The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-09-15
CROP ADVISER
MAKES REPORT
FOR PAST WEEK
FOUND COTTON PICKING ORDER
OF THE DAY, BUT OWING TO
YIELD is CONSIDERABLY DE-
cREAsED-soME GOOD ADVICE.
BY c. K MoUARRIE.


| strictly cotton section of the county,
and found cotton picking the order
/ of the day. Owing to boil weevil con-
! ditions, the yield is very much reduced,
and will not average more than half
| bale to the acre. On Mr.. William
| Robertson's place in the Bradt settle
: nent, there are very few Of the insects
| in evidence and he is going to get
/ little over a bale to the acre. This
condition is explained by the way in
which he maintained constant culti-
walton of the crop even after the bells
were formed; those that quit cultivat-
| ing early have the least crop, showing
conclusively the advantage of prolong-
| ed working of the soil to insure bet
ter results. Atmore is the principal
market for the crop in that part of
the county, and the streets of that
little wide-awake town were very busy
with farmers and their wagons bring
ing in cotton. The price is very salts
factory, being around the 13-cent fig
ure which in part helps to make vice.
vii losses less. The quality is also Of
a higher grade than usual, owing to
very favorable weather conditions for
picking the crop.
Lessen Boil WeeviI.
The question now up TO the cotton
grower is what are you going to do
to try and lessen the number of wee
wills for another year? The best plan
to this END is as soon as the cotton is
picked, cut the stalks and make them
into piles in the field and then burn
those piles, and in this way millions
of the inspects and their larvae will
be destroyed, and right in that very
operation there is a right and a wrong
way to do 1t. After the stalks are
cut, pile them right away and leave
them for a few days until thoroughly
dry, and then burn; if you leave the
stalks lying where cut until dry, be-
fore piling them up, the weevil will
not collect in one place the same as
they do in the piles if left few days
before burning. The weevils collect in
large numbers in these piles as they
are afforded better protection than
when the stalks are lying singly in
the field
After getting rid of the cotton
stalks, pillow the land a couple Of
| inches deeper than last time and when
practicable, use a subsoiler, and sow
the land in oats, rye, or barley for a
winter cover crop and soil protection.
If the Flowing is properly done to at
least a depth of six to eight inches,
any weevil, larvae or eggs that es-
capped the fire, has a slim chance of
being alive next spring.
saw some excellent felds of sugar
cane and also some Of the other kind,
but upon the whole the crop is very
promising, and with favorable weather
from now on, and few more work.
ings, believe the syrup crop will be
above the average.
Sweet Potatoes.
The acreage in this crop is at least
90 per cent above the normal, and
the yield where dug, has been salts
factori1y. Quite a. number of cars of
this crop have been shipped from Flo
maton and other L. & N points. The
town of Foley alone has shipped up
ward of 100 cars. Some farmers are
preparing to build improved storage
houses for this crop, where it can be
safely carried through the winter and
held until prices improve in the spring
and early summer. There is a great
loss incurred by the ordinary farmer
every year, through careless methods
of storing his sweet potato crop after
it is dug. This can be entirely avoid
ed by building well ventilated houses
that can be shut up tight and an even
temperature maintained during a cold
spell.
Fall Planted Crops.
Truckers and others catering to veg
etable market should have all their
fall paintings well under way by this
time. Snap beans should get particu-
lar attention. Keep the cultivator go
ing very shallow every few days, and
especially after rain. Have observed
very promising turnip crops going to
waste for lack Of thinning in time. The
perverseness of human nature is
brought more prominently to the front
in the trucker than any other class
that we meet. Advise them to thin
their turnips, rutaba gas. or beets, and
they won't do it until too late. All
root crops should be thinned out to a,
six-inch distance as soon as they are
a few inches long; in this way larger
yield will be obtained and the quality
will be very much superior to those
left thick in the row and fight each
other for its very existence. Cauli-
flower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts
plants should be set out in the field
any time now. These crops are very
suitable for fall planting and unless
very cold December occurs. they will
be ready for Christmas marketing
Plant onion sets right away. Get the
top sets if possible and get the white
ones If you are going to use them for
punching purposes. The remarks made
regarding the Bermuda variety Of on
ions last week still holds true, es-
peciaily what was said regarding Sc
curing good seed and testing same aft
er getting il. A word OF caution re-
garding this crop for the first time;
there are a great many wrinkles in
the production Of onions that you
don't get in text books or from other
-