Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-03-11
SUGGESTIONS on Cotton Cultivation

one. for the reason that more good in
dividual plants are secured. The two
will yield about to 10 per cent more
cotton than the single plant when you
come to weigh up the crop. Therefore.
have two plants to the hill when chop
ping TO a stand.
CULTIVATION.
Shallow cultivation for cotton is the
best. What is needed now is to keep up
the capillary water supply rather than
kill the grass. Keep the cotton land from
crusting, and therefore, shallow and fire.
quent cultivation, at least after every
rain, must be practiced.
To get the best results on the invest
ment. farmers should not try to put
more acreage in cotton than they can
get over quickly. say in three days with
a Planet, Jr., cultivator, or some like
implement. This will insure quick Guilt
walton between rains and a maximum
yield. Ten acres properly planted, fer
tilted and cultivated will make more
cotton than 20 acres only half cared
for. Twenty acres can not be properly
cared for with one horse.
SELECTION OF SEED
This is one of the most important con-
siderations in cotton farming. Every
farmer has the power to keep up or
even improve his seed, II he knows how
and does the best he knows. There are
all kinds of plants in the field, ranging
from very poor to very good, and usual
ly there are many more poor ones than
good ones. Therefore it becomes a mat
ter of selection when we wish to get seed
for planting. 1t usually takes only about
three or four days to do this, and a
sUan white string should be tied to each
plant selected.
The following will suggest some points
to be observed in selecting plants for
seed:
THE COTTON PLANT.
Plant, vigorous, stocky, Is points: Size,
medium to large as Influenced by soil,
location, season and variety.
Form, symmetrical, spreading conical,
height and spread according to soil, etc.
Stalk minimum amount of wood in pro-
portion TO fruit.
Branches. springing from base, strong,
vigorous, in pairs, short-jointed, inclined
upwards.
Head well branched and filled, fruited
uniformly.
Fruiting, "a points: Bols, large, abund-
ant. uniformly developed, plump. sound,
firm. well-rounded, apex obtuse, singly or
in clusters.
Number Of bolls, according to variety,
soil and season.
BoIls per plant, thin uplands, 1920; fer
tile uplands, 25-i0; bottoms" 5O-1o0; spe-
cial selections, 100-500.
Bolls per pound of seed cotton, large,
1910: medium, co.'s: small, S0-110
Character of bolls, number of locks 4
to Z: kind of sepals: retention of cotton.
Opening of bolls, uniform including top
crop; classify as good. medium, poor.
Yield-Standard one bale per acre, so
points: Seed cotton, estimated by average
plant distance of planting per cent Of
stand, plants per acre; thin uplands, 10000:
fertile uplands, $500; bottoms" 4.5OO
distance of plants 1-2x1 Ia feet, 4 LEX
/ 1-2 feet. LIKE feet, respectively.
Per cent lint, not less than 80, stand
ard 20.
Seeds. $3.50 per boil, large. plump. easily
delinted; color. according to variety; ger
mination, not less than % per cent.
Quality and character of lint, p points,
Strength, tensile strain good. even
throughout length.
Length. long according to local stand
ard: upland, rs TO 1 inch; intermediate
1 Ia to 5-l6 inches; long staple. 1-2 to
y inches.
Fineness, fbers soft, silky and pliable
responsive 10 touch.
Uniformity. all fibers Of equal length
strength and fineness.
Purity, color dead white; fiber free from
stain, dirt and trash
PRIZES FOR HIGH YIELDS.
Many meetings of the growers should
be held and the problems and difficulties
discussed before the time comes for
awarding the prizes. The college will al
ways be glad to send a representative to
assist I'm the work.
The cost of the highest yield should be
81 -
that basis. In all cases, the test or entry
for prizes should be a practical lesson to
the other growers. 1t should be the means
of bringing out as far as possible the Sc
crets OF successful cotton growing i'm the
community where prizes are offered. and
when IL proves other than this, the real
purposes Of the prizes have been missed.