Arizona republican., 1922-05-04
Cotton Growing

Bulletin No. 1918 of the department of agricul-
ture, concerning the application of water to Pima
cotton in Arizona, should be in the hands of
cotton grower in the Salt River valley and in the
hands of everyone who expects to be cotton grower
Comparatively few of the growers in the past have
proceeded intelligenty either selection of soil
or in the application of water to the growing crop
Even scientific investigation had completed
and for that matter it may yet be said be
pIee but the continued study of conditions has great
" increased our knowledge of the culture of cotton
Because of a lack of information the part of
many growers there have been failures and, likewise
because of inadequate knowledge, partial failures.
Though in many bale to the acre and even
more has been produced. the average crop has been
less than half bale. That however has been due
in some measure to unavoidable circumstances among
which have been unusually early killing in
1919 when the first damaging frost thirty
three days earlier than the average date according to
the records of the weather bureau.
The information set out in the bulletin is gath
cred from experiments conducted short distance
west of Phoenix on four plats. each of tenth Of
an acre. The soil selected was a heavy clay loan.
the top layer resembling adobe. Beneath layer
of coarse sandy loan. There is lack of space for
detailed description of the experiment the progress
Of it. The cotton was planted April 1919. There
irrigation Of the several pIats at varying inter-
vaIs to determine what necessary to prevent
complete exhaustion of the available moisture in the
upper two feet of the soil during the period plant
development.
In the first plat water was applied by definite
measurement on June TO- June 26. July 2s Angst %
and September q Water was applied to plat No
only four times: June 10, 2S August 2S and Sep
ten1ber @ Plat No. 8 was irrigated three times:
June 26 August Is and September .. On the same
dates plat No. irrigated, but to determine
whether the supply of plant food might bear
relation to water requirement there applica-
ton of cotton seed meal and Is per cent acid phos-
phate.
Then follows a comprehensive and intricate de-
scrption progress of the experiment the root
and stem growth. Towering and shedding. There
was considerable variation of the various plats at
different stages Plat led in Towering the first
As days. It also led in stem growth It produced
fewer rudimentary branches and lost fewer septem-
Der bolls because frost was surpassed on oeto-
Der by plat in the number of bos set and showed
a slightly less potential yield seed cotton than
plat s. But the final yield of seed cotton Plat
J. 1902 pounds per acre; plat q 14S7 pounds; plat s.
1896 pounds and plat T. 1897 1t is explained that the
low showing of plat was due in part the devel-
opunent Of a considerable slick area the plat.
Other facts or conclusions were that though the
season in the Salt River valley is usually ample, it
is none too long and that growers should crowd as
great activity into it possible by the selection of
a proper date for planting and by keeping the plants
active during the limited time for boil production;
that the period within which bos mature is 6S days.
that plants producing the greatest number of rudi
nentary branches remained longer in a wted condi-
tion between irrigations.
This experiment was conducted by c. ]. King
of the department, who in cooperation with Warren
Parker conducted by another experiment in
methods of irrigation settling upon which Mr.
Parker the following year employed commercial
scale
How much is yet TO be learned about cot
ton growing which to the uninitiated seems to be
very simple thing consisting of the planting of seed
hinted at by Mr. King in his concluding observation
concerning this irrigation experiment: There seems
to be possibilities of solving important prob
lens of cotton culture by perfecting some such
method"