COTTON CULTURE ^1 



pecks of good seed per acre have been planted, 

 not enough plants will be destroyed to injure 

 the stand. The weeder is better for this early 

 cultivation than the harrow on very loose soil, 

 and should always be used instead of the harrow 

 on sandy soils. 



"Chopping" or Thinning. This early culti- 

 vation with the section harrow or weeder de- 

 stroys young grass and weeds and leaves the 

 cotton in fine condition for "chopping" or 

 thinning. The common practice of "barring 

 off," leaving the plants on a narrow ridge to 

 save labor in thinning, is unnecessary if the 

 harrow has been used to keep the rows free of 

 weeds and grass. If it should be found neces- 

 sary to run around the cotton to destroy grass 

 and save labor with the hoe in thinning, this 

 work can be done more satisfactorily with a side 

 harrow than with the turning plow. The 

 turning plow should never be used in cultivation 

 unless the crop has become so foul with weeds 

 and grass that it is impossible to clean it with 

 other implements. 



Where planting was rather early it is better 

 to thin twice, leaving two or three times the 

 number of plants needed at the first thinning, 



