The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-02-25

/ wet
/ II no fall Or winter plowine has been
done, pillow without delay about i
Inch deeper than usual and run mar
row burrows to set well on edge.
! Disk or plow again before planting.
Tillage is manure. The soil gets air
by stirring, and plant food which
would otherwise not be used BY the
growing crop becomes available.
| Most plants first throw out their
feeding roots In the warm surface
soil If finely pulverized, and 1t is best
therefore, Immediately before plantin
to use as tooth or disk harrow shall
lower than the blowing.
Time spent In making a good seed
bed is not WASTED. Go over the field
several times with a harrow If neces-
sary. Use the tooth harrow again af-
ter planting cotton and corn and also
after the plants are up few inches.
If inclined to pack, work the plants
two or three times with the tooth
] harrow
/ Plant as early as is safe from frost
The actual date of planting depends
on locality. The important point is
to plant as early as the weather and
soil conditions permit.
4 SPACING AND CULTIVATING.
With rich soil more space will be
/ required between the rows: with thir-
ner soil, less.
The general rule for spacing rows
| is that the distance between the rows
shall be little more than the height
of the cotton on the land in average
years. Whether cotton usually grows
] 2 or 3 feet high the rows should be
/ from 31a to 4 feet apart. Where cot
ton normally grows about 31a feet
high plant in rows 4 feet apart. 1t is
| better to have the space between the
i rows little too wide than toonarrow
| Air and sunlight are of the greatest
i Importance in pushing the crop to
maturity.
/ On very fertile and strong lands
/ there should be good distance be-
/ tween the cotton rows, but the plants
may be slightly crowded in the rows
with good results, though not less
than Is inches space between plants
should be given.
Plant early-maturing varieties of
cotton. Some large boil varieties are
even better than the small-boll cottoi1
under weevil conditions because Aof a
thicker calyx, and consequently the
half-grown bolls are less likely to
be punctured by the weevil
i If fertilizers are used, the following
/ general rule should govern: On
rich lands use mainly fertilizers that
will stimulate the fruit and not the
stalk growth. On lighter lands use
more of the elements to force growth
combined with others which will ma
ture the fruit.
i High-grade Ia per cent acid phos-
II plate may be considered a basis for
increasing fruit and fastening ma
turity of crops. Even on the richest
land it has been demonstrated that
a small percentage of nitrogen added
to the acid phosphate gives better
results Mix 3 parts of acid phos-
plate and one part of cotton seed
meal. This we will call No. l.
4 A mixture of l part of cotton-seed
! meal to parts of high grade acid
phosphate will greatly increase the
growing condition and will be better
for medium soils. This we call ssNo.
g."
), Air-slaked lime is of value for use
!, on stiff or gummy soils to loosen
them up, permit the air to enter, and
prevent a sour condition of such soils
when too wet.
On thin or impoverished soils equal
quantities of cottOn-seed meal and
acid phosphate can be used to advan-
: tage. This is 'sNo.3."
In case the foregoing can not be
obtained, standard grade commercial
fertilizers may be used. These shout
contain in the mixture to 10 per
cent of available phosphoric acid, 2
4 to per cent of nitrogen, and liz
! to 2percentofpotash,o or on some lands
of high grade acid phosphate, Ia per
cert may be used.
On black waxey land the best prac-
tice is to have the cotton follow a
:, crop of cowpeas.
| Where lands are greatly worn from
! yearsof cropping, morefertilizer shout
be used to the acre aid 1t should cor
tain about equal parts of cotton-seed
meal and high-grade acid phosphate.
The beneficial effect of commercial
Fertilizers depends largely upon the
presence of humus in the soil; hence
the Importance ofusing stable manure
and blowing under green crops.
In applying the foregoing instruc-
tons the farmer must use consider
able judgment and modify his practic
where necessary to fit local condi-
tions.
HOW TO APPLY THE FERTILI-
FER AFTER THE SOIL HAS BEEN
i THOROUGHLY PULVERIZED.
In the absence of a good machine
apply the fertilizers as follows:
Mark up the rows or bed up, spac-
ing as before stated, and distribute
the fertilizer in rows Follow after
with shallow bull-tongue, or the
scooter, to thoroughly mix the ferti-
lizer with the soil. The fertilizer
should be distributed several days be-
fore planting, as there is danger of
injuring the seed if brought in i'm
: mediate contact with strong fertilizer.
A very careful mixing Of the fertilize
!. with the soil is necessary for the
same reason. On all except very
r,~l, 1T, ~ yov<r lands will rnu +p