The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1918-05-25
EARLY PLANTING
MEANS MORE WORK
MANY GROWERS FORGET
THAT COTTON is HOT
WEATHER PLANT
IT LEADS ALL CASH CROPS
oklahoma Farmers Sold Lint and
Seed Of 1917 For Big Sum OF
si45,ee3, 900.


Oklahoma. In 1917 there was produ
ed in Oklahoma 100000 bales OF
cash value of sli7e 10000 and Al
900 tons of cotton seed (estimated
valued at s27,76S 10000, making a tt
tai cash value for both seed and lin
Of sl45,6e3, 10000 The 1917 total acre
age in Oklahoma was 2.s3S 900.
In the making OF maximum cot
Ton crop the most important thing Il
consider is the getting OF a stand
says w d. Bentley. Assistant Direc
tor OF Extension at Oklahoma A. 4
NJ. College. "As rule II is necessar,
Tor farmers to replant their cottoI
Two or three times on account OF fail
hre TO get stand. II Is very difficult
tor the average farmer to resist plant
Ing his crop too early. The ground
gets In good condition, the days arc
pleasant in early spring ana the temp
lation to put the seed in the ground
is greater than the farmer can resist
although he knows well that cool
spells are sure to come that will great.
" injure the cotton. Cotton is a hot
weather plant and should not be
planted until the ground is thoroughly
warm
Another mistake 30 usually MAIDS
BY planting the cotton too deep. II
Isn't possible 10 plant cotton too shal.
low as long as II is in moist dirt. If
The ground is moist early planting
should be just as shallow as II is
possible TO get It. If the seed Is lust
barely covered, II in moist dirt. 50
much the better. In fact the first
plants up are always seen at the ends
pf the rows where the seed has been
dropped on the ground and tramped
into II and moi covered al all. As tho
ground gets warmer and tho surface
begins to dry out, the seed should
be planted a little deeper. Later
planting, after the ground is thorough
ly warm, may he planted considerably
deeper. Cotton is like beans. When
II terminates. the seed Is pushed up
out of the ground and il is necessary
that II be as shallow as possible for
1t TO get through.
Another cause for poor stands In
cotton In the using of too small an
amount OF seed The old cotton farm.
er who said that he always planted
bushel OF seed per acre-that he
wanted one half bushel ito push and
the other 10 pull" so that he was sure
the seed would break the crust and he
would have an even, uniform stand
was about right A gallon Of good
seed will make plenty of plants for
an acre hut it is impossible 10 get
perfect stand of cotton with less than
three pecks of secd per acre: there.
fore more seed than necessary for
stand must be planted. From three
20 five pecks should always be used 20
insure good stand OF cotton. II this
quantity OF seed is used. a harrow can
be used very successfully in the first
one or two civilizations and the stand
not injured. Three TO five pecks OF
seed, planted as shallow as possible |
TO get into moist dirt and not planted !
too early wifi insure a good stand !
and the necessity of rcplsnting will |
be avoided
THE next ster Is 10 thin the cotton
ss early AS possible so tho plants will |
have an opportunity 10 make thrifty |
stalky growth Cotton should always |
he chopped twice. The first time as
soon as all the seed Is well up Il should /
be thinned 10 eight or ten inches on
soil Of ordinary fertility and. after il
has been cultivated two or three
times Il should he gone over with the
hoes again and thinnod TO perhaps
twice the distance and all weeds and
grass removed that mas been left bv
the cultivator.
For a maximum yield. cotton should
be cultivated very shallow every eight
or ten days and the cultivation should
he continued until the first mature
bolls have begun TO open.
The best cotton growers always
take great pains in saving seed n r.
an excellent idea to employ some care
ful picker 10 pick the best bolls from
The best plants sufficient TO make
bale This carefully selected bale will
provide plenty Of seed for the aver
age cotton farmer. The cotton farm
er should always plan TO save seed
sufficient 10 replant II necessary and
then he will not be compelled. should
h. lose his crop by hail or some
Dlher cause. 10 use inferior gin-run
sced for the second planting"