The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-12-24
Cotton Culture IN Mississippi



that can be given it with cuItfvator
and hoe in order that IL may grow
constantly at this time, for it is al
this time that growth Is most apt t1
stop. II the land is properly prepar-
ed and the cu1tivators run as often
i as they should be run for best re-
suits, the farmer viii not even want
to use turning plow In the cult
walton of his crop. Whenever the
turning plow is used In the cultiva-
ton of crop no better Evidence
could be had that the crop has suffer
ed for want of proper t1llage. The
fact that the use of the turning p1ow
in the cultivation Of the cotton crop
is quite general in this State is sig
nificent, and suggests that in this
matter of tflTage the boil weeVil is
going to find the greatest weakness
of Mississippi farmers. If the cot
ton growers of the State can only
bring themselves from careless half
way tfIiage to the. practice of the
very best tillage that may be given
the soil, the other conditions neeces-
sary TO growing a good early crop of
cotton will come conparativeiy easy
The rational useof fertilizers is an
easy thing. and. Mississippi farmers
need not err in this. regard The
four experiment. stations in the State
have made a great many. experiments
with fertilizers and rational fertiliza-
tion is a simple proposition.
The upland or hHl sections, to in
clude the sandy loam-soils- the long
leaf pine belt and the>oals and hick-
ory uplands;; and the brown silt
loan through which runs the T. c.
r. r.. should use mixture of cot
tonseed meal and acid phosphate.
The mixture should contain one-third
cottonseed meal and two-thirds acid
phosphate. Such a mixture repre-
sents the type of fertilizer that should
be used. Potash may be left out
The farmers of this State are an
nually wasting more than 100000
in the purchase of potash from which
they derive no benefit.
From two to three hundred pounds
of fertilizer to the acre will as rule
give the best profits, The fertilizers
should be applied in the drill imme-
diateIy under where the seed are to
be planted and the stations have got
ten the best results by applying all
the fertilizer at one time. &
In the Delta, neither, potash nor
phosphates have helped the crops,
but on the older and lighter lands
cottonseed meal has increased the
cotton crop enough to. pay. The eheav-
ier buckshot soils have not responded
to- fertilizers A crop of cowpeas is |
the best thing to improve the soils
OF The Delta. 22sz,'S - -
- Where Fertilizers increase the crop |
to a profitable degree they also make
the crop earlier-perhaps two weeks /
earlier as rule.
! s While tillage may be. the principal |
thing the variety of cotton planted |
and the care that has been used in the I
selection of the seed have much to do
with the growing of good early crop I
of cotton. One variety may be fifteen |
to twenty days earlier than another,
and this means much when every day .
counts for profit or loss.
1t matters not what the good quail
tiles of late variety may be, it is
not desirable under boil weevil con-
ditions. Let farmers realize that
whenever the farm is thoroughly in
tested with weevils a late crop is out
Of the question. Don't invite bank
ruptcy by trying to grow late crop.
A late crop is boil weevil crop. not
3 farmers crop.
Cleveland big boil and Cooks ina
best varieties for Mississippi farmers
% grow under boil weevil conditions.
Both are early, fifty to sixty bolls
make pound; the fber is about one
nch; both yield high per cent. OF
int, Cooks being best on this point.
Both varieties yield we'll, heading the
ist for yield in comparison with both
early and late varieties. Except
where staple cottons are grown they
ire the two best varieties, either with
,r without the weevil.
Russell big boil, Triumph and
Smiths Double Header are three
with slightly larger bo1ls
han either Cook or Cleveland, and
hey have a fiber of lie to 1-8
inches. They are reasonably early.
Prize, Kinks Improved and Tools
re three varieties with small bolls
hat may be used under boil weevil
conditions because of their early ma
urity.