The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1842-06-01
6S THE WORKING AND TIMING OF COT

tations to send you s1mcthlnS LOT you'
i,urnal have induced me to overcome my
indisposition to write, and according gly tc
, brepare vo,t something IN the shape of an
article. However, before proceeding any
further, must remind you that this is the
first time "OId Homespun" has ventured
to appear in the public prints. II, there,
fore, the clothing of bis ideas, be not ol
the most fashionable texture, l am conf
dent, that you and the public will excuse
the appearance he makes, when he tells
YOU that he does so, merely that his young
friends may benefit by his publication OF
those facts, which long experience has
taught him to be correct. =
Isproposed to give my notions upon the
,corking and thinning Of cotton:
The cotton crops are generally up a
bout the first of May; and the corn crops
have been planted. AT this season, then'
although seldom have any grass IN my
fields, / commence hoeing. This DO, to
stir and loosen the earth, in order that
the roots of the young plants may expand.
/ consider this hoeing of incalculable ad-
vantage, but great care should be taken
as to the mode of doing 1t.
In my first working, / use the hoe,
principally on the side of the bed, lnclln-
ing to the top of it. Alongside OF each
hill of cotton, chop or two is made on
the top of the bed, toloosen the earth a
bout the plant. In doing this, the work
er must carefully observe not to draw the
dirt awav as he removes the hoe from the
chop it has made, else he will leave the
plant exposed. Another thing which he
should be made to observe. is, not to cut
down the bed in such a manner as to form
a ridge in the alleys. If he does not ob, o.,
serve this rule most scrupuously, he will
fill up the alleys in such a manner as to q,
prevent the rain from freely passing Oft
when it falls. The non observance OF
this rule has ruined many a crop OF cot
ton.
The second working is generally to
haul up the earth to the plant. This is
done, by standing in one alley, and reach
ing over the bed with the hoe, and draw
ing up to the plant, the earth, which IN
the first working he had loosened in the
opposite alley. The object of hauling up
is twofold-frst, to kill and to cover the
grass: and second in gathering the earth
around the plant, to give it moisture, and
consequently a start in growth. In the
second working, l thin down the plants to
four, five, or six, in proportion TO the
STRENGTH IF Growth. &c.
The third working is done precisely as
the second, and in this working thin the
plants down to two or three in each hill,
as circumstances may require.
In the fourth working, which takes
place about the middle of June, L th'n
down the plants to two in hill, which at
the rate Of 60 or 65 hills on task row
QO5 feet) leaves usfrom l20to l3O plants
to each row. :,
The workings having been gone thro',
the consideration next arises-"are the
beds sufficiently large; or are the likely
to be washed down by the late ralns!-
Ifeither is the case, haul up the bed
If otherwise, I hoe, taking care, at the
same time, to keep up the original side OF
the bed, by hoeing up to the top OF the
same in an oblique direction, from the al
leys. This operations is by some planters,
called "side hauling"
The crop being thinned down as des-
cribed, my most careful and sensible
hands be now selected to thin. These
are sent over the crop, and whenever
a growth of six or seven feetis expected,
they are instructed to leave but one plant
in each hill. Where the growth is ex-
pected to be from only four to five feet
thew are instructed to leave from ninety
to one hundred plants in the task row,
and the poorest land from l2O to l30.
After the fourth working, the cotton
need not be worked, except where the
plants is low and wants hauling up to
give it growth. The plant when well
grown, IS apt to be bruised and injured
BY being worked-the tops and arms of
the plant are likely to be broken; and in
many other respects it receives more In
Jury than service.
Ihave thus, circumstantially described
the working and thinning of cotton, be-
cause, Mr.. Editor, many years experience