The Brinkley argus., 1918-08-09
.CUTTJi WILL HELP
 BEAT HE GERMANS
Crops Produced For Food Should Re ceiVe First Attention, But World
 Needs Cotton.

By W. F. Ayers, Cotton Specialist, Ar
 kansas Experiment Station. U. of A.
 Crops produced primarily for food and feed should always receive first attention. but the world needs and must have cotton. Three successive short crops and the lack of steamer space have reduced the visible supply both at home and abroad to a danger ous minimum Another extremely short crop might be disastrous. Cot ton is the basis of the principal ex. piosives used by our armies anu na- vies A twelye-inch gun uses half bale at shot and an active machine gun disposes of a bale in less than five minutes These demands are second ary only to food and feed and the world must be clothed besides. Cot-' ton clothes 80 per cent of the world and the warning nations have been patching their clothing for three years. It must soon be renewed.
 The seed from normal crop of cot ton will aid materially in relieving the food shortage Cotton oil supplies half the lard or shortening fat used in the United States today. The seed from bale of cotton produces meal equiv Rlent in feeding value-when properly balanced-to ten or twelve bushels of corn. The hulls from the seed of 10 ,0o0, ,000 bales of cotton will replace I,500,0 ,000 tons of non-legume hay as feed for cattle.
 It is imperative that every acre of cotton produce a maximum yield. To do this, proper cultivation is necessary. The use of tvo-horse and two-row cul- tivstors should be made the rule rath- or than the exception. There is no bet. ter implement for cultivating small cotton than a cultivator equipped with side harrow attachments or four small sweeps. One man, two mules, and eultivator can do the work of two men and two mules working in the old way An average white man or a good negro san operate two-row cultivator and do the work of four men and mules on large level fields where rows are reg ular and comparatively straight Shal- low cultivation often enough to keep down weeds and grass and preserve d mulch is necessary.
 | If it is necessary to speed up' the work at any time, a center furrow witt . large sweep or heel sweep will make a mulch and kill a maximum o1 grass and weeds in a minimum of time. A man and team and cultivator equipped with two large sweeps can center furrow 1b acres ir n day. With this done the crop will wait for other work.
 The best and most reliable laboI should do the blowing. When plowinl ls needed men and mules should be a the blow, unless the land is too wet 4 man with cultivator or even a sin gle blow can kill more grass and weedl in day than he can kill in weeks witi a hoe When 1t is too wet to blow, al hands should hoe, It very seldom stay too wet to hoe more than few hours
 Cotton which has not been thinne( to one plant per hill before it is ter inches high, will, in most cases, pro duce more If not so thinned unles there are more than 25,000 plants pc acre. Within reasonable limits tn more plants per acre the greater tn yield Experiments show that 12-inc spacing produces 10 to 25 per cen more cotton than wider spacing.
 The use of 100 pounds per acre c nitrate of soda on poor or mediuI soils IS usually profitable Ii shoul be applied around the plants not late than the time at which they begin | bloom. It should be covered immed ately by cultivating the crop.
 Summary Statements.
 There is a shortage of cotton, not i the South but in the world Cotton i' necessary to both the army and tn civilia, population Cottonseed prod ucts supply food, feed and ammunition
 Two and three horse cultivators vii help relieve the labor shortage. Large sweeps do much in little time
 The best men are worth most a the blow.
 ! All hands should hoe when 1t is to wet to blow.
 Thin spacing is undesirable.
 The proper use of nitrate of sod: is profitable.