The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-01-15
FARM NOTES.
This column is edited by Mr.. John q.
Edgar of DuVal, to whom all communlcs'
tions should be sddressed.l

| Edgar of DuVal, to whom all cOmmunlch'
tons should be addressed
THE RIGHT DISTANCE FOR COTTON.
A full yield of cotton or any other
crop depends ON more than soil, sea-
son and cultivation. In addition to
these three important factors there
must be what is commonly called "a
perfect stand" In other words there
must be neither more nor less plants
to the acre than the land is capable
of supplying with full compliment
of plant food, and they must be so
disposed that each plant has its maxi
mum of feeding ground. Any devia-
ton from this standard of perfection
must injuriously affect the harvest,
and the nearer we can approach it,
other conditions being equal, the
nearer will we be to full crop. In
trying to determine the feeding limit
of any plant many things must be
considered. Varieties of plants differ
as widely in their appetite and diges-
tive powers as soils do in their fer
tility. Climatic influences also enter
into the calculation. No rule can be
laid down that will apply everywhere,
nor indeed within very narrow limits,
and | write, not to tell farmers the
correct distance for any crop, but
merely to suggest individual investi-
CATION and experiment, the only
means by which the knowledge can
be gained, seeing that very few rayrn
under identical conditions. avery
farmer should determine for
himself what is best in
his case and not slavishly
follow old methods, because Of their
antiquity or the gratuitious adj
vice OF any "know-all."
/ will now cOntine myself to the
consideration of the plant; and state
a little of my experience, drawing out
the practices and experience of Others
1t is said to be a fact, and generally
accepted as such, that the roots OF a
plant are in exact ratio to its develop
ment above ground, SO that the more
wide Spreading and numerous the
branches Of plant or tree, the more
extended and plentiful will be its roots
This rule is however like every other,
subject to exceptions, as for example
in case Of corn, which grows tall but
does not spread its foliage, while its
roots extend laterally to great dis
lance. The correlation between root
and branch is however constant
enough to be accepted az general
principle on which to base an agri
cultural rule. By this rule, we can
closely approximate the space required
for the development of a plant, and
see that the long limbed cotton will
require more standing room than the
short, or cluster variety. In some
sections it is the custom to plant in
three feet rows, while in others four feet
is allowed between rows, altogether re-
CARELESS of quality Of soil or variety Of
cotton, and simply because it is the
custom.
The result is that long limbed cot
ton like the Myer and Peterkin
are overcrowded in the narrow rows
and short limbed ones like Welborn' :
"Pet" and Jenkins "Gold Dust" have
too much room in the wide rows. My
experience with cotton on the richest
of Travis county black land, is that
four feet rows is waste OF space with
any variety and serious drawback in
cultivation. 1t is not once in six
years that My,r cotton will meet in
four feet rows on average black land
and whatever it lacks in meeting is
just so much loss of space that would
have gone to make up another row. II
is true that if the rows are wide apart
cotton may be crowded a little more
in the drill but have observed that a
plant does best when it has its full
share of soil all around.
The disadvantage IN cultivation Is
that the cultivator does not stir the
middles going once to the row, or the
double shovel going twice, thus neces
stating double blowing to produce the
effect of one blowing in three feet OF
six or eight row.
For some years 1 have been plant
ing Myer and other long limbed cotton
in four feet rows and l have now come
to the conclusion that / have all these
years been wasting nearly one-seventh
of my land, in other words the same
yield could have been made had the
rows been three feet six or eight apart
to say nothing OF saving hall the la
Dor of cultivation. This is matter
worthy of very serious consideration
as it is only by cheapening of pro-
duction that the cotton grower
can hope to hold his owr
against the steady downward
movement in the price of the staple
To any who may think the narrow
rows will not give cotton enough space
would say, compensate by giving
more space in the row and do that by