24 FAEMEES BULLETIN 848. 



The advantage of early planting has been demonstrated in every 

 one of the numerous experiments made by the Bureau of Entomology 

 and has now become the general practice among farmers. The rea- 

 sons for the efficiency of early planting are not far to seek. The 

 small numbers of weevils passing through the winter must have con- 

 siderable time to multiply. They are unable to breed until squares 

 are put on by the plants, since the food obtained from the fruit is 

 required before reproduction can begin. Moreover, at the time the 

 first squares are put on, the development of the immature stages is 

 comparatively slow, not reaching the very rapid rate that obtains 

 during the warm days and nights of the summer. For these reasons 

 it is possible for the farmer to rush his crop in such a way that a 

 large number of squares and bolls will be formed before the weevils 

 have multiplied to a serious extent. The time it takes the weevils 

 to recover after the rigors of winter, especially after the entirely 

 feasible destruction of multitudes in the fall, can thus be taken 

 advantage of in the production of a crop. 



Removal of jylants. — One step in the procuring of an early crop 

 is the early removal of the plants, so that the land may be plowed 

 during the fall or winter and the seed bed given thorough and early 

 preparation. The tendency has often been to neglect the cotton 

 fields until spring or at least until "after Christmas." In many 

 cases it would repay the planter many times if he would take the 

 slight additional trouble of plowing the fields before that time. Not 

 only a plowing, but one or more harrowings should be given the land 

 during the winter 



In many regions in the South the practice of planting cover crops 

 between the cotton rows is becoming established. This practice 

 should be continued. The cover crops will improve the condition 

 of the soU, and their removal wiU bring about the best possible con- 

 ditions for an early crop. Their growth where possible is therefore 

 much better practice than leaving the field unplanted and worked 

 from time to time during the winter. 



Fertilizers. — ^An important step in procurmg an early crop mider 

 many conditions is the use of commercial fertilizers. In many 

 large areas in the cotton belt the land is not impoverished to the 

 extent that it actually needs fertilizers under normal conditions. 

 It has been demonstrated many times by the different experiment 

 stations in the South that the maturity of cotton frequently can be 

 hastened materially by the use of fertilizers. On impoverished soil 

 fertihzers containing a high percentage of nitrogen give increased 

 yields under boll-weevil conditions. 



The proper use of fcrtOizers is a very comphcated matter. In 

 fact, in the light of all present knowledge only the most general rules 

 can be laid do\\ai. Each farmer must experiment with the soil or 



