26 KNAPP METHOD OF GROWING COTTON 



cotton. The territory is so extensive, however, 

 that there is wide variation in the weather con- 

 ditions. Some sections may have favorable 

 conditions, while the opposite may be true of 

 others. No two states have the same weather 

 conditions, and often in the same state there is 

 a wide variation. There is, consequently, little 

 probability of having an ideal season over all 

 the cotton belt the same year. Under the 

 present system and with the large acreage 

 planted, it is doubtful whether an ideal season 

 over the entire cotton area would be best for 

 the industry. Under the most favorable con- 

 ditions such a large crop might be grown from 

 the present acreage that the price would per- 

 haps be reduced below the cost of production. 

 It will be noted by taking the averages for ten, 

 twenty, and thirty years that the cotton crop 

 will show a more uniform yield per acre than 

 any other American farm crop. 



SOILS 



Cotton may be planted on almost any well- 

 drained soil in the cotton region. It will be 

 found growing readily on all kinds of soils 

 from the stiff clays to the lightest sands. The 



