The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-04-16
How TO Get a Good Stand.

worked until the soil was like an
ash-heap, three or four inches deep.
Again you did not drain the rows
so that there would be no wet spots,
even with a heavy rain. Look at
the long spaces where there are no
plants. II the soil was properly pre-
pared there is little danger that there
will not be moisture enough for the
seeds to terminate, but in most eli
mates and soils there is always dan
ger Of too much water in the soil.
Standing water is death to cotton and
corn.
Mistakes With the CottOnseed.
You next mistake was getting gin
run seed and planting too many per
acre. If you wanted a clean vigor-
Gus and thrifty family, you would
not go and get lot of gin run boys
and girls"
What do you mean by gin run
boys and girls?" rather sharply in
terposed Uncle John.
81 mean" l replied, boys and
girls picked up in the homes of the
orphans, without any knowledge of
their parentage. And what is more
you would not get five times as many
as you expected to raise, judging that
enough of them would die of natural
weakness or consumption, or from
other causes, to leave the proper
sized family. Yet that is what you
did with your cotton. But we will
talk more of this another time.
I'm the next place, you planted too
deep and there was hardly strength
enough in the little plant to reach
the air, and it died before it could
draw support from the soil. The
plants were in the main too crowded.
They lacked food and air. That
crust on the soil should have been
broken. 1T shuts out the air essen
tial to termination and growth and
aids evaporation. Delay planting till
the weather is warm, for cotton, you
know, is tropical plant. Prepare a
fine seed bed; plant shallow-not
over one inch deep, If that depth
reaches moisture-and the plants
will be up in few days.
More Narrowing and Less Hoeing is
What We Need.
Run the smoothing harrow two
or three times diagonally across the
rows as soon as the seen is planted
and again when the plants are two
or three inches tall. This should be
repeated, removing a tooth from the
harrow and going astride the rows
as in cultivation, till the plants are
six inches high. The harrow prunes
the roots a little, which tends to
give the plant a lower and Timber
habit of growth; it opens the soil to
receive air; it promotes growth and
destroys weeds.
1.-THE hoe is the natural enemy of
the cotton planter. 1t kills some
weeds but it finally kills the planter
financially, and as generally used, it
does not properly air the soil, which
is the chief end of cultivation.
Shallow Cultivation After Roots
Form.
while the cotton plants are
small, thoroughly work the spaces
between the rows two or three times
to a depth of at least four inches.
This leaves a fine seed bed for the
roots to occupy later when they are
racing about to find food and water.
All later cultivation of plants and
middles should be shallow-not over
an inch and half deep. This keeps
a dust mulch, checks the rising soil
moisture and plant food, just at a
depth where there are the most root
lets to utilize them for plant growth.
How the Average Farmer is Losing
$40 Per Acre.
ga plow," I continued is the poor
est implement with which to work
cotton crop that could we'll be used"
'"Oh pshaw!" Uncle John broke
in. What you said about the hoe
was bad enough and now you jump
on the pillow. 1 have used it all my
life and it is a pretty good tool
eyes, you have used it all your
life and you have not averaged to
make a third of a bale of cotton
per acre for that period, when on
such good lands you should have
averaged a bale. AT present prices
this is a yearly loss of $40 per acre
lint and seed included. You have
200 acres in cotton; your loss is
$4,000 per year. You have been re-