Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-14
IMPORTANT TO GET
 COTTON SEED EARLY
Good Seed Likely to be 'Scarces Next Spring, and Farmers Should Provide Themselves Now.

Good Seed Likely to be Scarce Next
 Spring, and Farmers Should Provide Themselves Now.
 By w. E. Ayres.
 Good planting seed will be scarcer than ever in the spring. There are two reasons. About half of the seed of this seasons crop is unfit for planting be- cause of damage by the drouth. The price of cotton is too low and seed prices are fixed To obtain funds farmers are selling the seed and hold ing their cotton, and wisely, too.
 The world today is both hungry and poorly clothed The South must pro- i duce food for home consumption and some to spare. This necessitates linn iting the cotton acreage at least to the acreage planted this year. An in creased yield of cotton per acre is very necessary. if world needs are to be met. Four short crops have reduced the visible supply of cotton very ma terially and if Europe is to be clothed the world consumption of American cotton--with transportation restored in the next two or three years will be at least two billion bales greater than the possible supply unless the Southern farmers do their utmost to make every acre yield it's maximum.
 There are three means of increas- ing production without increasing the acreage; the use of better seed, better cultural methods and a freer use of fertilizers. Good seed must be able to germinate if properly planted and of productive and profitable variety.
 From data presented in bulletin Mo- 157 on 5S experiments with cot ton varieties, the following conclu- sions are made:
 Good varieties of cotton will pro- duce for the state products worth $75,O0O, ,OOO more annually than poor ones and $25,00O,00O more than aver- age ones.
 Good varieties alone will increase the value of the entire cotton crop of the South $230, 100000 annually.
 1t pays to plant well-bred seed of a good variety.
 Varieties which consistently yield we'll are more desirable than those which occasionally yield extremely well but often produce poorly.
 The following nine varieties could profitably replace the "99" now used in the state: Short staple medi- um early Cleveland, Ruble, Triumph very early, small boiled, short staple, Trice very early. small boiled, long staple Express; medium early, big boiled "Bonders"; Rowden and Lone Star; medium early, big boiled, long staple Foster and Webber.
 Community Varities.
 Farmers of given locality should CO., operate and adopt variety for the community to prevent deterioration by mixing at the gins. One careful and painstaking farmer in the com munity can we'll afford to improve the variety selected and sell seed to his neighbors. !" On the hill and thin valley lands of northeast Arkansas. Trice, Cleveland and early strains cf Triumph are the most satisfactory short varieties. Ex- press and early strains of Webber are the best long staples. hTe better soils in the bottoms of this section are adapted to staple cotton. Express and early srains of Foster and Webber will give good results. If short varie- ties are desired. Trice and dwarf strains of Cleveland and Triumph are to be recommended.
 On the better soils of west central, central and east central Arkansas Ex- press, Foster and Webber are the best staple varieties. With heavy boil weeWil infestation early strains of the latter two must be used. If Bend ers'' are desired Rowden and Lone Star will give best results. Cleveland and early strains of Triumph are best short varieties for the above condi- tions. For the poorer soils of this poor tion of the state, Trice, Rublee and Cleveland are good producers Ex- press or Webber should be used on the hill lands if long staple cotton is, desired. | For the thin soils of the southern third of the state, Trice Rublee and Cleveland will give best results. On the better soils the long staple varie- ties; Express, Foster and Webber give good results. Triumph, Rowden and Lone Star will also do we'll under the latter conditions.
 | Although present prices are disap- pointing, there is every reason to be- lieve that Arkansas afrmers will be compensated for efforts to increase
 
 At present prices of cotton goods the mills can make enormous profits on middling cotton at 50 cents pound. The world must have cotton and will have it even at much higher prices than are now quoted. The Gen. tral empires alone have an accumulat- ed demand for 5,000,000 or 6,O00,0OO | bales. Liverpool is shorter of cotton than it has been in 25 years. There is practically no cotton, cloth. -or thread i ill any o fthe Scandinavian countries. The yield of American cotton for the last four years has been 6,000,000 bales less than normal consumption. A fifth short crop will be little less than a world disaster. After food and feed supplies are provided, Southern farmers cannot produce too much cot ton in 1919. For profitable yields good seed are essential. Buy now! I