~1FS 
COTTON INSECTS 
Push-type cottonstalk shaver.--D. A. Isler, of the Bureau of 
Agricultural Engineering, cooperating in the pink bollworm inves ti- 
gations at Presidio, Tex., has developed a push—type cottonstalk 
shaver for use with a tractor in cleaning cotton ficlds. Concern- 
ing this invention he reports: "Several objections to the use of a 
sled—type cornstalk shaver in the Presidio Valley for cutting cotton 
stalks at ground surface preparatory to raking suggested the idea of 
pushing’ the implement in front of a tractor. The tallest stalks in 
the valley attain heights of 5 to / feet and branch out profuscly 
into the row middles, so that in some fields it was-sometimes diffi- 
cult to see just where the rows were. The butts of the largest stalks 
‘in one field measured 2 inches in diameter. Use of the ordinary sled+ 
type shaver resulted in the shattering of many bolls from the plants 
and in the breaking of branches by the horse and singletree in front 
of the shaver. It was also difficult to keep the sled operating 
evenly halfway between the rows, because of the pressure of the heavy 
stalks on the cutting blades. As the soil was sandy, especially 
where the plant growth was rank, two rolling colters at the rear of 
the pull—type sled were not always sufficient to hold the sled steady. 
Some advantages of the push-type shaver over the pull-type sled were: 
The lessening of boll shattering, due to elimination of the horse and 
singletree in front of the shaver; greater stability of the outfit; 
windrowing of stalks by the shields: ond‘increased operating speed. 
Usefulness and versatility of the shaver may be increased by provid— 
ing for an adjustable width. Adaptability of the push-type shaver 
for use with horses is also contemplated. Changes in construction 
may result ina better adaptation of the present pull-type shaver for 
use in cottonstalks." 
Field tests have shown that under favorable conditions.’ the stalk 
shaver will cut 100 percent of the stalks where cotton is cultivated 
level and 993 percent in listed cotton, although & percent of the 
stalks were left with attached lower branches in listed cotton. In 
shatterage tests to determine the quantity of cotton forms knocked 
off the plant, it was found that the stalk shaver shattered more forms 
than did a machete carefully used by one man, In field practice, how- 
ever, where machetes had been used by a group of laborers and the stalk 
shaver operated’ by a trained man, there was no difference in shatter-.- 
age between the two methods of stalk cutting. A severe test conducted 
in a field where there was an excess of fruiting forms on the plants 
showed that the tractor and stalk shaver did not bury fruiting forms . 
gn the soil. 
