20 COTTON CULTURE. 



planters are so impressed with the importance of having 

 the seed furrow straight, that they send a good hoe hand 

 to draw a line with the edge of his blade. Where the beds 

 are laid off in right lines, as is the case on level and slightly 

 rolling lands, a good instrument can be extemporized by 

 inserting a blunt wooden tooth, three inches long, in a 

 stick, three inches in diameter, at intervals of four feet, if 

 that is the distance of rows determined upo, as re- 

 presented in Fig. 1. 



Fig. 1. 



Shafts are inserted by which the mule is attached, and 

 a big hickory bow for handling it, as in the harrow. Where 

 the beds are curved, as is the practice in land that washes 

 easily, a contrivance of this sort would be useless, and a 

 light furrow is run with a small plow. 



Probably the corn planter in common use at the West 

 might be adjusted so as to work well with cotton seed. 

 The down or beard on the cotton seeds makes them wad 

 together in little clumps or bunches, so they will not fall 

 regularly, one at a time, like the polished and uniform 

 kernels of corn. 



Thirty pounds of seed will plant an acre. Less will do 

 it if confidence can be felt in their soundness, and if pains 

 are taken to drop the seeds one at a time, at intervals oi 

 from two to five inches. Some of the South Carolina 

 planters use a triangular log, three feet long, armed at the 

 front with a bit of iron, (a small horse-shoe will answer,) 

 which they drag along the middle of the bed, keeping the 

 sharp edge down, so as to make a narrow, smooth trench 



