The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1920-04-15
Gotten Planting Under
Boil Weevil Conditions
Time and Methods of Planting
and Cultivation To Beat
The Boil Weevl.

Clemson College, April ia great
many farmers are asking about the
ti.ae of planting cotton under boil
v-aev:l conditions. The answer TO
tbs question, says Prof. c. p. Black
we'll of the agronomy division, is that
the time OF planting which gave best
results In the previous years will
give best results under boil weevil
conditions. The best time tor plant
Ing varies according to the season.
Cotton is q warm weather plant. It
will not make healthy growth until
the soil is reasonably warm and dan
ger OF frost is past. 50 Il 10 general
" best not to plant until the soil 10
warm. Then II is we'll to plant IN .
we'll prepared seed bed seed which
ha. been dehnted with sulphuric
acid. This should give prompt and
uniform termination and should al
low the cotton to get started before
the weeds come. Cotton which Is
p}anted too early while the soil is yet
cold will not make a quick growth,
and rho weeds will have an opportun'
Nv to BEGIN growth ut the same time
The cotton does. thus making the
croo more difficult to cultivate and
frequently resulting in a poorer
stand.
Methods Of Planting
I. order for cotton to make GOOD
st.rt tho seed should not be planted
IN direct contact vita heavy appaica-
tions Of commercial fertilizer. Where
heavy applieations Of commercial fef-
tili.er are made, some kind Of shovel
plov should b run through the fur
row ahead Of the cotton planter 70
mix the fertilissr thoroughly with the
! soil before planting. If the cotton Is
planted In direct contact with tho
tsr4il,ssr. thsre may be no injury II
h.svv rains follow the planting and
n,eyent the eoncsntration OF the Soil
solution. But II dry weather follows
tho planting, the soil solution bs-
comes very concentrated and the
vouur roots Of the plant are killed.
This may result In poor stand OF
cotton by killing of many OF the
Young plants, or It may result IN
,tunted crop by delaying the carly
! growth Of the plants. This has not
b.an such an important matter in the
past, as there has usually been
. long growing season and the cotton
has had plenty OF time to mature.
Under boil wesvil conditions, how
ever. Il d a matter Of prime import.
ancs. as earifness IS very essential
10 success in beating the. boil weevii.
Careful attention to this point may
prevent serious loss.
Another factor in planting unaer
boll weevil conditions which ae-
serves careful consideration at this
time Il the spacing Of plants At time
sf ,lanting. BY planting dsl'nteo
.eed II 10 possible to drop the seed al
almost any Interval desired, and oy
pIanalns several seed In each hill a
qsod stand may be secured.
This makes it profitable TO cuiu-
vat. cotton with spiks-tooth har-
row or 4 row harrow at an early
dat. and to keep the weeds down ana
tbereby save much labor and expense
N choppinE.
Spacing
Farmers have frequently been ao'
yi.ed to space their cotton far apart
IN order that the sunlight may get in
b.tv.su the plants and kill'the we
.yils in thu squares which fall to the
ground early in the. season. TINS
method 10 reasonably successful IN
>ths western part Of the Cotton Belt.
where there are many long periods OF
Avv hot weather during the early sum-
uer months. But it is not sue
eessful IN South Carolina because
there are NO long periods OF dry hot
Weather There have been many ex-
nsrimen1s to determine the best spac-
,nr OF cotton plants. but there are so
MANY factors entering into the con-
.ideration that 1t IS impossible. 10
net a definite spacing which would
be best for all farms.
Each farmer needs to study his
own conditions and use the spacing
which sives best results on his land.
The fertility Of the soil, the amount
of rainfall, the kind Of cotton planted
and the amount Of fertilizer used are
an factors which should be CONSIDER.
e, IN spacing cotton. As general
rule experiments have shown larger
v,s,d. from the relatively close spae-
;,o. At the Pee Dee Experimant
Station best results have been gotten
nv planting IN 4-foot rows with plants
not more than ten to twelve incnes
auart in the row This on compare
t,re,y fertile soil. Welding about one
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