FARM PKACTICE IN THE CULTIVATION OF COTTON. 
27 
SURVEY IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N. C. 
Mecklenburg County is located in the southwestern part of North 
Carolina and is one of the best developed agricultural counties in 
the State. The tillage records for this county (Table XIV) were 
taken near Charlotte. 
The soil is a reddish clay loarn with a clay subsoil. Where sufficient 
organic matter is present and commercial fertilizers are used, good 
crop yields are obtained. The country is rolling, and many terraces 
and open ditches are required to carry off the surface water and 
prevent erosion. (See fig. 2.) Very little of the land is tile drained. 
The rural improvements in this county are exceptionally good. 
Most of the leading roads have been macadamized and are kept in 
excellent condition. Good schools are maintained. The farmers 
Fig. 15.— A cotton field containing crab-grass, one of the most troublesome weeds found in such fields. 
have good houses, which are kept well painted. In all, the country 
is attractive and appears prosperous. 
The farms are of good size, averaging 172 acres, with 115 acres 
cultivated. Many of the farms are worked by tenants, but usually 
under the supervision of the owner. 
No set rotations are practiced, but cultivated crops are usually 
followed by small grain. The principal crops grown are cotton, corn, 
wheat, oats, and clover. 
Cotton is the principal money crop and the yields obtained are 
good. Enough corn is grown to feed the live stock and supply local 
demands. Oats are usually cut for hay while in the dough stage. 
Not enough wheat is grown for home use, none being produced on 
many farms. Cowpeas are sown after oats and the vines cut for 
