20 HOW TO PLANT. 



should be covered lightly. After the cotton plants come 

 up, run round with a narrow cultivator, and with a hoe 

 chop out the superfluous plants, leaving three to four 

 plants every six to ten inches. After the plants attain 

 four to six leaves, run a cultivator between the rows again, 

 and with the hoe cut out to two stalks to the hill, after 

 which cultivate, as often as may be necessary, making sure 

 that the crop is kept perfectly clear of grass and weeds 

 until the ground is pretty well shaded by the plants, 

 when it may be laid by. 



Cotton does not need deep plowing ; after planting, let 

 the cultivation be shallow. As near as it may be practi- 

 cable, let the rows run east and west, so that the sun 

 may shine through them all day. Cotton will not suc- 

 ceed upon damp soils. Fertilizers containing potash and 

 phosphoric acid are best adapted to the plant. An excess 

 of ammonia produces an excess of weed at the expense of 

 the staple. On very rich lands leave the plants about 

 two to three feet apart in the row. Use a cotton planter 

 in drilling in the seed. 



SEA ISLAND COTTON. (Gossypium Barbadense.) 



Sea Island, or Long Staple Cotton, is planted in about 

 ths same manner as the upland. It is, however, useless 

 to plant it away from the sea. Its home seems to be on 

 the islands and along the sea coasts of Georgia, South 

 Carolina and Florida. 



BARLEY. (Hordeum vulgare.) 



There are two kinds of this valuable grain, viz., spring 

 and winter. The former is adapted to extreme cold cli- 

 mates, and the latter to the Southern States or warmer 

 climates. In the South, prepare the land finely by plow- 

 ing ; sow broadcast, in September or October, two to 

 three bushels per acre ; cover one to two inches deep with 

 a plow or cultivator. Cut and feed to stock when the 

 seeds are in the milk state, or let stand to ripen for seed. 



