COTTON 207 



cover crop following the cotton, to be plowed under the 

 following spring. 



195. Preparation of the Soil. Early fall plowing is always 

 advisable, especially when cotton is to follow cotton. 

 There are three marked advantages in plowing under 

 stalks and weeds in the fall: (1) Organic matter is added 

 to the soil ; (2) boll-weevil and boll-worm, and other in- 

 sects are destroyed ; (3) the seeds are destroyed which 

 produce the volunteer cotton on which the boll-weevil 

 feeds after the regular crop has fully matured. 



Where the growth of stalk is very large, it may be 

 necessary to clear the stalks from the land and burn them, 

 but on soils of average productivity the stalks should be 

 cut and turned under. 



It is common practice on many cotton farms to plant 

 cotton on land that grew cotton the previous season. 

 The soil is prepared for planting by using a small, one- 



FIG. 106. 



A corn and cotton stalk cutter. To ' Fio. 107. A "middle-buster" for 

 cut the stalks before plowing cotton fields 



horse turning plow, going twice between each two rows, 

 throwing the dirt to the center, and leaving the cotton 

 rows which are then broken up by a plow called a mid- 

 dle-burster, which throws the dirt to each side. This 

 forms the land into narrow beds, or ridges, with furrows 



