The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-05-31
Reports I'll di1cade
Reduced Acreage.
Condi dition of Cotton Crop 76.8 of
a Normal Cultivation Held.
Back by Nude Fields, Crop
ting IN the Grass and Boil
WeevIl and Other Pests Have.
appeared
q.

49, I'LL ~ -.
ae-s esNSeiaph GeEarnerciaI ciaIAppeai 5.
Ind ications are that the a 10 1920
Ecetton crop viii he planted on 3 SO g -
i 028,00 acres, equivalent to a redue-.
= ton of about per cent, comp
with {: 5000 acres planted to cot
! + ton: IN 1911
Reports sent. in by correspondents
also indicate that 80 per cent Of the
( increased acreage has already been
! planted, and that 81 per cent. of the.
8area planted is up to a stand, in most
cases unusually good, and that the
condition Of the. crop. as of May 20 is.
i76:S per cent of a nernaL This con-
! pares with a condition Of S2.3 per
cent reported by the United States
department of agriculture. as Of May
l25, 1918, and a .10-year average end
May condition of 1925
The acreage when planting is COM
pleted will depend in an unusual de-
gree upon the weather to the close Of
about the first week in June, on ac-
count of the unfaSorable character
! of the weather for the past two
;weeks.
! a general reduction of less than 10
per cent in the use Of commercial fer
itilizer is indicated
| This report is based upon cor
respondence covering in detail 7S2
cotton growing counties included in
the 10 principal cotton producing
states, and is general as to Virginia.
| Florida. Kentucky, Missouri, Arizona
and California
| of the acreage planted was not as
well prepared as usual This was due
I to temperatures above normal oc-
| curing early in the season. a desire
| to get ahead Of insect pests, and as
an expedient suggested to meet Ia
Ebor problems Soil was worked too
wet, and clods now causing trouble.
Fertiiizcra-A general reduction in
ithe.use Of Commercial fertilizer about
proportioneas to acreage reduction is
! Indicated.
Stands Termination unusually
good. but much complaint Of plants
dying fromkcool nights and excessive
moisture.
appearance Of the Plant-Piants
sappy and making poor root. Growth
spindling and lacking vitality
| CnItivation-Choppi general but
fields muddy and work seriously de-
1 layee. Grass and weeds getting az
alarming start
! Labor-Labor shortage is about uni
versal. Wages high.
| Insects. Etc-TeXas complains Of
| the army worm and the web worm. |
while insects Of variety of kinds arc
giving trouble in Oklahoma. Hale /
county, Alabama, and Southwest
Georgia report boil weevil.
The Weather.-Preparatio tons and
planting were started at about the
usual dates with sufficient to excessive
soil moisture following copious winter
rains all over the belt and especially I
over the drouth areas Of Texas and
Oklahoma. Rainfall for April was
from two to four inches, excepting I
over south central Texas and the T
coastal fiat woods country Of North I
Carolina and Georgia. where precipl- !
tation was from one to two inches: |
excepting also. the southern half OF !
Mississippi aud nearly all Of Louisiana |
where precipitation amounts 10 from .
four to six inches, and as high as
eight inches.
Precipitation WAS fairly we'll dis /
tributed as to time until abou, May l..
since which date TOO frequent rains !
usually light hut occasionally yer!
heavy. have been general over the I
belt interfering with planting and !
cultivation Complaints OF packed I
and of washed soils.
Temperatures during April were !
usually near or above normal, but /
after IL, first week IN May ii vas uA- !
seasonably cool west OF the Missis-
sippi spreading eastward and still! (
prevalent.
AS Il whole the season has been
backward. Correspondents say the
crop is from Il week 10 more than !
three weeks late. Growth and de-
velopment have been greatly reta'd-
ed. Hot dry weather with plenty o:
sunshine is the great need.
LAND OWNERSHIP IN BOHEMIA.