34 



IUI.I.I.TTX (]",!», U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



to the presence 01 the alfalfa, for a field of cotton following alfalfa 

 is rarely found. There is no question that alfalfa would increase the 



yield of. cotton for several years after an alfalfa sod is plowed up. 

 At present alfalfa on these Kllis County farms is largety confined 

 to small areas on exceptionally good land. Whether it would be 

 generally profitable to the farmers of this region is not known, 

 but the presumption is in its favor. It is certainly a crop that 

 would be highly useful as a source of feed for the farm animals, and 

 that would greatly increase the fertility of the soil. It should be 

 tried more generally, but yet conservatively. It would hardly be 

 wise to sow a large acreage of it until the farmer has learned with 

 certainty how to grow it, and how it will fit into his system of 

 farming. A small acreage of alfalfa is desirable on almost any farm 

 where it will grow readily. To handle a large acreage of alfalfa suc- 

 cessfully requires considerable experience, and is not desirable unless 

 there is either a good market for the hay or plenty of live stock on 

 the farm to consume it. 



In sowing any legume new to a locality it is usually advisable to 

 inoculate either the seed or the soil with the particular kind of bac- 

 teria that crop requires. Inoculating material for this purpose, with 

 directions for its use, may be obtained from the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. After the crop is once successfully grown, soil 

 from where it grew can be used to inoculate the soil of other parts of 

 the farm. Many farmers have failed with legumes because they neg- 

 lected this matter of inoculation. Failure is certain unless the soil 

 is already inoculated. 



It is essential to the continuation of cotton farming in Ellis County, 

 as well as in other parts of Texas, that the yield be maintained at a 

 point as high as or higher than at present. Table XIV shows the rela- 

 tion of yield of cotton to income. The 115 farms are grouped according 

 to yield per acre of cotton with 31, 33, 25, and 26 farms in the respec- 

 tive groups. The average yield per acre of these groups varies from 

 184 pounds of lint in the first to 323 pounds in the last. 



Table XIV 



Relation of yield of cotton per acre to income per farm (115 

 farms, Ellis County, Tex.). 



Yield of lint per acre. 



Number 

 of farms. 



Average 



yield 

 per acre. 



Crop 



acres per 



farm. 



Income 

 above 



rent per 

 farm. 



Per cent 

 return on 

 invest- 

 ment. 



136 to 208 pounds. 

 209 to 240 pounds . 

 241 to 277 pounds. 

 278 to 402 pounds . 



All farms 



Pound-. 

 184 

 22.5 

 200 

 323 



115 



o 245 



o Unweighted average. 



120 

 133 



127 

 99 



1600 



1,155 

 1.366 



962 



4.9 

 5.6 

 6.5 

 8.6 



6.3 



