The farmer and mechanic., 1909-07-27
Care of Cotton
"Mid-Summer

ing from excessive growth of stem,
wood and foliage. On some SOILS, ana
under certain conditions the tendency
is for the plant to run to weed and
to continue growth too late into the
summer or fall. Especially is this
apt to happen toward the close OF
wet summer, such as we are now ex-
periencing. It may be wise to take
some steps to check such growth and
to d ert the energies of the plant into
making fruit and chec king in part or
entirely the further growth of weed
AS an outgrowth of the excessive,
or abnormal rainfalts Of the past few
months some one or more OF the un-
favorable conditions above mentioned
are almost sure to exist later in the
year. Can they be overcome, and if
SO. how are questions that should
now interest our farmers.
Kind Of Cultivation Needed.
First let us consider the weeds and
grass. In many sections the fields are
now almost overrun, but good tillageI
right now may correct this. In the
field that is now Weedy / would take
the scooter or small shovel pIow-not
the turn plow-and go two or three
times through the middles, working
out all grass and weeds and leaving
the surface between the rows rough
for a day or two for the sun to get
into the grass and weed roots and
complete the job of killing them. The
fDe-toothed cuitivator should next
come into play to stir the surface and
smooth and even things up. All cut
tivatiOn after that with the scooter
or single shovel should be rather shall
low, and even that close to the plants
with the single ploWs should be no
deeper than is necessary to accomp-
lish the purpose of eradicating the
weeds.
Cultivate often enough to keep all
weeds down and to prevent any soil
crust forming.
Continue cultivation through July
and we'll into August especially where
the plant is inclined to be small. AS
growth is more satisfactory the cu1tl-
vator may stop sooner and in some
cases it may not be advisable to stir
the soil after the middle of July.
In case the field is not weedy at the
present and growth is fairly satisfac-
tory two inches is plenty deep enough
for the cultivatOr to run 1t is more
essential that the entire surface be
broken and worked over to a depth
of two inches than that it be worked
at any point deeper than that The
narrow pointed cultivators will do this
work with a greater degree of thor
oughness than any other, but if the
farmer does not happen to have such
an implement some other may take
its place. A narrow spike-toothed
harrow may be used to advantage or
the old single stock and sweep may
be put into service.
Where there is 4 will to do good
cultivation a way is going to be found.
Nitrate Of Soda May Help.
In case the development of plants
| is not what it should be, and tillage
alone does not promise to supply the
needs, additional applications Of fer
! tilizer may be called for. Nitrate of
soda is efficient in such cases. The
application should be made by the
fifth to the tenth of July, rather than
later. Fifty. or even seventy-five
pounds may be distributed along the
rows at a single application, and then
cultivated in. If as much as a hundred
to q hundred and twenty-five pounds
Of nitrate Of soda is used per acre
the better way is to divide it into two
doses, giving one about ten days after
| the other. In any case do not put the
fertilizing material in direct contact
with the roots Of the plant, but rather
have it Incorporated with the soil
between the rows.
Heavy applications Of nitrate of
soda should not be made to cotton
after the middle Of July, and for the
extreme northern border of the belt
LQdC may De TOO ldCo IOr pest results,
as the tendency will be to delay ma
| turity Of the crop.
| Topping the Crop May Help.
i When the crop was planted rather
! late and q heavy growth of weed con-
/ tinueS we'll up toward the close of the
summer topping is beneficial. When
the extreme tip of a stalk or shoot is
removed the tendency is toward bet
ter development of the fruit already
set rather than toward the setting of
| any other. One of the largest cotton
| growers in Georgia tops all his late
planted cotton. A short time since
this man remarked that sometimes
| topping paid and sometimes it did not,