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AGRICULTURAL
NEWS LETTER
THE F E D E R A L

RESERVE

B A N K OF

Volume III

Dallas, Texas, April 15, 1948

DALLAS
Number 4

INSECTICIDES AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING COTTON INSECTS

Estimates indicate that insects in some years
have destroyed one of every seven or eight bales
of cotton produced in Texas, thus costing the
State’s farmers millions of dollars. Similar con­
ditions have prevailed in other states. Believing
that insects can be controlled and damage re­
duced greatly, agricultural experiment station
workers, insecticide manufacturers, and others
are endeavoring to develop new and to improve
existing materials and methods for combating
insects. To the extent that insect damage is re­
duced, yields per acre will be increased, costs
of production lowered, and therefore, net
income of growers increased.
A group of field tests have been conducted
by the Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas Agri­
cultural Experiment Stations during the last
few years to determine the effectiveness of a
number of the insecticides now being used for
cotton insect control. The results of these tests,
which are reported in various publications is­
sued by the experiment stations, are particu­
larly significant to cotton growers and should
serve as guides to reduce insect losses.
These studies show that 5 percent DDT ap­
plied at a rate of 10 to 15 pounds per acre is
effective against the cotton fleahopper and tar­
nished plant bug, but a concentration of 10
percent DDT applied at the same rate per acre
is required for control of the bollworm and
pink bollworm. DDT is not recommended for
control of boll weevil, cotton leafworm, or
cotton aphid. A mixture of 5 percent DDT
and sulphur dust is effective against the red
spider and both the adults and nymphs of the
cotton fleahopper but is ineffective against the
boll weevil and may contribute to aphid in­
creases by destroying their natural enemies.
Benzene hexachloridc (BHC) is effective
against such pests as the boll weevil, cotton

fleahopper, cotton leafworm, tarnished plant
bug, cotton aphid, and fall army worm. BHC
is sold on its gamma isomer content which does
most of the killing of insects. Results of ex­
periments show that a dust containing 3 per­
cent gamma isomer applied at the rate of 10 to
12 pounds per acre will control the insects
named above, although a heavier application is
recommended for control of cotton aphids.
BHC is ineffective against the bollworm and
red spiders, and in some cases seems to favor
multiplication of these pests. Furthermore, it
sometimes causes leaf burning.
A mixture of 3 percent BHC, 5 percent
DDT, and 40 percent sulphur is effective
against fleahoppers, boll weevils, bollworms,
and aphids when applied at the rate of 10 to
15 pounds per acre, depending on the size of
the cotton and the severity of the insect infes­
tation. Therefore, it is recommended that these
compounds be combined where a treatment for
the control of all of these cotton insects is
desired.
About 10 pounds of 10 percent chlorinated
camphene dust per acre is effective in control­
ling the cotton fleahopper and tarnished plant
bug, and a 20 percent dust applied at the same
rate per acre controls the boll weevil, bollworm,
and cotton leafworm. Results of tests show
that chlorinated camphene is not satisfactory
for controlling heavy infestations of cotton
aphids. It does not kill red spiders and may re­
sult in their increase unless the dust contains
at least 40 percent sulphur. The addition of
BHC to this mixture makes it effective against
aphids.
Calcium arsenate used at the rate of 6 to 8
pounds per acre is very effective against the
boll weevil and cotton leafworm. Application
of 12 to 16 pounds per acre controls the boll-

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AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

worm. Calcium arsenate often causes a de­
structive increase in cotton aphids, however,
by destroying their natural enemies. Cotton
treated with calcium arsenate in the Texas ex­
periments did not produce as good yield as
did cotton treated with the organic insecticides
such as the BHC-DDT-sulphur mixture. A
mixture composed of one-third calcium arsen­
ate and two-thirds sulphur at 15 pounds per
acre will destroy the cotton fleahopper and
tarnished plant bug.
A 10 percent chlordane dust applied at the
rate of 10 pounds per acre gives approximately
the same control of boll weevils as calcium
arsenate, and also prevents aphid build-up and
kills boll weevils developing in squares. Red
spider and bollworm infestations may increase
as a result of applications at this concentration.
Concentrations of less than 10 percent are not
recommended.
Parathion (3422) applied in concentrations
as low as 1 percent has proved highly effective
against cotton aphids and red spiders. In some
tests at 4 percent, it was effective against the
boll weevil and at 5 percent against the bollworm, but the Texas station does not recom­
mend Parathion for use against either the boll
weevil or bollworm.
Many of these compounds can be applied by
spraying or by dusting. However, the results
of experiment station studies indicate that
dusting is the only method which gives good
control of most insects with the materials and
equipment now generally available. Dust ap­
plications may be made by ground machines or
airplanes, and they should be made when the
air is relatively calm, but the presence of dew
is not necessary. Applications usually must be
repeated if washed off within 24 hours.
Reports issued by experiment stations cau­
tion users of insecticides, however, that addi­
tional information is needed regarding their
toxicity to animals and soils before they are
used extensively. Such crops as peanuts and
potatoes grown on soils following the use of
BHC on other crops the previous year may
smell and taste like the insecticide. Sulphur,
which is frequently used in insecticide mix­
tures, is inflammable and should be kept away
from tractor exhausts, sparks, or flames. Cal­

