COTTON 123 



of seed cotton, or about six to twelve dollars per bale of 500 

 pounds of cotton. A picker can readily average 200 pounds 

 of seed cotton per day. The fields have to be gone over 

 several times as the bolls do not all ripen at once. The har- 

 vesting of cotton runs through September, October and 

 November, and should be finished before December. 



The most productive fields will grow more than two bales 

 per acre, and many more fields exceed one bale per acre, 



Courtesy of Johnson iV Joiinsmi, .New ISrunswick, N. J, 



Fig. 62. — A typical cotton-picking scene. 



but in spite of these high yields the average for the cotton 

 belt is only 200 pounds or two-fifths of a bale per acre. 



On the United States " demonstration ^' farms in South 

 Carolina the recent average yield per acre was nearly 600 

 pounds, while on similar farms in that State the average was 

 less than half as much. The yield in Louisiana, due to the 

 United States '' demonstration '^ methods, was increased from 

 380 up to 760 pounds per acre. These facts show the value 

 of studying and using better methods in cotton production. 



Problem. — A man increased his cotton yield from 200 up 

 to 800 pounds per acre by selecting seed properly. The 

 extra cost for such work may be estimated at 75 cents per 

 acre. If he grows 22 acres of cotton, what is his profit 

 due to seed selection, the selling price being 10 cents per 



