12 BULLETIN 511, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
NORMAL AVERAGES OF FARM CONDITIONS. 
Normal averages of farm operations and conditions are presented 
in Table VIII. 
Of. the areas studied, the nine having the highest acre yield of seed 
cotton have an average normal acre yield of 954 pounds, while the 
nine areas having the lowest acre yield of seed cotton average 628 
pounds. This great difference in yield is probably due to many fac- 
tors. In the areas where higher yields are made it is probable that 
the inherent fertility of the soil is greater, and the sociological, eco- 
nomic, and climatic conditions are such that, generally speaking, 
better farming prevails. Furthermore, it is probable that the addi- 
tional commercial fertilizer used and the extra tillage given account 
to a large extent for the increased yields, even where other condi- 
tions are equal. 
The average depth of plowing for the nine areas having the highest 
yield of seed cotton is 6 inches, while the average depth for the nine 
areas having the lowest yield of seed cotton per acre is only 44 inches. 
It is probable, however, that this is only an associated factor rather 
than a correlated one, and the real cause for the variation in depth 
of plowing may be found in the type of soil. The high yields of cotton 
are made on sandy-loam or clay-loam soils. These soils are usually 
plowed deeper than the heavier clay soils, on which the yields of 
cotton are somewhat lower. 
After plowing and before planting the average number of workings 
for the nine areas having the highest average yield of cotton is three, 
while for the nine areas having the lowest average yield of cotton the 
average number of workings is only two. 
One cause of this difference is the fact that in the higher yielding 
areas 70 per cent of the farmers use commercial fertilizers and in the 
lower yielding areas only 43 per cent of the farmers use such fertili- 
zers. The fertilizer is applied with a distributor, the operation being 
recorded as equivalent to a working. 
In the nine areas having the highest average yield of seed cotton 
per acre the average number of cultivations after planting is six, 
while the average number of cultivations given in the nine areas 
having the lowest normal yield of seed cotton per acre is only five. 
It appears that there is a direct correlation between the amount of 
cultivation given after planting and the yield of seed cotton per acre. 
(Table X.) 
The number of hand cultivations is approximately the same for 
all areas. It is customary to go over the cotton with a hoe at the 
first or second cultivation and thin to a stand (see fig. 5), then at 
the third or fourth cultivation to go over the row again and take 
out any weeds or any extra cotton stalks that may have been left. 
