The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-07-30
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE MONTH OF JULY.
The Halfway House in the Farmers
Effort to Make Crops.

farmers toilsome annual way. On the
well-ordered farm the demands OF the
crops for cultivation have possibly
slackened, corn being generally LAID
by." and cotton sufficiently advanced to
be out of the way of the farmers tradl-
tional enemy-grass. Some farmers
make 1t point to lay by cotton by the
Fourth OF July" 1t depends on the
seasons and the general condition OF the
crop whether cultivation should con-
tinue Experience and observation
teach us that the crust that forms on the
surface of the soil after good rain
should be destroyed within week or
less after the rainfall. 1t is important TO
do this for two reasons: l. Ihat inc
air may have free access to the SOIL ana
t2l that evaporation OF the SOIL moisture
NAV be impeded as much as possible.
But these are believed to be effected by
breaking the crust and pulverizing the
soil to the depth of one inch. It's true
that this thin layer of soil soon dries
apparently quicker than if left I'M
| stirred, but, nevertheless it serves as a
mulch to prevent the rapid evaporation
! of the subjacent layers, and thus con-
! serves the moisture just where 1t is
needed--down among the roots OF the
crop.
Assuming that the cotton on we'll Gull
tiyated and we'll fertilized fields is now
at an average height of "knee-hlgh'
or VARYING from one foot to three feet,
the object of culture i'll relation
10 the plant itself is to induce a
steady growth of weed while at the
sa ne time encourage the setting OF
Young bolls. Unnecessarily deep plow-
inc at this iuncture will almost certain
Iv cause the plant to cast or shed It's
Young bolls, and even the forms. The
roots being cut and mangled, must be
renewed by fresh output and growth.
The balance between foliage and fruit
on the one hand, and the roots or reed
ers on the other being destroyed, the
plant can no longer contain all OF the
former. It, therefore, throws OFT por-
ton of the immature fruit, and often
the leaves, and leisurely re-establlshes
its root system, and then commences to
grow again. The final result will be a
larger development Of stem and foliage
! and belated crop OF bolls. we
|, have no doubt that such treatment
of the plant (plowing deep in
; july sometimes proves real
: benefit, when it is Of dwarfed
! and suspended growth, and has taken
= ON more fruit than the plant can ma
= ture, and yet continue at the same time
to grow and set more fruit. We have
" repeatedly tried the experiment o
i, stripping from number Of plants every
y boil and vestige of form as late as July
: 4, with the invariable result of greatly
;. increasing the size of the plants ant
!; materially increasing their yield
:, compared with those in adjacent row
q not SO robbed of their fruit. In suc]
= experiments the plants at once com
mence growing afresh, and general
= grow fifty to one hundred per cent
~ taller. Of course, this was but an eS
20 pertinent, and could not be practice i
- detail on large area, but we have lit
= tie doubt pthat there are many co
. ton fields of which the final ylel
n would be materially increased
h every form and boil at the beginning
60 July on the stalks could be cheaply r
~ moved, and the plants thereby be e.
ID couraged to better development
M weed. Whether it would be safe to S
no cure the preliminary object-the cas-
Id ing or she lding of the present fruit
" by blowing deeply, in any case, we a
IA in doubt. 1t is matter of common
" seryation and frequent remark that
or field of cotton overbears; or that t.
III plant is too SMALL although neavi
.et boiled, to make satisfactory ylel
hv This is apt to be the case on old
w worn soils on which the planting W
in too early In such fields the plant
an yelopment may have been greatly
VI. tarded by unfavorable weather, Ii
! !. neglect, ETC., while the blooming a
in fruiting period was very little delayf
I'd Hence, the plant is ''old enough"
.od not "big enough" to go through
to axhausting process OF profitable rep
ice luction.
ION Topping of the plants has not
lon oeen reduced to rule, and proba
nj will not since experience shows t.
md we can not know beforehand whet
ak. Or not the operation will prove
tai benefit. 1t is matter of common
IAN servation, however, that plant tina
to accidentally topped by the bite Of
tile mule, or otherwise, early in the seas
nod or before it is knee-high, is often
ion parently benefited. If topped at all
nc are pretty confident that it should
ont done before the first of August
the Before leaving the subject, we
ike gest that in blowing cotton from
and time until laid by, as general r
nro tho work should be done with C,
noh vator or sweep that will
de- nearly, if not quite, clean
the middle at one furrow. The 81
was or contour of cross section OF the
VS. .hould be preserved as nearly unit
the as possible. The practice OF runni
small sweep or shovel and scrape t
in each middle heaps the mellow
first on one side and then on the Q
ion. of the middle, only to be reversed a
,dar next blowing, thus alternately shit
M the mass of loose, mellow soil from
,icb side to the other, permitting it t
,ao. main at rest only long enough t
81, filled with the rootlets of the p