The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-04-01

crop and low prices of cotton means the
existence of much discomfort and the prac-
tice Of much self-denial in the thousands of
small farmers homes. 1t is, unfortunately,
still the case among southern farmers of
every degree, with very few exceptions,
that every necessary. comfort or conven-
lenee is dependent upon the success or
failure OF their cotton fields. Though the
practice Of making q speciality of cotton
has been preached against by thousands of
thoughtful, practical writers and thousands
of farmers have reached impoverishment
through following the practice, still there
has been very little diminution Of the cot
ton acreage in any section Of the south.
Even on the long cultivated, and now badly
worn, soils of the Atlantic and Gulf terri
tory there has been no decrease of acreage,
10 apparent determination on the part of
farmers generally to change the system that
has brought ruin to SO many thousands of
farmers and our agricultural condition to
as low an ebh as it is possible to be and ad
init of further continuance as pursuit
promising any reasonable returns for the
labor and money expended upon it. Some
few here and there make cotton growing
profitable, but the large majority of farm
ers have not for several years found any
profit in the crop. 1t cannot possibly pay
when it requires five or six acres to make a
bale, and frequently it has required more
acreage than this even to make bale.
Where one cultivates cotton of course the
best results should be striven for. Intensi-
fled culture on 25 acres it has been shown
time and again produces better results than
so acres on the old-time plan of hasty prep
aration of the soil, sowing four or five
bushels of seed to the acre leaving the thick
stand that results five or six weeks before
it is chopped to a stand, and then leaving
five times more plants to the acre than
should be left Good preparation of the
soil, prompt chopping to a stand, leaving
rarely over 5000 plants to the acre. and
half this number on good strong land and
giving the crop prompt start Off by
promptly narrowing OF sweeping indicates
the method of culture under the intensive
system. On the worn soil of the older sec
lions of the south when continuous cult
walton of cotton and corn has been kept up
for 25 to 80 years it is generally indlspensa-
BILE that some kind of fertilizer be used, and
the bulk Of this must necessarily be of the
commercial kind, for our southern farmers,
as a rule, have too little stock to enable
them to rely on the homemade article.
They are, under the prevailing system,
forced to resort to commercial fertilizers or
apply nothing at all to four-fif hs of the
land they cultivate. In respect to this the
intensive system requires greater applica-
ton of fertilizer per acre than is ordinarily
applied. Instead or 100 or I'D pounds OF
ordinary STANDARD" fertilizer, 400 or 800
pounds must be applied, Regulating this
quantity according to the quality of the
land cultivated
AS this is the regular year for the
cotton caterpillar it behooves farmers to
plant as early as possible and push
the crop so that as many bolIs as possible
will be we'll developed By the mid lie of
August, about which time the caterpillar
will be on hand in destructive numbers over
large territory. May planted cotton,
| especially on thin land aHd poorly cult
waited, Is likely to produce little or nothing
this year. Few or no bolls will mature on
plants that have been deluded of their
foliage while they are blooming and form
ing squares. The cotton caterpillar, as we'll
as the bolworm, destroys the boil in its
very tender stage After it has hardened
some they do not penetrate it. Early
planted cotton, and especially on rich land,
is frequently but little cut OFF by the cater
pillars, though they may destroy the foliage
and ewly-formed squares, most of which
| will not mature anyway. Even though
! one may resort to Paris green to destroy
! the first broods Of the caterpillar it is well
enough to make assurance doubly sure, and
| the best way to affect this is to make as
early planting as poss BILE, and push the
crop by rapid cultivation.
s. A. Cook, Milledgeville, Ga.