Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-06-30

The secret of success in the grow
ing of any crop may be summed up in
these few words. Good, deep prepara-
ton in the fall of the year, the incor-
porating of plenty of vegetable matter
in the soil by allowing in all grass
and rubbish and the turning under of
cover crops, such as peas, rye, clovers,
ETC.; rapid and shallow civilizations,
soon after rains, to save moisture for
the crop in times of drought and to
allow circulation of air through the
soil for supplying the roots with nee
essary breathing air and to ltberate
available plant food by judicious fer
tilizing with the proper fertilizers,
and by seed-selection to improve the
variety of cotton and to keep it pure.
The land should be we'll broken,
preferably in the fall of the year, with
two-horse pillow, followed by a sub
soil pillow, reaching at least from eight
to ten inches deep, or a disk pillow can
be used, breaking the land about the
same depth. This breaking should be
broadcast.
If the land i sbroken in the fall of
the year cover crop of rye should
be sown. This rye will serve to keen
the land from washing and will gather
yN1o
in its own body and thus preventing
it from being washed or leached
away. Just before planting time, the
rye should be turned under. This
would be about the first of March. A
good cover crop of rye turned under
is equal to a good coating of stable
manure. There are, however, but few
farmers who plant a winter cover
crop as they ought. After the land
has been broken as described above,
whether cover crop is used or moi,
early in March the land should be pre-
pared for planting.
This is usually done by fiat-bedding
out the land as it is called, into rows
of the desired width and then fol ming
small bed, by use of small ploWs, i'll
the water furrow, and then planting
on this, which leaves the cotton on a
level, or slightly below a lever. The
best, cheapest and quickest way. per
haps. would be to thoroughly harrow
the land; then mark off the rows
equally distant apart and plant on 4
level. This would permit of the use
of a weeder to great satisfaction, and,
besides. is much prettier
The spacing of the rows depend ;
on the size of the stalk the land nat
rally produces aud the amount and
kind of fertilizer to be used. Where
cotton will grow from IS to "a inches
high, the rows should be about
feet apart; when it grows from 80 to
SO inches high, 3 IL feet apart; when
from 40 to As inches high, feet apart,
and when above this height the rows
should be feet apart. If much sta
bic manure or as much as 1000 pounds
of high grade fertilizer is used, the
roms should be from 4 IL to5 feet
apart. Mr.. Dozier's rows were 5 feet
apart.
Proper fertilization is an important
feature in the growing of cotton. No
exact rule can be laid down for the
fertilization of any crop at any place.
but should be made an object of stu
dy by each farmer every year in the
growing of his crop.
Farmers, as a whole, are given to
the habit of using what is called an
8-2-2, or 1872 guano, instead
of higher grade guano, which would
cost them less per pound of plant food
and would much better serve the needs
of the cotton plant, particularly in
| this section.
Since there is a general use of the
8-2-2 and the 10-2-2 fertilizers.
! would like to suggest a fertilizer for
general use also that is better be-
cause it is cheaper per pound of plant
food, and because the lands in our