534 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



have a slow and prolonged growing period before it is time to ma- 

 ture seed. Clay soils are not adapted to early truck, because the 

 crops are so late in maturing that they lose the advantage of the 

 high market prices. 



The resistance or the friction in the soil determines the propor- 

 tion of the rainfall which will be held back for the use of plants, 

 and determines largely the amount of moisture which different soils 

 maintain. There must, however, be some automatic power to move 

 this water from place to place in the soil and deliver it to the roots 

 of plants as it is needed. This power exists in the soil in the force 

 of surface tension, or, as it is more commonly called, capillary force, 

 which may move water in any direction in the soil, either up or 

 down or laterally. 



Fertilizers have an important effect upon this force of surface 

 tension. Lime, kainit, salt, plaster, and acid phosphate increase the 

 surface tension and therefore increase the force which moves water 

 to the plant. This probably explains many facts commonly met 

 with in practice. 



A cotton soil should maintain very uniform conditions of mois- 

 ture, for any marked or sudden variation, especially during the 

 growing period, is apt to affect the vitality of the plant and have a 

 marked effect upon the development of the crop. During the early 

 growing season of the plant, up to the first of August, the soil should 

 be continuously moist, but not wet. A sandy soil, as a rule, is not 

 sufficiently retentive of moisture, and the supply of moisture is so 

 inadequate that the plants are small and are forced to an early ma- 

 turity before they have gathered sufficient food material for a nor- 

 mal crop. On the other hand, a clay soil or a bottom land is liable 

 to maintain too much moisture, and the plant takes on an excessive 

 growth. If this condition is checked at the proper time and the 

 plant is induced to mature fruit, the yield may be very large, but if 

 this condition continues and the soil remains continuously moist 

 after the first of August, the plants develop in a very luxuriant way, 

 but with little tendency to put on fruit. Such soils may be greatly 

 benefited by underdramage, whereby the excess of water is artifi- 

 cially removed from the soil. This excessive growth may be checked 

 also by fertilizers, especially by heavy application 01 phosphoric 

 acid, which has a tendency to check the vegetative growth and 

 hasten the maturity of the plant. 



The safest soil for the cotton crop is a deep loam, naturally well 

 drained, but sufficiently retentive of moisture to maintain a uniform 

 supply throughout the entire growing season. 



The following is Hilgard's description of the famous buckshot 

 soil of Louisiana, which is justly claimed to be the finest type of 

 cotton soil in this country: 



The buckshot soil, in its store of plant food of all kinds, stands 

 pre-eminent above all of the rest of the soils and well deserves its 

 reputation of being the most productive and tillable soil in the great 

 bottom. Unlike many other clay soils, it may be tilled at any time 

 when the plow can be propelled through it, because on drying it 



