Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1902-09-11
CULTIvATING COTTON FLAT.
1t Is the Better Plan for Conserving
Moisture and, on Rolling Land,
Washing.

In 1901 the shortage of the cotton
crop, as well as of the corn crop, was
due to drought. This occurred early
in the season, at a time when the
corn needed the moisture most to fill
out the ears, and when the cotton
was making its first bolls. 1t contin-
ued long enough to ruin the corn and
shorten the cotton crop at least 30
per cent. This year again in many
parts of the country both these crops
ave suffered severely. 1t is evident
that drought is one of the main fac
tors in shortening our corr and cot
ton crops if not the principal one
1t is therefore an important question
to solve whether there is any way to
avert the great losses likely to be
caused every year by drought.
The experience of farmers in rails
ing other crops in all parts of the
country shows very ~conclusively that
to a large extent the evil effect of
drought may be averted. 1t is prin-
cipally a matter of cultivation and
frequency of it. All through the
"corn belt where the bulk of our ma
tional corn crop is raised, the ridge
row system of raising corn has been
abandoned years ago. They never put
a turn pillow into the ground after
the land has first been broken up.
The cultivation is always level; it is
done with a two-horse c~ultivator, which
works both sides of a row, on every
trip through the field, and the soil is
not only made fine, but is kept level.
In cas of drought, it is the custom
Of the up-to-date farmers to run
through the corn again, after the
final working with a c~ultivator, that
p~ulverizes the surfaces, but runs very
shallow. If the drought continues,
they go through again, and as often
as it seems to be necessary. Doing
this keeps a mulch Of dust on the sur
face which keeps the moisture from
escaping and insures a fair crop,
even in case of long-continued
drought.
If the land were ridged up in mar
row ridges. it would dry out much
sooner than if kept level, and it would
be impossible to keep such a COM
plete dust mulch. That this plan
accomplishes its purpose has been
shown in thousands of cases. In
many instances, where fields adjoin-
ing were in corn, that cultivated by
the new system was a fairly good
crop, when one next to it, cultivated
on the old plan, made only a few nub-
bins. We have not the slightest
doubt that the same rule will apply
to cotton. Then why not adopt the
fiat system and frequent shallow cul-
tivation for cotton too?
The claims made for the ridge sys-
tenn are that it stands wet eason
better; that it kills the grass and
weeds in the row by wrapping them
up with dirt, and that holds up the
stalks and prevents them from be-
ing blown down to some extent. We
do not deny the truth of these claims
but we do not believe that they be-
gin to compare in Importance with
conserving the moisture during sea-
sons of drought. And when to this is
added that the fat system prevents,
on rolling land, much of the washing
that is so ruinous, the testimony in
its favor is immensely stronger than
that for ridge rows. This matter, the
preventing of damage by drought, is
che of infinite Importance Every pos
sible means of abating it ought to be
thoroughly tested. The old system
has been tried till it has ruined thou
sands of plantations and thousands
of planters. 1t is surely time to get
on to a new systematic State Farm
er.