St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-10-31
FARMER AND DPLANTER.
THE COTTON FIELD.
No Not Leave Ie Bare DurSsg the Me-

DO Not Leave Ie Bare Durjag The Neg,
Winter.
The south is fortunate in having 4
staple money crop. which, If properly
used, is the least exhaustive crop on
soil that can be grown. And yet, un'
der the system that has been pursued
in the south. it is well known that the
soil has become depleted. But it Il
not the growing Of the cotton tina I
has exhausted 1t. OF the cotton fiber
not over two per cent. comes from the
soil, all the remainder being the re.
suit of the assimilation of carbon from
the air under the influence of the sun.
shine. The matters that are drawn
from: the soil are mainly In
the stems, leaves and seed.
Even the oil that is in the seeds IL the
result of the same assimila tion Of car.
bon from the air. It should be plain
then that il the plant and the meal
and hulls of the crop are returned to
the soil, the growing Of the cotton
crop should not exhaust the land Ia
any serious extent. But the land has
been exhausted mainly by the system
that has been pursued in the culture
of the plant. Year after year the land
is kept exposed to the sun in the clean
culture demanded by tho crop. and
all winter the bare soil lies exposed to
the washing of the heavy rainfall 81
the south, and these influences have
been far more responsible for the ex.
haustion of the cotton lands than any
growing of the crop itself. How ia
avoid these untoward influences
should be q matter of inter, st to every
thinking farmer in the south. It has
long been q notion in the south that
the cotton crop will not adapt itself
to any farm rotation rs is practiced
by all improving farmers in other sec.
tions. This is an error. The cotton
crop can be as we'll cultivated in = 70.
tation that will constantly tend ia
build up the soil rs any other money
crop that is grown in this country.
But the rotation that would be best
with the crops grown northward is
not of necessity the best for
the cotton farmer. Every cult
vator should study his special
money crop. and adapt all his
farming to the purpose of increasing
the capacity of his soil for the produc-
tion of that crop in the most econom-
ical manner. Big crops can doubt
less be made by piling on fertiiizera
with lavish hand, but whether such
4 course is economical is very ques-
tiOnable. Growing crops merely by
the aid of complete fertilizers is plant
ing, but it is rot farming in the true
sense. But farm rotations that are
adapted to the crops and climatic con-
ditions in the northern states are sell
dom the best for the cotton belt. But
it is perfectly feasible to devise
crop rotations that will suit our
soil and climate, and that will
enable the southern cotton farm
er to keep stock. and feed them well
and build up the productiveness Of his
acres for the staple crop, for. no mat
ter what may be said by pessimists,
cotton is and must be, over the great
er part of the south, the main money
crop, and we must learn to grow il un-
der the changed conditions that leave
no profit to the old-style planter.
Now, while the crop is growing. is the
time to plan better practices for the
future, and we would say in all earn
estness, prepare now to have some
soil cover growing on your cotton field
next winter to keep the plant food
from all being washed out.-Cor Farm.
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