268 Bulletin 90 



put in such shape that it will not interfere with the cultivation of the 

 cotton plants. The ground should be plowed rather deep (7 to 8 inches) 

 as early as possible and allowed to weather till planting time. From 

 five to ten days before planting, the ground should be thoroughly irri- 

 gated. This time should be just sufficient to allow the ground to dry 

 out properly and be worked to a good seed-bed. Many farmers make 

 a mistake in the preparation of their cotton land by not having suffi- 

 cient moisture in the ground before planting. Water should be held 

 on the land long enough to insure its being wet to a depth of four to 

 five feet. Land left rough after plowing takes water better than land 

 that has been disked and harrowed to a smooth surface. Land that 

 has been irrigated when rough, particularly if it is of a heavy adobe 

 type, should be harrowed with a spike-tooth harrow as soon as dry 

 enough to permit of this treatment. This harrowing will save con- 

 siderable moisture, knock off the tops of large clods, and fill the small 

 depressions. The disk, followed by the spike-tooth harrow when nec- 

 essary, can be used to work up a satisfactory seed-bed. An ideal seed- 

 bed consists of about two and one-half inches of finely mulched sur- 

 face soil with a firm and moist soil beneath. It is not advisable to 

 plant cotton and "irrigate it up" because of the difficulty often en- 

 countered with the baking of the ground over the sprouting cotton 

 seeds. 



PLANTING 



The time of planting cotton will vary somewhat with the kind of 

 soil and with the locality of the State in which the planting is made. 

 Recommendations differ greatly in this regard, but the consensus of 

 opinion of the practical cotton growers is that the best time for plant- 

 ing in an average season is during the last ten days of March and the 

 first ten days of April. Farmers handling sandy types of soil can 

 plant one to two weeks earlier than those handling heavy or adobe 

 types of soil. It pays to plant as soon as the ground is sufficiently 

 warm to insure good germination and thrifty plants. Early plantings 

 when the ground is cold often result in a thin stand and weakened 

 plants ; likewise early planting in cold ground, particularly if the days 

 are warm and the nights cold, favors the development of the disease 

 called "sore shin." Late plantings do not allow sufficient time for 

 the plants to set and mature a large crop. The sooner the cotton can 

 be planted after the ground is well warmed and danger of frost is past, 

 the better the average results that will be secured. Cotton should be 

 planted as shallow as possible and still get the seed deep enough into 

 moist ground to insure good germination. 



