The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-01

TO observe and experiment on his own
account with rows of cotton thinned
to different distances and at different
stages OF growth and thus see for him
self the relation of the habits of the
plants to the cultural problem. In this
case no special equipment of books or
instruments is necessary to enable the
farmer to study the plant and learn
what he needs to know regarding It's
habits of branching. There are no tech
nlcal1ties that Interfere in any way
with direct observations of the be-
havior of the plants under the usual
farm conditions.
Must Understand Reasons
Unless the farmer can understand
the underlying reasons he is not likely
to adopt new method or to apply it
properly any more than he can use a
new machine to advantage without
knowing how it works This REQUIRE
ment of intelligence may limit the ap-
plication of an improved method, Just
as IL restricts the use of high grade
machines to those who have the ability
TO handle them properly and under
stand their construction. But ii is gem
orally agreed that larger rewards for
more Intelligent and skillful farming
are in the interest of agricultural prog
ress and this is especially true in re-
lation to the cotton industry To make
II seem worth while for intelligent men
to stay on the farm would soon counter
act the urban tendencies now so much
deplored
That cotton has been considered q
sure snap even with the most care
TtsE fn mi fr1f r. 4
sons for the backward state of the in
dustry. But the need of Improvement
Is now recognized as never before, as
result OF the many changes that are
being enforced by the invasion of the
boil weevil With the continued ad-
vance of this pest the period of sure
crop cotton is drawing to close and
the rapid expansion of cotton culture
in foreign countries shows that a new
test of competition in the production
of this crop must be met in a few
years. In the meantime any improve
ments that promise increased efficiency
of production is worthy of careful con-
sideration.
"The need of shortening the growing
| season of cotton has been recognized
as the best solution of the problem Of
securing protection against injury from
the boil weevil."
OPliiiOuS
| The bulletin then points out the con-
flicting opinions among farmers as to
the methods of wide spacing and leav-
ing the cotton closer together in the
rows. owing to local conditions some
taking one view and some the other,
and then declares that the possibility
of making a safe combination of the
two conflicting methods seems not to
have been suggested.
+ pfc hot Ia MA
duce late crops, for the reason that
large luxuriant plants do not begin to
produce flowers and bolls as early as
plants of more restricted growth. This
condition is just what the bulletin
seeks to correct The young plants in
a condition of luXuriant growth de-
velop vegetative limbs at the expense
of the lower fruiting branches that are
necessary to the production of an early
crop. The cotton plant has two diff
ferent kind of branches-vegetativ
branches. sometimes called wood
limbs" which correspond to the main
stalk of the plant and fruiting branches
which produce the flowers and bolls.
Plants that have numerous vegeta
tive branches are more crowded at two
and three feet than plants with single
stalks at or 10 inches. With vegeta-
tive branches controlled, the spacing
is no longer a question of feet. but of
lncneS. Rows spaced at SIN lncHeS
have usually given better results than
those of 12 inches or any greater dis
tance
In addition to this by avoiding the
development of the large wood limbs
the rows are kept narrower and more
hedgelilxe, so that the fruiting branches
receive sunlight throughout the sea-
son. If the sun is shut off from the
lower limbs by the foliage of the vege-
tative branches. most of the bolls on
these lower fruitng limbs fail to reach
normal maturity.
According to Professor Cook it Is
simply a question of competition be-
tween two different kind of branches
on the cotton plant, the producer and
the comparatively nonproducer-his OBJ
ject is to dwarf the nonproducer which
exists at the expense of the full de-
velopment of the producer and also
at the expense of any early crop leav-
ing the producing branches of the plant
to fall the victim of the boil weeyil
pest. These difficulties, he believes,
may be overcome by closer planting
and late thinning.