TuE Bulletin. 20 



Cotton rows as a general nilo, should l>e ai)()Ut fonr feet apart. Oi»eu furrow 

 and on sandy land put about half the fertilizer in drill and apply remainder 

 during eullivation of crop. On stiff and clay lands the whole amount can be 

 used before planting. Where more llian six hundred jiounds of fertilizers are 

 used, I prefer to use two-thirds the amount broadcast and harrow in l)efore 

 laying off rows; balance in opening furrow. Cover with disk harrow, throw- 

 ing all the dirt to the center. This at one trip makes the ritlge upon which 

 the cotton is to be planted. This can be done with a reversible disk harrow, 

 which I thlnlv is (he best harrow on the market. It does all the work a non- 

 reversible one will do and many other kinds that a cotton grower is in need of. 



Any good planter is all right; use on sandy and light lands from one to one 

 and a half bushels of seed per acre ; on stiff lands two bushels. The variety 

 of cotton you plant should be determined by character of soil and location. 

 In the central and eastern part of the State the big-boll varieties have proven 

 to be the best, such as Kussell's or Culpepper's ; in the western part of the 

 State King's improved has given best results. 



When you see the ground begin to crack along the rows, then commence the 

 cultivation. Do not wait for the cotton to come up. Where you have crust 

 formed by rains, run across the rows with a light iron-tooth smoothing harrow 

 with teeth set so they will not drag up the cotton. In four to six days run 

 diagonally across the rows again, and repeat in a few days, going in opposite 

 direction; now take the weeder and run it straight across the rows, then 

 diagonally in both ways, going over once a week until the cotton is four or 

 five inches high. If this work is well done it needs no hoeing up to this time. 

 Now, go over with hoes, thinning to stand and clearing all grass left by har- 

 row and weeder. On light lands and where there is no crust use the weeder 

 from the start. After hoeing, if your land is such that cultivators can be used, 

 by all means use them ; cultivators that will work a row at one trip ; use these 

 as long as you can straddle the cotton, then finish with the open and shut 

 kind : they will plow a middle at one trip. All cultivation should be shallow, 

 deeper when the cotton is small, using great care not to break the small feeding 

 roots as they extend through the land. They are doing the work for you, 

 searching for plant food in every square inch of soil, so break as few of them 

 as possible. Keep the middle clear of grass at all times. 



How late we can cultivate cotton depends upon the season, sometimes the 

 last week in July, at others keep it up until middle of August. Every man 

 must be the judge of his farm. Crops can be saved from ruin at times by 

 breaking the crust and stopping the evaporation of the water, allowing the 

 cotton roots to get it instead of the air. 



I have given a plan for the cultivation of a cotton crop of a normal year; 

 this will have to be changed under unusual conditions; for instance, if you 

 have much rain about and just after the cotton comes up, and the grass gets 

 two to three leaves, then the harrow and w^eeder will have to be laid aside 

 and other tools used. In this selection the judgment of each farmer must be 

 brought into use, excessive rains or prolonged drouth must be counteracted 

 by brain force as well as muscle, and it must bethe brain of the man on the 

 farm. 



My friends, I wish to talk to you a few moments along some general lines, 

 not specially cotton culture, but something so closely related that we cannot 

 ignore them and make a success of growing cotton. The first thing is this: 

 have a high ideal before you and bend every energy to reach it ; this ideal 

 should be a rich body of land that you cultivate. I mean by rich land, a farm 

 that will produce not less than one bale per acre, and other crops in propor- 

 tion. To have this requires two things, deep plowing and a plenty of vegeta- 

 ble matter. No farmer should be contented until he has a soil fifteen inches 

 deep full of vegetable matter; when he has this he will begin to both farm 

 and live. There will be pleasure and profit in farming. Now, you cannot take 

 an average farm here and do this with the tools in common use. Every man 

 who has ever been struck in the stomach with the handle of a boy Dixie plow 

 never wants to see another ; and it will be a great day for our farmers when 

 they put them aside. 



You will notice that I recommend a reversible disk plow. I do this for the 

 reason that one man with three mules can do work that will soon give you 



