The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1913-11-16
feld Agent f B Randls In
iereasei in all n me Crop
~ loNu'Iea County
GIVES ADVICE TO FARMERS
States Thst old Cotton - lks
Should Not Bs Burned bsa
Plousd Under.

OF the Department OF Farm I'M
provement Work Of the Southern
Railway. with headquarters In
West Point. was in Columbus
Friday. having visited a number
Of farms around the city on
which demonstration work was
conducted during the past sum-
mer. Mr.. Randle states that
the crops raised in this county
during the past spring and sum-
mer were the best in a number of
years.
Mr.. Randle offers the follow
ing suggestions to farmers pre-
pairing for the fight against the
dreaded boil weevil:
In this territory. which is now
infested by the weevil, the most
important factor in winning the
fight against its ravages in 1914,
is the clearing and preparing the
lands. Even with the cold wealth
er we have had, all the weevils
have not gone to their hibernat-
ing quarters, and many thous-
ands yet remain in the halfopen-
ed and unopened bolls.
Il would not advocate the
burning Of the old stalks for two
reasons:
First. In attempting to cut,
rake and burat.e stalks you will
leave thousands of bolls scatter
ed over the land and the weevil
will remain in them until a fav-
orable time some warm, ,sunshiny
day--when they will fly out and
hunt other quarters more favor
ably for winter Information.
Second. In burning the old
stalks you lose too much valua-
BILE fertilizer, in organic matter,
and other requisites which are
worth too much to your land to
have them go up in flames.
1T is known fact that organic
matter and nitrogen are the most
needed of all things in the soils
of this section, and it must be
admitted that there has been lit
tie done, so far, to remedy this
need. This being the fact, | do
not think it is the best thing to
do when we advise the farmer ia
burn the cotton stalk if there is q
possible way of getting him tc
turn them under the ground, fol
when he burns the stalks many
of the weevils will warm up be.
fore the fire strikes them anC
fly away to another hiding place
and pass the winter.
More than this, on one acre Of
ground that has grown one BALI
of cotton there are 1000 pound,
of cotton stalks, on an average
These stalks contain 81 lbs. O
nitrogen, 9pounds of phosphorus
and 80 pounds of potash. Figur
ing nitrogen at the present cos
of 22 l-2 cents per pound, phos
phorus at 6 cents per pound, ant
: potash at 6 cents per pound,
would take $12.59 worth of com
mercial fertilizer to return Il
: the soil what is taken out by tn
: burning of these stalks. Asid
! from this we have the benefit o
/ the decaying matter in our sol
: and this is one ..of the creates
needs, for without organic matte
we cannot derive the :benefi
: from our commercial fertilizers
ITO plow these stalks under
: is best to first run over ther
e with a corn stalk chopper, or dis
: harrow and cut them into sma
pieces. Following this with
! two-horse (never smaller) turnin
D plow and bury the stalks at leal
e 6 inches deep. CA weevil cover
e ed to this depth will never e
cape.) 1t would be well then tn;
e you have your land prepared
Il put in crop of fall oats whiC
n will prevent it from washing an
g teaching during the winter, ;
yall an rive a e,ood nror1 of rnnf