The Bossier banner., 1891-09-24
FARMER AND PLANTER.
TREATMENT OF COTTON.

Seasonablo Hints in Regard to the Grow
ing Cotton Crop.
The treatment of cotton during July
should vary with the condition of the
crop If from any cause it is late, and
has hardly begun fruiting, it should be
plowed at short intervals. The object
is to promote the growth of weed and
to bring it as quickly as possible to the
fruiting stage. July and August are
the two chief fruiting months in the
larger portion of the cotton belt. The
maturing of fruit extends into Septem-
ber and October-~but the taking on OF
fruit that will mature is limited mainly
to the months of July and August. 1t
is desirable, therefore, to have good
sized weed early in July. If not al
ready had, get it as soon as possible by
frequent wedding. If, on the other hand
there is weed enough, it is desirable to
have growth go on at more moderate
speed, and turn the energy of the plant
mainly into fruiting. AS often stated
before, growth and fruiting are some
what antagonistic, and whilst the mat
ter is not entirely under the control of
ward harmonizing them by judicious
cultivation. Flowing at longer inter
walls than heretofore will tend to mod
crate the growth. In some extreme
cases, where tendency to weed is very
great, and disposition to mature fruit
very small it may be advisable to stop
the plow entirely. Such cases are pre-
sented by rich and rather damp bottom
lands, also by some heavy clay soils.
On such land the plow should stop just as
soon as it can be done without danger of
the land becoming excessively foul. In
the middle'of the cotton belt there is no
need of any growth of weed after the
middle of August. New growth brings
with it new squares but q square
formed later than the middle of August
very rarely makes boil that opens.
In SO far then as working promotes
growth, there is nothing to be gained
by working cotton after the first of Au-
gust. But, it ray be asked, will not
later working help the growth and
development of the bolls already start.
ed? That is an open question. In some
cases it is doubtless beneficial to plow
cotton later than the first of August.
The plant has to go on gathering and
assimilating food until it's bolls are
about grown, and old, worn Soils
destitute of humus, are liable to
get too dry and hard for this
work to go on if the blowing is
stopped. On such it is advisable to
keep the plows going later than the 1st
of August, if the weather is dry. If
rains abound, it would neither be neces-
sary nor desirable to do this, as it
would promote growth too much.
Again, if by the 1st of August cotton
has stopped growing completely, it
might do harm to plow it, as this might
start the growth again, and this would
be undesirable at that late date. One
must take all these things into consid-
Grafton and decide accordingly in any
| given case.
Another question that will come up
by the end of July will be the topping
! of cotton. This, like the time to stop
blowing, is question about which no
| absolute rule can be laid down.
The object of topping is to check
the growth of the stalk and en-
courage formation of fruit. When,
therefore, the time comes that growth
should stop-from 1st to 18th of Au-
gust-if cotton is growing very slowly,
or has stopped growth, nothing is ac-
complished by topping. Or if the sea-
son is then very wet and cotton is grow
ing very rapidly, although it would be
very desirable to moderate growth,
topping does not check growth, for as
soon as the top bud is removed, other
buds at once spring into branches. II
is only when cotton is growing moder-
ately and steadily at the time in ques.
tion, that topping accomplishes the OBJ.
iect in view, At any time from the
25th of July to the 10th of August,
when cotton is in the condition last de-
scribed, it may be topped with good
reason to expect favorable results
Small cotton on poor land is less apt tc
be benefited by topping than rank cot
ton on good land. Southern Farm.
CORN AND PEA CULTURE.