50 BULLETIN 511, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGBICULTUEE. 



liumbering and turpentine are important industries in this county. 

 The farms are large, with only about one-tliird of the land cleared. 

 Many of the stumps have not been removed from the cleared land. 

 The land is owned by white men and worked by negro tenants under 

 the supervision of the owner. Very few white men work their own 

 farms. 



No definite rotations are practiced. The principal crops grown are 

 cotton, corn, oats, and watermelons. Hardly enough corn is grown 

 for liome use. Watermelons are extensively grown for northern 

 markets. Cowpeas and peanuts are often grown between the corn 

 rows and later pastured with hogs and cattle. Peanuts are often 

 planted alone and pastured with hogs. At the last cultivation of 

 watermelons, cowpeas are sown broadcast over the field. The vines 

 furnish shade for the melons, and with the crab-grass, which comes 

 up voluntarily, they make an excellent hay. Sweet potatoes, sugar 

 cane, cantaloupes, and truck crops are grown for home use. Many 

 pecan groves have been planted, but as yet are not bearing much. 

 Some fruits, especially peaches, are grown for local demands. 



Because such a large percentage of the land is not tilled, the culti- 

 vated land is fenced and the Hve stock allowed to run at large. Each 

 farmer has a special brand by which he can identify his stock. 

 Enough cattle and hogs are produced for home use, but few are sold. 

 The farm income is principally derived from the sale of cotton. 



The tillage methods employed with cotton are very uniform. If 

 the old cotton or corn stalks are rank, they are cut up with a 

 stalk cutter or chopped off with a hoe, raked up, and burned before 

 the land is plowed. The land is usually plowed in the spring with 

 1-horse or 2-horse plows. About half the farmers break the land 

 level and about half plow it into beds of the desired width for the cot- 

 ton rows. Where the land is broken level the cotton rows are laid 

 off with a fertiUzer distributor, which also appHes the fertihzer. A 

 bed is then made on this fertiUzer with a 1-horse shovel or turning 

 plow. Where the land is bedded as broken the fertilizer is either 

 apphed in the water furrow between the beds and the land rebedded 

 or the fertilizer is apphed on top of the bed and no further prepara- 

 tion is given. The soil is of such a nature that harrowing is seldom 

 necessary. Cotton is planted with a 1-horse planter in rows 4 feet 

 apart, and 1 bushel of seed is planted per acre. After thinning, 

 the stalks are left from 12 to 15 inches apart in the driU. For cul- 

 tivating after planting, 1-horse implements are employed. About 

 ten days or two weeks after planting, the first cultivation is given 

 with a 1-horse turning plow or a 1-horse sweep. A furrow is plowed 

 on each side of the cotton row and the soil thrown away from the 

 cotton to the middle of the row, leaving the plants on a small narrow 

 ridge. This is known as barring off. After this cultivation, the cot- 

 ton is chopped to a stand. 



