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THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1923. FIGHT OR LOSE By J. H. DeLOACH, Director Armours Bureau Agriculture Research. THE biggest and most vital problem in the cotton growing sections of the United States is the control of the Mexican cotton boll weevil. This p>st has destroyed billions of wealth within the past few years, and contin ues to impose the severest hardships on cotton farmers, merchants, bankers, and the people generally. The loss in Georgia alone in 1922 from this partic ular pest was at least a million bale's of cotton: valued at SIOO.OO per bale, this is a hundred million dollars, not including the cotton seed. Add to this the value of the seed, based on current market quotations, and we have a fur ther loss of twenty million dollars, or a total loss of a hundred and twenty million dollars to the farmers of the State. This loss is so subtle and of such a nature that it has baffled the farmer, caused suffering. Ithnkrupted merchants, and closed banks. The far mer is confused and is groping partly in the dark for a way out. He has come to the place where he must roll up his sleeves and enter into a desper ate grapple with the weevil, and we have truned our attention to the prob lem partly in self-defense and partly to help bring baek courage to the agri culture of the South. Xo state can stand indefinitely such heavv losses. The entire business struc ture and credit system would be broken down. In a civilized agricultural coun try like tne United States it is the pro ductive wealth that makes agriculture nnd business possible, and when the sources of wealth have been crippled without the development of compensa ting or new sources, the people suf fer and are finally reduced to want. In the fertilizer industry we have recognized this truth, and for the ben efit of our own business and agricul ture at large we have looked in every direction for relief from the ravages of this pest. We have visited all parts of the cotton Melt and- have studied the methods of farmers in the older infest ed territory; we have consulted experts hoth State and Federal: we have watch ed the control methods in theory and practice, and have finally found what has proved to be an effective remedy. Tlii< consists of the use of calcium a mite dust applied to the growing cot ton during the time of weevil infesta tion. supplemented by better farming, better fertilization, picking up squares in the early part of the season, more frequent and later cultivation, and a constant search for the weevils in all parts of the farm. Picking up Squares. There is no question of the impor tance of picking iy> squares. In the varlv part of the season we picked up all the squares, and this helped us to reduce the amount of calcium ai sen. t!m Hired. Also it kept the weevils un der better control, because a minimum numler were left to hatch out. How We Controlled the Weevil. The successful control o fthe weeiil is determined almost by the size ol the first hatch, and if this is very small and the dusting is done effectively, the crop of cotton is a certainty so far as the weevil is concerned. The calcium arsenate poisoning od was worked out hv the Delta lydx - •itorv of the United States Department o Agriculture at Tallulah Uouisiana, and hv the Georgia State Board of En tomologv and all the states in the cot on t>elt. Experts have secured scientific data as to the efficiency of this method. I, is generally recognized that calcium arsenate dust will kill the weevil if applied at the right time and in the rig The"question that naturally present ed itself to us when we learned of this remedy was —can it be applied under ordinary farm conditions where most of the iabor is done by common negro tenants? The life of our business m in the cotton belt depends on the con trol of the boll weevil, and it has been •i part of our work to make a thor ough test of the possibility of doing this, before we made any positive state ment or recommendation. In 19 99 we tried out the calcium ar senate remedy under average conditions nml satisfied ourselves that it will do the work expected. Asa result of our own work we are prepared to say with confidence that the weevil can be kept in check hv any farmer who will go to the trouble to inform himself on the tails of the method (an outline of ’which we give below) and who will equip his farm in an inexpensive way for fighting. In order to meet with a measure of success lie must tie positive on the whole process —not let something else do as well, but apply the method exactly as it is given and know that he is securing results from day to day during the fighting season. No guess work can enter into this game. One must know what he is doing and what results he is getting. How We Started. Our test was made in the fields on an ordinary cotton farm located near Ar lington.'Georgia. in a good cotton grow ing section The farm is not oue con tinuous field, but a very large tract of land broken into many small farm units, like any settled cotton area of the State, and with woods, creeks, and branches, ponds and gullies interven ing. We knew that if the weevil could lie controlled on this farm and with negro tenants, it could be con trolled on any farm in the State or in the cotton belt. Our work the first year was to con trol the weevil: in this we were suc cessful. If we could save an ordinary crop, there would be little doubt that we could save a Big crop. We have thought for many years that the key to success in growing cotton is to grow more cotton on fewer acres. The com ing of the weevil has made this im perative. On many farms the weevils have not done much damage because the cotton \Vas too small or too poor to raise a big crop of weevils. The real damage has always been done on farms where the expected yield was high and afforded a good breeding ground for the weevil. This is natural, because where there is a heavy crop there Is much to lose, and where there is a light crop there is little to lose. But the big crop if saved always pays all expenses, and gives a good margin of profit besides. It is there fore important to undertake to pro duce a Dig enough crop to pay all ex pense and to make it worth while to save it, and then turn attention to methods of weevil