The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1869-01-27
Cotton Culture.

s1 1orkylllo oEh4aafef) throughout
Ethe cotton-growing States nn earn
sost effort on tho part Of Intelligent
fafmers to improve the method Of
cotton culture in such way rs
t0compcnsate for tho disasters cn-
tailed upon cotton growing by
tho results Of the war. Tho re-
suits Of many experiments in this
way would provo highly interest
ing to our farmers.
ID Ono Of tho latest improvements
in culture, md ono at present at
tracting considerable attention is
that suggested by Poulain, Of
Maryland. His plan is to plant
tho scods in hot bcds in February,
or carly in March, and thus mature
tho plants for transplantiny in
April or may. As tho cotton plant
is a tender growth, difficult to
transplant in tho usual way, he pro-
poses to obviato this difficulty by
susing carthen pots open at each
end, Of n conical shape. The pot is
fillod with earth and six or eight
seeds placed in IL, the proper depth.
''rheso pots arc arranged in The
hot house on planIls, and the
plants thinncd out to the proper
number when largo onough.
When tho period for transpiantiny
arrives, the planks arc removed to
the field with tho pots upon them,
thcn carefully set into the hills,
tho earth closed around the hill,
and the pot removed. y plant,
eight or ten inches high, is thu;
started in tho lioIr at Tho usual
period Of planting tho seeds. The
conical shape Of the pot admits its
romoval from tho plant withont
disturbing tho earth or the roots
Of tho cotton.
Poulain also proposes to place
the plants, thus generated, in hills
from four to eight feet apart each
way, tho hills having first been
deeply dug, and well manurcd. 1t
is asserted that experiments under
this method have produced Il
yiold amply compensating for The
labor employed.
A gentlemen in Edgclicld, in
this State, raised last year .HtfccA
hundred pounds Of lint cotton to
ono aero Of land, under n process
somewhat similar. lie planted
two stalks to the hill, at adistanco
Of eight feet each way. The hills,
,were prepared rs if for TRANSPLANT
ing fruit trees, being dug down to
a dopth Of twenty inches and two
toet diameter. Sandy loam and
manure was then filed in, and
the seeds planted. The enormous
yield is attributable TO the thorough
snb-soiling, the manure and the
spacc--thc lattcr being sufficient
to allow the rays Of the SUN to
penetrate TO tho lower branches OF
tho plant and develop these fully.
AS cotton is essentially Il sun
plant, never thriving unless fully
supplied with sun warmth, the
philosophy OF this method is at
onco apparent.
Another method has been tried
in Union District with the Dixon
improved seed. This Is 10 subSoil
deeply, aia plant in hills three
feet each way, thinning out the
plants when large enough, to
two in each hill. About fifteen
hundred pounds Of seed cotton to
the acre was obtained from IL five
acre field planted late ia the spring
in this way.
The idea upon which all the
now methods Of culture is based is.
in tho first place, more space for
tho plants; and secondly, to de-
vclop tho plants thus separated,
to their full maturity. Manure is
all important to tho latter object.
early planting in hot-bcds may
DO brought to such a state Of pcr
fection as to como into somcthinm
like general use after time, but at
present it is too expensive and
tedious to secure for it any degree
Unpopular favor. Cotton growing,
like everything clso with us, is
on tho march towards improve
ment. We would like to see our
noighbors help it along.
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