The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-06-16
Improved Cotton Culture.


pecial value. Mr.. Gift is thorough
agriculturist, theoretical and practl.
cal, and very few writers on cotton
culture have larger experience or
acquaintance. The old methods
must be abandoned, he says, and
planters must come down to the use
of labor saving implements, and to
heavy applications of manure.
Mr.. Gift goes on to state that some
years ago DR.. N. B. Cloud, of Ala.
bama, reported yield of 5,975
pounds of seed cotton from one acre
of upland, MANFRED with 5000 BUSH
els of barnyard compost. From
his knowledge of such lands, he
should Judge that the clear gain from
manuring was fully $500 pounds OF
seed cotton, equal to 100 pounds of
lint, counting three and one'third
pounds of seed cotton for one OF lint),
worth say, about $425, net Total
yield of the acre, 1910 pounds of lint,
worth S452 On good, deep, upland
loan, smaller quantity Of manure,
coupled with thorough culture, would
probably have brought about the
same result. This shows at glance
what may be gained by a liberal APP
plication of manure.
Mr. Gift also refers to David Dick
son, of Georgia, a cotton planter on
an improved system. His last crop
under the old system was grown on
$50 acres. He made $40 bales To
convey an idea of his new sytem it is
reported that Mr.. Dickson sowed
four acres of land to turnips, in the
fall, having enriched it with 400
pounds OF guano, with considerable
sprinkling ofsalt and plaster. He fed
the turnips off on the lot. The fol
lowing spring he added 100 pounds
guano, 100 pounds dissolved bones,
100 pounds salt, and fifty pounds
plaster per acre, and put in cotton.
From the four acres the crop was
16,800 pounds OF seed cotton, equal to
$3.50 pounds of lint; worth, say ST.
2S7 net, or nearly 1922 per acre-a
sum quite equal to- the profits of
some market gardens in the neigh
borhood of cities, where the lands
are valued at $1,000 per acre.
Another report rendered by Mr..
Dickson is referred to. He took in
trar8 to nature, we have to say that |
horticulture, in practical and business
sense, is open to just that objection
all along the line, and the splendid
results obtained are vested in their
variation from and superiority over
the parent type. Nature never pro-
duces Newtown Pippins, Bartlett
pears, Navel oranges, double roses
or black Hamburg grapes. Nature
did produce crab-apples, choke pears,
sour oranges and sour grapes and
nature gave man the brains to use
natures tools in natures workshop
and laboratory, the soil and the air.
Nature and man are the high con-
tracing parties for the improvement
of species. Nature is chiefly solicit
Gus in preserving seed, while man,
by wide comprehension and knowl-
edge OF natures law, bends nature to
his purpose OF producing the snowy
petals and luscious pericarp. the aim
and end of horticulture. Nature has
proclaimed that she will not preserve
our Bartlett pears and Newtown
Pippins by seed but she has consented
that we may preserve them by bud
ding or grating.
The second objection is, that the
orange on China lemon is Ort lived.
Many things here come up for con-
sideration, viz: The natural longevity
vldity of China lemon, the method OF
working and handling the stock,
health OF stock and bud. whether a
seeding or cutting, soil and climate
suitable or unsuitable, and the natu-
raj or artificial wetness or dryuess
of the situation in nursery and or.
chard. In the first place, what is
the China lemon We have asked
three-score men, and failed to get its
botanic name. The common i'm.
preston is that it came from China
to the Sandwich Islands, and from
there was introduced into this State.
Mr.. Gouritleur, an old nursery Of
Anaheim, and formerly OF Paris,
France, where ne served an appren-
ticeshlp OF seven years in the nursery
business, calls it Citrus Leano'iG mani,
or dwarf lemon. He says it is some
times used i'll Paris to bud the or
ange upon for hot house culture, and
that Thomas River, OF England, uses
it extensively Tor the same purpose,
but in field culture it is little used,
neing dwarf The Sicily lemon Is
the principal stock used in Southern