Mimeograph Series No. 
19 
July1945
AGRICULTURAL 
EXPERIMNT.'STATION
of The Alabama 
Polytechnic 
Institute, 
Auburn, Ala.
M. J. Funchess, Director
RE C OLZU TI0N 
ON bUL vvzTvit 
USONU LnTIL CON .LL ALAB
J.T 11,1Lobinson 
and F. S. Arant
Department 
of Zoology-Entomology
Too much emphasis 
has been placed 
recently on pre-square 
mopping
of cotton for boll 
weevil control, although 
it is of some value 
when large
numbers of weevils 
have overintered. The 
"sweet poison" may be 
applied to
the young cotton 
by hand with a small 
cloth mop or by commercial 
mopping
machines.. The poison 
mixture is mede by mixing 
together 1 pound of 
calcium
arsenate, 1 gallon of 
water, and 1 gallon 
of cheap syrup. 'Elie 
syrup merely
acts as a sticker; it 
does not attract the 
boll weevilMoping 
is of no
value after the cotton 
begins squaring ___ 
nor is it insurance 
against
boll weevil da='12 
late in the season.
Although pre-square 
mopping or dusting 
is of value when the 
boll
weevil is numerous before 
the cotton begins squaring, 
the most effective
control of this insect 
xlesults from the application 
of calcium arsenate
dust during the time 
the cotton crop is being 
set and matured. The profits
to 'be expected from dusting 
cotton vary with the abundance 
of boll weevils,
the fertility of the soil, 
and the price of the cotton. 
It isprofitable
to dust, re ardless of the amount 
of fertilizer which has been 
a pliedpro-.
vided the following conditions 
exist:
le The boll weevilis numerous 
durixnig the time
the cotton crop is being 
made.f
2. The soil f"ertility is sufficient 
to produce
one-half bale or more per acre.
3. The price of cotton is approximately 7 cents
a pound or above.*
ing ihocluding labor is equivalent to approximately 100 pounds 
of seed cotton
per acre. Average profits equivalent to the value of at least 160 to 290
pounds of seed cotton per acre may be expected if weevils are numerous in
cotton on soil with sufficient fertility to produce one-half bale or more
per acrev
The only way to know whether weevils are numerous enough to warrant
dusting is to examine the squares on the plants (not on the ground). After
the cotton is squaring freely, 100 squares should be examined in each of
several places in a field.. When an average of 10 or more squares are pune-
tured, out of each 100 examined, 3 applications of calcium arsenate should
be made at 5-day intervals. One week followrjing the third dusting, the squares
should be examined again and if 15 to 20 squares or more are punctured, out
of each 100 examined, 2 to 3 additional applications of dust should be made
at weekly intervals. The proper amount of calcium arsenate 
to apply is 5
to 6 potunds per acre per application. Many farmers apply more than is neces-
sary.
The kind of dust gun needed to apply the calcium 
arsenate will
depend upon the amount of cotton to be dusted. An 
ordinary one-row hand
gun, selling for $12 to $16, is satisfactory 
for dusting 3 to 5 acres of
cotton. However, a mule-drawn, two-row or four-row, dust gun is more 
satis-
factory for the average farmer. Such a dust gun may be purchased through
the local farmers exchange or elsewhere at prices ranging from $50 to 75
each, depending upon the make and the type of the gun. A four-row 
dust gun
usually differs from a two-row gun only in 
the number of distributors for
the dust; the dusting machinery proper is the same. The 
cost of the four-
row gun is $5-to $15 more than that of the two-row gun. Several 
factors,
such as the abundance of rainfall and 
the presence or absence of numerous
short rows in a field, will affect the acreage that 
may be dusted with any
dust gun. In general, however, 
a two-row gun will dust 20 to 
30 acres of
cotton and a four-row gun, 40 to 50 acres throughout 
the season. For large
acreages (100 or more) a power duster is desirable. 
Such a machine usually
has four to eight distributors and sells for 150 to :500.