COTTON OK BOLL WEEVILS 



15 



Two very important points for farmers to bear in mind when grow- 

 ing cotton in parts of the country where there are boll weevils are 

 (1) to select cotton seed of a kind that will grow and produce ripe 

 cotton as quickly as possible and (2) to plant this seed as early in the 

 spring as possible after all danger from frost is past. If a kind of 

 cotton that will grow and ripen quickly is used, and if it is planted 

 early enough in the spring, there will be a chance for the crop, or at 

 least a part of it, to ripen before the boll weevils become numerous 

 enough to do serious damage. In other words, it is a race between 

 the cotton plants and the weevils, and, as in all races, the runner who 

 gets off first has a great advantage. 



There are other ways of producing a good crop of early cotton. 

 The land should be plowed early and thoroughly prepared for the 

 seed bed, so that there will be no delay in early planting. The proper 

 use of the right fertilizers will give larger yields and help the crop to 

 ripen faster. 



Careful cultivation during the growing season is necessary, too, 

 if a good crop is to grow. The plow should not be run too deep or 

 too close to the plant, for this will cut off some of the roots and make 

 the squares drop off. If there are plenty of bolls, there is a fair 

 assurance of a good crop of cotton (fig. 10). 



— Field containing a good crop of cotton. It had been properly 

 dusted with calcium arsenate to kill the boll weevils. 



