Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-09-23
START fight
TOERADICATE
BOIL WEEVIL
Vigorous Campaign Is
Launched to Induce
Valley Growers to
Clean Premises


The battle 10 control the boil
weevil in 1929 is on.
Throughout the Valley. growers.
ginners, farm organizations, bank
crs and business men are %cooperat-
ing with one objective in vrew-to
eradicate the boil weevil and make
the 1929 cotton crop the greatest
ever produced in the four Valley
counties.
Community cleanup campaigns are
now in progress in several sections,
and are spreading rapidly. The slo-
gan: Destroy the alternating places
of the boil weevil' has spread
throughout the Valley, and the cam
paign is expected 10 be the most
far-reaching in its results Of any
ever launched on tine lower border.
Three hundred thousand bales Of
cotton in the Valley in 1929 is the
objective Of the Ginners association
which has assumed the leadership in
the campaign. They are not advocat-
ing additional acreage. but are en-
phasizing the necessity OF making
every acre produce as the Valley
soil should produce. Destruction of
the boil weevil is the first step to-
ward adding millions Of dollars TO
the Valley revenue newt year, and
they are ~endeavoring to organize the
cleanup campaign in every ,ommun-
ity in Hidalgo. Cameron, Wiliacy and
Starr counties.
When all is said and done the
much advised fall cleanup remains
one Of the most practical methods Of
combating this insect as well as
many other crop pests. So states
the Texas A. 4 NJ. college extension
service entomologist, r. X. Reppert.
~ outlining a practical program OF
insect control this fall.
The platform of relief from cot.
ton boil weevil and several other
pests as laid down BY Mr.. Reppert.
has four main planks. % The
promvt removal, after cotton or 9TH
er crops are harvested. of all plant
residues such as stalks BY blowing
under or otherwise. (2) Deep fall
piowing except where blowing and
erosion are big factors. tS) OccA-
sional narrowing and discing during
the winter early spring 70 keen
down weed and grass growth that
would otherwise continue As winter
food for cutworms and other nests
and t4l the preparation IL a fine
and compact seed bed for tho early
planting OF crops.
Speaking particularly Of the fall
cleanup for boil weevii, a measure
very successfully adopted Nv manv
rmers IN recent wears. Mr.. Rep
pert makes several significant state
ments. tl) The boil weevil feeds on
nothing but green cotton. (2) II does
not lay its eggs and the grub does
not develop on anything save green
cotton squares and boIls. t3) The
only period during which the weevil
~ dormant and can exist for any
extended time is during the period
or low temperatures extending an
proximatcly from the time Of the
flrst killing frost until the time II
the spring when cotton normally an
pears above the ground, "a The
weevil must feed continuously IA
the fall up 10 the time of the first
killing frost or IL will Starve 10
death. and go or those becoming
dormant IN the fall only a very
small portion. usually not more
IMAM three per cent, live until
spring. This small percentage IN A.
most entirely represented by the
newly Matched ones that enter win
ter quarters in a we'll fed condition.
A practical cleanup method used
m some regions is 20 run a stalk
cutter down the rows, following It
with a disk and then blowing. A
sweep Is then often used 10 nm
root the cotton plants. quickly re-
ducing q large acreage 10 nothing
ont dead cotton stalks. Later these
tap roots are raked ard burned but
the stalk cutting previously done
has already returned a large part
OF h organic matter to the soil to
aid IN continued heavy production.
= noticeable decrease in Nueces
county was obtained last year AZ a
result Of an almost perfect clean
PIP campaign staged early the prev
ious fall. The food ard breeding
places Of the weevil were rudeIv re-
moved for a period OF six weeks or
more before IL went into winter
quarters. The crop was often mada
and picked in Nucces county before
weevils became sufficiently numer-
Gus 20 be noticeable.
While other sections do not have
the same favorable conditions for
such an early cleanup" Mr.. Rep
pert says, favorable results will
follow anywhere in proportion 10 the
length NJ time from such clcan-up
20 the first killing frost. Such clean
up has the added advantages or III
creasing the moisture holding
city Of the soil. Of furnishing IN
creased plant food for the next cron.
and Of permitting Of planting in the
spring when conditions are favor
able without having 10 first wait
Tor tedious preparations.
"Neevii and other insect infecta-
tlons may be further avoided ~
destroying their winter quarters bv
burning. or course where forests
might be endangered BY such action
Il will not pay. but X is always
feasible to burn trash along fence
rows and in other out-of-the-wav
places where insects hibernate III
large numbers. Summer or early
fall is a good time for such burn