cium arsenate is poisonous to livestock and
will injure such crops as legumes and oats if
allowed to drift to nearby fields. It is thought
that Parathion concentrations above 2 per­
cent would be very abnoxious and probably
dangerous to the operator. DDT is safe when
applied in recommended dosages, but care
should be taken to avoid contamination of ad­
jacent food or feed crops. The cumulative ef­
fect of BHC, chlordane, chlorinated camphene,
DDT, and other compounds in soils or animals
is not known, and, therefore, care must be
exercised in using them continuously.
Bug-catching machines of various types
have been developed, but according to federal
and state investigators, mechanical devices have
proven inferior to chemicals for controlling
cotton insects. In tests these machines have
caught many beneficial insects but only a few
harmful to cotton.
In addition to the use of insecticides, a com­
plete program of cotton insect control involves
such cultural practices as early destruction of
cotton stalks, planting of improved varieties
of cotton, seed treatment, proper preparation
of soil, use of recommended fertilizers, and fre­
quent shallow cultivation. Some of these prac­
tices aid directly in reduction of insect infesta­
tions, while other practices aid in obtaining an
early and vigorous cotton crop which is sub­
ject to relatively less insect damage.
Individual farmers using improved insecti­
cides and cultural methods can obtain results
in controlling cotton insects and reducing
damage to their own cotton crops. It should
be recognized, however, that the most effective,
economical, and profitable results are obtained
by community action. By working together,
county agents, vocational teachers, business­
men, 4-H club members, Future Farmers, and
other groups can develop programs that will
reduce insect damage to a minimum and in­
crease the community’s income and produc­
tion of cotton.
CHEMURGY AND FARM INCOME

The large expansion in industrial uses of
farm products is one of the most significant
developments in agriculture in recent years

AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

and one which may help to cushion the ex­
pected return of farm commodity prices to
lower levels, according to Richard R. Try on,
editor of the Chemurgic Digest. Writing in
the March issue of this magazine, Mr. Try on
points out that the market for farm products
is no longer limited to the traditional uses of a
generation ago, but instead, there is an everincreasing demand for these crops for indus­
trial purposes. Many million bushels of grains
and huge tonnages of other crops already are
purchased annually by American industry,
and there is good reason to believe that such
purchases will increase substantially during
the next few years, or at the very time that
the demand from other sources may be declin­
ing. Says Mr. Tryon: "For millions of farm­
ers, this supplementary demand from industry
for the use of farm crops for chemurgic pur­
poses will provide a source of cash income
which will mark the margin between pros­
perity and hard times.” When the present large
exports slacken, it will be necessary to have
other outlets to support prices. The answer
lies not in curtailing production or destroying
crops and livestock, he says, for this lowers the
Nation’s standard of living; but in continued
high production, with an ever-increasing in­
dustrial use of farm products, which will bring
additional income to the farmers and raise the
living standards of the total population. Mr.
Tryon believes that industry will rely more
and more on farm products as essential raw
materials and that chemurgic uses of these
products will become increasingly important
both as cushions and stimulants for farmers’
incomes and as an element of our general well­
being in the future.
FARM MANAGEMENT

Treatment of Peanut Seed Urged
For better stands and bigger yields of pea­
nuts, the Texas A. & M. College Extension
Service advises farmers to treat shelled seed
with two percent ceresan or a similar product.
In six years of field tests at Stephenville, un­
shelled seed treated with three ounces of 2
percent ceresan per 100 pounds of peanuts
came up to 71 percent of a perfect stand as
compared with 3 1 percent for untreated seed.
A three-year average yield at Stephenville was

