FARM PRACTICE IN THE CULTIVATION OF COTTON. 61 
Usually cotton is planted in March or the first part of April. A 
2-horse 1-row lister planter is used, which leaves the rows level or 
slightly listed. 
The rows average 3^ feet apart, and an average of 3 pecks of seed 
is planted per acre. After thinning, the stalks are left from 15 to 20 
inches apart in the drill. 
In cultivating after planting, 2-horse 4-shovel or 6-shovel culti- 
vators are employed almost entirely. These cultivators are some- 
times equipped with shovels or with sweeps, and sometimes with 
shovels near the cotton and sweeps for the middle of the row. 
Many farmers use small sweeps instead of shovels for the later cul- 
tivations. During the season four or five cultivations are given. 
After the first cultivation the cotton is chopped to a stand and again 
gone over with a hoe at the third or fourth cultivation to chop out 
weeds or extra stalks of cotton. 
No cover crops are grown, and very little stable manure is produced. 
No commercial fertilizer is used. 
The principal varieties of cotton grown are Mebane, Triumph, and 
King's Improved. 
The most prevalent and troublesome weeds are careless weed, 
Johnson grass, morning-glory, and buffalo grass. 
SUMMARY. 
The results of these studies are presented to portray the prevailing 
conditions, customs, and tillage practices found in the various regions 
where cotton is grown. No attempt is made to make recommenda- 
tions based on the data presented. 
These studies clearly show that yields of cotton are governed 
largely by climatic conditions, the inherent fertility of the soil, the 
quantity of commercial fertilizers used, and the character of tillage 
given. The yields of cotton are directly related to the amount of 
tillage given after planting. 
The principal types of drainage employed in the cotton belt are 
terraces and surface ditches, open ditches, and tile drains. The type 
of drainage employed is determined by the character of the soil, 
the topography, the amount of rainfall, and the value of land. 
Tillage before plowing is primarily for the purpose of cutting up 
the stalks and weeds of the previous season's growth, so that they 
will not interfere with cultivation. Little thought is given to bene- 
fits derived from pulverizing the surface soil before breaking. 
Whether land be plowed in the fall or spring is governed largely 
by the previous crop and by the type of soil. The conditions in 
the cotton belt are such that most of the land is plowed in the spring. 
The depth of plowing land for cotton is largely determined by the 
type of soil. The light sandy or loamy soils are plowed slightly 
