Department of Agriculture 49 



What of the possibilities of making two crops a year as 

 far south as Melbourne or Tampa? With very early spring 

 planting, or possibly fall planting, this is a possibility worth 

 considering. Again it must be emphasized that only time 

 and experimentation will show its feasibility or non-feasi- 

 bility. Such experiments, however, should be conducted on 

 a small acreage basis, and on varying soil types. Unexpected 

 difficulties, whose solution might be either easy or complex, 

 are bound to arise. 



Finally, what of the possibilities of Sea Island cotton still 

 farther south than Melbourne?* 



There are entirely too many unknown factors involved to 

 attempt even a speculative answer to the above question, 

 other than to call attention to the fact that the farther south 

 in Florida you go, the more involved the labor situation be- 

 comes, so far as general farming is concerned. Very likely 

 there are localities in Florida where it would cost as much to 

 gather Sea Island cotton as could be gotten for it. Investors 

 are advised, therefore, not to "plunge" on Sea Island cotton 

 in any locality where it has not already been successfully 

 grown. 



CONCLUSION: A FEW "DON'TS" 



Don't plant large acreages to Sea Island cotton until you 

 have grown at least one crop under weevil conditions. 



Don't plant more Sea Island acreage than your family can 

 harvest. In the case of the average one-horse farmer this will 

 approximate four to six acres. 



Don't plant poorly drained lands or land that is totally 

 unadapted to cotton culture and then expect the poison pro- 

 gram to make your crop. It can't do the impossible. Plant 

 Sea Island well away from woods or swamps and other good 

 weevil hibernation quarters. 



Don't plant inferior seed or seed known to be contaminated 

 with upland cotton. Get certified seed. 



*We think, for the present at least, the presence of the Pink boll worm- 

 infested wild cotton on the keys make it advisable not to attempt to plant 

 cotton south of a line extending w^est from Melbourne through Hillsborough 

 County. The Pink boll worm is difficult to eradicate and, should cotton be 

 planted below the line suggested, there is no doubt but that it w^ould soon 

 become infested by this pest. 



