The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-02-23
COTTON.
BUREAU SOUTHERN News, !
Pine Bluff, N. c. {

BUREAU SOUTHERN News,
Pine Bluff, N. c.
1t is likely that no crop on the face
of the globe, certainly, not in the Uni
ted States, receives more anxious care
and attention than the cotton crop.
If the crop does well it draws large
amounts of money to the United
States, and not only benefits the South
but the entire Union and for this
reason the culture of cotton should be
an interesting subject to every Ameri-
can.
The cotton is planted from the 1st
of April to the Ist of may in drills or
rows about three feet apart. When
the plants are two weeks old 1t is thin
ned out by "chopping" or cutting a
slice from the top of the row eight
inches wide taking with it all the cot
ton sprouts in the eight inch space
leaving few plants between each
"chap." Later on all cotton fields are
brought to a stand. That is, the fields
are plowed, al grass and all plants
more than needed chopped out. To
bring one acre to stand, is a days
work for the best hands.
Our fields have been brought to
stand, we leave the cotton to grow for
a while and look little to the foes of
the crop. First the cold weather in
the spring, may delay planting too long;
or cold weather after it comes up may
discolor it, or late frosts nip 1t. Too
much rain in June may allow the grass
TO get ahead of the cotton by prevent.
ing proper cultivation Of the land.
The most destructive living foe is the
cotton caterpillar. The Hon. Gerald
McCarth, State Botanist of North
Carolina, treats this as follows:
THE COTTON CATERPILLAR.
This much dreaded pest of the cot
ton field is less troublesome in North
Carolina than in States further South.
The cotton moth is tropical spec
les, introduced into the Southern
States from South America in or
about 1898, The damage caused by
this pest since its introduction almost
exceeds belief. During the two de-
cades from 1860 to 1880, competent
authorities estimate the average an
nual damage at $4,000, 900. During
bad worm years Texas has lost from
this source alone So,4oo,ooo Missis.
sippi, $4,000, 900 ; Alabama, $47oo,.
900 Louisiana, 81, SOC, 900; Georgia,
$4,000, 900; Arkansas, $1,000, 900 /;
South Carolina, $soo,oo Tennessee
and North Carolina, $35o,ooo each.
The cotton moth passes the winter
in the perfect or winged state. But,
being tropical species, it is unable to
withstand the winter temperature north
OF the latitude OF Savannah and Vicks
burg. AT the commencement Of cold
weather all the moths found north of
that latitude die of those found south
of the line some few survive, hidden
IL cracks and corners Of gin houses,
and otter buildings, or they find shell
ter under heaps of rubbish in fields
and woods These survivors suffice
to propagate the species anew each
spring. The insects, as they increase
IN number, spread northward, and
usually reach North Carolina about
the first of August.
The moth lays her eggs singly on
on the under side of the leaf and each
female usually lays from $50 to 200
eggs. The eggs are at first greenish,
soon changing to whitish. They are
about I-4o inch in diameter, semi
spherical and ribbed like a cotton
picker's basket. The eggs usually
hatch in two or three days and the
young caterpillars at once begin to eat.
The first few days they confine them
selves to the underside of the leaves,
but eventually eat through or ''rag"
the leaf and appear on the upper sides.
The caterpillar grows rapidly and eats
voraciously for about go days. 1t
then by means of silk threads, webs
Itself up into leaf and remains dor
mant for a week or ten days AT the
end of this period it comes forth as
the perfect or winged moth. Within
:hirty six hours after issuing the moths
have paired and the female begins to
lay her eggs for the next brood. The
number of broods varies from two in
North Carolina to six or more in Tex
as.
The cotton resembles the buck
wheat plant when it first appears
above ground and for several weeks
thereafter, but when fully matured it
has the appearance of small tree or
large shrub. It's average height Is
three feet but sometimes it grows to
height Of eight feet.
Cotton commences blooming in
June and continues to bloom until |
September, and ripens from the Ist of
July until the Ist of December.