166 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



June 2, 1906. 



CONFERENCE OF COTTON GROWERS AT BARBADOS. 



(CONTINUED.) 



MANUKES. 



The next thing I think we may consider i.s tlie manuring 

 of cotton. Wliere farmyard manure i.s to be used, it should be 

 applied sufHciently long before the cotton is to be planted to 

 allow of the soil assimilating it. If this is not done, there is 

 not time for its constituents to be taken up by the cotton 

 plant during its life when treated as an annual, and therefore 

 the cotton is not sufKciently benefited by the ajiiilication of 

 the manure. The same thing may be said of sheep manure. 

 I may here mention that in the States it is found that 

 farmyard and other organic manures are of more use as 

 renovators of the soil than as actual cotton manures. With 

 regard to chemical manure, this should be applied just after 

 the cotton grows; or, if it is preferred, the phosphates and 

 potash may be applied before the land is planted, and then 

 as soon as the cotton is from G to 8 inches high, the 

 nitrate of soda or suli>hate of ammonia maj' be spirinkled 

 round the plantlets and mi.xed with the surface of the 

 soil. The application of chemical manure at present 

 recommended by the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 is at the rate per acre of 300 lb. of superphosphate of 

 lime, 40 lb. of sulphate of potash, and 100 lb. of sulphate 

 of ammonia, or 1'25 lb. of nitrate of soda. At first it 

 was stated in the J. B.C. of Cotton Planting that 400 lb. 

 of superphosiihate of lime was recjuired, but it has since 

 been found that 300 &. is nearer the right quantity. 

 In several instances this year this manure has been found 

 satisfactorj-, and one gentleman who applied to me for 

 information with regard to growing his cotton, tells me that 

 lie carried out the advice I gave him, planted his cotton 

 5 feet apart and 20 inches apart in the rows, applied 300 B). 

 of superphosphate, 40 lb. sulphate of potash, and 100 ft), 

 sulphate of ammonia, and he got nearly 1 ,.500 &. of .seed-cotton 

 per acre, and netted about .$78"00. The cost of this manure 

 •was a little less than $7 '00 per acre. 



DISTANCE TO PL.^NT COTTON. 



Now as to the question of the distance between the 

 TOWS and the individual plants in the rows, there again no 

 iard-and-fast rules can be laid down. Where the land is 

 rich and the plants grow large, they should be planted wider 

 apart than where the soil is poor and the ]ilants do not gro^v 

 so large. If the trees are pdanted in rich soil too close 

 together, the branches interlace and cover the ground, thus 

 excluding the sunshine and air, con.sequentl}', before the bolls 

 arrive at maturity they drop. In poor soils, however, 

 where the branches do not spread to such an extent as to 

 exclude the sunshine and air, and the plants have room to 

 ripen their bolls properly, the trees may be planted closer. 

 As Sir Daniel ^lorris told you last Friday, in St. Kitt's 

 excellent results were obtained with cotton planted 5 feet by 

 4 feet, but this land had been prepared for canes and was well 

 manured. As a rule, however, it has been found in the 

 United States of America that the best results are obtained 

 where the cotton is planted ') feet apart and 20 inches 

 apart in the rows. 



TI.ME TO PLANT. 



As to the question of the right time to jilant cotton, I fear 

 we have not yet got sufficient data to make a definite state- 

 ment. Eut from what little exi)erience we have had, 

 it would appear that so far as land in St. Philip and about 



the same level is concerned, cotton, other than that planted 

 as a catch crop, should be planted about July or August. 

 On the other hand, I believe that cotton in St. John and 

 the higher districts should probably be planted a month 

 or six weeks later, for the reason that the rainfall is greater 

 in the higher districts than in the lowlands, and if the 

 cotton is planted later, it will consequentlj- ripen later, and 

 will not be so likel}' to be injured b}' the rain. Of course, 

 where catch-crop cotton is planted, the sooner it is got in 

 after the rainy season commences, the better. 



IMPORTANCE OF A REGULAR ST.VND. 



It is very important that a regular stand should be 

 obtained at as early a time as pos.sible, to secure which 

 a sufficient number of seeds should be sown. AVhen Sir 

 Daniel Morris and myself were in the Sea Islands two years 

 ago, we wore told that to secure a regular stand practically 

 a small handful of seeds was put in each hole, and as soon 

 as they grew all were pulled up except the two most healthy 

 l>lants, and then, as soon as these two got about 6 to 8 

 inches high, the weaker was also pulled uj) and only the 

 stronger left. At the end of a fortnight any non-growing 

 holes were re-sown. A pound of cotton seed contains, 

 roughly speaking, 4,000 seeds. Six pounds would therefore 

 contain 24,000 .seeds. Land planted in rows .5 feet apart 

 and 20 inches apart in the rows .should contain about 

 .5,226 holes to the acre. At least four seeds should be 

 planted in each hole, which would take about 21,000 seeds, 

 and then there would be about 3,000 over to be used for 

 replanting any holes, the seeds of which failed to germinate. 



MOULDING UP. 



When the plants are about 8 inches high, they should 

 be hilled or moulded up for the first time to prevent their 

 being tossed about bj' the wind. This should also be done 

 later on, when they are about from 12 to 16 inches high. 

 WEEDING THE L.iND. 



The land should be kept free from weeds, which should 

 be regularly hoed up. When, however, the plants get so 

 advanced that the branches are easilj- struck with the hoe 

 when the weeds are being killed, the latter should be jiulled 

 up by hand. If plants are struck by the hoe, it is usually 

 found that the parts injured are attacked by what is known 

 as the 'Ued Maggot.' Sufficient care should therefore be 

 taken in weeding to avoid injury to the plants. 



DUSTING WITH PARIS GREEN. 



I think I need hardly say now that it is .absolutely 

 essential that Paris green and lime should be kept ready to 

 be dusted on the plants on the first sign of attack by the 

 cotton caterpillar. This should be kept in the proportion of 

 1 tt). of Paris green to 6 lb. of lime. If possible, the Paris 

 green should be dusted on the plants earlj- in the morning 

 when the dew is on, as it sticks better than later in the day 

 when the jilants are dry. In fact, in the States it is sometimes 

 dusted on the plants at night after the dew has commenced, 

 but I do not know how this would answer in Barbados. 

 Cotton growers should clearly understand that it is the 

 arsenic in the Paris green that kills the caterjiillars, and not 

 the lime. I have known instances where planters, who have 

 run out of Paris green, have dusted the attacked plants with 

 lime only, imagining that that would be sufficient. 



