54 BULLETIN 511, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The region is settled mostly by Germans and Bohemians, and many 

 of the older inhabitants can hardly speak English. They have excep- 

 tionally good country homes. This was originally a prairie region, 

 and much of the land is still m the original prairie grass, which is cut 

 for hay. 



The average-sized farm surveyed is 210 acres, with only 102 acres 

 cultivated. The remaining land is covered with prairie grasses and 

 scrub oaks. Most of the farming is done by the landowners, and little 

 labor is hired. The farmers usually have large families and both 

 the women and men do every kind of farm work. These people live 

 a very happy life and are fairly prosperous. 



The principal crops grown are cotton, com, prairie-grass hay, and 

 sorghum cane. Most of the cane is sown broadcast and cut for hay. 

 No definite rotations are practiced. Cotton is usually grown on the 

 most productive land. Hardly enough grain is produced to feed the 

 farm stock. Very little fruit is produced and only enough truck is 

 grown for home use and for local markets. Cattle and hogs are 

 gi'own for home use, but very few are sold. 



Practically the only farm product sold is cotton, and only a very 

 small percentage of the food supply is produced on the farm. 



The tillage practices employed with cotton are very uniform. 

 Cotton usually follows cotton or com. Soon after the crops are har- 

 vested the old cotton or com stalks are broken up with a stalk cutter; 

 then in the fall or early spring the land is plowed, and as broken it is 

 thrown into ridges the desired width apart. The breaking is mostly 

 done with 2-horse turning plows, and four furrows are required for 

 each row, A few farmers use a 4-horse middle buster, or lister, and 

 only one furrow is given each row. No further preparation is given 

 until just before planting, when these beds are harrowed with a spike- 

 . tooth haiTOW. 



Cotton is planted from March 15 to April 15, For plantmg, a 

 2-horse 1-row lister planter is used, which tears down the bed and 

 plants the cotton almost level. The cotton rows average 3 J feet 

 apart and If bushels of seed is planted per acre. After thinning, the 

 stalks are left from 12 to 15 inches apart in the drill. 



Cultivation after planting is exceptionally uniform. Every farmer 

 uses a 2-horse 4-shovel riding cultivator equipped with small sweeps 

 instead of shovels. For the first cultivation small 6-inch or 8-inch 

 sweeps are used and are run close to the cotton, but later, after the 

 plants develop more, larger sweeps are used and cultivation is not so 

 close to the cotton. During the season four or five cultivations are 

 given. After the first cultivation the cotton is chopped to a stand 

 and again gone over with a hoe at the third or fourth cultivation to 

 chop out any weeds or extra stalks of cotton. A few farmers use a 

 1-horso sweep and sometimes a 2-horse 2-shovel cultivator is used, 

 with sweeps attached instead of shovels, 



