12 COTTON CULTURE 



cheapest plan of getting rid of the forest growth is about 

 as follows: The trees are girdled in autumn or winter, 

 followed by "firing" to kill undergrowth and remove 

 fallen timber. In many cases the plow can be put at 

 work without cutting out the larger timber, but then the 

 first plowing will be more or less imperfect, and the after 

 cultivation attended with considerable difficulty. In 

 about three years, however, the soil may be worked with 

 a fair amount of profit. 



The great, if not sole obstacle, to the introduction of 

 improved agricultural machinery in cotton culture in the 

 South, is the presence of roots and stumps of trees. These 

 should be removed either by digging out or, in the case 

 of pine stumps, by burning. Dynamite is sometimes 

 used. Digging is too expensive for large tracts, but may 

 be practiced on small areas, when men and teams would 

 not be otherwise employed. The small Southern oaks, 

 which do not root deeply, are the trees most susceptible 

 to removal by this method. There are several kinds of 

 stump pullers which may be used effectively and the man- 

 ufacturers will gladly furnish full information as to their 

 use. 



Removing stumps by the use of dynamite costs about five 

 cents per stump, and is a very simple operation. A small 

 cavity is made under the roots, the cartridge dropped in, 

 and the fuse ignited. There is no danger in the use of dy- 

 namite if properly handled, but it is always advisable first 

 to get instructions from an experienced person. 



If cotton is to follow cotton, the old stalks should be 



