The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-04-02
WIDTH OF COTTON ROWS AS AN ELE-
MENT TO CREATE BOLLs.
The San Gabriel stock Farm-Sweet ro-
tato Rot and Other Agricultural
Notes.
Width OLE COTTON Rows.

| WISH 10 TeIer W "h"V 10 S"AN IL
THE STATESMAN today under the
heading of "Farm Notes and Cotton
Planting" that three and one half feet
is the right distance between cotton
rows for upland cultivation. l sug-
gest that distance has most probably
been selected on account OF the pres
ent mode of blowing out a row with a
double pillow in one round.
My theory, founded on observation
and some practice, is that the prop1r
distance on good black upland should
not be less than four and one-half to
five feet, and on rich valley land five
to seven feet, according to it's degree
OF moisture during the season.
In writing to you it is only neces'
sary to give suggestive outline OF
my reasons without an extended
elaboration, as you will readily under
stand them.
l, The object Of growing cotton is
to make hollis bearing cotton and TO
make stalk only auxiliary to that OBJ
ject.
3. No more stalks should be left to
grow than the fertility and moisture
of the soil will bring to maturity, for
the production of bolls that
will open during the season OF
growth, which in this climate is
about Fix months.
3. The best results are produced
| by stirring the soil regularly during
the entire season before and during
the whole time the stock is producing
open hollis and by giving the stalks
such distance between the rows as
will allow the atmosphere and sun to
as nearly as possiDle-act upon the
whole stalk. (See peach tree stand
| ing by itself as to now it bears fruit
rs compared to one in a cluster OF
trees-cotton il tree).
The distance propose will meet
these requirements by permitting the
ground to be stirred up to frost, to
flourish the plant and prevent weeds
and grass from robbing it of moisture
and fertility in the soil. And further,
il the season should be rainy, the
| plants will need the space to grow in
and still have the sun and free circu'
lation OF the atmosphere, which will
be much promoted by running the
rows north and south, by which our
southern Winds in summer will sweep
between the rows and each row shade
itself from excessive heat in the mid
die part of the day.
Much of the nutriment of cotton,
rs we'll as of the cereals, comes from
the atmosphere in connection with
that which GENES from the soil
if the ground is stirred
and the grass and weeds
are kept down so not to take it up.
1t is universal law in the growth
of every object both vegetable and
animal, that the greatest perfection is
attained by its regular and continued
growth during the entire season that
it can grow in reaching full maturity,
The distance 81 three and a nall
feet in rows is not enough to afford
all these advantages.
The same rules apply to corn as to
cotton. If some good farmer will try
even ten rows on my plan he will Zee
the difference, as have seen it and
proved it to others by my own trial OF
| it. THEORY AND PRACTICE.
AUSTIN, March 20.
THE SAN GABRIEL STOCK FARM.
1t has passed into proverb that
the man who MAX es two blades of
grass grow where only one grew be-
fore is benefactor of his species, and
we have come to accept the statement
without qualification or condition. !
would, however, draw attention to the
fact that the increased yield Of grass
would be of little advantage ii itcOuld
not be put to some practical use, and
that the man who produces stock that
will double, treble or quadruple the
value of the feed that would be con-
sumed by an inferior animal, deserves
fame equally with the grass man.
If this is q just conclusion, then
the names of d. H. and j. w. Snyder
deserve to be handed down to poster
ity as public benefactors, as they are
engaged in an enterprise that will GER
tainly produce the before mentioned
results. Not only are they, by an in-
telligent system of agriculture, doubl
ing and trebling the native vegeta-
ton, but they are breeding stock
that will give fourfold re-
turn on all they consume over
the native or common stock of the
country.
These gentlemen have been en-
gagged in horse raising in Texas for
the last thirty-four years and should
understand their business. That they
do Sc, proved to my satisfaction, by
a visit | last week paid to their ranch
near George own.
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