The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-06-03
Cotton Planting Under
Boil Weeyil Conditions
Time and Methods of Planting
AMI Cultivation To Beat
The Boil Weevil.

Clemson College, April IA great
many farmers are asking about the
time of planting cotton under boil
wsevil conditions. The answer to
this question, says Prof. c. P. Black
we'll of the agronomy division. is that
the time of planting which gave best
results in tbs previous years VIII
give best results under boil Weevil
conditions. The best time for plant
Ing varies according to the season.
Cotton is a warm weather plant. 1t
will not make a healthy growth until
the soil is reasonably warm and dan
ger Of frost is past. So 1t is general
ly best not to plant until the soil is
warm. Then it Is we'll to plant in q
well prepared seed bed seed which
has been delinted with sulphurlc
acid. This should give prompt and
uniform termination and should al
low the cotton to get started before
the weeds come. Cotton which 1s
planted too early while the soil is yet
cold will not make quick growth,
aad the weeds will have an opportun-
ity to begin growth at the same time
the cotton does, thus making the
crop more difficult to cultivate and
frequently resulting Ia poorer
stand.
Methods Of Planting
In order for cotton to make a good
start the seed should aot bS planted
In direct contact with heavy appllca-
tions Of commercial fertilizer. Where
heavy applications OF commercial Ter
tilizer are made, some kind OF shovel
plow should be run through the fur-
row ahead of the cotton planter to
mix the fertilizer thoroughly with the
soil before planting. II the cotton is
plarted in direct contact with the
fertilizer, there may be no injury II
heavy rains follow the planting ahd
prevent the concentration OF the SOIL
solution. But if dry weather follows
the planting, the soil solution pe-
comes very concentrated and the
young roots of the plant are killed.
This may result in a poor stano OF
cotton by killing of many OF the
Young plants, or 1t may result IN
stunted crop by delaying the early
growth of the plants. This has not
been such an important matter IN the
mast as there has usually been
long growing season and the cotton
has had plenty Of time to mature.
Under boil weevH conditions, how
ever, Il is a matter Of prime import
anee, as earliness is very essential
to success in beating the boil weevil.
Careful attention to this point may
prevent serious loss.
Another faeter in planting under
boil weevil conditions which de-
serves careful consideration at this
time is the spacing Of plants at time
OF planting, BY planting de''neeo
seed Il is possible to drop the seed at
almost any Interval desired, and sy
planting several seed in each hill
coed stand may be secured.
This makes it profitable to cult
vate cotton with spike-tooth har-
row or a row harrow at an early
date and to keep the weeds down and
thereby save much labor and expense
In chopping.
&. Spacing
Farmers have frequently been ad-
vised to space their cotton far apart
IN order that the sunlight may get IN
between the plants and kill the We
syils in the squares which fall to the
ground early. in the season. This
method is reasonably successful IN
the western part Of the Cotton Belt,
whore there are many long periods OF
srv hot weather during the early sum
mer months. But it is not sue
cessful in South Carolina because
there are no long periods OF dry hot
weather. There have been many ex-
psrimenas to determine the best spac-
Ing Of cotton plants, but there are 80
napv factors entering into the con-
sideration that it is Impossible 10
rat a definite spacing which would
BE- best fer all farms. -.
Each farmer needs to study MS
avn conditions and use the spacing
which gives best results on his fano.
The fertility Of the soil, the amount
os rainfall. the kind Of cotton planted
md the amount Of fertilizer used are
all factors which should be censteer-
e, In. spacing eetson. AS genera
rule. experiments have shown larger
Yields from the relatively close spae'
MO. At the Pee Dee Experlman'
station best results have been gotten
bv planting in ( foot rows with plants
not naors than ten to twelve lacnes
q nat Ia the POW. This on a eonpafa
tiyely fertile soil, yielding about one
and one-half bales per acre as an
average.
Cultivation
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