COTTON CULTURE 47 



planting. The best rule is to plant at or about the date 

 which long experience has proved the most satisfactory, 

 provided only, that the soil shall be in workable condition, or 

 not "too wet to plow." This date will, of course, depend 

 upon the latitude and altitude, varying from March ist 

 in southern Texas and Florida to May 2oth in upper North 

 Carolina, southwest Virginia, southern Missouri and 

 Kentucky. 



CULTIVATION 



The first step after planting may be to run over the 

 field with either an ordinary smoothing harrow with the 

 teeth slanting backward, or the more modern weeder 

 a very effective implement running directly across the 

 rows or diagonally. If the seeds come up promptly before 

 a rainfall, the work may well be deferred until afterward. 

 But if a heavy rainfall shall occur before the seeds germi- 

 nate the work of the harrow or weeder will be very effect- 

 ive in preventing or destroying the crust that usually forms 

 after such a rain and which might prevent the tender 

 plant from coming to the surface. At the same time, 

 sprouting seeds of grass and weeds will be destroyed even 

 before they appear. This surface harrowing may be re^ 

 peated two or more times, before the use of any other 

 cultivating implements will be necessary. 



" Chopping Out " should commence when the seed 

 leaves are fully expanded and the third and fourth leaves 

 have commenced to enlarge. It should be done rapidly, 



