OATS, WHEAT AND COTTON. 139 



great problems of agriculture in the south is to improve the 

 quality and to increase the quantity per acre. 



The question of fertilization is therefore one of the impor- 

 tant concerns of agriculture in raising cotton. The lint re- 

 moves a very small small amount of fertility or plant food from 

 the soil, but art analysis of the seed as shown in the foregoing 

 table shows that when the seeds are made into oil, meal and 

 other products and sold that the fertility of the soil becomes 

 depleted very rapidly. 



Experiments have demonstrated that fertility may be main- 

 tained by the growing of alfalfa, cowpeas, clover and other leg- 

 umes reinforced with manure or commercial fertilizers for phos- 

 phates and potash. 



Nitrogen will give the plant a good vegetative growth. 



Potash .will make the plant hardy and able to withstand 

 diseases. 



Phosphoric acid increases the yield of lint and hastens ma- 

 turity. 



PROBLEMS. 



1. In an experiment in Georgia with land that was representative of 

 land in many other parts of the state, the land was deeply broken, 

 properly cultivated, cowpeas were turned under, a light application of 

 manure and a thousand pounds of three-four fertilizer was applied to 

 the soil and in five years, the production was increased from one-third 

 of a bale to three bales per year. What was the gain per cent in gross 

 income if cotton was selling at 12 cents per pound? 



2. The result of tests at various experiment stations seems to in- 

 dicate that the best distance between rows, on a average, is four feet, 

 with the plants 12 to 18 inches apart in the rows. If a 10 acre field is 

 planted in rows 4 feet apart and with plants on an average 12 inches apart. 

 How many cotton plants are there in the field if no plant is missing? 



Books. 



1. The Cereal Crops in America Hunt, 8-12 Macmillan Co. 

 2. Farm Crops Burkett, 8-12 Webb Pub. Co., $1.50. 

 3. The Book of Wheat Dondlinger, 8-12 Webb Pub. Co., $2.00. 

 4. Wheat Culture Curtis, 8-12 Webb Pub Co., $0.50. 



