256 ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 
select resistant varieties, rotate the crop, fertilize the 
land, and practice timely and thorough cultivation. 
Harvesting Cotton.—Cotton should be picked as 
soon as possible after opening so as to prevent the lint 
from becoming stained and injured by the weather con¬ 
ditions. In many sections picking may begin as early as 
August and last as late as December. The customary 
plan is to hire hands to pick the cotton, paying them so 
much a hundred pounds. The price varies according to 
the conditions. The cotton is weighed in the field and 
loaded and hauled to storage sheds or to the gin. 
Ginning and Baling Cotton.—Farmers generally 
haul their cotton to the gin as soon as they have picked 
from 1400-1700 pounds of seed cotton. This makes a 
standard bale of 500 pounds of ginned cotton. The 
cotton is removed from the wagon at the gin by suction. 
It is then cleaned and conveyed to the gin saws where 
the seed is separated from the lint. The lint is then 
carried to the press and made into a bale; 27 x 54 x 45 
inches including bagging and ties. The bale is then 
weighed and properly marked and turned over to the 
owner. The seed is weighed and conveyed to the seed 
house if it is sold to the gin company. If not, it is loaded 
and carried away by the owner. 
Seed for Planting.—If one has a good variety of 
purebred cotton it is necessary to take special care not 
to get the seed mixed with other varieties. Foreign seeds 
get mixed with pure seed when the cotton is ginned. This 
is due to the fact that about one bushel of seed remains 
in the gin machinery at all times. If your bale of cotton 
is ginned following a bale of poor staple cotton, you will 
likely get some of the seed mixed with your seed and 
seed from your bale will take their place. This gives 
you the correct weight of seed but it is not all from your 
