The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-11-28
CONDITION NECESSARY TO
CHEAP COTTON PRO.
DUCTION.

Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
Cotton is, and always will be, the
money cropof the South, and too much
attention cannot be given to it's sue.
cesstul production, for the Southern
States are destined to become one of
the richest sections of our country and
become so by the production of cot
ton. At present we see cotton selling
for 2 cents per pound. and it may pos
sibly bring 8 cents, owing to the short
crop; but one year with another, we
cannot hope for an average of more
than cents. But that cotton can be
made and sold for 6 cents, with a good
margin of profit, is shown in numbers
OF instances. The North Carolina Ex
pertinent Station made it with college
labor at cost Of 81 cente, and the
Georgia Experiment Station has grown
it for cents. and am satisfied that it
can be made for less, by proper meth
ode Of fertilizing and cultivation.
In taking up the economical growing
Of cotton, we must look at the question
inteIligently. We must stop planting
large areas without sufficient prepara-
tion and go to farming on improved
methods. Now cotton has long tap
root which under proper conditions
will go down to feet into the sub
soil and pump up water and plant food,
thus enabling the plant to stand
drought. But to do this the sub soil
must be broken with a sub soil pl0W,
at least through the hard pan which
has formed on most of our clay land.
Then the top soil must be made f1ne so
that the small feed roots which occupy
the upper three or four inches of soil
may be able to work freely and obtain
plant food, ar also to enable the air
to penetrate and help the nitrify ing
organisms make plant food available.
It does not make go much difference
what tools you use, or how you work,
so that you get your land in this con.
dition before planting. The best place
for the cotton crop is On a pea vine
stubble. Did you ever try it9 Cotton,
the whole plant, contains more am
monia than it does phosphoric acid
and potash put together and yet this
ammonia is what the cotton grower
cannot afford to buy. First, because
it is too expensive, costing more than
double what phosphoric acid does per
pound: and secondly, because he can
obtain this ammonia from the air and
6x it in the soil by the growing Of COW
peas. Now the bigger crop of COW
peas you can grow, the more Of this
ammonia you will get, and the better
cotton crop you will have. SO that it
will pay you to fertiliZe your pea crop
to start with You can cut the pea
vines for hay, which will pay for this
fertilizer, and a good profit on your
work besides. and the ANN onia which
is mostly in the roots, will be ready for
your cotton.
AfertiIjZer for cotton on our ordinary
up land clays should contain ammonia
2 per cent, pota sh 8 per cent. and phos
phoric acid per cent, but with the
proper kind Of a pea vine stubble, the
ammonia can be omitted. In fact, too
much ammonia is apt to produce too
rank a growth of stalk to the detri
ment of the fruit. A mixture OF 1000
pounds acid phosphate, with $50 pounds
muriate of potash would be about
right, and where the peas have been
previously we'll fertiliz9d an epplica-
tion of 500 pounds of this mixture to
the acre would be sufficient. This
should be applied to the drill before
planting and we'll stirred into the soil.
Cotton should be thinned early, and
kept we'll cultivated. And this culti-
vation should be done more with the
harrow and cultivator and less with
the scooter and scrRpe. For the latter
method causes the water during rain
to run away from the plant, Rccumu :
| late in the rows and run off, washing
the land and carrying away water and
soil which should be held for the future
ure of the crop. The crust should be
kept broken after every rain, and as
the plants become large and their roots
fill the surface soil, the cultivation
should be very shallow.
The Georgia Experiment Station esti
mates the cost Of growing an acre or
cotton, without fertilizer and prepar'
ing it for market at So 42, after deduct.
ing the seed. They made 267 pounds
of lint cotton on this acre which at 8
cents would give them net profit OF
S6 so. On another acre on which So
worth of a well balanced commercial
fertilizer was used, they produced 600
pounds of lint, costing $18 08, after de-
Quoting seed, which gives net profit
of SIT 90. net gain of S11 80 from the
use of So worth of fertilizer. From
this we see that fertilizers will pay on