The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1898-02-24
a PAYING COTTON CROP.
Best Method Of Growing the Staple to
Make Profit.

The low price OF cotton is alreauy
bringing out various schemes for re-
ducing the acreage in this crop. Atpres.
ent prices for the staple there is no
profit in cotton growing for the aver
age farmer who follows the old plan OF
growing cotton after cotton on land
that has long since parted with oil its
vegetable matter, and who cultivates
three acres or more to get a bale:
There should of course be reduction
OF the acreage in cotton, and an IN
crease of the acreage in the crops used
for forage and the Improvement oil the
land. There should be more intelli,
gent farming and less of mere plant,
ing in the old ruts. We have often
shown that a man by systematic use
of the cheaper forms of fertilizers ON
peas can accumulate vegetable matter
in his soil that will enable
him to use the commercial fertlliz-
ers to greater profit on his crops.
A soil full of decayed vegetable
matter will give better results from
the use of commercial fert-
ilizers than one in which there is no
such deposit. It will withstand the
effects of drought better, is warmer
and earlier in the spring, and its me-
chanical texture is such that tits easier
to work. What we need now to do is
not so much to reduce the general
crop of cotton in the South as to grow
the crop on fewer acres and at less ex-
pense. If cotton will bring but five
cents per lb. then if We are to grow 1t
at profit we must produce it at less
cost than five cents. We have seen it
grown at an actual cost of three and
a half cents when all the labor was
paid for in cash, and an accurate &C.
count kept. But the crop was long
way over half bale per acre. With
but half bale per acre or less the cost
of growing cotton will exceed its pres
ent price. And this is now just the
condition of the majority of the cot
ton growers in the Southern uplands.
Reduce your acreage, but make the Ell
forts to get just as much cotton on the
reduced acreage. The way to do is not
to take all old cotton field and give an
extra dose of fertilizer, but start at once
in the work of building up the land
and stocking it with vegetable matter
till YOU can give all the fertilizer that
can proftably be used. You have an
! old piece of land that has been In cot
ton for generations. You have grown
no peas, as you should have done,
and have no pea fallow for the cotton.
What is next best? We would cut
the cotton area in such case right IN
two or less, and would 60 to work at
once to cover ell the portion to be
cultivated with some sort of decayed
vegetation. Get to the forest and
haul out during the winter all the de-
cayed mould you can get and cover all
the and over broadcast. Do not
60 to the labor of composing, but
cover the land all over with the refuse
from the forest Spread all the cotton
seed out the same way, and then
apply broadcast, too, mixture
of Kainit and acid phosphate in
equal parts at rate of 400 pounds per
acre. Put it out during the winter
and do not be afraid it will get away
from you. It will simply get into bet
ter condition for the crop by being put
on the land month or two ahead of
planting. With the land covered over
bodily with the black mold and leaves
from the woods you will have an
amount of humus added to the soil
that will make your fertilizers more
effective, and the teaching away of the
salt in the Kainit will render soluble
some matters in this mold that will be
of value to the crop. Then when yo1
come to prepare for the crop light
| dressing of some complete fertilizer,
or only some cotton seed meal, will
give the plants an early start, and
through all the summer they will be
finding new food as their roots ex-
tend. KANT has special value in
bringing about conditions that enable
the plant to resist the attacks of rust
and leaf blight, and although under
general conditions we believe that the
more concentrated potash salts, like
the muriate or the sulphate, are the
cheaper with the cotton crop we
would use Kainit with an abnnd-
ance of acid phosphate. The
same mixture applied to crop
of peas, and the peas let die on the
land, will give you coat of vegetable
matter ready spread that will be bet
ter than that which you could haul
there. But for the present try the
hauling of vegetable decay and cover
the land all over, and then get the acid
phosphate and Kainit there month
or so ahead of the planting. Broad
cast manuring and the growing of peas
are the means for bringing land up to
the production OF 1000 pounds seed
cotton per acre.
In all the special fertilizers for cot.
ton there is too small a percentage Of
potash for the sandy lands of the
Southern coast plan, which need this
element badly. While, therefore, q
man may use complete fertilizer in
the furrow for his cotton, he will, il
he is on sandy land, find that the
broadcast application of Kainitiwhich
we have recommended will pay well,
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