control. Preparation for Fighting We made no changes in the project ed plan of operation of the farm. It was conducted in the same way it had been for years past, and for actual op eration of dusting machines we used the labor already on the farm. We did employ one extra man for the summer months to look for the weevils and re port to us where and when they ap peared in the various fields. Any far mer with a large acreage should do the same thing, unless he can otherwise provide for this. Implements and Calcium Arsenate We provided our fighting implements btefore the weevils came in the spring We used only such implements as had proven successful under trial conditions and had been approved by the Govern ment laboratory authorities and the Georgia State Board of Entomology. We used the two-horse and one-horse machines; also mule back machines and hand guns. How these various kinds of machines stood the test under our conditions, we will tell a little later. We estimated that each two-horse ma chine would care for a hundred acres and each one-horse machine for fifty to seventy-five, and the mule back as many. We allowed one hand gun for each ten to fifteen acres. It was very difficult to get over more than eight acres with a hand gun. In the first purchase of poisons we allowed only about fourteen pounds of calcium arsenate to the acre, but we finally had to use an average of nine teen pounds per acre. Some acres re quired only a small quantity, while others required considerably above twenty pounds. The size of the cotton and the persistence of the weevil will always determine the actual amount -of poison to use. Some acres we went over more than a half dozen times, while others we went over only three times at mast. When It Pays to Fight. It pays to fight the weevil wherever he is and whether he is in small or large numbers. His work is so elusni that often there are many when the farmer thinks there are only tew. it we were sure there were weevils in any part of the farm we began fighting then and there, and did not let up till the weevils disappeared. . The First Appearance in Spring The weevil appeared when the cotton was small. At this time very little if any actual damage was 'lone to the cotton, but the weevil was feeding and preparing to give us a lot of trouble as soon as the squares should be formed so that they could begin la -' J,lss - . * far as we were able to learn the fust eggs laid by the weevil in spring were laid in the young squares first beginning to form. Later on in the season the> laid in small Mills, and when these were gone they deposited eggs m lar ger and almost grown bolls as the food supply and breeding places be came limited. Near the end of the sea son we found in many places a dozen zruiis in oik boll. . . Our First Poisoning :n Spring The first implements we used were not bought from the factory, but were made out on the farm. They consists of 125 old discarded gallon syrup cans We put wooden handles on the sides oi these, after cutting out both ends, and tied a piece of burlap bag on the bot tom and filled them with calum nate dust, and gave this a light shak o\er each plant or hill. It took only about a pound of dust to cover an acre of cotton with these Improvised im plements. But we killed the weevils as effectively as if each had cost ten dollars. It was during these weeks of the first appearance of the weevils that we made our best against them. By fighting at that time we reduced the number to a and as a consequence we lost very tie of the cotton fruit. Hand Guns When we used hand guns at all ex cept in spot infestations, we grouped several tenants or day laborers ano covered a good sized area in a ' short while Women often did this work, and as well as the men did and. We found it better to use power machines wherever powtWe. but the hand guns were very valuable where we found small patches of weevils. E'- er rv farmer should have at least one good hand gun for emergencies and for dusting his potatoes and the like. He will save in one season more than th cost hv using on spot infestations near the thickest, hedges, and around stumps, and patches of shrubbery in the cotton fields. If the cotton patch is clear of all these things and in the middle of a large cleared area, a hand gun would be of very little seriice. One-Mule Machines These were the most effective ma chines we used, because they were am ple, easy to operate, and any negro tenant could handle almost as well an expert. They were almost as handy and as easy to operate as an ordinary walking cultivator, and stumps and other signs of poor farming interferr ed very little with their use. We be gan the use of these at the first hatch of the weevils in the latter part of May and used them on through the season. Two-Horse Machines. Where the land is stumpless and the fields are of good size, the two horse dust machine is indispensable. W e used such machines with much effect and economy. They are made for dust ing three or more rows at a time, and seldom cause any delay on account of repairs. Keep the dust free from moisture and lumps and the agitator properly adjusted, and such a machine will give satisfaction. The Calcium Arsenate The calcium arsenate must have at least 40 per cent total arsenic pentox ide and not more than 0.75 per cent water-soluble. It must also have a density of from 80 to 100 cubic inches to the pound. The Weevil This whole process of poisoning cen ters around the weevil and his habits. Unless we know how he lives, we can not control him. One of tile first things we learned was that the weevil can live a little while in summer without laying any eggs. We found that according to the report of the Government there was an interval of five or six days between the time of hatching and the time of laying. We made every effort to do our poisoning during such time. We did not always succeed in this, but when we did, we lost very few squares. It is therefore of greatest importance to know when the weevil begins hatching out. so that we can strike the death Plow then and each smeceeding few days, as long as they continue to batch. Weather and Time of Day to Poison We always found the weevils active when there was any moisture, and the more moisture there was the more work they did. It is a well known fact that they are not very