58 BULLETIN 511, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
sandy-loam lands are rather hilly, with numerous level plateaus and 
bottoms. 
The farms are large, and especially so in the prairie sections. The 
average size of the farms studied is 299 acres, with 166 acres culti- 
vated. No definite rotations are practiced. The principal crops 
grown are cotton, corn, oats, cowpeas, and peanuts. Some sweet 
potatoes, Irish potatoes, and truck crops are grown for home use. 
Only enough corn and oats are grown to feed the farm live stock. 
Cowpeas are usually cut for hay or are planted between the corn rows, 
the peas picked by hand, and the vines pastured by cattle. Peanuts 
are often grown between the corn rows and pastured by hogs after 
the corn has been harvested. In the prairie regions alfalfa and John- 
son grass are grown extensively. Bermuda-grass pastures are main- 
tained on many farms. Some cattle and hogs are raised for market, 
and a few dairies are maintained. Enough fruit is produced to supply 
local markets and for home demands. In the prairie regions hay is an 
important product, but in all areas the farm income is largely from 
the sale of cotton. 
In preparing a seed bed for cotton most of the work is done in the 
spring. At some time during the winter or early spring the old cot- 
ton or corn stalks are cut up with a stalk cutter, and the land is 
plowed in the early spring. For plowing, 2-horse teams are generally 
used, and as broken the land is thrown into beds the desired width 
apart for cotton rows. On sandy land a few of the small farms use 
1 -horse plows for breaking, and on some of the larger farms 2-horse 
middle busters are employed. 
Before planting, these beds are harrowed with a spike-tooth har- 
row. Many farmers rebed the land before harrowing, using the 
same plow for this as for the first breaking. Fertilizer is applied 
only on the sandy or sandy-loam lands. The average quantity applied 
per acre for cotton is 202 pounds. This is applied between the 
beds, and usually the land is rebedded on the fertilizer. Sometimes 
this fertilizer is applied on top of the bed just before planting. No 
cover crops are grown, and very little stable manure is produced. 
Cotton is planted during April. A 1 -horse planter is used. The 
rows average 3 J feet apart, and an average of 4 pecks of seed is 
planted per acre. After thinning, the stalks are left from 12 to 18 
inches apart in the drill. 
In cultivating after planting, a number of different implements are 
used. Soon after the cotton is up, the field is harrowed with a spike- 
tooth harrow or with a 1-horse harrow-tooth cultivator. The next 
cultivation is given with a 12-inch or 14-inch 1-horse sweep, and three 
furrows are given each row. Sometimes a 1-horse spring-tooth cul- 
tivator is used for the second cultivation. After this, practically all 
the cultivating is with 1-horse sweeps, the size of the sweeps being 
increased at each cultivation. A few farms use a 1-horse 1-row cul- 
