COTTON 



137 



ground. The seed is covered with lint that retards its progress 

 through the soil very materially, and as the seed is usually 

 pushed up and the seed cover thrown off after it gets above 

 ground, it can be better understood how this would interfere 

 with its growth. Usually the seed are planted thick and chopped 

 to a stand later. The main reason for iDlanting them thick is 

 that the combined force of many seed can push through the soil 

 where a single seed would fail. In chopping to a stand, plants 



Fig. 49. — Preparing the soil for a cotton crop. 



are usually left from nine to eighteen inches apart, sometimes 

 further, depending on the type of the land. To facilitate the 

 chopping, often a turning plow is run down either side of the 

 row, leaving the plants on a ridge. After the chopping is over 

 the dirt is thrown back to the plants. 



Grass is one of the greatest enemies of the cotton plant and 

 is fought very persistently by the cotton grower. In fact, cot- 

 ton growers are about the most successful weed fighters that 

 can be found. Cultivators Adth sweeps are used to a large extent 

 because they give shallow cultivations and are effective weed 

 killers. AYeeders or light harrows are used quite often just 

 before and after the crop germinates to clean out the grass and 

 weeds. This is probably the most effective piece of cultivation 

 in the whole operation, as it saves an immense amount of hand 

 labor later on. Most of the cultivation is done with one-horse 

 cultivators. The Planet Junior type ot cultivator is used to a 

 large extent. A good many two-horse cultivators are being used 



