LESSORS ON COTTON FOR RURAL COMMON SCHOOLS. 11 



LESSON VII. 



Subject. — Fertilizers and how to apply them. 



Topics for study. — What are the indispensable requirements for a 

 good cotton yield? What is one of the surest fertilizers for pro- 

 ducing a large cotton crop ? Why ? What element of plant food is 

 needed most by the soils for profitable cotton production in your 

 district? What necessary elements of plant food do commercial 

 fertilizers supply? When are such fertilizers likel}?- to bo profitable 

 and how should they be applied ? Show the relation between profit- 

 able cotton production and the use of commercial fertilizers and 

 legumes in different kinds of soils. Name the steps necessary in 

 building up the soil permanently on a run-down cotton farm in 

 your district. 



Exercises. — If nitrogen is worth 16 cents per pound, available 

 phosphoric acid 4 cents, and potash 4 cents, figure the value of the 

 plant food in a ton of commercial fertilizer of the following composi- 

 tion: (1) Phosphoric acid 10 per cent, nitrogen 2 per cent, potash 2 

 per cent (10:2:2); (2) nitrogen 3 per cent, phosphoric acid 10 per 

 cent, potash 3 per cent (3:10:3). What percentages of phosphoric 

 acid, nitrogen, and potash are contained in a ton of fertilizer con- 

 sisting of 900 pounds of acid phosphate, 800 pounds of cottonseed 

 meal, and 300 pounds of kainit? 



References. — Farmers' Buls. 44, 48, 326; Farm Arithmetic; Office 

 of Experiment Stations Bui. 33, pp. 169-196. 



lesson vin. 



Subject. — When and how to plant cotton. 



Topics for study. — At what time do the best farmers hi your school 

 district plant their cotton? Why should farmers wish to plant 

 cotton as early as it is safe from frost? Is there any advantage in 

 late planting in weevil-infested districts? There is no warrant in 

 fact for the idea that only the earliest and most inferior of cotton 

 can be grown under weevil conditions. See references on the im- 

 portance of community action as to season of planting. The weevil 

 invasion should lead to a better appreciation of the importance of 

 growing improved varieties. Why? Close spacing, use and value 

 in crop increase. Show reasons for and against flat planting and 

 planting in beds. Which is frequently the practice in semiarid sec- 

 tions? Amount of seed per acre. How far are the rows spaced 

 apart? Time and purpose of " chopping"? Show the relation 

 between time of chopping and the branching habits of the plants 

 and that delayed thinning may result in suppressing the vegetative 

 branches and so increasing yield of cotton. What is the secret of a 

 prize-winning cotton crop ? 



Exercises. — If each cotton seed planted 4 feet by 12 inches apart 

 developed into a mature plant, how many seed would be needed to 



