The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-10-29

Fei0prnEnt increased and strengthen
cd and vitality increased. ali og which
YIN add materially 10 the yield and
the planters profit
For very many years. il WAS accept
ed "a & fact. that the field or coy pea
could not be made 10 rtpen it, seed IN
the southern tier Of the northern
states, yet II IS never seen mat our
earlier varieties have from persistent
EFFORT In selection become accltnated
and ripen their seed The Indian corn
development in the northern States
has A similar history. So there il no
DOUBT OF the possibility and pract!ca-
olIlty Of the cotton farmer OF East
ern North Carolina developing a spe-
cles or variety Of the cotton plant.
Wen adopted in all respects to- our
climate and soil. and thereby gain very
much in yield n proht from the re-
turns OF the product; If the E~dgecombe
farmer could be convinced Of this. ne
would work il out and gain much for
himself.
Returning TO the subject Of the inn
propement Of the cotton plant. by Sc
Iectlng the earliest Maturing bolls. and
planting the seed from these. an early
variety can be developed: by crossing
the big boil plant on the early ma
turing small poll plant. the size OF
the Dolls OF the early maturing variety
can be greatly increased, also by seIec-
ton OF lobes or locks OF the boil can
be increased from -four TO five and
by persistent effort to six. It can be
readily seen that this will materially
INCREASE the yield. BY planting seed
from the most vigorous. the leaf OF the
plant can be enlarged and strengthen
ed, thereby insuring good growth and
more ~abundan fruitage, by selection
of plant With close growing limbs we
can secure plants Of this type, and
the same way car closer joints be OBJ
tanned; and very material is the Sc
curing of a well developed root growth
this can be done by using the seed
only from strong and vigorous plants.
uppose there is q strong and Wig
orous plant, with small fruitage and
a small weakly plant with an abund-
anIe of fruit. then cross these two
plants, and then breed from that ny
brid which conforms most clearly to
desired type, and If this is persistent
in there will be obtained a plant that
will give the largest possible yield,
but it must be borne in mind that if
this type is not held up by proper at
tention it will breed back to a varie-
ty of types. The most desirable type.
is a long limbed, close jointed plant,
with a tendency to prOlificneSS.
Years age the pricipal implement
was the lukehoe, home made. these
remembering this will recall, that it
did nearly level cultivation. After the
war a cast iron cotton pillow or sweep
was made the cotton pillow with breast
and mOle-bOard, in cultivation, left
the row of plants somewhat raised.
THE process most approved today is
the level culture, which is done by a
gang of sweeps, such as the Planet
Junior cultimator. 1t is to be noted
that the work of the present cult
vatOr is practically the same as that
lone by the flukehee forty years ago.
Methods change, but principles do not,
with all the improved implements.
fertilizers of every variety supposed
to contain all the food required by the
plant, and advanced methods of Gull
~tiVatiOn, the per-acre yield does not
exceed that Cf forty years ago. The
cultivation of cotton, has been so re-
munerative to the farmer that he is
d1spoSe to impose upOn and abuse the
crop No doubt there are in the coun-
ty fields that have grown cotton crops
for fifteen to twenty successive years
or MORE; and in most cases the land
has become poor, bring only a small
crop.
This habit came about by the farm
er always planting what he called his
best land in cotton. All other crops
must give way to cotton; feeling that
cotton was the only farm bank that
he could draw money from, and one
that never shuts its doors, he very
unwis.ly gave the right Of way 20 it.
= AAHN - LA OIL II oII11I IA u
tive interests of the farm, subject to
cotton, the cotton farmer made a
most serious mistake, therein he
abuses the cotton crop. The land
planted in cotton is not improved and
increased in fertility, the most sue
cessful farmers do not more than hold
their best land to ar average. and not
increasing yield; in the Meantime the
other lands being to an extent neg
lected do not improve any.
All farmers, who think and consider
farm methods and practices, know this
cause is not wise, and hey rarely, If
ever, realize that they are following
the identical methods and practices of
fifty YEARS ago. AS large per-acre
crops were made fifty years ago as
are made now; the practice of com
posting, then used, would maintain,
with prOpe preparation and cultiva-
ton, the fertility of a cotton field in
definitely, compCat had two most eff
cient effects; while it assured a good
yield for the current crop, it added
permanent improvement to the land.
Composing in the past was entirely
practicable and feasible. because the
farmer knew that when the sun rose,
it shOne upon his labor, knowing its
place and steady to its work. With
the farmer of today, the most vex-
ing and troublesome factor that he
has to deal with is labor. so often it
- N liz L ~ > liz 6IOIt
to maintain fertility by composing,
to any extent, is not practicable. To
maintain the fertility of his land, the
farmer of today has to resort to ro-
tation and some leugminous crop, the
mari that was the mainStay of the old
time compost, he cannot get the labor
er to dig, SO he must rely upon lime
as a substitute. The practical use of
rotation. planting of leguminous crops,
and lime will bring our lands to a
degree of fertility, that so far we have
never reached: for the climate and
soil of Edgecombe county, crimson
clover and field peas are unsurpassed.
The cotton crop of the county though
much of its territory has been cut off
and added to other counties has reach
ed $4,000 bales. The general crop
first recorded was that of 1892 to 1898
and was 1,070,438 bales and gradually
increasing to amour of 13.565.SS5.
crop of 1904 to 1905. showing a steady
and remarkable increase. No crop
is so sure to bring gold as cotton. ana
no crop has had a wider range OF
price, from 5.63 cents per pound crop
1874 to 1S45, to S101.5O crop 1863 to
1864. and 6 cents 1898 to 1S9Q. The