27 
than they are accustomed to at the present time. This, therefore, is 
the general recommendation that is made. It is much better to run 
the risk of replanting, provided the seed bed is in good condition, 
than to defer planting on account of the danger of cold weather. Of 
course it is possible to plant entirely too early, so that the plants 
become stunted during the early days of their growth. It is not 
intended that planting should be made early enough to have this 
effect upon the plants. 
ADDITIONAL EXPEDIENTS IN HASTENING THE CROP. 
It was pointed out in connection with the enemies of the boll weevil 
that under natural conditions a large percentage of the weevils is 
killed by heat and parasites. The wide spacing of the cotton plants 
augments the action of both these agencies working against the boll 
weevil. The effect of the sun heat has been studied in many cotton 
fields. The mortality becomes remarkably high during the hot days 
of summer. The farmer can take advantage of it, and even increase 
it. It is very conservative to state that the weevils will be able to mul- 
tiply only half as fast in fields where there is plenty of distance be- 
tween the plants as in fields where plants are close together and the 
branches cross from row to row. It should therefore be the rule of 
the planter in weevil regions to give considerably more distance to the 
plants in the drill and to the rows than he would give under ordinary 
conditions. On land that produces under normal conditions from 35 
to 40 bushels of corn per acre the rows should be 5 feet apart. Even 
on poor soil it is very doubtful, except in dry regions of the West, 
whether the distance should ever be less than 4 feet. 
Check-rowing.—Considerable attention has been attracted in some 
localities in Texas to the practice of check-rowing cotton to assist in the 
control of the weevil. Undoubtedly from this standpoint the practice 
is to be recommended highly. By following it each plant is given the 
maximum soil that it can use with consequent beneficial results upon 
its growth. The greatest possible amount of sunlight is allowed to 
fall upon the ground where the infested squares are found, to destroy 
many weevil larve outright and at the same time to facilitate the 
work of the numerous enemies of the weevil that occur in every cotton 
field. Check-rowing, moreover, saves much labor, thereby reducing 
the cost of production, and also makes easy the control of noxious 
weeds. The only important objection is that in some localities it may 
interfere with drainage. 
Cultivation—During the growing season of the crop the fields 
should be given very careful cultivations. Most of the benefits of 
early preparation, early planting, and fertilization may be lost in 
case the fields are not given the utmost attention subsequently. In 
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