The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-07-28
THE COTTON TREE.
Said to be Immune From weevn At
 tackand Likely to do Well in Texas.


 Don Hilario Cuevas. wealthy planter of San Luis Soyatian. state of Jalisco, has just made to the Mexican govern ment on the cotton tree which he is successfully cultiyating upon his pIan- tation, he says that he has demonstra- ted that the industry is a practical commercial proposition. It is asserted that this wonderful tree is adapted to the soil and climate of southwest Tex as, and the experiment of growing it here is to be tried. A number of per sons who became interested in Senor Cuevas' success have obtained seeds of the tree from him, and these have ger minated nicely and the trees give prom ise of a rapid growth. If the trees can be successfully grown in Texas it will mean the solution of the boil weevil problem, as tests show the cotton tree to be immune from the attacks of this pest, The recent official report of Uni ted States Consular Agent Light of GuadaIajara, Mex, to the United States Horticultural Department, on the com mercial possibilities of the cotton tree, was not altogether favorable, his chief objection being that the expense of picking the cotton from the tree would be too great to make it's cultivation a practical success. Senor Cuevas has answered this objection. He says:
 'aThere is no difficulty whatever in gathering the crop of the larger trees. The larger the trees the greater will be the crop. When the trees are half grown the higher branches are pulled downward so that the cotton can be easily picked; but when they are full grown the branches are thick and strong enough to allow a boy to climb the tree and walk along the branches and so gather the fruit
 Tn fertile ground and good climate. with no frost, you may estimate that each tree will yield from twenty-five pounds, including the seed. When planted so as to be irrigated, say for instance in June, this plant or tree will produce it's first crop of cotton in the month of January next. To my mind there is no objection to dwarfing the tree, as undoubtedly the lower branch- es would yield better crop. and so compensate the loss ot the upper ones. T have just seen the cotton tree growing very fine on the rancho La Cofradia, near the town of Tuxcueca, state of Jalisco. The ground consists entirely of rocks and sand, covered with vegetable subsoil of only a few inches in depth"
 senor cuevas says that the cotton trees can be planted at distance of about ten feet apart. More than four hundred trees to the acre can be culti- vated. and at an average yield of twen- ty pounds of cotton each the yield per acre would be eight thousand pounds, or sixteen bales. This is said to be a conservative estimate of the average yield, Continuing, senor Cuevas says in his report:
 x 'sThe expense of planting the cotton is no greater than the expense of plant- ing corn. The cotton tree is able to withstand droughts during eight months of the year. It is not attacked by the boil weevil, the great enemy of the ordinary cotton plant, which causes so much damage among the cotton plantations in the northern portion of the republic.
 Tt is planted once in from twenty five to thirty years. A short time ago tree was cut down on account of its be- Ing in the way. It was planted in the time of Maximilian; itueyer failed in it's production. nor was it attacked by any insect or suffered any other aeci- dent.
 'tThe seed is planted at the beginning of the rainy season; at four months old it is about four feet high and begins to blossom, and at the age of two years it is about ten feet high and the harvest then begins to be remunerative. Dur ing the rigors of the dry season it's fo- iiage is always deep green, where grown in very dry lands; if the lands were irrigated and the hecessary care taken, the crop obtained would be con- sIderably increased. Completely aban- doned, without irrigation or cultivation, and without any care whatever, l know of trees that produce fifteen pounds, not taking into account the losses from the birds or what is carried away by the wind.
 If planted in fertile soil and the pro- per istance apart. at the end of the third year, and sometimes before, the shade of the tree covers the ground, preventing the ground from becoming dry and parched, and likewise prevent- ing too abundant growth of weeds that would otherwise spring up, saving the expense of keeping the fields clean from weeds and grasses.
 ''There are four varieties of the cot ton tree grown in the state of Jaltsco. One first crop begins to mature in Oc- tober and is harvested in December. the other blossoms in the spring and is harvested in May or June"
 The variety which produces two crops per year has been known to yield twen- ty thousand pounds of cotton for the two crops per acre. This is equivalent to forty bales.
 Senor Cuevas says that the expense of harvesting the crop is only about one cent per pound.
 '.The seed os the cotton tree should be planted deeper than the ordinary cotton seed" Senor Cuevas continues. mThe lands can be ploughed up as in planting ordinary cotton, but usually the rows are listed with the ordinary cross-furrow. Cultivating the young trees in the ordinary manner, if plant ed at the beginning of the rainy season, you will have by October a tree three to four feet high. At the end of the