The Nevada County picayune., 1922-01-19

The Cotton Acreage Reduction Con ference which met in Little Rock on the 12th, inst, at the call of Gov. Me Rae, while not we'll attended, was rep resentative in character, and it served a good purpose. as the attention of the business man and farmer was focused on the situation as it really exists. A thorough understanding of the situa ton is first necessary before q proper solution of the cotton problem can be reached. The problem, how ever. is too great and complicated to be discussed adequately and properly in short article like this one.
 The essential features of the cotton problem now resolves itself down to two main questions, namely. Cotton Production under boil weevil condi- tons, and Cotton Marketing. When these two questions are solved success fully, and put into practice by the great majority of the cotton farmers of the South. the prosperity of the southern farmer will he permanently assured. We are not much interested in any direct and strenuous campaign for acreage reduction as such. but rather campaign for the education of the farmer and cotton grower as to how best to grow cotton successfully under boil weevil conditions. If these methods are adopted the acreage will naturally take care of itself. The question. therefore. for immediate con sideration. is "Growing cotton sue cessfully under serious boil weeyil in- festation." We are face to face With this problem, and to attempt 10 dodge it is the worst kind of folly. If We ignore it. the penalty will be exacted. The leading steps necessary to grow cotton under boil weevil infestation. such as we now have are substantial ly as follows:
 1. Cut your acreage down to where il can be handled quickly and at the least expense. so that everything con sidered. you might be able te make five bales on the acreage where for merly 9 acres were required to make 5 bales. You may not be able to do this exactly, but, it is worth the at tempt To state this in another way, we should endeavor to grow five bales on ten acres. where it formerly re- ouired 9 acres to produce five bales. With proper methods of culture and reasonably good weather conditions, there is no reason in the world why this should not he done. The question simply resolves itself down to this Can we afford to grow cotton at all with a yield of only one fifth bale to the acre." With lower prices ruling can We afford to grow cotton for less than one-half bale per acre? These are the questions we must face and we might just as well make up our minds now and once for all, to face them squarely and honestly.
 9 Early preparation and planting. Under boil weevil conditions, the old slip-shod methods of cotton growing must be abandoned definitely, or the penalty is sure to he eXaeted. It simply means taking a risk with your cotton seed however precious and valuable il may be. It is better to lose an attempt to do the thing right than to lose this coming fall after putting in seasons work il. making nothing but cotton stalks.
 8 Along with early preparation and early planting is the question of plant ing an early maturing variety. It is up to the cotton grower to inform him. self on this question. If he does not help himself first, he cannot expect much help from the outside.
 f. Directly associated with the questions of early preparation. early planting and the use of early maturing varieties, is the question of the use of fertilizers 10 help stimulate carly growth and fruiting of the plant. It is false economy to leave off the appli- cations of fertilizers in cotton produc- tion on our average uplands. Such fertilizers should be compounded for