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26.8 bushels an acre for treated peanuts and
only 16 bushels per acre for untreated seed.
Other chemicals which have given good results
are arasan, phygon, spergon, and tersan. Farm­
ers are advised by the College not to treat pea­
nuts with the new improved 5 percent ceresan,
however, as it is not intended for peanuts.
Although inoculation of peanuts before
planting is desirable, farmers are cautioned
not to use both inoculation and chemical
treatment, because the chemical will kill the
nitrogen-bacteria just as it will kill the mold
and fungi that would rot the seed. Research
workers have found that chemical treatment
pays off most on shelled peanuts, while un­
shelled seed respond more to inoculation than
to chemical treatment.
Bindweed Control
A farmer can almost completely eradicate
bindweed, known otherwise as morning glory,
and still produce high crop yields by combin­
ing the use of 2,4-D with the correct cultural
methods, according to a mimeographed report
prepared by J. R. Spencer, agronomist, New
Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station. The
report, "Control of Bindweed by the Use of
2,4-D and Cultural Methods,” outlines the
steps necessary for controlling the pest in va­
rious crops and on ditchbanks, right-of-ways,
and watersheds which provide for irrigation.
It states that application of 2,4-D will halt the
spread of the plant as it prevents seeding and
checks lateral spreading of rootstocks. Deep
plowing of bindweed-infested land lowers
root food reserves by breaking up many roots
and also exposes numerous roots to drying and
freezing. Also, grazing sheep on bindweed
which grows in small grains and Sudan grass
greatly weakens the plant as sheep will selec­
tively choose bindweed, nipping it closely.
Planting crops at heavier than normal rates
shades and smothers bindweed and prevents
its blooming and building up root food re­
serves. The report contains detailed directions
for use of each of these practices on different
types of land and crops. Copies of the report
may be secured by request to the Director,
New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station,
State College, New Mexico.

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AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER

Alialia in Rotation Increases Income
Alfalfa rotated with cotton, grain sorghums,
and oats will increase both the yields of the
other crops and the average annual cash in­
come per acre. This statement is based on the
results of a 12-year experiment on irrigated
land at the Wichita Valley Station (Texas
Substation No. 16), according to Progress Re­
port 1112 prepared by L. E. Brooks of the
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Cot­
ton had an average annual yield of 440 pounds
of lint per acre in a 4-year rotation of cotton,
grain sorghum and alfalfa (2 years), but only
320 pounds per acre in a 2-year rotation of
cotton and grain sorghums. In the 4-year rota­
tion, sorghum produced 2,072 pounds of
threshed grain per acre but only 1,400 pounds
per acre in the 2-year rotation. Cotton yielded
399 pounds of lint per acre in a 3-year rota­
tion of cotton, oats, and alfalfa, but only 331
pounds of lint per acre in a 3-year rotation of
cotton, oats, and sorghum.
On the basis of approximately average prices
in 1947, the 4-year rotation which included
alfalfa (2 years) increased the average annual
gross income $23 per acre over that for the
2-year rotation which included only cotton
and grain sorghum. Alfalfa used to replace
grain sorghum in the 3-year rotation with cot­
ton and oats gave an increase in the average an­
nual gross income per acre of about $14.
FARM PRICES

New Support Prices Announced
The United States Department of Agricul­
ture has adjusted prices for the 1948 wool clip
to assure producers an average price equal to
the 42.3 cents per pound received in 1946.
The changes became effective April 1 and are
designed to offset higher marketing costs and
maintain normal differentials between graded
wools. All wool appraised or reappraised for
purchase on or after April 1 became subject
to the new schedule.
The Department of Agriculture announced
that it would support the price of hogs from
April through September at levels ranging
from a low of $16.50 per hundredweight in
May to $18.50 per hundredweight, Chicago
basis, at the end of the period. Differential

schedules of prices are prepared for other mar­
kets. Prices during the period are not expected
to fall to the support levels, which arc based
on the March 15 parity prices.
TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOP­
MENTS

New Insecticide Highly Effective
A new and effective insecticide that com­
bines high insecticidal efficiency, low toxicity
to warm-blooded animals, and safety to plants
is now being produced. Known as "Marlate”
methoxychlor insecticide, this new product
kills a wide variety of insects that come into
contact with it or that eat it. "Marlate” can be
used freely on livestock and on crops where
certain residues would be undesirable. Against
nuisance insects, such as flies and mosquitoes,
that attack man and animals, "Marlate” has
an advantage over DDT because of its fast
knock-down or paralytic action.
Field tests show "Marlate” to be safe on such
vegetables as cucumbers and beans, which are
sensitive to certain other insecticides. Other
crops on which it may be used include cabbage,
peas, soybeans, peaches, early apples, and
grapes. Specific insects against which "Mar­
late” can be used include Japanese beetle,
asparagus beetle, bean leafhopper, codling
moth, Colorado potato beetle, corn earworm,
cucumber beetles, housefly, hornflies, imported
cabbage worm, melon worms, Mexican bean
beetle, and Oriental fruit moth. The compound
may be applied either as a dust or spray.
PUBLICATIONS

Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas
Agricultural and Mechanical College, Col­
lege Station:
The Composition and Utilization of Texas
Feeding Stuffs, Bulletin No. 461, Revised, by
G. S. Fraps.
Oat Production in Texas, Bulletin No. 691,
by I. M. Atkins and E. S. McFadden.
Horticultural Characters of Tomatoes, Bul­
letin No. 698, by P. A. Young and J. W. MacArthur.
Alfalfa Improves the Soil and Increases Cash
Income in the Wichita Irrigated Valley, Prog­
ress Report 1112, by L. E. Brooks.