Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-09-27

experiment in cotton-planting reported
from
THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Between 1872 and 1881 was that of J. l..
Jackson on bottom land of the Sacramento
river, in 1876. He planted $50 acres and
obtained n stand ON 100 acres. Cultivation
was somewhat neglected, and the cotton
was not all pickcd-most of it only onCc.
The product was 10000 pounds Of lint, or
about 1SS pounds per acre. The staple, of
which samples were seen by me, was ex-
cellent. 4 number of smaller paintings
were made in the same region about this
time but the want of home market dis
couragcd continuance OF the culture.
| The personal observations made on the
occasion of my visit TO the MERGED cotton
! farms in 1879 are given below, in connec-
ton with the cultural details. The total
| acreage at that time was 375.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS,
The following year (1SS0) field of about
| 60 acres was planted at Belleview ranch
of Haggin & Carr, in Kern county. This
experiment was of especial importance, be-
cause covering Il tract of land which, under
continued surface irrigation, had become
! so strongls impregnated with alkaG that it
| failed to grow wheat any more, and also
|
and returns which is given below. The
financial exhibit there given is not very
| fattering, as might be expected the first
year Of trial; but it is a great deal better
than could have been obtained on the same
| field with wheat. In any case, the out
come has been sufficiently satisfactory to
| induce the planting of q considerably
greater breadth. In the Mussel Slough
| region OF Tulare county also some excel
| lent samples of cotton were grown in 1881,
! and as the "alkai question" becomes
more pressing and interfereS with the sue
| cess of wheat culture, it is likely
that cotton will become q tavOritc crop.
Experiments made with sea-island and up
land cotton on 800 acres near Williams,
Colusa county, and near Gridley, Butte
county seem to prove that cotton will
yield good results in the Sacramento valley
without either irrigation or the frequent
| rains considered so necessary to the welfare
! of the cott0n-plant in the Southwestern
States. The sea-island variety, however, on
both fields was complete failure.
METHOD OF CULTURE.
The following method, given by J. W. A.
Wright in speaking of the cotton culture in
the San Joaquin valley, is usually practiced
by those most prominently engaged in cot
ton culture:
To prepare the land some begin blowing
il December and others not until February
As q general rule, the earlier the better
Some plow only inches, while others plow
as deep as from 10 10 II inches Planting
is not done in ridges, as in the Southern
States, but because of the drier climate of
California; i'll burrows run about feet
apart The time of planting varies from
the last of March to the 10th of May,
though successful crops have been raised
when planted as late as the middle of June
1t has been found best to soak the seed In
| q pool of cold water, at least from - o clock
noon until early the next morning, and
then to mix with ashes; this kills the eggs
of the insects which often destroy the
crop" The seed comes up in from five 10
fifteen days, according to the time OF plant
ing and to the depth to which covered. 1t
should be covered about inches. The
plants, when up, are thinned out with a
hoe leaving one or two ut distances Of from
Is to - inches apart. The disqualification
is less than that given in the Southern
States especially on the uplands, where
weeds ere not very troublesome Some
planters plOw three times and hoe once.
others on bottom lands DlOw twice and hoe
twice. at intervals of from > to 10 DAYS,
beg, ming two weeks after the plant is up
BY some the Southern method is practiced
If running the plow at the first blowing
near the roots of the plant and throwing
the soil from the plant and ut the second
blowing throwing it back The blooms
begin 10 open toward the end of June. and
the bOlls begin to open in September The
plant attains = hight of ; to feet with an
average of feet, and from 800 to 100 good
bols have been counted to the plant, aver
aging usually 100. Three pickings are
sometimes given to the crop, the first in the
last of September the second in October.
and the las, toward the close Of November
Some planters continue the picking into
January or February.
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS.
On visit to the cotton farms Of the Mcr-
ced valley the following details were ascer-
tanned: The cotton acreage was $50 225
acres Oh the Strong farm and 100 acres on
! the farm Of W. A Grade, near Hopcton.
| On the former place the aspect Of the plant
was very uneven, those portions of the
| field having a shallow soil uuderaid by
, gravel, being hurt by drought, and it being
almost too late for irrigation. On Grades
| land the stand was more regular, the soil
! being more uniformly deep, the hight OF
! the plant being from > to / feet and fairly
! boiled, yielding that season 900 pounds OF
! Seel-cotton per acre; in good seasons easily
averaging 200 pounds, making 300 pounds
of lint, formerly 500 pounds. The planting
! is done in March or the first week of April.
! there being little danger from late frosts
! here. Cultivation Is level, the rows about
! 1 feet apart and the plants from Is To u
| inches in the row. The land is kept very
| clean, and is plOwed or cultivated as often
AZ nay be rendered necessary bv the sea
| son. One irrigation is given in June. Just
| before the time the blooms begin to open
| then no more, rs it does not seem to be re-
! quired, and trouble from weeds is avoided.
The plants originally from Mississippi
! petit Gulf seed, have curious habit of
| forming long branches from the base of the
! stalk, thus spreading more than is usually
| seen in the cotton States. Along these
branches the
BOLLs ARE STRUNG THICKLY,
Sometimes apparently OF the same age for
IS inches or > feet, and, especially in the
| low and somewhat over irrigated grounds.
are inclined to he slow in opening Near
the river such long, heavily boiled branches
are having q new growth and are blooming
abuudantly. while not boil seems as vet
October lfth) inclined to open. On the
higher ground the plants have mostly
ceased blooming AMI the bolis are opening
well, though somewhat slowly This slug
gishncSS in opening seems to occur to a
greater or less degree all over the San Joa-
qujn valley. Light frCsts accelerate it ma
tcrially. There Is not usually any killing
frost here; hence picking can be done very
clean Picking is chiefly done by Chinese,
who in that year were paid % cents per 100
pounds Of seduction. The best hands
pick $50 pounds q day. the majority be
tween - and % pounds. They carry a