PREPARING LAND FOR COTTON. 19 



be confessed, on the other Iwind, lliat iiiiiny arc less enlightened; but 

 this often aiises from the fact that when tlie cotton follows clover the 

 latter crop occuines the land nntil the last moment, so that th<^ greatest 

 amount may bo obtained from it. Whether this is j^ood practice or 

 not will l)e dealt with subseciuently. 



The land, having been thoroughly plowe<l, is made into ridges 

 (PL IV.), and this is done by cheap labor, in a primitive, though 

 effective manner. The angle of the ordinary plow is fille<l with 

 dried leaves, sacking, or some other material, so that when drawn 

 through the soil it throws the earth to the right and left; this being 

 repeated during the return journey of the plow, a ridgt^ is made. 

 When the land has been thrown into rough ridges at the reciuiri'd dis- 

 tance apart, they are shaped by men working with a fass (hoe), who at 

 the same time break down any large clods of soil. The land is then 

 ready for sowing. Each plow with a pair of bullocks will ridge in 

 this manner about 24 acres per day, while three men per day are 

 reciuired for completing the ridges on an acre. 



The cost of preparing the land for cotton may be estimated thus: 

 It is generally accepted that the labor of a man and a pair of bullocks 

 per day amounts to about ^l, making allowance for depreciation in 

 the value of the bullocks, mortality, idle days, etc. The amount of 

 work that can be accomplished per day varies according to the condi- 

 tion of the land. If breaking up clover land less than half an acre 

 may be allowed, while subsequent plowings may result in nearly an 

 acre being accomplished per day on free-working soils, though less on 

 stiff clays. It is approxinmtely correct, therefore, to say that on an 

 average each plowing will cost about $1.25, or the four i)lowings a 

 total of $5 or $0. The making of the ridges will cost about 40 or 50 

 cents for animal labor and about 50 cents for manual labor, or approxi- 

 mately $1, making thus a total of about $0 or 17 per acre. 



The best cultivators are now, however, adoi)ting an even more 

 intensive preparation of the land and follow the ordinary i^lowing by 

 another native j)low w^orking in the furrow left by the former and 

 thus acting as a subsoil stirrer. The cost of preparing the land in 

 this case is proportionately increased. 



Such, then, is the general system adoj)ted, but the depth of plowing 

 usually attained is not sufficient to give the best results. The native 

 plow, as a rule, does not stir to a greater depth than about G inches, 

 unless followed, as described above, by a second plow. For cotton, 

 with its deep tajiroot, this is not sufficient, and there is ample evi- 

 dence in Egypt of the benefits to be derived by a deeper stirring of 

 the soil. The deeper the stirring the better are the plants enabled to 

 resist periods of drought, provided the surface soil is kept continually 

 broken up, and the deeper can the roots descend in search of nourish- 

 ment. In the United States the bulk of the work of prej)aring the 

 soil for cotton seems to be put into the ridges or beds, as it were, and 



