PLANTING AND CULTIVATION 



195 



Planting and Cultivation. Cotton requires a well-pre- 

 pared seed bed. Practically all of the cotton land east of 

 the Mississippi is prepared in the spring. As a rule, land 

 intended for cotton 

 receives only one 

 plowing before the 

 seed is planted. 

 This practice usually 

 consists of forming 

 ridges or beds which 

 are about forty 

 inches apart and 

 three or four inches 

 high. The greater 

 part of this plowing 

 is done in February 

 and March, the time 

 depending upon the 

 climate and soil con- 

 ditions. On heavy 

 clay land it is a 

 common practice to plow in the fall in order that the soil 

 may be pulverized by winter freezing. 



Practically all cotton seed is planted with the single row 

 drill, usually from one to two and a half inches deep. 

 The amount of seed planted per acre depends largely 

 upon the variety and varies from a half to one and a half 

 bushels. Cultivation should begin just as soon as the 

 plants can be seen in the row. The cheapest and best in- 

 strument with which to give the first cultivation is the 

 ordinary spike-tooth harrow or weeder. The first two cul- 

 tivations can be fairly deep: All subsequent cultivations 



Fig. 109. Specimens of cotton bolls. 



