Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-12-02

not be concluded from this for one
moment that the farmer should not give
the greatest care and attention TO the
selection of his seed and to every legiti-
mate endeavor to improve the character
and quality of the fiber he grows. but
there is a great difference between do
ing this for his individual benefit And
constantly attempting to put on the mar
ket some so-called variety which does
not possess stable qualities and the cul-
tivation of which cannot be pursued
With success over any considerable area
of the country. The fact that thousands
upon thousands of farmers have bought
a so-called new variety and found 1t
turn to ashes in their hands has done
more to discourage the use of good seed
and the legitimate breeding of types of
cotton the qualities of which will be
fairly well fixed than anything else.
AN APPRECIATIVE READER.
II. d. w, Andalusia, Ala, writes: l
feel grateful for the information l get
from the agricultural page of The Jour
nal. 1t is a great help in many ways.
wish to know what will take lice OF
of cows without injuring the COW. Down
in this wiregrass country lice on cows
seems to be a common pest.
fected with lice and confined ii is nee
essary to cleanse and disinfect the quar-
ters This can be accomplished very
often by a good coat of paint or white
wash that fills all the cracks. 1t is, of
course, impossible to free animals from
lice until the quarters have been thor
oughly disinfected. 1t is important to
bear in mind that a second applica-
ton should be made in five to eight days
after the first treatment. Any acid solu-
ton, such as vinegar at the rate or one
pint to one quart of water is excellent
for destroying nits. Animals infested
with lice should be well fed and cared
for, and a mixture of one part of sui
phur to five parts of common salt may
be fed with advantage. All loose mate
rial and rubbish should be removed and
burned. One of the very best methods
of destroying lice is to apply any OF
the alkaline coal tar products winch
are found on the market under the trade
name of Creolin Zenoleum, Chloro-Nap-
tholeum, etc. They should be used IN
the proportion of one part to 30 parts OF
water, but if the case is a very bad
one, use only 30 parts of water. This
is probably the simplest, cheapest and
most effective method of freeing cattle
of lice, though, of course, tobacco, kero-
sene and various soaps may be used.
They are more difficult to make and APP
ply, however, and not more efficient.
You should be certain before giving this
treatment that your cattle are anected
with lice, since there is some probabili-
ty that they may have ticks. and II so,
the treatment suggested will not be ef-
fective.
A SMALL FARMERS PROBLEMS.
j. F. T., Mouluie. Ga, writes l wish
some information as to how to prepare
and fertilize my place the coming sea-
son. II is a light pebbly soil with clay
foundation from 10 to IS inches deep.
and made a very poor crop this year.
II had not had any fertilizer on it for
two years previous to this, and only
about 200 pounds of a 1928 this year.
have only two pony mules to prepare IL
with and no barnyard manure. Does
long staple cotton injure the land? III
not, where can L get some OF the seedT
Any land that has a good clay founda-
ton should not be difficult to Improve,
though it will take time and patience TO
accomplish the feat. We sometimes Tor
get that nature was thousands of years
In preparing the land for man, and that
: he in a period of 80 years has so greatly
reduced it's fertility that 1t is now some
times cultivated at a loss. We cannot
expect to build land up Immediately,
therefore The first thing for you to do Is
to divide your farm up and let part
of your effort go into the Improvement
of your soil. This may not be but four
i or five acres, but begin by all means. The
( land should be seeded in your section to
velvet beans Let them grow as vigor-
! ously as they will and plow them under
! in the fall This will supply that section
( of your land with a good lot of vegeta-
, BILE matter. Then, the land you have to
crop this year break IL as completely as
you can with the implements and animals
you have at hand. Subsoil 1t with bull
tongue if you can do no better. Then
gather up as much litter and vegetable
mold as you can from the forest, and APP
ply not less than two tons per acre In
the drill row. This may not be rich In
plant food but it will help some and will
tend to make the soil resistant to drouth
next summer.
The next thing is to use a good high
grade fertilizer in liberal amount. This
should be applied at the rate of not less
than 800 pounds per acre. We would say
to use on your land not less than 1888
or a 3-1O-4. If it is necessary for you
, to restrict your operations to compare
lively small area, you will find 1t much
?
a large acreage and only half do the
work Thoroughness of soil preparation,
( intelligent fertilization, and careful and
| efficient cultivation are some of the
! things essential to securing a good yield
of cotton or any other farm crop. We
prefer to put the fertilizer and compost
or yard manure under the drill row, say
two weeks before planting. We plant
! our cotton in four-foot rows, making a
! wide deep furrow to receive the manure
and fertilizer and mixing 1t with the sub
soil by means of bull-tongue. We then
make a comparatively low fat bed and
plant the seed in hills or drills.
There is no reason why long staple cot
ton should injure land any more than
any other kind. except that 1t may make
a larger stalk. and require on that ac-
count more liberal feeding in order to Sc
cure a satisfactory yield. / think you
can secure good seed of long staple cot
ton from Mr.. l. F. Arrow, st. Mary's
Ga.
FALL PREPARATION OF LAND FOR
COTTON.
E. W., Frolona, Ca, writes: 1 have
10 acres of gray. gravelly land and do
not know just how to prepare il and
fertiliZe it to get the best results from
cotton. My idea is TO lay off the ground
this fall and apply 200 pounds of high
grade acid to the acre in the spring.
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