Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-29
CLEMSON EXTENSION WORK.
J. N. Harper, Director Experiment Sta
ton Discusses Cotton,

CLEMSON EXTENSION WORK.
J. N. Harper, Director Experiment Sta
tion Discusses Cotton.
Cotton is and will continue to be the
most important crop grown in South
Carolina. 1t brings more money into
the state than all other crops combined.
While the southern farmer has practi-
cally a monopoly on this, the most i'm
portant crop Of commerce on earth,
the average farmer Is producing It,,
however at such a great cost his net
profit is small.
The worlds demand for cotton is
constantly increasing and to such an
extent 1t becomes necessary for the
southern farmer to make improvements
in his methods in order to meet this in
creased demand without increasing the
area devoted to cotton. 1t should be
the endeavor Of every intelligent far
mer to encourage farmers of every
class to diversity their crops and raise
more live stock, thus curtailing the
acreage devoted to cotton. The in
creased demand for cotton should be
met by producing more pounds on
smaller area than Is now devoted to
that crop, thus reducing the cost Of
production by intensive cultivation.
Every acre of we'll drained land in this
state that Is now planted to cotton
can be made to yield twice its present
average production. How to do this is
the object of this short paper, which
merely summarizes the results Of ex-
periments published in bulletins Nos.
145 and 148 Of the South Carolina ex-
pertinent station. This increased yield
can be obtained as follows:
Cd BY early and deep plowing.
(2) By conserving the soil moisture,
by increasing the humus content Of the
soil and by frequent and shallow cul-
tivation.
co BY turning under winter cover
crops, such as bur clover, crimson clo-
yer, vetch and rye, which are planted
in the cotton field at the last cultiva-
tion.
(4) By planting cotton only on soils
we'll drained and adapted to its culti-
vation.
(5) BY giving plenty of distance in
the row and between the rows.
CO. By using the weeder frequently
during early growth.
Cd BY using large amounts Of acid
phosphate before or at time of plant
ing.
(S) BY supplying stable manure eth
er broadcast or in the drill before
planting.
(9) By using only small amounts OF
potash except on coarse, sandy soils.
(10) By applying 1000 pounds of
lime per acre every four years to cot
ton lands.
(11) By growing some Of the winter
and summer legumes, thus storing
more nitrogen in the SOIL
(2) BY the use Of large amounts of
ammonia applied in the form Of blood,
cotton seed meal, fish scrap, tankase
and sulphate of ammonia before or at
the time of planting, and by later ap-
plications.
(13 By using 25 to so pounds Of nj
trate of soda per acre applied before or
at the time of planting.
(14) BY applying 100 or more pounds
of nitrate Of soda per acre at the time
the first bloom appears.
15) By the liberal use Of acid phos-
phate If the cotton is making a weedy
growth and not fruiting properly
(16) BY the liberal use Of ammonia II
the plants are slow of growth and yell
ow in color.
(1O BY being careful never to plov
the land when too wet.
(1s) By breaking the crust after each
rain, thus saving soil moisture and in
killing grass and weeds.
(19) BY planting only the best varie-
ties of cotton, such as Columbia,
Cleveland Big Boil, Toole's
Prolific, Ninety Day. Triumph, Cook,
Brookss Improved, Blue Ribbon, etc.
(20) BY avoiding anthracnose, or boil
rot, by proper seed selection.
(2D BY planting only those varieties
that are suitable to the type of soil
on which they are grown.
(22) BY planting wilt resistant varie-
ties.
(23) BY planting only big boil, easy
picking, early maturing varieties.
(24) By planting early and reducing
promptly to a stand.
(25) By the proper rotation Of crops
which prevents soils from wash
ing, which increases the fertility
of the soil, which puts the soil in bet
ter physical condition, better chemical
and better biological condi-
ton, which prevents production,
prevents insect depredations and plant
diseases, such as cotton root rot, black
knot bacterial blight Of cotton, cotton
root louise.
(26) BY using kainit on black jack
and calcareous soils on which cotton Is
subject to rust.
RUBBER BOOM FORTUNES.