The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-03-12
FARM NOIES.
TIMELY SUGGESTIONS FROM THE
sTATEsMAN's FARMER.
Don't BE Two Previous In Planting
Gotten - Statistics Fruit
Prospects, Etc.

The season l9 unusually oackW irui
and to the same extent favorable Tor
agricultural interests. Exceptionally
early seasons are often disastrous in
this far southern CLINE. When vege.
ton starts early it is very liable to be
checked, and often fatally injured by
the frosts and cold snaps that seldom
fail to arrive in March. Fortunately
in this year of grace, fruit trees are
about four weeks later than usual in
blossoming, so that the late frosts and
hail storms of the 8th inst. have done
little damage, and there is good
prospect of fine fruit crop.
Corn planting is finished and cul
tivation commenced. Spring sown
oats have made little growth owing to
deficiency of rain during the past six
weeks. The rainfall has been abnor-
mally light, and in many cases only 80
inches since the first of February.
against g. inches in 1889 and 3 So last
year. But as we had beautiful sup
ply Of rain in January, the So IL is full
of moisture and sufficient to start and
maintain the growth of corn for som,
time Small grain being looted near
the surface suffers sooner.
saw one pushing farmer planting
cotton on the 7th inst apparentl
bent on beating droutn and boil
worm.
May his fond anticipations be re
allied But, judged hy the experience
of the past he will tind he has been "a
little too previous The earlier any
seed is planted tle better, provided
the after conditions are favorable, but
it often happens with the planter, a.
with the competitors in a race, the on
that goes off with lead at the start.
comes in last at the finish.
In cotton planting especially, it is
wisdom to make haste slowly" Like
beans and other tender garden truck
| it dislikes cold weather and makes no
growth after termination till settled
term of warm weath her sets in.
1t is deluson, very widely spread,
that if the plant is not making much
stalk and leaf growth, it is making
root and becoming better qualified for
development when the warmer season
comes.
This is a false conclusion. The root
growth of plant is 10 exact ratio t,
the growth of its weed. And thus it
comes to pass that cotton planted
April Is will nearly always arrive a.
maturity before that planted in the
middle of March. The first planted
may come up and flourish for short
time, but the high frosts an
cool nights dwarf and possum- ear
1t and make it an easy prey
to lice and other ailments, while that !
planted month Later, when tn
weather is genial and the nights mild,
grows right ahead without a che ok
am an advocate OF early as against
ate planting, when there is a reasona
BILE chance of success, but till 9TH,
| signs" are propitiouS, think time Can
he well spent in getting the soil into
fine condition for the crop, Instead of
waiting to do all the cultivation after
planting.
Looking over the state agricultural
report for 1S9990 just issued, l find
Travis county ranks fifth in cotton
raising SO, 39S bales, being beat n by
only few thousand bales by Bell
| Washington, Fayette and Ellis.
This is a considerable showing, be
ing within a fraction of half bale to
the acre. The supremacy of Texas as
u cotton state is shown in the follow
ing table OF averages for the year
above named:
Texas-41 per cent. of bale per
acre.
Tennessee-40 per cent. of a bale per
acre.
Mississippi-4O per cent. of a bale
per acre.
Louisana-40 per cent. of bale per
acre.
: Arkansas-40 per cent of bale per
acre.
North Carolina-33 per cent. of a
bale per acre.
South Carolina-32 per cent. of a
bale per acre.
Virgin a-32 per cent. of bale per
acre.
Alabama-32 per cent. of bale per
acre.
Georgia-31 per cent. of bale per
acre.
Florida-23 per cent. OF bale per
acre.
The high average Of Texas is of
course mainly due to the richness of
her soil and the adaptability OF her
climate for cotton culture; and the
high position of Travis county is to be
accounted for not OILY by her rich
soil aud generous climate, but the su-
perior intelligence and progressiveneSs
of her farmers. They are reading
thinking and forwardmoving people,
and VIII lie clinging to well proved good
things, are ever on the Quito * for
something better. This is particularly
the case with cotton. Every variety IS
eagerly tested in order that the best
may be obtained; and many farmers
devote much time AID thought to the
improvement OF seed and the develop
ment or new varieties.
Hearing of new cotton originated
near Manor | sent for few bushels
for tria and asked the originator for
short description of it. tie writes:
1.-The tolls of nv cotton are twice as
large as ordinary co ton, but tue seed
is of the ordinary size I he yield is
from fifty to seventy-tive per cent
| greater than average cotton and on
1 l.. IL,