Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-18
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
BY DR.. ANDREW NJ. SOULE 49,

mention, in which the staple is not
\ even of standard length. In other
words, it is less than seven-eights
| inch. Cotton of this character is not
! tenderable on the exchange, and
products made from it will not prove
as satisfactory as those made from
| cotton possessing longer and better
| fiber. 1t is q suicidal policy on the
part of our people to grow cotton
| of less than 7-S inch staple. 1t is
true that the market in this section
of the country has been hurt a good
deal by the production of these un7
desirable types of cotton. The farm
er is Of the opinion that he is get
/ ting a larger amount Of lint and
therefore his tendency is to emphasize
their cultivation.
Up to this time 1t would appear
as though many of the buyers had
i bought Half-and-Half cotton and
paid the same price for it they did
I for varieties which possessed sta
| pie of at least an inch or possible
a little better. No distinction ap-
pears to have been made by the
mills until recently with reference
to the length of staple. A greater
discrimination, however, Is now be-
ing exercised by the purchasers Of
| mill products, by the mills them
selves, and possibly by some of our
cotton factories. The future of the
cotton industry in this section will
be affected a good deal, therefore, by
the length and character of staple
produced. Some cotton mills are
paying a premium already for varie-
ties possessing an unusually good
staple. I believe the information in
your letter to be correct that in
some sections a better price is being
paid on account of the superior sta
pie produced, and that there has
been a tendency for some buyers to
move to other sections where they
could get staple that better suited
the trade they represent.
There is no trouble in the world
about producing a very superior sta
pie of cotton in your section. It is
just question Of selecting varie-
ties that have been standardized
and kept SO by a rigid system of
seed selection. We mix up all our
varieties at the gin hou-e and we
plant a lot of seed that is not suit
eel to the needs of our territory and
the cultivation of which should be
eliminated altogether. We find, for
instance, that some of our co-opera-
tors are growing Meads successful
ly in the place of Sea Island cotton.
This is an upland, long staple va
riety possessed of lint which ap-
proximates LIS to inches in length.
1t, has made about the same yield
per acre and has been secured from
standard upland varieties previously
cultivated, but possessed say of a
lint running from 7-8 to an inch in
length. While the short staple cot
ton has been bringing Ice, tic and
lSc per pound, the other cotton has
brought from SAC to 36c a pound.
The question Of standardizing the
staple of our cotton is now a live
issue throughout the entire cotton
belt. This institution has produced
varieties and given them to the pub
lie free Of cost, which possess a
most excellent staple. We have
worked and fought for the recogni-
ton of a better type of cotton seed
for the past fifteen years. We are
delighted to see that you are inter-
ested in this proposition and hope
that we may have. your cooperation
in correcting what has come to be
a great abuse in our state. Our
farmers eliterally losing each year
thousands of dollars because they
are not producing cotton possessed
Of desirable staple.
Notes on the Irish Potato Crop
F. M. B., Empire, Ga, writes
When should Irish potatoes be
planted and what variety should
use? How should they be fer
tilted? How many will it take
to plant an acre? How can I
keep the bugs off?
Irish potatoes can be cultivated
successfully in your section Of Geor-
gia. We would suggest that you
plant them Immediately. They
should be in the ground in south
Georgia by February 1. This crop
should be planted in rows about
three feet apart. A wide furrow
should be run out with a turning
plow and the potatoes dropped there
in. Cut the potatoes so as to leave
two viable eyes to each piece, and
drop them twelve to eighteen inches
apart in the drill row. 1t will re-
quire about seven to ten bushels
to plant an acre.
There are several varieties which
you might plant with success in this
state. Among these are the Early
Rose, Bliss Triumph, Irish Cbbler
and Lookout Mountain. The last
named variety is particularly. val
liable for second-crop planting. It
takes this crop sixty to ninety days
to mature. Plant only clean, sound
seed. Personally we prefer the Irish
Cobler or Bliss Triumph to the 9TH
er strains mentioned. The early
planting Of this crop is very impor-
tant. F'ertilize we'll, using 500
pounds of formula containing 8 to
4 per cent nitrogen, 8 to 10 per cent
phosphoric acid, and to per cent
potash. Put the fertilizer under the
drill row before the potatoes are
dropped and mix well with the soil
SO as to prevent it's coming in di-
rect contact with the freshly cut DO,
tatoes. AS soon as the potatoes
sprout knock the top of the furrow
off with a culti1ator. Give clean and
rapid cultivation. Side applications
of fertilizer may occasionally prove
profitable. We use one sometimes
and put it on relatively early in the
growing season.
Fine China
Are you having difficulty with the