■114 FIELD CROPS FOR THE COTTON-BELT 



soil from the row of plants. Therefore, an important ob- 

 ject in the second cultivation should be to return this 

 soil to the plants. To accomplish this purpose, rather 

 wide sweeps or scrapes are commonly used on either one- 

 horse or two-horse cultivators. These sweeps or scrapes 

 must be set sloping enough so that most of the soil stirred 

 will fall back of them rather than be pushed to the sides, 

 in which case rather hard strips are left with no mulch to 

 prevent evaporation. Any method of cultivation that 

 does not leave the entire middle covered with a fine mulch 

 is not satisfactory. The use of such implements as leave 

 a narrow, uncultivated strip or "balk" midway between 

 the rows of cotton should be abandoned. 



133. Subsequent culture. — The third and subsequent 

 cultivations for cotton should be of such a nature as to 

 keep the grass subdued and the soil well stirred without 

 leaAdng the middles ridged or furrowed. The cultivation 

 gets shallower as the roots get out in the row. Small 

 buzzard wing sweeps on double cultivators are widely 

 used for these later cultivations. After the cotton gets 

 too large to plow with the double cultivators, single 

 cultivators are used. On droughty soils cultivation 

 should be continued until the cotton is locked in the rows. 

 On very rich soils that have a tendency to produce too 

 large a stalk, late cultivation is not advisable. 



134. Frequency of tillage. — No definite rules can 

 be adhered to as to the frequency of cultivating cotton. 

 The aim should be to keep the soil in such a condition at 

 all times as will provide the objects of cultivation pre- 

 viously stated in this chapter. To do this will necessitate, 

 stirring the soil as soon after rains as possible. For best 

 results, at least five cultivations are usually necessary. 

 On droughty soils six or seven cultivations are advisable. 



