COTTON CULTIVATION 355 



(2) To form a mulch that will retain the moisture in 

 the soil layer just below it. 



(3) To destroy weeds. 



Since one purpose is to throw a little earth towards the 

 plants, the scrape or sweep now used may be wider than 

 that used at the first cultivation (Fig. 153). To prevent 

 the small plants being covered, it may still be necessary to 

 use a fender attached to the stock or cultivator (Fig. 87). 



This second tillage or cultivation is done by running the 

 cultivating implement close on both sides of each row of 

 plants. Hence, for scraping, two furrows per row usually 

 suffice, where a single scrape or sweep is used. 



Siding should sometimes be done as soon as practicable 

 after chopping. But in order to give time for grass to be 

 smothered by the earth thrown on it in " barring off," sid- 

 ing may be delayed. 



329. Third tillage or cultivation, or " cleaning middles/' 

 If the " siding " just described has been performed 

 with only two scrape furrows per row, there is usually 

 left a low ridge of soil, called a " balk " or " middle," 

 halfway between each two lines of plants. If this strip 

 becomes compact or weedy, the next step is to cultivate 

 it. This is usually done by a single furrow of a rather 

 large sweep or scrape, which splits the " middle," lapping 

 part of it on each of the adjacent rows. When a double 

 cultivator is employed, it cultivates the plants on both 

 sides and throws out the " middles " at the same time. 

 Even when a single scrape is used in " siding," farmers 

 often prefer to throw out the " middle " immediately. 



330. Subsequent tillage. The operation of " siding" is 

 repeated as often as necessary to destroy all young weeds 



