The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-02-15
some POINTERS.
TO THE FARMERS
Or. Hathorn Points Out That Average
Production of Cotton is Larger Than
Before Arrival of The WeeviI.

of the United States department OF
agriculture, bureau of plant industry
assigned to the Mississippi field, has
issued the following interesting ad
dress to farmers relative to cotton
culture:
Can cotton be grown successfully
under boil weevil conditions. This
question cannot be answered off-hand
without knowing something before
hand of the man who would make
the attempt and his environment. AS
a matter of fact great many farm
ers were not growing it successfully
before the weevil came. This is GER
tainly another exemplification of the
law of the survival of the fittest.
"The average production of cotton
per acre in Mississippi before the adj
vent of the weevil was considerably
less than one-half bale per acre.
Since a great many farmers averaged
from three-fourths to one bale per
acre, it follows that some must have
averaged as low as one-fourth bale
per acre. 1t has been shown conclu-
sively that methods must be changed
in order to make cotton now. The
change in methods is so great as to
be almost revolutionary. 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 had barely kept even,
in former years. We know that I'M
der unfavorable weather conditions,
such as we had in 1910, that even the
best farmers are liable to make not
much more than half a normal crop;
we know too that under any and all
unfavorable conditions, the best farm
ers always made and always will
make a larger proportionate yield
than the slipshod fellows. This brings
us to our proposition, viz, the man
who has been making an average of
three-fourths of a bale of cotton per
acre can make half of a normal crop,
and if he makes that cotton a sur
plus crop, will still make a nice
margin of profit. But the man who
has been making one-fourth of a bale
per acre, and who is not apt under
unfavorable conditions to make the
same proportionate yield as his pro-
gressive neighbor cannot 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 ex-
penses 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
nice profit left the man who makes
the smaller yield must move into the
higher class or be crowded to the wall.
What kind of land has been making
the large yields that kept our aver
age up? Rich land of course; either
naturally rich or made so by grad
ual Improvement or heavy fertiliza-
ton. No man ever made a heavy
yield of cotton per acre, unless there
was present large amount of avail
able plant food no man ever will.
Since it is more difficult to make cot
ton now than ever before, it is all
the more necessary to have rich land.
If it is not naturally rich, We must
make it temporarily so by fertilizing.
In some sections poor land can be
made to grow large yields of cotton,
especially after a pea crop, by deep
blowing and heavy application of well
balanced commercial fertilizer. In
the bluff and alluvial section it is
doubtful if commercial fertilizers pay,
except on thin lands where nitrogen
Is needed. On land of this kind it |
would be too great a risk to make |
up the depletion of the soil by cost
~ store-bought nitrogen. 1t is better
10 plant cotton only on land that grew
a heavy crop of peas or some other
eguminous crop in 1910.
IF man is so unfortunate as to
nave no rich, well drained land, or
10 land that grew leguminous crops
n 1910, he is handicapped from the
start and might well pause before
Undertaking to make a fight against
he boil weevil. 1t is certain that cot
on can be grown profitably as a
urplus money crop; it is also certain
hat we must take advantage of every
i'd natural and artificial that ex-
has taught us will benefit us.
The idea has been advanced that
ottom land could not be depended