The Mena weekly star., 1918-07-04
COTTON WILL HELP
 BEAT THE GERMANS
Crops Produced For Food Should Re eelve First Attention, But World
 Needs Cotton.
By w. E. 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 danger. ous minimum. Another extremely short crop might be disastrous. Cot. ton is the basis of the prlnsipal ex. plosives used by our armies and na- vies. A twelve-inch gun uses half bale at shot and an active machine gun disposes of 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 alent in feeding value-when properly balanced--to ten or twelve bushels of corn. The hulls from the seed of 10000, ,O00 bales of cotton will replace 100000 tons of non-legume hay as a 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 two-horse and two-row cul- tivators should be made the rule rath. CT 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 cultivator can do the work of two men and two mules working in the old way An average white man or a good negro can operate a tworow 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 a mulch is necessary.
 If it is necessary to speed up" the work at any time. center furrow with Q large sweep or heel sweep will make mulch and kill a maximum of grass and weeds in a minimum of time. A man and team and cultivator equipped with two large sweeps caA center furrow IS acres In day. With this done the crop will wait for other work.
 The best and most reliable labor should do the blowing. When blowing is needed men and mules should be at the blow, unless the land is too wet A man with cultivator or even a sin gle blow can kill more grass and weeds fin day than he can kill in weeks with hoe When it is too wet to blow, all hands should hoe. It very seldom stays too wet to hoe more than a few hours.
 Cotton which has not been thinned to one plant per hill before it is ten inches high. will, in most cases, pro duce more if not so thinned unless there are more than 25,000 plants per acre. Within reasonable limits the more plants per acre the greater the yield. Experiments show that 12-inch spacing produces 10 to 25 per cent more cotton than wider spacing.
 The use of 100 pounds per acre of nitrate of soda on poor or medium soils is uspally profitable. It should be applied around the plants not later than the time at which they begin to bloom It should he covered immedi- ately by cultivating the crop.
 Summary Statements.
 There is a shortage of cotton, not in the South but in the world. Cotton is necessary to both the army and the civilian population. Cottonseed prod ucts supply food. feed and ammunition.
 Two and three-horse cuitivators will help relieve the labor shortage.
 Large sweeps do much in little time.
 The best men are worth most at the blow.
 All hands should hoe when 1t is too wet to blow.
 Thin spacing is undesirable.
 The proper use of nitrate of soda is profitable,