The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-26
Insure a Profit on Your Cotton Crop.

clude that this years crop Will go at the same
rate and therefore. to devote all his energies to
the production of cotton Rational diversifcation
along the lines of we'll planned rotation-not
mere haphazard planting OF Supply" crops-is
the first step on the road to profitable cotton pro-
duction. We have repeated over and over this
spring the warning not to go cotton crazy. and IT
is all the more important that our readers. repre-
senting the most progressive class OF Southern
| farmers should not do this because there are go
| ing to be tens of thousands OF farmers who do
not read or think who will exert every fiber of
their bodies to raise big cotton crop this year.
This. then. is our first advice to cotton growers:
Do not give all your land. all your time. and all
your thought this year to the production of cot
ton Remember the corn crop the hay crops. the
garden and orchard and truck patch. the cows and
pigs and poultry.
Our next advice would be this: On tho land
which is devoted TO cotton plan to produce Just
as large yields to the acre at just as small cost
possible.
Many things enter into the production of a cot
ton crop that will be profitable in year OF low
prices this is likely to be.-the fertility of tho
soil first of all. then preparation. fertilization.
manner of planting. kind of seed. subsequent cui-
tiyatIon.
Just now. too. is the time TO consider noa,
of these things. Little can DO done now TO enrich
the soil. but much be done in It's preparation.
| Land that is not we'll broken and thoroughly pull
| verified before the seed are planted can no, make
a maximum CROP and tho coat of cultivation on
such land is necessarily going to be greater than
1t should be. Early planting is necessity In
| nyh ~. hptt hst. Ia
to plant before tho soil has become warm or be-
fore IL has been put In good condition. II you
want to produce your cotton at low cos, per
pound then use the harrow freely. and have your
soil fine and mellow before planting
After all We have said about tho use OF the
fertilizers that needed by tho cropa surely
no reader Will go without Mt least making an
effort TO use only such fertilizers ma arc actually
needed by the crop on his soil and without having
his soil in such condition that the crop can util-
lie the plant food he applies. little attention
given this matter will do much to give tho farmer
a larger profit on hs cotton.
i Without good seed 1t is useless to expect good
crop. and the planting OF unsolicited seed of doubt
full origin is a thing OF which no one of our Pro-
gressiye Farmer and Gazette Family should BIO
guilty.
i The waste OF much seed will be saved and also
the expense OF much chopping later by using n
planter that will put the seed In hills instead of
; drilling them solidly along the row.
i 1t Will mean n smaller outlay for every Mound of
cotton produced. too. IL good stand is secured.
and TO get good stand means not only good
, seed and well prepared soil. but also shallow
planting at a uniform depth II the land ia not
well drained plant n ridge II IL is plant prac-
ucally level This viii mean easier and cheaper
will lI~
weeder and harrow 10 keep down the grass. and
when q mnRt be clearnd frntn ha crana q.