The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-08-31
BALE TO EVERY ACRE.
How Farmer Has Made a Big Crop
Every Year.
From the Macon Telegraph.

From the Macon Telegraph.
my cotton never suffers from excess
sively hot weather." said Mr.. Frank
Woodall of Jones county yesterday. For
twenty years I have been planting my
cotton In the water furrow, just as corn
is planted, and in the last blowing have
to be careful not to throw dirt on the
bolls. The effect Of planting down
against the hard dirt Is that the tap root
quickly strikes moisture and it goes right
on to growing, and then the lateral roots
spread out in the soft earth and they are
never disturbed during cultivation"
Capt. w. A. Davis heard the conversa-
ton. He remarked Mr.. Woodall rarely
fails to make less than bale to the acre,
either"
Yes, our farmers make their big mis-
takes in cultivating cotton" continued
Mr.. Woodall 'They plant it wrong to
start with, and then they cultivate it
wrong and pillow 1t too late. My cotton
is as fine as any that grows anywhere in
the world. Frequently one limb Of one OF
my stalks will have thirty to forty bolls.
and when my neighbors' cotton sheds
and turns brown, my cotton continues to
flourish and to make fruit. have occa-
| sionally experimental, planting some Of
my cotton on the beds as my neighbors
have done, and some in the water fur
row, and the weather would ruin one
field, but the cotton In the water fur
row would thrive. l have made as high
as thirty-three bales ON twenty acres.
Don't your neighbors learn anything
from your example?" inquired the re-
porter.
"0h, yes; some Of them adopt my
method, and they make fine cotton"
what caused you to try the water
furrow?'
About twenty years ago 1 put some
green cotton seed under my corn, which
was planted in the water furrow. The
corn was away down below the level,
and the ground was moist down there.
The cotton seed sprouted and told my
hands to cover all of them so as to give
the corn a chance They worked at II
but a very good stand Of cotton was left
I continued to try to kill 1t out until 1t
grew up and flourished so we'll, in spite
of my fight against 1t. that I gathered
about three-quarters OF a bale to the
acre on the land, besides a good corn
crop. While that cotton was doing so
well other cotton was turning brown and
was shedding. This stood the hot wealth
err or the wet weather without sign OF
deterioration. and l decided that I had
discovered the proper way to grow cot
ton, and I planted some that way next
year. and after that l abandoned the old
bedding of cotton. I go down deep to
put the seed next TO the moisture every
time
How do you cultivate tho cottonT'
IT use a double plow stock which car
ries a couple Of scooters at a time. The
first blowing I use a two-inch scooter
next to the cotton and the rear stock
brings a three-inch scooter; at the next
blowing I put three-inch scooter next
to the cotton and a four-inch behind that
one; and then use a four-inch and six
inch scooter at the third blowing. From
that time on I use the biggest scrapes
can find My cotton Is planted In 5-foot
rows, and the limbs always lap. ] never
break the middles deeply, because want
to be sure never to disturb the roots My
hoe hands never have anything to do
but chop to a stand. The plow keeps out
the grass"