active in dry weather, but hardly enough has been said about the relation of their activi ty to the amount of moisture. No doubt the amount of water they get determines the number of eggs they lay We applied dust at any hour of the day whenever there was no breeze, and during windy days, when it was still only at night—which happened only two or three times during the season — we applied poison at night. Planting Other Crops Sometimes Interferes. We found that if cotton is up and growing before corn is planted, there is great difficulty in finding time to dust the young cotton at the first ap pearance of the weevil on account of other work. It would boa go al plan to plant the com first, as it van be planted earlier than cotton, and get all possible of such work out of the way by the time it is necessary to be gin the fight on the weevil. It takes more work and more time to raise a crop under weevil conditions than it took before the weevil came, and cotton farmers know this: this is one reason why they will find it to their advantage to plant fewer acres to the plow and fertilize more heavily and cultivate oftener, keeping in mind the fact that it costs no more time or machinery to dust and save a big crop than it does to save a little crop. The only difference in cost would be a few additional pounds of calcium arsenate dust. In our year's experience with the weevil we learned: 1 That the weevil made his first appearance in our field about April 29th when the cotton plants were very small, and by applying calcium arse nate dust at that time it was easy to control him. 2. That adult weevils came from hibernating places from early April till May lOttt, and that it pays to wage a continuous fight on the first crop all this time. Such a fight lightens the burdens of the campaign later in the season. 3. That one need not expect to kill all the weevils at any one time, but most of them can he killed and control can be effected if the fight is kept u contirfuously throughout the entire growing season. 4. That there were three definite outbreaks on our farms: one June 3rd, one June 24th. and one July 15th; also some infestation as late as the middle of August. The first infestation was very light, but each was heavier thru the entire season, qnd this seems to be inevitable. 5. That there is very little migra-' tion of the weevil till mid-summer: that the weevil is sure to break out in patches or spots, and it lessens the cost of control to he on the lookout for these spots ami poison there, As the spots grew larger and larger the con trol proved more difficult. I 6. That some fields were not infest- I ed so badly as others, hut did not find out any special reason for this. 7. That cotton land with stumps was ! more uniformly infested than lands ! cleaned of stumps, and harder to con trol the weevils in. 8. That the negTo is quick to learn how to help in this work, and needs only to be trained. 9. That it pays to have sufficient calcium arsenate on hand at the be ginning of the season. A few days’ delay may cost one many times over the value of this material, in the loss es from unexpected infestations. 10. That it pays to provide far in advance of the time of need the dusting machinery necessary to fight with. 11. That the hand guns are not very practical except in case of spot infestation on small areas, or where the acreage Is very small. To use them In large fields takes up too much time from other work. Besides, they are not very effective when the cotton grows to be considerable size. 12. That the one-mule two row ma chines fire the most practical under a tenant system where the cotton areas are in medium and small patches. 13. That the weevil always is most active in wet weather, and least active in dry weather. 14. That Results can come only from an increased yield per acre through improved preparation, fertilization, cultivation, the use or better seed and a wilt resistant cotton Better preparation means plowing under old cotton plants early in the fall and deep winter breaking of land and the use of cover crops. Belter fertilization will increase the yield and enable us to make more mon ey on tlie farm. Better cultivation will keep the* soil constantly stirred and the damage of the weevil will be reduced to the lowest terms. In the fall breaking we turn under the green plants and cut off the food supply of the weevil; also plow under the bigfer per cent of the weevils. With cover crops we hold the land to gether, avoid seepage during the long winter rains and afford a limited THE WINDER NEWS JiiuiiHiiiiUiiiiniiuitiMiiiiriiiiiiii 111 I cigarettes <Th t AMERICAN TOBACCO CQ iniiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiwiimmniHn Chamber lain’s Colic and Diarrhoea Remedy. Every (family should keep this prep aration at hand during the hot of the summer months. It is almost sure to he needed, and when that time comes, is worth many ties its cost. Buy it now. amount of good winter grazing. We also reduce the feed exists, by growing winter grain crops in abundance. This we are doing in order to pro duce a cotton crop in 1923. iiiiinunmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimHiiii 4 24 ,/o*V I m 4 ‘ ' V = iinmiLuiimiiimiiiiirilinuniiiurT B. E. PATRICK Watches and Jewelry Fine Watch Repairing. WINDER, GA. SWIMMING POOL One and one-half miles east of Winder and easily accessible from all points. Now ready for the public, and will be open from 7:00 a. m. to 10:00 p. m. every day except Sunday. A smaller branch of clearer water has been utilized to supply the pool, of sufficient vol ume to insure an everchanging water supply. An expert swimmer has been secured to look after the ladies and children and to give instructions in swim ming and diving free of charge to those wanting it. Nice pine grove surrounding the pool, with tables and benches for picnic parties. Ideal place for kodaking. No drunkenness or disorderly conduct will be allow ed. Your patronage solicited. W. T. APPLEBY, Proprietor 1899 1923 The “ear-marks” of Success Do you spend every dollar that you earn, or have you learned to keep part of it? The answer to that question will tell you whether you have the “ear-marks” of success. If you haven’t yet acquired that habit, begin now by opening a bank account. 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