Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-20
The Boil WeeyiI Situation

What is the situation relative to
the boil weevil in Georgia? We will
make almost twice as much cotton
this year as we made last year. The
area devoted to the crop will not
be much if any greater than it. was
in 1928. Our yield last year was
set down at eighty-two pounds of
lint cotton per acre and one hun
dred and sixty-four pounds Of seed.
In 1922. we produced one hundred
pounds OF cotton per acre and two
hundred pounds of seed. In 1924, it
Is thought that we will produce ap-
proximately one hundred and fifty
pounds of cotton per acre and pre-
sumably about three hundred
pounds of seed. Why should the
yield in 1924 on much the same
acreage as we planted in 1923 be
almost twice as great. The answer
Is not difficult TO find since it was
simply due to the lessening of boil
weeVil damage. How did this hap
pen? Seasonal co~"'t'nns, or, if you
prefer. kindly disposed Providence
had more to do with minimizing
boil weeVii damage in 1924 than all
the human agencies put together.
The boil weevil th-.Ves a., 41uIti-
plies with the utmost rapidity nj a
moist, warm, summer atmosphere.
For about two months the past
summer, the weather was extremely
hot and dry. This spell of drouth
came at the most inopportune time
in all the year for the weevil. 1t
came at the season when he is or
dinarily developing broods most
rapidly and getting ready for the
migrating period. Therefore, sea-
sonal conditions were entirely
against weevil multiplication, and
hence, comparatively few bolls were
punctured. OF course we could
probably have had a considerably
greater amount of rainfall than &C.
tually occurred and still have made
practically as niue. cotton, provid-
ed it could have oeen satisfactorily
distributed. In other ords, it need
not alwa as dry as in the past
season to enable us to make an
acceptable crop of cotton. With (.
few more rains, the y'ield of cot
ton might have been greatly in
creased, though practically every
farmer now finds that his crop will
turn out much better than he ex-
pected because practically every
boil set on has matured. 1t is true
that the dry weather induced some
shedding, but the loss from this
cause was as no .ning compared to
what would have taken place had
there been an active crop of weevils
to work on the yo~-g 5~--s as fast
as they developed
The dry spell in Georgia was
broken about the middle of Sep
TENDER by one of the heaviest and
most prolonged rainy spells which
I has occurred in recent years. The
precipitation was extreme and was
continuous for a Period of two
weeks or even longer in some sec
tons. Our farmers thought the cot
ton crop was destroyed, but, as a
matter of fact, this rain was a
blessing in disguise, for it not only
held back the opening of the bolls,
but enabled the plants TO make a
good deal of new growth and pro
vide for the more perfect develop
ment of the hollis and the lint con.
tanned therein. In addition, it gave
an impetus to the development Of
lICW oI upl tS tilltt lOlldS0 lIdL was
actually saving grace. That pro-
longed and extended spell of rain
fall was therefore an unmitigated
blessing, though we may not have
recognized it as such at the partcu-
lar time of its occurrence. On the
other hand, it has brought some
very undesirable conditions in its
Z wake, to which attention must now
be directed, because it seems as
:. though this very fundamental mat
ter is about to escape from the
minds of our farmers altogether. II
is all right for us to be very happy
over the results obtained in 1924
but if we let it go at that, we will
surely overlook a lot of new issues
which we must meet and face in
1925.
The prolonged rain in question
revivified the boil weevi, because il
provided a large number of small
tender, new squares and hollis upon
which he could Immediately operate
and in which eggs could be laid I'm
der the most favorable of conditions
Strange to say, there is no certain
limit as to the number of eggs
which a female may lay later in
the season. The effort put forth by
tile lSIIldlG SltCll COllulllOuS IL
quite in accord with the remarkable
effort which all natural life makes
to provide for an adequate seed cror
to be carried over into the next
year. The bolls punctured late il
the fall will not likely open, bu
they constitute a harbor of refuge
Dunless the Weevils housed therein
are entirely destroyed. Under eX
listing conditions, an unusually large
number of Weevils will likely 81
into Information.
Our farmers will therefore face {
very difficult and trying time t,
make a profitable crop of cotton il
1925. What can we do to Safeguard
against such a disaster and destro!
large numbers of these Wee lis be
fore they become matured and 81
into alternating quarters? We should
Immediately destroy the cotton stalk.
in every field. Ripping the stalks III
with q scooter, or Boy Dixie plow i:
good practice. OF course plowing