The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-10-01
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
HARVESTING COTTON.
Some Further Hints In Regard to tho
Great Southern Staple.

Gathering and marketing the c0ttOn
crop is the most engrossing work for
September. 1t should not be the only
work, however. The sowing of grain
and grass should receive a good share of
attention, even on cotton farm. Or
these we will speak after awhile. OF
the gathering of cotton, the first thing
to be said is, that it should be picked as
fast as it opens. The reasons are many.
The first is, that exposure after it opens
subjects cotton to risk of being blown
out by storms, of being soiled by rains,
and sometimes of the seed sprouting
and the lint mildewing in long,
rainy spells. Again, early-picked cot
ton weighs heavy, and the farmer who
desires to place his cotton on the
market early in the season, gains de-
cidedIy. Twelve hundred pounds of
seed cotton of the early pickings will
make as heavy bale as fifteen hun
bred ponds of seed cotton will do when
picked after it has been open a long
time and the season is much advanced.
Another reason is, that cotton picked
before the leaves have been killed by
frost, is cleaner, that is. freer from
trash, than that picked after the leaves
have become dry and brittle. Another,
still, is that when one gets behind in
cotton picking, it is very hard to catch
up again, and all the evils mentioned
above increase and multiply upon him.
But whilst there are many advan-
tages in picking cotton as soon as it
opens, there is one point connected with
it that should be very carefully guard
ed. Such cotton is usually damp-green,
as it is called-gins badly, and is apt to
make poor sample. Much of the lint
remains on the seed when ginned; that
which is taken off is mapped, and
sometimes badly cut, and hence m UGH
of the early picked cotton that is placed
on the market is of very poor quality.
Now there are several ways of obviating
this trouble. One is to pick and spread
On the cloths as it is being picked, so
that it may have opportunity to dry
that is, substitute cloths for baskets.
| Another is to provide scaffolds or
sheets upon which to spread the cotton
and give it the needed airing and sun.
ming before it is ginned. One rarely
has houseroom enough to sprea d out
any quantity of cotton sufficiently thin
to get it dried in reasonably short
time. Another is to bulk the cotton as
it is picked, let it pass through de,
cided heat, and then open up and
spread out. When thus managed it
dries off quite rapidly, but the heating
must be watched closely, as the lint is
liable to be discolored by the oil OF
the seed if the heat is too great The
seed must be sacrificed, so far as plant.
ing purposes go, when this plan is pur.
sued. Their value for manure will
not however. be at all impaired, In
the olden time the practice of bulk.
ing cotton was quite general,
| the object being to give the lint shade
of cream color; this increased the price
in the market. Some one of the above
| plans for drying cotton should be
adopted by every farmer. 1t is becom.
| ing more and more important every
year that the crop BE- nicely handled.
Cettons are being much more strictly
classified than they used to be and
prices graded cores pondingly. We
hope the small bale, say $50 pounds,
will be soon adopted, so that it may be
moro neatly packed and moro easily
handled. The imperfect mode of COW
ering and the careless handling, and ex-
posture to mud and dirt, has given rise to
the heavy tare heretofore demanded by
manufacturers. Now that the question
of tare is being discussed, in connection
with the kind and weight of bagging
used, let us attempt to reduce it in
every way by careful handling.
With the present prevalent practice
of having cotton picked by the hun
dred, it is quite difficult to getit picked
free from trash. Clean picking might be
encouraged by offering little higher
price for that which is picked free from
trash. But the most practicable and
available plan is to pick out as much
of the crop as possible before Frost
and before the calyx or leaf, which sur.
rounds the boil, gets brittle and adher-
ing to the lint comes off with it when
the latter is picked. Good ginning is
| equally important with clean picking.
| Too rapid movement of the saws will
cut and KNAPP the lint. 1t does not pay
to be in too big hurry about ginning.
Custom-gins should be pledged not to
run beyond certain speed-the temp
tation with them is to gin too rapidly.
Good brushes are also very essential in
! preventing knapping keeping the
lint uniformly taken from the saws and
not allowing it to gather in wads on
them. Attention should be constantly
! given to the problem of procuring a
very cheap covering for cotton. What
ever tire covering of bale of cotton
costs, it is practically lost to the
farmer. Even if the manufacturer can
sell the covering for something, he will
not place it to the credit of the farmer,
but pocket it himself, and at the same
time claim full tare for the weight of
covering. 1t is not clear to our mind
that cotton is the best material for bag
ging, though it may be wise to use it
! temporarily in putting down the Jute
Trust Something cheaper, and yet
equally available for rendering farmers
Independent of monopolies and combi-
nations, can surely be found, if atten-
tion is constantly turned towards it
Southern Farmer.
PECAN CULTURE.