103 



will yield but little more than native cotton. 



2. Cultivate the fields thoroughly. The principal 

 benefit in this conies from the influence that such a 

 practice has upon the constant p'owth and consequent 

 early nuiturity of the crop. Very few Aveevils are killed 

 by cultivation. Much of the benefit of early plantiuo- 

 is lost unless it is followed by thoroui>'h cultivation. In 

 case of unavoidably delayed planting, the best course 

 for the planter to pursue is to cultivate the fields in the 

 most thorough manner possible. Three choppiugs and 

 five plowings constitute as thorough a system of culti- 

 vation as is necessary in cases where the land has pre- 

 viously been kept reasonably clear. 



3. Plant the rows as far apart as experience with 

 the land indicates is feasible, and thin out the plants in 

 the rows thoroughly. On land which in normal seasons 

 will produce from 35 to 10 bushels of corn the rows 

 should be 5 feet apart. Even on poor soil it is doubtful 

 if the distance should ever be less than 4 feet. 



4. Destroy, by plowing u]), windrowing, and burn- 

 ing, all the cotton stalks in the fields as soon as the wee- 

 vils become so numerous that practically all the fruit 

 is being punctured. This will generally not be later 

 than the first week in October. Merely cutting off the 

 stalks by means of the triangular implement used for 

 that purpose throughout the south is by no means as ef- 

 fective as plowing, because the stumps remaining give 

 rise to sprouts which furnish food until late in the sea- 

 son to numy wee\'ils that would otherwise starve. The 

 plowing, moreover, serves to place the ground in better 

 condition for early planting the following spring. In 

 some cases turning cattle into the fields is advisable. 

 Aside from amounting to a practical destruction of the 

 plants, grazing of the cotton fields furnishes consider- 

 able forage at a time when it is generally much in de- 

 mand. Nevertheless, cattle should never be turned into 

 cotton fields in which Johnson grass has become started. 



5. It is known that at present fertilizers are not 

 used to any considerable extent in cotton producing in 

 Texas. There is, nevertheless, no doubt that they 

 should be; not that the land is poor, but that earlier 



