COTTON 159 
OTHER STEPS IN COTTON CULTURE 
While cotton moves slowly during its early 
stages of growth, when it once takes root firmly— 
and it always means business if the soil is right and 
warm and moist—its roots go eagerly into the 
ground, searching in all directions for plant food 
and water. While the roots are thus foraging 
around, growing, spreading, and lengthening, the 
plant above the ground is not standing still. We 
grant that at times, especially when the land is not 
congenial because of poor preparation, coldness, 
or much rain, cotton plants seemingly hesitate, or 
at least move but slowly in their upward course. 
And yet can you blame them? Do you wonder 
they move so slowly,—tender and weak as they are 
with dangers all about them? Opposed tocold by 
nature, they suffer. Then, too, greedy weeds and 
grass continually menace and threaten them 
throughout the entire season; so unless you care 
for them while young and tender, and even stay 
closely by, they lose courage and fail to meet 
your expectations at harvest time. 
When plants are about three or four inches in 
height, the cultivating plow may be started. ‘The 
hoe may now be laid aside, and the cultivator 
pressed into service to do what work is left until 
the maturity of the crop. 
You will act wisely if you get good tools for 
cultivating. The modern cultivator with its many 
shovels does the work well, and cheaply. 
But the plow—the one-horse plow—is not the 
tool for the cultivating season; better leave it under 
the apple tree or in the stable for the chickens to 
roost upon than bring it into the cotton field; 
for it is not a cultivating tool for cotton or for any 
