Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-08-16
State To Double
Use OF Arsenate

ly twenty-five million pounds of cal
cium arsenate for war upon the Dol
weevil will be used by Georgia farm
ers next Year, practically double the
amount used for the present crop in
the state, according to estimates o.
Ira w. Williams, state entomologIst
following the signing of contract on
Saturday by the state board of ento-
mology with the National Gold Ar
senic Corporation, which assures the
georgia farmers of a plentiful supply
of the poison at ten cents pound.
According to Mr. Williams had not
the efforts OF the state board beer
successful in bringing to light per
manent and adequate supply of the
raw arsenic from which the calcium
arsenate might be made, the situation
in Georgia next year would undoubt.
eddy have been very serious.
Relative Small Increase
The combined efforts of all pro.
ducers of white arsenic and the slim,
ulation offered producers by the
| United States government only sue.
ceeded in increasing the supply O
raw arsenic from 2,400 tons in 1917
to 10,022 tons in 1922, said Mr.
| Williams. This raw arsenic included
the supply for the total uses of the
material, including 1000 tons a Veal
used in the manufacture of glass, 75(
tons year for cattle dip, and 5O(
tons for lead arsenate used in fightine
other insect pests in apple and peach
| orchards.
This total supply came principally
as by-product from the copper in.
dustry and from aid Stag dumps which
contained arsenic and which were
worked over to recover it, under the
stimulus OF the greatly increased de,
mand for it. Those who financed the
manufacture of calcium arsenate were
almost altogether in other lines OIL
business, utilizing their interest in
calclum arsenate to the end of large
profits. The chief reasons for the
high prices of calcium arsenate have
been the limited supply of the raw
materials and speculation in the fin
ished product.
Supply Almost Gone
While at present there is some cal
clum arsenate on the market. I have
a letter from DR. R. R. Coad the de-
partment of agriculture expert on the
subject, IN which he states that the
present supply of calcium arsenate is
practically exhausted and that none
is now being made, lis entirely OBJ.
vlous that users of calcium arsenate
should take into consideration a per
manent source of supply in quaint
ties for the future"
According to Mr.. Williams. there
are in addition to the concern with
which the state has contracted one or
two other producers of calcium arsen-
ate with limited tonnage who will help
to maintain low price in the future
The average Georgia cotton crot
according to Mr.. Williams for nine
years before the advent of the boil
weevil was 2,880,695 bales Unde,
boil weevil conditions this has been
reduced to less than 100000 bales
and this limited production would moi
have been possible had it not been
that some farmers were able to obtain
and use calcium arsenate. At present
prices OF cotton this means a loss to
the state of $187,5OO,0OO a year
With the use of 100000 pounds OF
| calcium arsenate at a cost of S..
100000 this loss need not have been
sustained" he said However, in the
past, due to the high price of the
/ poison, the uncertainty of delivery
and sources of production which were
able to produce only limited amount
1t has been impossible for many far
mers to get it.
100000 Acres Infested
According to Mr.. Williams, the to.
tai area of cotton land infested b,
the boil weevil is 100000 acres. Of
which three and half million ar,
In Georgia. Thirty pounds of tht
poison to the acre, properly applied
will mean normal crop and at this
rate Georgia should use o0,OOO,OO(
pounds and the whole area should us,
approximately 9O0,0OO,OOO pounds.
According to Mr.. Williams, BY
reason of the elimination of specula
ton, brokerage charges, saving il
freight and the economy of operation
made possible in a major operation, i
is entirely possible that an additiona
reduction in price of the poison may
be effected in the next year or two
under the present contract"