Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-04-11

the weevil, agriculture seems to be
on sounder basis to-day than be-
fore the coming of the boil weevil.
Intelligent farm management Is
the whole secret OF producing profit
able crops of cotton after the arrival
of the boil weevil. The study Of the
life history of this insect reveals the
fact that the adults do not mature IN
large enough numbers to injure the
cotton squares and bolls until about
the latter part of July or the first Of
August as a rule. This is the key to
| the whole situation, for the fruit that
Is on the plant before the first Of
boil .weevil. When it begins to at
| tack the fruit, 1t will puncture the
| tender squares and blossoms and de-
stroys them, but the covering Of the
puncture. At first the farmer laughs
at the idea of producing a crop of
cotton by the first of August. I'M
possible! This state Of mind will
never do. 1t can and must be done.
| OF course there will be abnormal
years as regards the rainfall,
droughts, ETC., but these years must
be reckoned with anyway, and If the
| farmer cannot become reconciled to
an occasional bad season, he can
| never make success at farming. An
early maturing variety Of cotton
which has already become adapted to
| local conditions is the first requisite.
Short staple varieties OF the small
| boil prolific type have proven the
| most popular In the Southern part
Of the cotton belt, because of it's ex-
treme earliness and it's prolificacy as
we'll. The large boil varieties are
not as prolific or early, but are much
better than long staple varieties. In
any case, careful seed selection will
aid in obtaining the desired results
An early maturing cotton which
sets its fruit early, quickly and pro-
lifically. The second point 10 be
stressed is planting the cotton Oh a
properly prepared soil especially ad-
apted to quick growth under fre-
quent and intensive cultivation"
Securing and maintaining such a
soil is long step toward early ma
turity Of the crop, but it will neces-
state radical changes in the present
farming program of great many
farmers in this State. Generally
speaking, the type of soil which was
suited to cotton growing before the
coming Of the weevil Is the best type
for making cotton under weevil con-
ditions, viz, a soil having good drain
age, filled with humus, and having
it's plant food constituents in suffi-
cient quantity and in the right pro-
portions. Whether he is growing
cotton or not, every farmer should
have his soil properly drained both
underground and on the surface
Humus can be added in the form Of
manure, but to supplement this the
growing of cover crops is advised.
When these crops are turned under
humus is added and the physical con-
dition Of the soil is bettered also.
Plant food may be added in the form
OF commercial fertilizers as hereto
fore and to about the same amounts,
| but it is very beneficial to grow
| legumes OH the land and add nitro
gen in this way. Organic matter is
valuable for the plant food it may
contain, but its value in breaking
| down and liberating the plant food
already in the soil equals, or is
greater, than its direct fertilizing
| value. Humus increases the water
| holding capacity of soil, and at the
same time it makes it more porous
and easily dried, thereby enabling
the crop to be plowed much more
quickly after rain. This helps to
force" the cotton, in that a greater
amount of the moisture may thus be
held in the soil for the plant to use
Farmers in Louisiana and Mississippi
have found that crop Of COW peas
| on the land the year before cotton
Is to be planted on it fastened it's
maturity to noticeable degree. For
the above reasons, it should become
evident that a practical system of
crop-rotation Is necessary for the Sc
curing and maintaining Of the COM
| prehensively defined soil. mentioned