Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1924-01-10
By ROLAND TURNER,
General Agricultural Agent Southern
Railway system


One most important fact that stands
out in connection with cotton raising
since the advent of the boil weevil is
that good, carefully selected land, well
tert1l1zed and properly cultivated, is
very much more sure to produce a
,, normal yield than the average field.
The Importance of good land, literally
: tertilized and we'll cultivated or of good
farming, in meeting the weevil prob
lem, we think, has not been sufficient
ly stressed generally throughout the
cotton belt. Much has been said about
poison but little is said regarding the
very large proportion of all lands plant
ed to cotton each year that do not
: promise Yield sufficiently large to
justify the use of poison in the most
/ limited quantities for effective control
of the Weevil. Undoubtedly the most
practical means of insuring a good
crop of cotton is to select land for the
crop that is naturally best adapted 70
cotton, that is, high, we'll drained, dry
land, that has been put in good mechan
zeal condition through the blowing in
OF humus-making materials as legumes
or animal manures; land that warns up
early and upon which cotton makes
rapid growth from the very beginning
This character of land fertilized liber-
ally, coupled with the very best and
most cultural methods, practically in
sures success. The writer has observed
throughout the cotton belt that farm
er here and there succeed in every com
munlty every year, regardless of wealth
er conditions and that the principles
suggested above are uniformly follow
ed by these farmers who make out
standing successes in raising cotton.
The past season we observed crop
OF 100 acres on South Carolina farm
from which the farmer had picked lis
bales. This crop was on upland;
sandy clay soil with yellow to red
clay subsoil; was high and naturally
well drained and would be classed as
rather poor upland soil; had follow
ed in the spring with thorough dis
cling and bedding in the usual way, ap-
plying $50 pounds of a good, high
grade fertilizer per acre., putting all
the fertilizer in before planting. The
cotton stalks on this crop were but
little more than knee high. The pro-
portion of fruit to stalk or size of
plant was about the best we have ev-
er seen. The cotton which had been
planted IN 3 IL foot rows was chop
ped to stand of to 5 stalks in the
hill, the width of hoe. Frequent shall
low civilizations were given and con-
tinued some weeks after the usual
laying by time" Although this far
mer used poison, making three appli-
cations of homemade syrup mixture,
It was interesting to note that he was
OF the opinion that he would have
made good crop without any poison
but that he considered the poison SIM
ply as insurance. He said you know
there is no kind of poison that will
make cotton. 1t requires good cotton
land in good condition with plenty of
fertilizer and good cultivation to make |
cotton. Poison may same some cotton
but it never makes any" 1t is remark
able and, we think, regrettable thai the |
many conferences and meetings that
have been held in the South in the
past Tor devlsing ways and means of |
the boil weevil menace, and
assuring the future of the cotton rails
ing industry, have practically ignor-
ed the principle this South Carolina |
farmer and other farmers here and |
there throughout the cotton belt have /
SO successfully based their fight on
the boil weevil upon. The force of the
logic of these successful cotton farm
ers seems almost irresistible and the
Soundness of the principles upon which |
they are proceeding is confirmed by
the actual results being obtained in
every cotton-growing com
munity each year We would then
suggest these general principles for
meeting the weevil situation and main J
tanning the supremacy Of the South !
IN world cotton production, as we'll as
nsuring a more profitable farm crop
in cotton for the farmers of the cot
ton belt.
FIRST-Select you best cotton land
for planting, that is, land that warns
up early and upon which cotton has
always seemed to do better than upon
other portions of the farm.
SECOND-Break early, preferably
in the fall or winter. Thoroughly har-
row and pulverize we'll before bedding
up. Use liberal amount of fertilizer