The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-10-16
FALL DESTRUCTION OF
STALKS.

The committee finds complete
unanimity of opinion among the
scientists and keenly observant farm
ers regarding the efficiency OF thor
ough fall destruction of cotton stalks
as a means of reducing the number
of alternating weevils, to 1ntest the
field the following spring.
The most practical methods OF Sc
curing stalk destruction vary in dit
ferent sections, and the agricultural
workers in the several states can best
solves the question of the best meth
DDS Of bringing this about The com
mittee earnestly urges organized cam
paigns to be conducted this fall Tor
stalk destruction.
"The observation of plats and field
where the most widely advertised pro-
prietary and patented boil weevil poi
sons were applied showed that poison
burning Of the foliage was quite COM
mon, and that these mixtures, as well
as home made molasses mixtures
which had stood for several days and
fermented, noticeably produced foliage
burning. Freshly made home mixtures
did not burn. The committee has
found no evidence of superior merit,
or attractiveness of character, or the
presence of any valuable secret lngre-
dent in any of these patented or pro-
prietary mixtures.
"The committee would warn against
the danger and fal1acy of drawing
fixed conclusions from the results OF
any isolated tests or single expert
ments, or from what may seem to be
more general experience in a small
section or during a single season, I'M
less careful records have been kept
and proper check areas maintained:
Even then there should be full
knowledge of the conditions OF weevil
abundance in the spring and OF the
effect of prevailing climatic conditions
upon weevil development or destruc-
ton throughout the season.
"Our technical knowledge OF ar
senate poisons, and the best method
of applying them has been enlarged
during the past year, and promising
work is in progress in the development
of new toxic substances.
"The committee urges the most
liberal support possible to this line
of research, confident that it will re-
suit in the perfection of poisons OF
greater toxicity, or lower cost, or
greater adhesiveness to the plants, or
of other characteristics that will be
of benefit to the cotton grower.
1--WE wish to call the attention OF
the association, and of the public, to
the fact that the prosperity of the
southern states hinges on the profit
able production of cotton, more than
upon any other one agricultural en-
terprise, and that considering the IL
nancial investment involved, the num-
Der of people whose welfare and hap
piness are determined by the margin
of profit or loss in the growing OF
the cotton crop, we are far short OF
adequate financial support of research
work that should be done along many
lines pertaining to the perpetuation OF
the supremacy of the south in the
production of the worlds most useful
fiber plant.
Respectfully, H. W. Barre, direc-
tor S. c. Experiment Station; J. N,
Harper. director soil improvement
committee, Southern Fertilizer Asso-
citation; ]. A. Evans, agriculturlst, Y.
S. department of agriculture; J. f.
Jackson, general agricultural agent,
Central Of Georgia Railway; c. z.
Blackwell, head of agronomy division,
Clemson College, S. c.; w. E. Kinds,
state entomologist, Auburn, Alabama,
chairman; w. R. Dodson, dean of col
1ege of agriculture, University OF
7 OuiSiana"