The Tupelo journal., 1906-03-23
A Practical Treatise.

~ lew y se@Ap - liz PlOAe1NASi
cotton has aroused a much keener
spirit of inquiry among the farm
ing class as to the best methods
for a greater production on d less
acreage, than any other agricas-
tural product we know Of, and Ia
continuing the heart to heart
talks we have INDUCED ia dur
ing the past few months, will
not attempt to weary you by
penning the early history of tbs
plant.
Beautiful word painting and
far fetched phrases, with data
three and four thousand years
old, are doubtless very nice to
read, and | am constrained to
say the Mississippi farmers have
by a perusal OF such ancient lore
added very much to their knoWl-
edge of how to successfully
grow cotton.
What we are after is to ascer-
tain the best and most econ0mi-
cal methods OF producing today,
methods which will enable US to
have and place or the markets OF
the world, this product on q more
substantial and remuneratiye
basis.
Therefore with your permits
sion, we will take up the cues
ton from a practical standpoint,
as to which soil is best adapted
to the cultivation Of this impor-
tant commodity, mean by this
that we are not figuring on u
choice of soil, other than we have
here in our own section, orthose
adjacent in the cotton belt region.
We have sandy, clayey, limy and
peat soils, with their respective
loans. Sandy, with clay sub
soils, we find to be excellent for
the purpose, easy to cultivate and
get into prime condition, but in
the majority of cases the land is
too dry and the resulting crops
are reduced through an INSULT
cient supply of moisture, owing.
to the ease with which water
percolates through. We can OF
viate this to a great extent by
building up the quality OF the
soil until it is more adhesive; IN
other words plough into it some
substance that viii combine to-
gether the sandy particles, thus
enabling it to retain more mos
ture than it was wont to do.
We can bring load after load
of other material to mix with 1t,
the time required Che labor need
ed, and the expense incurred,
precludes al once the possibility
of such an idea. We must Sc
cure an agent, requiring very
little outlay, labor or time, and
the adjunct we get from infor-
nation handed down by the Ag:-
ricultural Scientists in the Shape
of well slaked line, manure, etc.
The frequent-use o. this material
on excessive SANDY loans
cost very little and when thor
oughly worked in by good pillow
ling, narrowing, besides helping
in the work of decomposition,
brings up the consistency Of the
soil to a more mellow condition,
able to retain and hold more
moisture; a sell in fact which WE
look upon with eyes Of s~atisfac-
ton.
On the ether hand we usually
find the clay loan too heavy anc
sticky, it turls upin Jumps and
clods, ard is difficult to disinte-
CRATE. Every rain has q ten
dency to take it back to the same
shape. Although it requires lots
of work to get it into prime and
mellow, but if its condition is not
what it should be, and what we
are trying TO get it, then the Ter
tilizer, manure, etc, no matter
how good they are, can not,sue-
cessfully execute the work for
which they are intended, and re-
suits are not what they ought to
be, therefore we must use every
means in our power, to first OF
all get the soil into q proper
yielding shape.
Again as being by far tie
cheapest plan, We call into use
the knowledge impaired by the
same authorities. In the sandy
soil this material heipad to hi3d
closer the particles; in the clay
soil it tends to separate the.n In
both cases allowing q more .ea8y
and better cultivation, the land
becomes more mellow. is more
easily disintegrated, better ad-
epted for the purpose, more read
lily assimilate5 the plant food col-
tanned, besides being in an c0-
cellent shape to respond literally
to the fertilizer we use.
Of course if you are acquainted
with any better, quicker OF cheap
er plan to build up the cons;s-
teney Of The soil to the desired
point, use il, exercise that know
ledge, put it into practice, that is
what is wanted, bat keep eter-
nally at it, until it is as perfect
as you know how to get it.
Dnnsn "a ,,rnnnmn liz cal 49,