TILLAGE FOR COTTON 113 



portion of soil, and renders useless a large amount of 

 available food that with shallow cultivation would be used 

 by the plants. 



130. The first cultivation. — This must be of such a 

 nature as to stir the soil close to the plants without cover- 

 ing them. Either double cultivators with fenders attached 

 or single cultivators made similar to a side harrow may 

 be satisfactorily used. The very crude practice of barring 

 off the row with a turning plow should be avoided except 

 in extreme cases. When cotton is thus barred, particu- 

 larly if it is closely done, too much soil is taken away, 

 the plants fall down after the hoes and the growth is 

 checked. If no other damage is done, the crop is made 

 several days late. The use of the turn-plow in barring off 

 cotton is justified only when the grass has become so large 

 as a result of protracted rains that its destruction by the 

 use of more desirable types of cultivators is impossible. 

 Many farmers, in using the two-horse or one-horse cultiva- 

 tors^ equip them with narrow sweeps or scrapes rather 

 than with small points. The results secured are quite sat- 

 isfactory, especially if the sweeps or scrapes are equipped 

 with a fender. 



131. Chopping. — This operation follows immediately 

 after the first cultivation by separate rows. The chopping 

 or thinning is done with a hoe. One or two plants are left 

 at the desired distance apart. Ultimately only one plapt 

 should be left in a hill. The ideal practice is to leave, 

 at the time of chopping, only one plant at the desired dis- 

 tance apart unless chopping is done when the plants are 

 very small, or when there is danger that disease or tm- 

 favorable weather will destroy them. 



132. The second cultivation. — The first cultivation 

 and subsequent chopping result in removing considerable 



