Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1919-01-03
COTTON IS PROVEN
A PROFITABLE CROP
Report of New Mexico Experiments nj
The State Agricultural College
Very Encouraging
NATL EXPERT URGES CAUTION
- Chief Of Cotton breeding Divisioa OF
Agricultural Department Advises
Further Tests


Farmers and merchants who have
been following progress Of the project
10 grow cotton at Myndus Will be In
terestcd In the report just made pub
lie by Rupert l.. Stewart, agronomist
NJ the state gricultural college of New
Mexico. part of which follows:
"rhe New Mexico Experiment sta
lion has been conducting investigations
for several years. and the results have
heen uniformly favorable TO the crop.
In 1916. a number of varieties were
compared. The Durango variety yielded
40 bales Of cotton to the acre. and
several other varieties exceeded bale
10 the acre. In 1917 the Durango va
rlety was planted on the mesa land,
which Is some fifty feet higher than the
valley. The soil Is quite sandy. with
rockets Of gravel scattered here and
there. which makes II quite porous.
The cotton was not planted until quite
late. and. as result. large number
of bolls ddi not have time 10 mature he
fore frost. and so the Weld was cut
down. the crop yield being 80 bales
per acre. MS against 1.i0 bales the pre-
yious wear ON valley land.
ain the spring Of 1913 more extern
sive experiment. to include both mesa
and valley soils. was planned.
"Thc field of valley land that was
selected for the experiment had been
previously in hog and dairy COW pas
ture. heing seeded each year to an
annual pasture crop. The soil, al
though somewhat uniform, is probably
no more so than the average field In
this section OF the state. and Is classi-
fled as the ella clay by the bureau of
soils.
There were 1.3 acres OF cotton
planted on the valley land and II yield
cd at the rate Of 1.35 bales Of lint cot
ton per acre Some OF the plats Went
..s-0nsiderably higher than this. the high
est being 1.55 bales per acre. The
cotton that was planted an mesa land
Yielded quite heavily. the best Plat
growing 10 hales per acre and the
entire field giving 1,25 hale yield
The cotton was planted ON :he 22d
and 23d of April. and was picked tire,
times. twice before frost and once af
terward. The 'hollies' were not picked
which would have. of course. increased
fhc yield somewhat.
"The results thus far indicates that
.-i.I,Ic 90 ,..ttnp cun ha gapnraf
both on mesa and valley lands wher
II is planted early cultivated often anC
irrigated sparingly."
No particular type of fertilizer Il
recommended by Mr.. Stewart. Better
stands are obtained when the cotton I!
planted on ridge and irrigated IL
burrows. thus preventing the formation
OF a crust. as is the case when the cot
ton tx planted on n fiat and flooding i
prncticed
Replying to an inquiry from y. +
Chapman. G. ~ Collins, chief Of th'
division of cotton breeding L. =. ag
ricultural department. made the fol
lowing statements and recommenda
~fions:
while cotton Is being grown at 81
evations Of 1000 feet ard over in Mex
leo there is no assurance that plantin;
on large scale would he advisable
in New Mexico. and the results oil
tnined In n single season would no
indicate the possibilities Of commercial
cultivation. Paintings on smal
scale through several seasons woul'
he advisable In order to ascertain tn
behavior OF the plants under differen
4 seasonal conditions small qunnti
lf tv of seed Of several varieties can b.
III furnished for experimental planting I
Ndcsired.
n TO establish cotton Ms II crop In
new locality should he considered as
community undertaking. otherwise tn
necessary facilities for ginning AM
marketing are not likely to he pro
vided, and the individual farmer find
himself unable to handle the crop"
Robert |. Sipe, who has been mell
toned in these, columns as havin
grown a small experimental crop .
cotton near Deming. has receive'
many inquiries, Regarding his methG'i'
results and opinion, In partial repl
10 which he writes:
q! am satisfied that we have s0i
in Mimbres valley that win produc
cotton prohtably, on q. commercial
scale. The principal points are car
In selection OF seed, proper prepara
tion Of soil ami subsequent cultivation
Preparation OF soil should be abcu
the same that any good famer woul
use in getting ready TO plant corn, bu
in figuring your planting season,
Spust he remembered that cotton need
five 20 six months ofygrowing weather
therefore, the hest way to calculate
by taking, say. October 20 as TO tn
date of the first fall frost nnd begi
planting O months before then, or Apr
20. Ten on fifteen days win be needle