COTTON FARMING IN THE SOUTHWEST. 15 



the day in the field find it less uncomfortable than to stay in over- 

 heated houses. But even this relief is not for the women and 

 children. 



In a house with thick walls it is possible to have rooms that remain 

 comparatively cool during the hot hours of the day. Inner rooms 

 with masonry or concrete floors m contact with the earth, or carried 

 down below the surface, may remain as much as 20 degrees cooler 

 than the outside air. This difference of temperature and the relief 

 from the strong light are conducive to prompt and refreshing sleep. 

 Under such circumstances sleeping m the middle of the day is not to 

 be condemned as a lazy habit or a waste of time, but is a reasonable 

 means of preserving bodily strength and mental activity. 



The practical advantage of bemg able to secure normal sleep in 

 the middle of the day is that work may begin earlier m the morning. 

 The best hours of the day m which field work can be done most 

 comfortably and efficiently are those between 4 and 7 o'clock a. m., 

 hours which nearly all of our southwestern settlers spend m sleeping 

 or eatuig breakfast. If these hours could be added to the usual fore- 

 noon's work more could often be accomplished than m a whole day 

 on the present system. Or if working from 4 o'clock to 11 were 

 not deemed sufficient it would still be possible to add three or four 

 hours more m the afternoon, after sleeping two or three hours in 

 the hottest part of the day. But without provision for normal 

 sleep in the middle of the day the early morning hours nmst be 

 used for this purpose. Going to bed early m the evenmg is not a 

 practical alternative, for it may not be cool enough for normal sleep 

 until nearly midnight. Thick-walled houses are also hot m the 

 evening, but ideal sleepmg accommodations are afforded by the 

 roofs, m accord with the custom of Bible tunes still in use in oriental 

 countries. 



SUMMER FOOD CROPS TO ACCOMPANY COTTON. 



The lack of summer food crops may be taken as another evidence 

 that the problems of agricultural existence m the Southwest have 

 not received attention. Though all the supposed requirements of 

 plant growth, heat, light, and moisture are at hand, the farmer 

 often finds himself with nothing that will afford a wholesome diet 

 during the heated term, and in a land of potential plenty must fall 

 back upon canned goods, with a few high-priced vegetables brought 

 m from the coast. 



When proper food is lackmg, the difficulties of working through 

 the summer, or even of withstanding the heat, are greatly increased. 

 And when food and shelter alike are deficient or of the wrong: kind 

 it is no wonder that even the most active pioneer may lose some 



[Cir. 132] 



