Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-07-05
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB WORK
No. 6, Primary Rules of Cotton
 GroWno.

GroWln9.
 By w. C. IaGsetter. Assistant Director of Extension, University of Arkan-
 sas, and |. $. Department of Agri- culture, operating.
 Cotton responds more readily, more pcrceptbly and more profitably to a little good treatment than any other | farm crop. It will seemingly do bet ter under adverse conditions than any other crop. Never a year comes but that some money can be made from cotton. But since the crop responds so readily to good treatment, there is no reason for requiring that it grow without attention. Yield of cotton per acre can be materially increased through attention to variety to be grown, tine preparation of the land, fertilization and cultivation.
 More than 300 varieties of cotton are being grown in the South, and these vary widely in their ability to yield. In tests conducted by the Ar kansas Experiment Station the aver age of the better varieties showed an increased return of from twelve 10 fifteen dollars per acre as compared with the average of the poorer varie- lties. Repeated tests conducted by the Experiment Station show that for av- craze conditions the Mebane Fri flee, Simpkins and King are reliable varieties from the standpoint of yield per acre.
 All cotton seed to be used for planting should be tested for germi- nation before planting. Use for this two plates and a piece of absorbent cotton cloth as outlined for various farm seed tests. Do not use seed for planting purposes that show less than 70 per cent germination.
 If the soil is to produce good cotton it must be well prepared. All land for cotton should be broken in the fall or in the very early spring, going one inch deeper than at the last breaking.
 Well drained land should not be bedded Very poorly drained land probably should be bedded Do your bedding at least three or four weeks ahead of planting time.
 If land has been broken in the fall
 or early spring, begin to double disk it about three or four weeks before planting time, then harrow each week until ready for planting. This repeat ed narrowing will kill successive crops of grass and weeds as fast as |they come up, and will leave the land muc5 freer of weed seeds and will make the crop easier to work. Where land is bedded, harrow the tops of the beds well before planting. Try 10
 work the beds down in such way that when the saed are covered they will be about on an average with the sur face of the land.
 Fertilizers.-Apply ten tons (ten good loads) of barnyard manure and 300 pounds of IS per cent acid phos- iphate per acre broadcast and disk or harrow it immediately. In the event you can secure only three or five tons
 of manure, lay off the rows with a good, large shovel blow and distribute the manure and the acid phosphate in the furrows. Follow with bull tongue and eight or ten-inch heel
 sweep run in the bottom of the fur row to mix the fertilizing materials
 with the soil. Bed on this and allow
 to settle for two weeks, if possible. before planting.
 If barnyard manure is not available
 you may substitute commercial fertil- izers. For just average soils thor
 oughly mix 250 pounds cotton seed
 meal and 250 pounds 16 per cent acid
 phosphate. Apply in the drill previ- ous to bedding. For good soils mix 200 pounds cotton seed meal and 300 pounds acid phosphate. On rich soils
 apply 300 pounds acid phosphate. Plant cotton as soon as the soil
 begins to warm up. Never use a
 planter that drops only one seed in
 place. It is much better to plant in rows from three and a half to five feet apart and in hills from 12 to 22 inches apart, putting from eight to 15 seed to hill.
 Begin to cultivate with the section
 harrow before the cotton comes up.
 After that chop out and cultivate with
 an implement that will not run more
 thaa three inches deep. Practice shal- low cultivation two to two and half inches continuously. Cultivate after every rain as soon as the soil will do
 to work, and in case of dry weather
 cultivate every ten days. Continue
 until che cotton begins to show signs ] of maturity or until the plants are so large that the cotton cannot be work sI w:tsolt seriously breaking them.
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