46 The Bulletin. 



ness, from whatever cause brought about. Cultivate with good one or 

 two-horse cultivators, which will not require more than two furrows at 

 greatest to the row, every ten days to two weeks and as nearly as possible 

 after rains to keep down grass and weeds and to conserve the supply of 

 moisture. The cultivation should be comparatively deep early in the 

 season, becoming shallow as the crop grows and the root system develops. 

 Ordinarily cultivation should be continued in the Coastal Plain section 

 of the State until July 15, or later. 



Varieties.— TJ-p through 1909 sixty-seven varieties of cotton have been 

 tested on the Edgecombe Farm, a number of these running through the 

 entire period. Generally the later maturing varieties of the big boll 

 type have given the largest returns, though now and then, with a short 

 growing season, the small boll, early maturing kinds have stood well. 

 Among the varieties which have done well are: 



Medium to Large Boiled Varieties — 



Eussell's Big Boll. 

 Culpepper's Improved. 

 Cleveland's Big Boll. 

 Cook's Improved. 

 Brown's No. 1. 

 Peterkin's Improved. 



Small Boiled Varieties — 



King's Improved. 



Hodge. 



Webb. 



Broadwell's Double-Jointed, 



Sugar Loaf. 



The results of variety tests have been published each year and are 

 summarized in the February (1909) Bulletin. These results can be had 

 for study by any one specially interested in them. 



Fertilization. — Analyses of these soils show that they are very low in 

 nitrogen and phosphoric acid and only fairly well supplied with potash 

 and lime. Experiments show that nitrogen is the most needed constitu- 

 ent for the production of cotton, but that profitable results are secured 

 from the use of materials carrying potash and phosphoric acid. The 

 aim of the farmers on the Coastal Plain soils of the State should be to 

 supply as great amount as possible of the nitrogen requirements of his 

 soil by establishing rotations in which leguminous crops come into the 

 rotation at as frequent intervals as practicable. As many of these crops 

 or crop residues should be plowed into the soil as possible to provide as 

 nearly as possible the requisite amount of nitrogen for other crops in 

 the rotation, and also to store the soil with plenty of organic matter in 

 order to maintain the soil in a good physical condition. Where commer- 

 cial fertilizers are depended upon largely to supply the nitrogen and 

 other plant food constituents, it is not possible, with the present results, 

 to say just definitely what is the best proportion of these three constitu- 



