Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-01-24
FIGHTING THE WE.EylL
Hon. Clifford Rivers Offers Some
Practical Suggestions.

l have been asked several times late
ly to give to the public some Of my OBJ
seryations in regard to the culture OF
cotton under boil weeyil conditions.
MY work as State warehouse Com
missioner has carried me a great deal
into districts of the state which have
been so seriously infected with this
pest the past two years, and have
taken occasion to observe very closely
the efforts employed by our farmers in
combating, by methods of preparation,
planting and cultivation of the crop so
as to successfully get ahead Of the in
sect
In the first instance, We must think
of growing cotton under boil weevi'
conditions on smooth easily cultivated
upland, because it is impossible to
apply the proper method on rough
stumpy or rocky land. Therefore, on
every farm our cotton crop must be
planted on lands selected for this pur-
pose, even if small in area, and the
planting of rough and UNACCEPTABLE land
to other crops.
The preparation should begin in
early spring where fall plowing has not
been done and should be thorough and
complete by plowing and narrowing
until the soil is put into a high state
of cultivation. Fertilization should be
by the application of quick growing
fertilizer obtained from sources of
easy availability, like for instance,
Phosphoric Acid from dissolved bone or
treated Phosphate rock rendered into a
high grade of Acid Phosphate for Am
monia Nitrate Of Soda probably stands
at the head OF the list, with cotton
seed meal or tankage as close sec
ond. On sandy soil, deficient in potash,
some kainit or other forms Of potash
salts should be added to the mixture.
The best results have been shown from
a fornulae composed of 500 pounds Of
sixteen per cent. acid, 200 pounds Of
Nitrate of Soda for heavy soils, with
an addition OF f0e-pounds 70 kainit for
sandy soils, When the land selected
for the cotton crop has been sufficient
" broken and pulyerized, placed in
high mechanical condition. and level
and smooth, and the season has come
for the planting OF the seeds, which
should always be late enough to insure
rapid termination, the rows should be
laid off three to three and a half feet
apart with four inch scooter, mark
ing or spacing the rows with each
other. This can be done with a con-
trivance on the plow stock which
marks the next row to be run the same
distance apart as the others and in
sures rows Of equal width from one.
end to the other and from one side of
the field to the other which is alb
solutely necessary in the rapid and.
even cultivation of the crop. This.
should then be followed by the guanoI
distributor of the covering type, which
will ridge on the fertilizer and make.
the bed for planting of the seed. The
cotton seed planter should follow i'm
mediately, putting plenty of seed to in
sure thick roll of plants, at least one
to one and a, half bushels to the acre,
Of medium sized seeds. By following
this method when the planting is
finished, the field should be perfectly
level,
When the plants begin to come up
and before, If there happens to come a.
hard rain, the weeder or section har-
row, should be run across the rows
nearly square. This will break the
crust and destroy the young grass and
weeds which would otherwise come up
before the cotton did and besides would
leave the soil in fine condition. This
should be kept up for two or three
times and until the cotton plants are
beginning to show their bud leaves.
When the plants are up and have be-
gun to grow sufficiently so. that the
stronger and better nourlshed plants
can be determined, the hoeing or spac-
ing in the drill should begin. The
thick spacing Of cotton is approved be-
cause IL lenuS 10 ucVC-Op more Oh lne
first fruiting Of. bolls and to some ex-
tent prevents the plants from making
too much leaf and stalk, at the expense
OF the first fruitage. Six to eight in
ches apart in the. drill. with from two
to four stalks to the hill, has. shown the
best results.
Now the. cultivation should COM
mence, and should be rapid, thorough
and level. Springtooth cultivators, so
shaped that they reach from row to
row; and for the first cultivation, a
snake head, or round tooth on each
side, has made this cultivator a very
good implement. BY using this kind
of a tool one man and one mule can go
over from five to six acres per day. BY
doing this once every week and more
if possible, the young grass and weeds
are destroyed in their incipiency. This
cultivation should be kept up through
the entire season and until the cotton
has developed it's fruit and is ready to
begin opening or the bolls have begun
to be specked.
Now a 9 Tn tho idea of tbie ,,oa+bod of