20 COTTON 



fine tilth. Deep ploughing is of value, since it makes 

 the soil more retentive of moisture, and also affords 

 the roots of the cotton plant a wider scope for obtain- 

 ing nourishment. In order to complete the disintegra- 

 tion of the soil, the ploughing is followed by harrowing, 

 any clods which have been left being thus broken up. 

 The assistance of the roller is sometimes called into 

 requisition for this purpose. When manure is to be 

 applied, it is usually spread over the land and worked 

 in at the first ploughing. 



The seed is sown in rows, which are usually about 

 4 feet apart, although on the lighter kinds of soil 

 they are sometimes only 3j or 3 feet apart. The 

 distance between the plants in the row varies from 

 about 20 to 24 inches for good soils to 12 to 16 inches 

 for poor soils. The reason for planting fewer plants 

 on a rich soil than on a poor soil is that the former 

 naturally produces larger and heavier plants. When 

 either the variety of cotton or the soil is such as to 

 develop unusually large plants, the rows are widened 

 to as much as 5 feet and the spaces between the 

 plants increased to from 24 to 30 inches. The rows 

 are sometimes marked out by dragging over the land 

 a heavy wooden beam, provided with teeth set at 

 the desired distance from one another. A light 

 plough is run up the markings thus produced, making 

 furrows about 4^ inches deep. The seeds are moist- 

 ened before sowing in order to favour germination. 

 In some cases the wet seeds are rolled in wood-ashes, 

 lime, or guano, with the object of preventing them from 

 adhering to one another. As soon as the ground 

 has been properly prepared and is warm enough to 

 enable the seeds to germinate, sowing is commenced. 

 Some farmers prefer to manure the ground rather 

 heavily and postpone planting until decidedly warm 

 weather has arrived, but in this case it is safer to plant 

 the seed somewhat deeper than usual. The time of 

 sowing varies a good deal in different parts of the 

 American cotton-belt, but is, in general* between the 

 middle of March and the middle of April. In the 

 smaller plantations, sowing is done by hand, and 

 requires the labour of three persons, one to dig the 



