300 



COTTON GROWING 



Two-horse planters are used on the larger plantations and 

 resemble corn planters in operation. 



Cotton is too frequently cultivated with "middle busters" 

 and turning plows. In the modern cotton culture fields are pre- 

 pared by turning the soil entire, and breaking the middle between 

 rows is not necessary. By this plan the cotton cultivating ma- 

 chinery is used for most of the cultivation. As the large roots of 

 cotton reach deeper than in the case of corn, deep tillage, particu- 

 larly in the early stage of growth, is not so objectionable. 



Cotton pickers are of several types, but most growers consider 

 them impracticable, and none of the inventions have become 

 popular. The most practical form of picker is that which uses 

 the principle of the vacuum cleaner by which cotton is drawn into 

 a bag by the suction of the machine. As this draws with it the 

 bracts, leaves and other impurities, the harvested crop requires 

 much cleaning. 



Digestible Nutrients and Fertilizing Values of Cotton. The 

 following table gives the composition of cotton seed and its 

 products. It shows also the fertilizing constituents. 



FIELD AND LABORATORY EXERCISES 



1. Cotton Type Samples. Obtain samples of the different types of cotton 

 grown in all parts of the world. Some of the samples may be obtained by cor- 

 respondence with teachers or students in different cotton regions. Arrange 

 the samples of fibre between two pieces of glass and bind the glass on the edges 

 with black paper, or in small wooden frames. Each of the samples should be 

 labeled, giving the type name, variety name, and region where grown. 



2. Variation in Cotton Plants. In the cotton belt obtain plants charac- 

 teristic of each variety grown in the region, or near enough by, so that reason- 

 ably fresh samples may be obtained. Study the differences regarding habit of 

 growth, number of bolls, arrangement and number of flower stems, length of 

 internodes, size of bolls, weather-proof features, earliness of maturity and 

 other points. 



3. Grading Cotton. If possible, visit a cotton market where cotton is 



