The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-08-26
Cotton Roots.

Mr.. Joseph Sprott, ST., read an article
before the last Farmers Convention of
Greenville on the length of cotton roots
and the consequent importance of shallow
plowing after cotton has begun to put on
forms. We suppose our observing read.
ers have noticed in washes the network
of roots from cotton, but we append the
sattiele .fQt.the information Of our. people.
and sa6as they may, take occasion Ito
.examinethe subject for themselves. We;
clip the article from the Greenville En-.
terpriae::
I desire to tell my brother farmers
about cotton root I found in 1868. /
learned more about farming from that
root than all I had previously learned.
Since that I have been making better
crops. 4sSometime in August it rained, for
seYeratdnys. AFTER the rain Was over,
as 7 was walking id my c5ttof field on
the slant of a hillside I saw washont,
and went to it. The waohout was about
ten feet wide and from ten to twelve
inches deep, to the solid red clay. |
saw, as supposed, q large roll of moss.
I picked it up, but found it was attached
to cotton stalk washed down, pulled
the stalk up straight and found that
root came out of the stalk about two
inches from the top Of the surface. The
root was about the sizeof large broom
straw. cut it loose, and held it up by
the butt end as high as could reach when
there was still about foot or moref on
the ground. It was at least eight feet
long. 1 took it under q shade tree near
by. andworked at itffor some time placing
it asit;grew. When fgot it Strengthened
out it wa, Eve feet across the middle, and
about eight feet long, sugar loaf shape,
and one could not have; put his finger
down without putting it on root. l
went back to see more about the root.
The cotton -stalk was about three feetz
high Ind stood,5two feet from the-ba1k
of the izwasbont;y the tap~root fast in the
clay. When Strengthened up found on
the opposite side where root had torn
loose, and in the bank the-root hung, all,
the dirt washed off the butt end of it. I
got stick, hattened it, and followed the
root for about three or four feet. It kept
in the soil AL. the while. just under
SuG6e EOOto OtutlE pun OuG pUt uot uioiO
than two OF three feet long and kept
getting shorter until the tap root entered
the clay.
From this learned lesson and since
that time have been making-better cot
ton crops These two tap roots that come
out about two inches below the surface
keep in the soil all the time and they are
the feeders.to the plant. Now when the.
cotton is bearing forms and you plow
your cotton deep enough to tear loose
these feeders or part of them, it will stop
the growth of the cotton and while the.
butts and under4roots will keep the stalk
alive aud it will form and bloom, yet as
soon as it rains new roots will put out
into the fresh plowed ground and send
back into the stalk a quantity of sap
more than It can bear. and. off. goes the
forms and the planter says, 1T rained,
and made my cotton she'd" Not 80; it
is his deep. plowipg; and cutting: those.
feeders. You ican always tell if you are
cutting them, as you will see the roots
turned up, Use your seraper and scrspe
shallow !; only deep enough to break the
crust, and let the air into the roots. Your
cotton will have on all it can bear; it
will shed some; it could not hold all.
Take care of the roots and the roots will
take care of the stalks. A farmer should
always study how to nurture the roots of
his plants.