The Bulletin. 7 



afterwards. The planting of excess seed need not often be resorted 

 to, as the usual practice is to plant many more than actually needed 

 and to. thin the plants by chopping. 



Fertilization. — What crop will not do better in a fertile soil than 

 in an impoverished one ? All that can be done to enrich the soil in 

 an economical way so as to increase the vigor of the plants will not 

 only help the cotton to outgrow and recover from insect injury, but 

 will contribute largely toward a greatly increased crop, even aside 

 from any consideration of insects. Injury by Cut- worms, Lice and 

 Cowpea-pod Weevil are all rendered less severe by having the crop 

 growing in a soil where there is an abundance of available plant 

 food. So far as the insects are concerned it matters not whether this 

 fertility is supplied by barnyard manure, by commercial fertilizers 

 or by rotation of crops with legumes, etc., or by any combination of 

 these methods. Good fertilization also tends to mature the crop 

 early, thus escaping some of the injuries of the Boll-worm. An excess 

 of phosphoric acid over the proportions generally used will hasten 

 maturity. 



Cultivation. — With a deep, thoroughly prepared soil, properly 

 enriched, planted with proper varieties of cotton at the proper time, 

 it yet remains to give the crop the most thorough and frequent shallow 

 cultivations. This will stimulate growth in the plants, thus enabling 

 them to recover from any slight injuries that they may receive from 

 Cut-worms, Lice and the like, while the stirring of the soil close 

 to the plants is an actual discomfort and discouragement to the Cut- 

 worms and tends to drive them away. 



Destruction Of Remnants. — It is the common custom to leave the 



• dead cotton stalks standing all fall and winter after the crop has 



been harvested. This has a tendency to increase certain pests, such 



as Boll-worm and Red Spider, which may continue to live on the 



latest-surviving leaves and bolls until actual winter sets in. 



In Texas and Louisiana repeated experience has shown that in 

 combating the Boll-weevil a great point is gained if the cotton stalks 

 be disposed of as soon as the bulk of the crop is gathered, without 

 waiting to get the last of the "top crop," and as the Boll-weevil will 

 likely reach North Carolina sometime in the future, we may 

 eventually be obliged to resort to this practice. In Currituck and 

 other of our north-eastern counties the stalks are frequently gathered 

 and burned, *but as most of our soils are sadly lacking in humus, 

 perhaps deep turning under by plowing would be the best practice for 

 most of our cotton growers. But where a winter-growing crop (like 

 crimson clover or vetch) is sown in the field before the cotton is 

 picked we must let the stalks stand. The destruction of the stalks 

 is not now of enough importance to justify us in giving up an already 

 established and beneficial system of management, but when they can 



