Sharp County record., 1888-07-12
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Seasonab.e Notes on Cotton Culture.

Seas onab.e Notes on Cotton Culture.
On nearly every farm 'cottop chop
ping is the order of the dav some
timo during the month. 1t is the
farmer dread on account of appre-
hended bad weather, and scarcity of
labor, or "day hands" Circumstances
should determine whether the hoes
should precede or follow the plows.
If the cotton has come up we'll on
comparatively fresh beds-no heavy
rains having fallen since the seed
was planted, and consequently but
little or no grass, the work of chop
ping may properly commence at once,
without previous plowing especially
If the plows are still engaged in the
corn crop. IT. however, the bells
have been compacted by heavy
uains. forming a crust and
inducing vigorous growth of
grass, it is very important to stir the
rentire surface as quickly as possible
ihy horsepower Where the stand is
good and the land is compar atively
level, some farmers have been pleased
with the plan of cross narrowing the
entire surface with something like a
Thomas smoothing harrow Our own
experience is rather in favor of a mar
rover triangular harrow with the
center tooth removed drawn along
and aside the rows of plants so as to
sir the entire surface at one straight
nrfp to the row. This narrowing, or
sweeping as may be, permits the sun
light and air to penetrate the soil,
and wonderfully accelerates the
growth of the young plants,
while it destroys all grass
that has either come up
or sprouted. The hoes should not fol-
low the plowing or narrowing closer
than within four or five days 1t is q
common practice with farmers to
make "surc work. at the first hoeing;
c'eaning-ironing "the rows" as
some express it-and reducing the
stand carefully to two or three stalks
between each width of the hoe. This
lis tedious operation, and requires a
bong time to get over the crop. This
plan, according to our experience, IS
mot generally advisable. When the
cotton has begun to take on the Sec
'ond and third leaves it needs to be
thinned and the remaining grass re-
moved as quickly as possible. 1t
often happens that the entire
crohhas como mp as the effect of a
single shower of rain, and every acre
is equally impatient to be worked.
The Object, then, is to go over the
crops as rapidly as possible; to hoe,
as well as to plow, The greatest num-
her of rows in day until the entire
crop has received attention, then re-
turn immediately to the starting
point and do the work more carefully
and deliberately The punches of
plants should be left as far apart as
'Sthe stalks are expected to stand when
reduced to u final stoud. II IS no use
10 leave bunch of stalks now to be
cut away at next hoeing BY this
method moro cotton will be thinned
and more grass removed or
n,,nnred from among the
by the '5low, b5Y BIT su..,' w. H., .""" ~
spending from one to two day. no,. m
hand in chopping one acre. Son.
call this "blocking out" and it is
ralher Objectionable to neat farme,
alntil he understands the rationale.
All other things being equal, the most
elective hoeing, at this juncture, is
.hat which kills the most grass and
thins (partlally) uIU S,o,-.~~. ,,or
OF bills of cotton in given time. This
means going over the greatest area in
n a day. The famous David Dickson
4, used to. say that he taught his. hoe
n hands never to strike twice in
h the same place. To do the work
=, of choppng or hoeing cotton most
an effectively and expeditiously, every
g.. hand should be supplied with light
:. steel. square -cornered hoe, and it
! ,,t should be kept sharp A file or scythe
;. stone is very convenient lthing for
~ ~ the foreman to carry in his pocket.
u" Would that we could do away with
Nv he care and extra seed necessary to
WI secure continuous row of plants and
W no subsequent resulting labor of
N'Us estroying the continuity of cutting
NV ut; three-fourths or more of the
p "lants! Careful selection and preser-
'G% %s,' alton of planting seed and dropping
lU planting in hills is the coming
Try" Jan. Mark il. Southern Catltivator.
cents
nces Sorghum for Fodder.
e "a correspondent of the Rural World