The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-01-21
FARMER AND PLANTER.
COTTON GROWING.
Against the Old and Slipshod
Method.

the application of She principles of
intensive farming" to cotton culture
as one of the most hopeful and effec-
tive methods of relieving some of the
most serious symptoms, if not OF eff
fectually curing, that everywhere
complained-of malady ''over produc-
ton" The man who by concentrat-
ing his capital, his labor, and his fer
tilizers, upon q smaller area, succeeds
in lowering the cost of production,
has not only furnished a valuable OBJ
ject lesson to the community, but has
placed himself upon decided vantage
ground for the future. If, as many
believe, somebody is going to be
crowded out in this cotton growing
business, he will be about the last
somebody" to leave it. 1t is the man
who can raise the best cotton at the
least cost who is going to do the most
of the "crowding,' and the ''other fell
low" who will do the leaving"
Indeed too much can not be said in
favor of this matter of reducing the
cost of cotton production. No indi
vidual has the power to raise the mar
ket price of this staple by the slight
est fraction of farthing. 1t is in
deed questionable whether any posi-
BILE combination of men or capital or
trust" could permanently effect this.
But every individual cotton grower
can work at the long arm of his own
plantation lever, and if he can not
lift up the price there is always a
chance to force the cost down, which,
so far as he is concerned, amounts to
| the same thing.
There is no doubt that the general
trend of matters is towards improved
| methods and better results. Statistics
indicate that in gradual way the crop
of lint per acre is steadily rising. This
| increase has been going on for the
past twenty years at an annual rate
of about five pounds per acre. The
Financial Chronicle gives the average
production in 1s90-91 as 1914 pounds,
which in 1S97-9S had risen to 24S
pouids. This menas about million
and quarter bales increase for the
space now devoted to the crop. There
is, in the nature of things, no earthly
reason why a 100000 bale crop
should not be grown on half the pres
ent acreage, while the other half de-
voted to cereal and forage crops
would place the south in condition
of independence and seif-supporting
power utterly beyond anything known
in the past.
One of the best means of securing
this result would be by the adoption
of some definite and well considered
rotation of crops. "Cotton" cotton,
externally cotton" year after year
on the same ground, will ruin any
land outside of the Rer river bottoms
or some other such marvellous natura
manure heap. The basis of the whole
system will properly be heavy crol
of cow-peas, which can in nearly every
instance be secured by liberal applica
tons of potash and phosphoric acid
The cow-peas are better turned under
late in autumn. Fair land, with thi:
treatment, provided the application O
the mineral fertilizers has been lib
eral enough, should give a splendid
crop of cotton. This may be succeed
ed by corn, or oats or both, in regular
succession. Any stable manure avail
able can be judiciously appropriated
to the corn crop. But whether tire,
or four years rotation be adopted, COW
peas should form the Fundamental
crop. To this the great bulk of tn,
mineral fertilizers should be given. Al
average application for peas would b.
about 300 pounds. Acid phosphate ant
800 pounds kainit Tor rs pounds muir
ate of potash) per acre. The other
will follow in natural succession, ant
often without further fertilization, tn
crops and the crop producing capacit.
will steadily advance together. o
course, if the land is greatly exhaust
, ed to begin with it may be necessar,
to supplement the fertilization of tn
cow-peas, by additional applications o
{ potash and phosphoric acid to the cot
| ton itself.
/ The contagious influence of gener
al and Intelligent application of tn
. methods of scientific agriculture, t
| cotton growing, over the south woul
| be hard 10 estimate. Happily the eS
pertinent stations, most of the agri
, culture journals, and here and there,
} wide awake and progressive planter
' are working manfully in this direction
. Those who keep step with the progress
! of improvements are the men, who i
this progressive age of sharp CON
petition, are least liked to h
] ruined by low prices. Thos
, who cling to Anticipated, plod
ding ways, will be compelle
t to take the chances of being distance
in the race. The law of supply an
: demand is a hard taskmaster, an
D those who are wise, will endeavor t
a adjust themselves to any possible COZ
I ditions that the future :nay bring
Norman Robinson.
=, 1t is idle to work for nothing whe
it can be avoided, Perhaps you hav
!. been wintering stock not good enoug
a, to pay for the feed and care you hay