The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1908-03-03
The Great Crop of the South. :
The Different Varieties Of Cotton and the characteristics
OF Each Sort--Methods of Cultivation and Preparation
For Markedly M Earl Carr, WaShnSton.

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and is lightly covered. When IL first
comes up IL resembles beans to some
extent. When well up It is cultivated
In much the same manner as the
Northern farmer cultivates his corn.
and is chopped out"-that is, the
plants are thinned out by choppinr
some OF them with sharp hoe, leav-
ing them about three to six inches
apart in the row. The field is then
cultivated until the plants shade the
ground and then laid by" and MOTH
ing is done to 1t until picking time.
The planting time varies to some ex
tent with the locality and climate.
put is, as rule, in March and April.
Inc first blossoms appear the last of
May and In June, and as they wither
and rail- off the forms, or young bolls.
grow rapidly. They are somewhat
angular in shape, and the enveloping
leaf forms a sort of tuft or rufrle at
the base. AS the boil grows it be-
comes more nearly round, although
IL never becomes spherical. 1t is in
these bolls that the valuable part OF
the cotton plant forms, the lint. or
hbre, and the seeds. Each boil con-
tains usually five separate compart
ments, or segments, and when IL
opens there are five little punches of
cotton fibre.
Along about the latter mart of An
gust the first bolls to set begin tn
ripen, and the picking season begins.
In ripening the bolls turn brown, dry
up and crack open, showing a soft.
white, downy mass of lint in which
are hidden the seeds. When released
by the opening of the boil the lint
swells out, making a bunch several
tlmes as large as the original boil.
rms opening Of the boil and exposing
the lint to the air and sunshine serves
10 ory 1t. In picking, the workers,
who are mostly negroes, carry a
gunny sack hung over the shoulders
In front Of them so that its mouth
Is open. They pass along on each
SIDE or the rows and pluck out the
tuzzy lint, using both hands, and
place 1t In the sack. When the sacks
contain from twenty-five to fiftv
pounds they are emptied into large
spllnt baskets, and when a wagon
load is obtained 1t is hauled to the
gin to be ginned and baled. Several
plcklngS are always necessary. as
the Dolls continue TO set for some
time after the first blossoms apnear
and consequently do not all ripen nj
the same time. II usually lasts until
iate In the fall or until some time af-
ter the first frost All green bolls
are killed by the frost, and unless
nearly mature are completely spoiled
Inc Sea Island or long staple va
r1ety, sometimes called BLACK seed -.
Is botanically known as Gossvpium
barbadense. 1t was found growing
In the West Indies by Columbus as
wild perennial. 1t was first grown
IN the United States on st. Simon's
island, of the coast of Georgia. I'm
l77S, the seed coming from either
the Bahama or the Barbados islands
Two years later its production was
begun on the sea islands of South
Carolina, where it has since reached
It's highest development. The pro-
duction of these islands controls tho
market and furnishes seed for rho
whole sea island cotton district. The
region in which this variety can bo
grown Is very much restricted even
within tho cotton belt Itself ONLY
small portion Of Southern South caro-
Tina, Southeast Georgia ara Northern
FLORIDA u sa.i--i IN climate. elevation
and soils 90 its production. For the
successful growing OF the Sea Island
COTTON a warm. humid climate and an
especially long season are necessary.
IL cannot be grown at an elevation
very Tar above sea level. probably on
account Of a less degree OF humidity
and slightly lower temperature. II
cannot be grown further north than
Charleston on account of the season
Delng slightly shorter. In Florida the
yields secured in the Atlantic Coast
counties are best, with the Gulf
Coast counties second and the inland
counties having a greater elevation.
pad third, the yield being less than
half the average for the coast coun-
ties. Experience goes to show that
its cultivation is not successful at an
elevation greater than about 200 feet
above sea level, that IL cannot be
grown north of the latitude of Char
lesion, and that it is not successful
in the semi-trOpical portion OF Flor
IDA, although 10 is there a perennial.
It's culture is also restricted to
soils of a certain character, thus max
ing It necessary for the planter to
know the peculiarities of the region
before he attempts its cultivation. In
all sections, where other conditions
are favorable, 10 does best on a light.
deep, sandy soil. If the surface OF the
soil is a light sandy loan for a depth
or eighteen 20 twcuty-four inches and
eighteen to twcnty-four inches and
It and the subsoil arc yellow i'm color.
1t can be considered "a favorable soil
for this variety Of cotton. but N the
heavy subsOil is less than eighteen
inches below the surface 10 cannot
be expected to produce good yields 10
does not do well on soils having "a
subsoil Of red color, though such soils
produce decidedly better Yields OF tho
short staple than the soils having the
yellow subsOils I'm the Sea Island
district. I'm tho vicinity OF Charleston
the soil on which the best quality is
produced is nue sand, light brown
or yeliowish I'm color. TO a depth OF
about twelve inches The surface soil
ia unnn11v 1rnnn owr frrrE.-.r.f go