COTTON CULTIVATIOX 60 i 



a normal growth of limbs and foliage should be cultivated 

 late, while plants of large size may be '' laid by " earher, 

 so as to check the growth of stalk. 



After cotton has receivetl what has been planned to be 

 the last tilling, rains sometime occur ■ndthin a few days, 

 destrojdng the soil-mulch made by the last cultivation. 

 In this case it is usuall}- ad^-isable to give an additional 

 late cultivation, so as to reestablish the soil-mulch, and 

 to retain the moisture in the soil. 



At the final tillage of cotton, the middles are alwaj-s 

 thrown out 



334. Depth of cultivation. — The same principle applies 

 here as in the tillage of anj- other crop. At the first culti- 

 vation, the depth may well be shallow, medium, or deep, 

 as the judgment of the farmer dictates. But in the sub- 

 sequent tillings. the depth should be shallow ; that is, just 

 deep enough to destro\' vegetation and to form a soil-mulch 

 thick enough to check evaporation. 



Usually a depth of 1' to 2 inches meets these require- 

 ments. The finer the soil particles forming the mulch, 

 that is, the more complete the pulverization effected bj' 

 the tilling implement, the less the thickness of soil-mulch 

 required to check, evaporation. A three-inch mulch of 

 small clods is less effective than an inch mulch of well- 

 pulverized soil. 



335. Sowing seed among growing cotton plants. — 

 Wlien it is desired to improve the soil by growing, during 

 the cooler months, some soil-improving plant, such as 

 crimson clover or hairj- vetch, the time selected for sowing 

 the seed is usually immediately after the first picking. 

 By choosing this time, no cotton is knocked from the 



