The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1911-02-16
More About Cotton; King OF
Money Crops.

question can not be answered or
hand without knowing something
before hand of the man who would
make the attempt and his environ
ments. AS matter of fact great
many farmers were not growing 1t
successfully before the weevil came.
This Is certainly another exemplih-
cation of the law of the survival
of the fttest.
The average production of cotton
per acre In Mississippi before the
advent of the weevil was consider
ably less than one-half bale per
acre. Since a great many farmers
averaged from three-fourths to one
bale per acre, 1t follows that some
must have averaged as low as one
fourth bale per acre. 1t has been
shown conclusively that methods
must be changed in order to make
cotton now. The change In meth
cd is so great as to be almost revo-
lutionary. We know that the man
who is already doing good farming
is always quicker to adopt new
methods and necessary changes
than the careless, slovenlY farmer
who barely kept even, In former
years. We know that under favor
able weather conditions, such as
we had In 1910, that even the best
farmers are liable to make not much
more than normal crop; we know,
too, that under any and all unfa-
vorable conditions, the best farmers
have always made and always will |
make larger proportion to yield
than the slipshod fellows. This |
brings us to our proposition, viz,
the man who has been making an
average Of three-fourths Of bale
of cotton per acre can make half
normal crop, and If he makes that
cotton a surplus crop, will still
make a nice margin of profit. But |
the man who has been making one
fourth of bale per acre, and who
Is not apt under favorable condi-
tions to make the same proportion
ate yield as his progressive neigh
Dor, can not possibly grow cotton
at a profit when he makes only
one-eighth of a bale per acre.
There Is no profit In such yield.
There are certain fixed expenses In
making a crop of cotton that do not
increase much as the yield goes up
from one-fourth to one bale per
acre. The man who makes the
larger yield can pay all expenses
and have a nice profit left /; the
man who makes the smaller yield |
must move into the higher class or
be crowed to the wall. What kind |
of land has been making the large |
yield that kept our average up?
Rich land of course, either natural |
ly rich or made SO by gradual i'm
provement or heavy fertilization.
No man ever made heavy yield |
of cotton per acre, unless there was
present large amount of available
plant food; no man ever will. Since
it is more difficult to make cotton
now than ever before. 1t is all the
more necessary to have rich land
IF 1t Is not naturally rich, we must /
make 1t temporarily so by fertil
izing. In some sections poor land
can be made to grow large yields I
of cotton. especially after pea
crop, by deep blowing and heavy
application of we'll balanced com
mercial fertilizers. In the bluff
and alIuvial section it Is doubtful
If commercial fertilizers pay, ex-
cept on thin lands where nitrogen
Is needed. On land of this kind 1t
would be too great a risk to Under
to make take up the depletion of the
soil by costly store-bought nitrogen.
1t Is better to plant cotton only on
land that grew heavy crop of peas
or other leguminous crop In 1910.
If man Is so unfortunate as to
have no rich, we'll drained land, or
no land that grew Ieguminous
crops In 1910. he is handicapped
from the start and might well
pause before undertaking to make
a fight against the boil weevil. It
Is certain that cotton can be grown
proftably as surplus money crop;
A. fs also certain that we must take /