358 SOUTHERN FIELD CROPS 



plants by the one-horse cultivator used in covering these 

 seed. On some farms fall-sown oats are sown among the 

 growing cotton plants and covered as just indicated. To 

 permit the use of harvesting machinery in the oats, the 

 cotton plants, if large, are loosened in winter by means 

 of a narrow plow, or by the use of a subsoil plow, and then 

 pulled and removed. 



336. Distance between rows. — In deciding on the 

 space between rows and between plants of cotton, the 

 general rule is as follows ; The richer the land, the wider 

 must be the rows and the greater the distance between 

 plants in the row. This rule is exactly the opposite of 

 the practice in spacing Indian corn. The reason for 

 planting cotton farther apart on rich land is the fact 

 that cotton is a branching or spreading plant, and 

 hence on rich land requires much space for the outward 

 growth of its long branches. On the other hand, corn 

 has no branches and may be crowded as closely together 

 as is permitted by the supply of plant-food and of 

 moisture, both of which are of course more abundant on 

 rich land. 



The usual distance between rows of cotton on upland, 

 where a crop of one half bale or less per acre is expected, 

 is 3|^ feet. On highly fertilized upland, the distance may 

 well be increased to 4 feet. On bottom land and other 

 very rich land, a distance of 5 feet is advisable, and occa- 

 sionally even wider rows are preferable. 



The wider the rows can be made without reducing the 

 yield, the cheaper is the cost of cultivation, since work 

 with cultivators is cheaper than work along the rows with 

 the hoe. 



