COTTON. 



the water has only a longer distance 

 to flow, thus accumulating in quan- 

 tity, velocity, and force ; whereas, if 

 they were correctly run off, the wa- 

 ter should lie in the furrow as on 

 level land. In doing this, the curve 

 should be as regular as the nature of 

 the land will permit, for the purpose 

 of admitting the ploughs to be run 

 close up to the plant, which could 

 not be if in a zigzag course. 



" If the cotton seed he moistened 

 and rolled with ashes and earth, so 

 that the lint or furze be compressed, 

 the moisture of the earth being thus 

 brought directly in contact with the 

 hull or seed, it will vegetate earlier, 

 and will require less seed per acre. I 



*' I throw up my cotton bed as flat 

 as I can to break out deep, and leave ' 

 the water furrow well open, thus i 

 permitting the superfluous water to 

 steep from the bed, and the earth 

 to become warmer, this being ne- 

 cessary to the quick growth of the 

 plant. 



" Cuhivalion. — Implements. — Scra- 

 ping cotton (it is termed shaving by : 

 tobacco growers) is merely taking off 

 with a hoe the surface of the hill or | 

 bed, so as to leave a clean surface ; ' 

 unless this be done well, whether i 

 grass or weeds be in sight or not, ! 

 there will be a quantity of them before 

 the crop can be worked over again, j 



" A hull-tongue plough is about four j 

 inches wide, shaped somewhat like \ 

 the shovel plough, and used on the | 

 same stock. I use a 7iarrow shovel \ 

 about si.x inches wide, also a shovel 

 of the usual width ; the first is used 

 v/hen the crop is young, likewise the 

 bull-tongue. The harrow is a triangu- 

 lar frame of white oak, three by four 

 stuff, with nine iron teeth, straight, 

 twelve inches long, and made of three 

 fourth inch square bars. 



" The sweep is the same described 

 by Dr. Cloud, though I prefer the sem- 

 icircular shape, thus, because it is not 



196 



Cotton Sweeps. 



so liable, in striking a cotton-stalk or 

 stick, to glance off and injure the cot- 

 ton ; it should be made with cutting 

 edge level, and laid with steel, the 

 back edge raised, so that when the 

 earth falls over, it falls to pieces ; the 

 ploughman should carry a file, and be 

 required to keep the sweep sharp. 



" The double shovel is a plough with 

 two moulds ; I prefer the moulds of 

 a parallelogram shape, and twisted 

 so as to throw the earth all one way : 

 see a cut of the stocking of one in 

 vol. ii., old series, of the American 

 Farmer, for Sept. 1, 1820. 



" The scraper is an implement I have 

 tried to have constructed, so as to 

 shave off the bed each side of the cot- 

 ton plant, leaving four inches or less 

 of the former surface for the hoe 

 hands to clean. I think the diflicuhy 

 in those formerly used was, want of 

 weight to steady them. 



" Our usual scraping is after the 

 plough, then a turning plough goes 

 ahead with the bar next to the row, 

 throwing the earth from the plant to 

 the middle of the row, and in conse- 

 quence of having to run two or three 

 inches deep, we dare not run near 

 the plant, owing to the bed crumbling 

 down, and the danger of covering the 

 plant by the earth falling from the 

 plough. I am as particular in this 

 part of our labour as is possible, su- 

 perintend it in person all the day, re- 

 quiring of the hands to chop through 

 tiie row, leaving one or more stalks, 

 and cleaning the side of the plants 

 next to hand, then another stand, of 

 a stalk or more, and so on, thus leav- 

 ing cotton plants about the width of 

 the hoe apart ; if the same hand 

 cleans the whole row, he will come 

 back on the other side, cutting up all 

 but one stalk in each bunch, and 

 cleaning the row next him as before. 

 I usually put two on a row, the best 

 hand chops through the row on his 

 side, the other reduces to a stand a 

 single stalk, and cleans the remain- 

 ing side ; I have now really a double 

 stand, that is, twice as many stalks 

 as I design to remain, thinking it 

 prudent not to reduce to a stand, as 

 casualties and carelessness may by 



