labor. Still other types of machines
to suit different conditions are in the
process of development, but the pres
ent supply will meet almost any con-
dition fairly well.
The following condensed rules have
been prepared for the guidance OF
those planning to poison:
Use only pure calcium arsenate in
the form of a dry powder.
Apply this only in the dust form.
Purchase this to conform to the fol-
lowing specifications:
Not less than 40 per cent total ar
senic pentoxid.
Density not less than 80 or more
than 100 cubic inches per pound.
Send a sample of your calcium ar
senate to the Delta Laboratory, Tai
lulah, La, for free analysis to make
sure that it is satisfactory.
Use only busting machinery espe-
cially constructed for cotton busting
Poison only when the air is calm
and the plants are moist. Practically
this means making only night appli-
cations.
Use about 5 to pounds OF calcium
arsenate per acre for each application
Start poisoning when the weevils
have punctured from 10 to IS pei
cent of the squares.
Keep your cotton thoroughly dust
ed until the weevils are under con-
troll. This means usually about three
applications at the rate of one every
four days.
Then stop poisoning until the wee
wills again become abundant.
If the weevils become abundant
early enough to injure your young
hollis, make one or two more apphca-
tons late in the season.
If you have a heavy rain within "a
hours after busting repeat this appli-
I cation Immediately.
Do not expect to eradicate the vice.
wills. Poisoning merely controls them
sufficiently to permit a full crop oil
cotton and you can always find wee
wills in the successfully poisoned field
{ do everything possible to increase
{ your yield per acre, as it costs as
much to poison one-quarter bale per
, acre cotton as bale per acre cotton
Always leave an occasional portion
of a cut imprisoned for comparison
with the adjoining tract This will
show how much you have increased
your yield by poisoning.
Indirect Means of Control.
} In addition to the use of poison
= there are numerous other practices
. (which tend to reduce the weevil in
Jury, some OF which are OF general
value, while others can be used only
locally. The following lists few OF
the more important OF these measures.
Even when poisoning is practiced the
most thorough attention should be
given to the indirect means of con-
troll, since they reduce the amount OF
poisoning which might be necessary
and increase the profit which may be
secured.
Fall Destruction of Infested Plants.
, One OF the most important steps
toward reducing the weevi infestatiOn,
when it can be practiced, is the de-
struction OF the cotton plants in the
early fall, before the weevils have hi
bernated To be of the greatest value,
however, the plants must be COM
pletely destroyed by fire or plowed
under deeply before the first killing
frost, and this limits the use OF this
control measure to the districts where
conditions are such that the entire cot
ton crop can be picked in time to per-
nit such an early plant destruction,
For many years preceding the de
velopment OF the calcium arsenate
method of control removal of the cot
ton plants from the field as early as
practicable in the fall was advocated
by this department as the most i'm
portant step in controlling the wee
vii. The purpose OF this operation is
to destroy as many as possible OF the
immature forms OF the weevil still re-
naming in bolls and squares. These
immature forms, if undisturbed, trans
form into weevils which live over
winter and lay eggs the following
spring. Fall destruction OF plants like