The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-09
HAVE A PATCH OF COTTON FOR
SEED.

CIV. f. Massey in Progressive Farlner.)
On the Improvement Of the crop
in any plant we must take the whole
plant into consideration. If q man
selects cotton seed solely for big bolls
he may get these, but have IonS-legged,
late and u~nprOductive plants. If on
the other hand he selects solely for
the umbe Of hollis, he may get a
prolific variety. but Very small bOlls
and short staple. What We need is to
get q compact and SnOrt-jOinted plant
with good sized bolls and plenty Of
them.
Select a variety that suits your soil
and climate. In the northern part Of
the Cotton Belt and in the bOll WeeVil
territory an carly variety Is needed.
For an early variety the King is good,
if you can get it pure; but SO far as
| have seen there is very little pure
King cotton in North Carolina now;
and it ma be the same Way in other
sections. For a medium early cotton,
the Culpepper is very good, and you
can get seed from the North Carolina
Experiment Station at West Raleigh.
| would plant a separate patch Of
the variety selected especially for seed.
and would give it the very best atten-
ton. Go through the patch and watch
the growth, and when you see q plant
running up lonG-leSged and weedy.
pull it out to prevent its pollen from
being carried to other plants. Give
the plants plenty of room for full de-
Velopment. Try to get the whole Of a
uniform, hushy II short-iointed
character. Then select your seed at
the second picking, from the most
prolific plants.
Then do not carry the bolts hat o
save to a commercial gin and get them
mixed with all sorts of seed, but Gin
them at home even il YOU have to
pick them out by hand. Better have
u small ,,,arJ,inn. fn>. t1io w. %
this plan YOU will see at once a great
Improvement in the plants. But do
not stop and think you have gained
"A new variety, but keep up the seed
patch every year, constantly Strivine
to get nearer and nearer TO your ideal
OF what q cotton plant should be for
your use. and it will not be long be
fore your neighbOrS Will want some
OF your seed.
/ saw two fields OF cotton last sum
mer. There was only the public road
bctWeen them. In one field the cotton
was q rich green color, and p]erfectl5
uniform in height, not a tall. lankI
plant to be seen. Across the road the
cotton was yellOwish II was all sort
OF heights, evidently badly mixed seed
| asked who the GOOD field belonge
to, and they said. He runs a dairy
and makes manure hat. ccoun
ed for the good color Of his cotton
put dld not account for h unifOrmi
" OF the crop. which was evidently
due to careful selection OF the see"
And here. too, we see the inportanc,
OF a rotation that produced feed 70
cattle. One may not run q dairy. blu
every farmer should raise feed fol
STOCK and make manure. and after i'm
proving the seed the important poin
is to farm, and make more corn. NOR,
oats and wheat and more cotton pc,
acre. Good seed will not do everythins
Tor you II you simply grow cotton yea
after year on the same land, and Ow,
the fertilizer man and the merchant
GoOd seed and good farming must e,
together, since good seed without goo.
farming will never make you or you
farm rich.