Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-12-04
BUSTING OF COTTON FIELDS
BY AEROPLANE BEST METHOD
YET DEVISED, SAYS SOULE
Agricultural College Head
Enthusiastic Over Demon
stration at Souther Field in
] Killing WeeviI
BIZ HUNTER BELL
(Staff Correspondent of The Journal


In the opinion of DR.. A. NJ. Soule,
president of the State College of AS
riculture, at Athens, who took his
N4irst airplane ride here yesterday to
built plane demonstrating before a
group Of state officials, southwest
Georgia county agricultural agents,
md Sumter county farmers.
DR.. Soule, riding with Lieutenant
n. +. Harris in a government plane
from McCooll field, Dayton, O.,
eruised several thousand feet above
Souther field while a No. Huff
,Daland plane, piloted by Dan Tobin,
gave a convincing demonstration OF
! the method, which, if adopted on
the Scale proposed, will make Souther
field a center for aerial warfare
against the dreaded cotton pest, util-
ling it as the base of operations
Dver many Georgia counties.
81 am sold on the aeroplane as the
best way and the most effective way
10 dust cotton, and only the cost fac
tor renders it uncertain, said DIR.
soule, addressing the spectators aft
sr the demonstration. Our interest
n this movement is entirely from
II, altruistic standpoint; we have no
n interest in the organization which
proposes to 90 the work, but we
realize that airplane busting is one
i ,f the greatest methods yet devised
TO-, combat insect pests, and we have
/ duty to perform in telling the farm
srs Of Georgia what we have ascer-
aimed through experiment.
Study of Plan Invited
DR.. Soule explained that the state
department of agriculture, the state
board Of entomology, the federal gov
eminent, the state board of health,
and other agencies have been CO.
operating with the state college OF
agriculture in conducting the expert
ments, and that the cooperation OF
every agency in Georgia was invited
to- study the plan and decide how
It best can be adapted to the advan-
tage of the farmers.
He described the proposal Of the
Huff Daland G. Co., Inc, of Ogdens-
burg, n. Y, conducting the tests,
which proposes to invest $950,000
In the project and place seventeen
planes at Souther field, nine for ac
tive duty in busting over wide area
Of cotton-growing territory, with
eight others held in reserve to inn
mediately replace any ship tempo
rarily rendered unfit for service. 1t
Is estimated that nine planes can
dust 1900 acres an hour, and the
chips will be used from five to seven
hours a day, DR.. Soule stated.
Experiment has shown that 1t
costs from 81 to SO az acre to dust
tive times with calcium arsenate,
where depreciation of machinery, the
cost. of poison, labor and other fac
.ors are considered" said DIR. Soule.
lie explained that the company
which proposes to dust on a COM
nercial scale, can match that fig
IRE, according to estimates submit
bed state officials, and he pointed
y5ut just what advantages would ac-
,rue from airplane busting, such as
freedom from labor difficulties re-
noval of the handicap of wet fields,
which prevents machine busting, and
an appreciable saving in the quantity
T, calcium arsenate used
Leave Farmer Frcer
busting with planes also will
leave the farmer freer to cultivate
and handle his cotton crop, which
WILL aid materially in developing
5roduction," DR.. SouIe stated.
DR.. Phil J. Campbell, director of
extension work at the state college,
was another who enthusiastically
Endorsed airplane busting, SUMMARY
ing his Endorsement Of the method
IN the following statement:
First" he said, I'VE are satisfied
that calcium arsenate will do the
work of combating the weevil dam
Age. Next, we are resolved that
community control is more effective,
| because complete control of an evil
viii eliminate it's distribution, while
tc leave it unchecked even in a
Ynall area, will cause serious dam
age. Thirdly, we see that airplane
control affords community control,
and next, that airplane control re-
lieves the farmer of responsibility
Tor driving his labor in spreading
The poison, thus allowing him to go
ahead with his other work. We know
that the fight against the boil
weevil is a concentrated fight-that
most of the damage is done during
-four weeks period and that by
being able to spray on sch a wide
scale, and with such rapidity, we
widen the scope of the fight in
falculably
Furthermore, a plane can dust
pne hour after rain, where wet
fields might keep the farmer out
for two. days. Lastly, it requires
only one half of the amount of cal
c1um arsenate per acre"
The demonstration and ''roun0
table discussion" afterward, were
staged to obtain the farmers views
on the practibility of airplane dust
,lag and to obtain an estimate of
@erritory around Americus, which
might be made available for air.
plane busting. Similar demonstra-
tons will be conducted in other parts
Of the state, including one at Fort
Valley on Monday, where the dust
fog" from a plane will the Embossed
upon a peach orchard to show grow
ers how insect pests can be fought
from the ar.
Lieutenant Harris, flying the gov
eminent plane, came from Dayton
by way of Atlanta, to view the ex-
pertinent, which was conducted over
picked plot at Souther field, and
layer over cotton patch on the
plantation of Albert j. Evans, S. T.
Howell and George O. Marshall. The
rapidity and thoroughness with
which the busting was carried out,
ELECTED wide spread and favorable
4 comment.
Cooperating in arrangements for