The Prescott daily news., 1912-05-01

little cotton just as soon as possible and never permit a crust to form or the field to become grassy
 The majority of the over-wintered weevils are probably out of winter quarters before the time the cotton begins to set squares. A race that means much and a race that Is watch ed by all the world then begins. The cotton runs the race of its life to set squares faster than the weevils can multiply and puncture the squares The weevils take advantage of every opportunity to increase their num- bers. If the land Is well drained, warm and quick-making, thoroughly pulverized and fertilized with from 300 to 500 pounds per acre, the seed an early, rapid-fruiting, prolific varie- ty, the crop given intensive shallow cultivation until the cotton begins to open, the cotton will go out under the wire far in the lead with from one- | half to bale or more per acre. If the land Is late" and broken into clods. very little fertilizer applied, the seed a late, slowmaking variety, the cultivation slow and deep, the weevils will soon destroy all the squares and then destroy all the bolls.
 It takes fertile soil as we'll as thor ough preparation, rapid-fruiting seed and intensive shallow cultivation to make good crops of cotton. The soil should be wei drained, full of humus and contain plenty of plant food in an available form. The soil should be deep for the following reasons: First, to increase the water holding capac- ity; second, to let the water escape from the surface without running over the ground and washing it off; third. to permit the air to circulate freely for a considerable depth in the soil; fourth, to secure crops against drouth by enabling the cotton roots to go down to perpetual moisture; fifth, to increase the area from which plant roots may obtain food.
 The soil must be full of vegetable matter to prevent it from packing after heavy rains so that cultivators may be used to the best advantage. It must be full of vegetable matter to increase the storage capacity for wa ter and thereby enable 1t to hold enough water to carry the cotton crop through the longest drouth in the summer through heavily fertilized. II the soil is devoid of vegetable matter and as a result does not hold enough water, the cotton crop will stop grow ing and putting on squares during long drouth and shed the fruit already on the stalks.
 The soil may be put in the proper condition for cotton by practicing a suitable rotation of crors, including leguminous crops, and by turning un- der the corn stalks, the oat and pea stabble, the grass and trash and the cotton stalks where the land is com. pGratively clear of roots and stumps and where large blows and strong teams can be had.
 T. is advisable to flat break the lanG ip the fall and early winter and then bed it some time before planting tire. The beds should be disked or narrowed just before planting the cot ton seed, but it is seldom advisable to rc-bed the land just before planting. Cotton comes up quicker, grows off fas-er and begins bearing sooner on well settled, firm seed bed, conse- qucntly, it is not wise to plant the cotton on freshly prepared land.
 Where the soil responds to conner cial fertilizers, it is advisable to make heavy applications to hasten matur- ity and increase the yield. It Is best to use fertilizers that stimulate the fruit more than the stalk growth. High grade Is per cent acid phosphate is the basis for increasing fruit and hastening maturity. Cottonseed meal is generally the basis for stimulating stalk growth. A mixture of two parts of 16 per cent acid phosphate and one part of per cent cottonseed meal is good mixture for cotton on soil of average fertility. It will also gen, orally pay to mix from 10 to 20 pounds of nitrate of soda with every bushel o, planting seed just before the seed Is put into the planter. The nitrate has a tendency to cause the little cotton to be vigorous and resist the bad ef- fleets of the cool nights better. It will also generally pay to make side ap- plication of nitrate just after the cot ton has been thinned the first time.
 The production of an early crop of cotton is now absolutely necessary. This being true, we must plant early, rapid-fruiting, prolific cotton seed. We must either buy such seed every year or select seed from cotton nlants with