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Suggestions For Growing Cotton Profitably 
Under Boll Weevil Conditions 
1. Select your most fertile, warmest, and best 
drained soil that experience has shown will grow 
cotton off fastest after it comes up. 
2. Indications from more than 5,000 South Caro- 
lina Five-Acre Contest records show that the highest 
yields are made from narrow rows, the width de- 
pending upon soil types and varieties. 
3. Use liberal amounts of a well balanced fertilizer 
under cotton and side-dress with additional amounts 
of ammonia and potash. This should be adjusted 
to suit soil and weather conditions. 
4. Follow fertilizer distributor with a small plow 
to thoroughly mix fertilizer with soil. 
5. Use a variety that. fruits early and rapidly and 
produces a good staple. If soil is infested with wilt 
by all means plant a suitable wilt resistant variety. 
6. Use plenty of seed of known vitality and treat 
with Ceresan before planting. You cannot make a 
crop unless you get a good stand. Plant as early as 
conditions and experience warrant. 
7, Where drop seed planter is used, leave 2 to 3 
stalks per hill. Where drilled, leave an average of 2 
stalks per hill a hoe width apart. 
8. Practice frequent and shallow cultivation. 
HOW TO USE MOLASSES, CALCIUM ARSENATE 
POISON (1-1-1 Mixture) 
9. Make arrangements for your poison materials 
when you make arrangements for your fertilizer so 
as to be sure to have it on hand when needed. 
10. For each acre of cotton secure 3 pounds of 
calcium arsenate and 3 gallons of thick black-strap 
molasses. This will usually be sufficient to make 3 
applications per acre. 
11. Make a mop from an old sack or similar ma- 
terial. This should be folded and tacked to a slat 
about 3 inches wide and extending about 3 inches 
beyond end of slat. The extension of the bag should 
be cut in strips about 1 inch wide. The slat should 
be of suitable length for person applying poison. 
12. In preparing mixture for making application, 
mix at the rate of 1 pound of poison in 1 gallon of 
water. Stir thoroughly. Then slowly add 1 gallon of 
molasses and stir thoroughly. The mixture should be 
kept well stirred at all times. Apply with mop held 
in front of worker so as to strike the cotton plant 
1 to 2 inches below the bud, pushing the plant over 
so that the majority of the poison is applied to the 
underside of leaves and on stems. Poison should be 
applied the same day as it is mixed. 
13. This method is simple, cheap and effective. But 
like any other farm operation, it should not be done 
in a haphazard way and should be closely supervised. 
14. Watch fields carefully and apply first appli- 
cation of sweetened poison just as the stalk “bunches” 
in the top and just before the first square appears. 
Repeat with two to three other applications at in- 
tervals of 5 to 7 days. Fully 90% of those who use 
sweetened poison wait too long in making first appli- 
cation. If an application is washed off by rain inside 
of 24 hours, repeat application, as soon as possible. 
Where possible, apply poison in afternoon. 
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS 
15. Pick up and burn all fallen squares, especially 
during the first 3 weeks of blooming. 
16. The use of calcium dust is not recommended 
except under abnormally heavy weevil infestation 
and then in amounts not exceeding 2 pounds per acre 
(mixed with 2 pounds of hydrated lime). Equipment 
for proper dusting is expensive and atmospheric 
conditions under which it must be applied are very 
exacting. Many farmers have suffered heavy losses 
to cotton, other crops and permanent soil damage as 
a result of the use of calcium arsenate dust. If sweet- 
ened poison is properly used there will be practically 
no need to consider the use of dust. 
17. Keep up with the picking of cotton as closely 
as possible, picking only when perfectly dry. Seed 
cotton stored for 2 to 3 weeks and stirred when 
necessary will make a better grade of cotton. 
18. Gin cotton only when perfectly dry, then only 
on a gin in good mechanical condition. Dry seed 
cotton left on an unprotected wagon at night and 
exposed to dew, frost, or other moisture will not 
gin smoothly. 
19. All stalks should be destroyed immediately 
after picking. If possible, this should be done at least 
two weeks before the first frost. 
20. Build up your soil by plowing under winter 
cover crops and summer legumes. 
21. Experiments at the Pee Dee Experiment Sta- 
tion were reported by Supt. E. E. Hall showing that 
2 tons per acre (approximately 2 two-horse wagon 
loads) of good stable manure in the drill is equiv- 
alent to 400 pounds per acre of a high grade fer- 
tilizer in producing cotton. 
These suggestions represent the best information gathered from Extension Service, 
Experiment Stations, the experience of many successful farmers and our own. 
