The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1921-11-16

obliged to see to it that those who farm
lhcm nave correct information and clos
est supervision, for the average farm
tenant must have sympathetic and cor
rect instruction and active supervision
until ne thoroughly learns the new
methods Of operation
A few broad principles of operation
Tor the whole state may be suggcstcd:
tlrt Destroy Immediately all cotton
stalks as soon as the crop is gathered.
This Will prevent the Matching Of mil
lions Of new wccvils during October. The
old wccvils do not hibernate until cold
weather and the destruction Of their food
supply will cause them to die before
frost. The carrying out Of this s,ggcs-
ton at once is imperative and every cf-
Tort should bc made to induce every
farmer IN the state to do this work at
once, for IL only a few do it, it will have
little effect in reducing next years
wccvil supply.
Second. During the fall and winter
destroy all cover in which wccvls may be
hiding, burning ditch banks and mar
gins OF woods and cleaning up around
stumps. Fodder and hay stacks should
not be allowed to remain near cotton
fields
USE OF FERTILIZERS
Third Cotton should be literally fer
tilted with quick acting fertilizer con
tanning about so pounds Of available
phoSphorlc acid per acre, ammonia and
potash to be used according to the char
actor and relative fertility Of the soil. All
applications Of ammonia should be put
down before the middle Of June. Over
doses of potash have a tendency to delay
maturity. Where the weed grows tall
only a small amount Of ammonia should
be used as it always delays maturity and
encourages ovcrgrowth of stalk
F' F'ourth. Early planting Of approved
varieties OF cotton with plenty Of seed
The Farmer should save ut least 3
bushels OF good seed for each acre he is
gong to plant. He should plant at least
two bushels before April / in the lower
half OF the state and before April 10 in
the upper half of the state rcscrving IA
bushcl per acre. If stand is not Sc
cured by the first planting he should
plant over not later than April 10 in the
lower half or April 20 in the upper half
If large quantities Of seed are used good
stands are usually secured from extra
early paintings and the experience is
that under boil wccvi conditions the
greatest crops arc always made from the
earliest paintings. If stands are not Sc
cured at a comparatively early stage the
land intended for cotton should be put
into other crops
Fifth. Cotton should be left thick in
the drill. This distance should vary with
the height Of the natural growth of the
plant, 3 or 4 inches not being too close
as a minimum and 8 or 10 inches as a
maximum.
Sixth. The question Of poisoning for
boil wcevil is still in the experimental
state but your committee believes that
poisoning with calcium arsenatc is val
uablc, especially if done at the proper
time and under favorable conditions
Heavy damage from plant lice following
dusting with calcium arsenate early last
August makes us doubtful as to this
treatment when applied at that time. The
weevils should also be picked from the
plant in the early stages and as soon as
punctured squares are noticed they
should be picked up twice per week until
midsummer. Rapid and thorough cul-
tivation at all times should be employed
and the crops should be gathered as fast
as open to insure high grade In no
case should more cotton be planted than
can be properly handled at all stages
and promptly picked by the labor on the
farm, for it is the height Of folly to plant
crop and let The wccvii eat it up for
lack Of attention or allow it to become
blue in the ficnds for lack Of picking
force.
The experience Of many Of our best
farmers and numerous experiments con
Quoted under the auspices Of the expert