Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1906-03-07
4 The Piace of Cotton.

al tHGtpEeSRlt Ilmes TIE cottOn grow
ers of America have apractical monot-
oily in production of the most generally
Useful and widely used of vegetable
fbers. Hitherto all attempts to grow
cotton on a commercial scale III Africa
and other %subtropical lands have
proven financial failures. A syndicate
of British cotton manufacturers,
backed by unlimited capital. have con.
Quoted experimental plantations in
various African colonies. but in every
case the cotton so produced could not
be laid down in any English port eA-
cept at prices of about two cents per
pound aboye the average price. OF
American cotton. The quality of the
African cotton was also much inferior
to the American fiber.
The worlds consumption and de-
mand for raw cotton are yearly in
creasing at a much faster rate than
the worlds population. It is certain
then that the demand for the produce
of American cottonfelds will continuA
to increase, and with the increasAd
demand must come an increases
price.
Cotton is almost an ideal
or surplus crop. Under intell c9re
and good management, cottoniSS&F safe
and sure moneYsmaker. But "good
management zoos not consist in ''sin.
gle crop" planting. singleakhop farm
ing of whatever kind issd Species of
gambling ii Which the are all
against the player.
Cotton s.planting," by Wichis meant
the exclusive and con!ll1Rsod c%ultiva-
ton of cotton OF tie 10 me land as
long asz4he creswWil yRld enough to
pick, has ruined thous@ds of acres of
nee .fertila land, ahas aisfgured the
cotton region with and quilted
old fields. This vpeascotton-groMing
has been an unmitigaaed curse to the
Southern States.
F. The mosSproftable Satisfactory sys-
tenn of farming in the cotton region is
one in which cotton comes on8the land
not oftener than once every three
years. Four and five year rotations
are better still. The crops to be in.
cluded in the rotation must differ. with
soils, localities and the tastes of the
farmer. The chief endeayor should be
to make the farm self-s0staining with
out counting the area in cotton. Cot
ton should be the surplus, or Savings
bank" account. In such a system,
when the market is too low the farmer
simply stores and holds his crop until
prices rise. In arranging a good rota'
ton for upland sections Of the cotton
belt, the following crops arc all avail
able: Corn, winter oats, winter wheat.
sorghums (sweet and non-saccharine),
sweet potatoes, peanuts and cOWpeas.
AS q rule, it will be more profitable to
depend upon leguminous crops for
hay and pasture. O a mixture Of such
with winter oats, than to lay down
cotton fields in temporary OF short
term grasses.
In the cotton region the soil should
be kept at work all the year round.
Care must be taken that the soil does
not become acid. To insure this pow
derry. watery slaked lime. at the rate
of 1000 Or 5000 pounds per acre. should
be applied, and smaller doses after q
crop of green manure was turned
down.
The intelligent farmer should. on
small areas of his fields, vary the
amount of fertilizer applied to his crop
and use every endeavor to determine
the maximum feeding capacity Of the
soil and crops. He should then feed
up to the limit with the three impor-
tant mineral plant foods, to wit: Pot
ash, phosphoric acid and lime.
The following are formulas for corn
and cotton which have been found
satisfactory by farmers in North Car
DINA:
First
Acid phosphate, IA per cent. 900 lbs
Nitrate Of soda. 80. ........ 200 lbs
kalnlt.. .... ...... ............. 9o IDS
1000 lbs
Mix and apply from 900 to 120C
pounds per acre.
Second
Acid phosphate. Il per cent...... $50 lbs
Cottonseed meal.... ............ $50 lbs
Muriate OF potash .............. 200 lbs
1900 lbs
Mix and apply from 1900 to 200C
pounds per acre.-Gerald Mccarthy.
Exnori,roo+ Sssiiop Work With asparopus