Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 18, No. 10, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 11, 1909 Page: 1 of 16
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I
9
Vol. XIX ,No. 10.
OKLAHOMA FARMER, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 1909. 50 Cents per Year.
I SEVEN PRINCIPLES ADVOCATED FOR COTTO.V.ROWERS
I PREVENTING MANY HEAVY L0&\ BY BOLL WEEVIL
COTTON GROWING UNDER BOLL
WEEVIL CONDITIONS.
R. L. Bennett, of Paris, Tex., has
successfully grown cotton when boll
weevils flourish, and described his
method before a Farmer's Institute
11 Mississippi.
Mr. Bennett said: ''The number of
weevils that live through the winter
ind appear in the spring from win-
:er hibernating places is comparative-
ly small, and vary in different years.
\ majority of these weevils appear
it about the time that cotton, plant-
ed at an average date in any locality,
>egins to branch and set squares. The
weevils then begin to lay eggs in the
squares and increase very rapidly.
Obviously cotton must grow and set
squares faster than the weevils can
Increase and destroy the squares. My
experience of five years of cotton
growing and cotton breeding under
weevil conditions is that the weevils
increase from 90 to 100 days from
date of planting the cotton, say April
20, in such numbers as to stop the
cotton from further fruiting by
August 1. When many weevils pass
the winter the fruiting season is about
ninety days, and when few weevils
pass the winter, 100 days is the fruit-
ing period of the cotton. Of course
' the weevils are destroying squares
during the fruiting period, but the
cotton frower remembers thi'. befor-i
weevil this ciop was set into
oils in 90 tc 100 .'lays from P' irl'ng
also that cotton sheds squares more
or less from beginning to the ending
of the fruiting period, and the great-
est shedding is near the close of the
period, thus corresponding to the des-
truction of squares by weevils. The
weevils, therefore, relieve the cotton
plant of the usual shedding and under
proper cultivation of the cotton, to be
described later, the weevil may des-
troy but little more than the normal
shedding. Few bolls of any size are
Injured by weevils until the squares
are finally destroyed. I undertake to
make my cotton grow and fruit as
rapidly as possible, so fast that the
destruction of squares will hardly ex-
ceed the normal shedding. Under
proper methods of growing cotton
shedding is less than under improper
methods.
The early spring appearance of the
weevil necessitates every farmer plant
ing not later than a normal date,
that is a date favorable as to war.iun
and settled weather .for prompt ger-
mination and growth of the cotton.
Some may plant earlier, but their cot-
ton will not grow off till the weather
is warm and it is liable to become
"grassy." No farmer should plant
later than the normal and every
farmer should plant at a date that is
safe or normal to the late spring
years, and should record that date and
plant at that time every year, whether
he has weevils or not. The date I
begin planting in North Texoa, is
April 20 to 25, regardless of an early
spring, or the date when my neigh-
bors may begin or finish. Later
planting than a normal date lessens
the 90 or 100 days of fruiting above
described. '
With this brief statement of the
conditions imposed by the weevils, I
will briefly describe my method of
growing cotton, and by its practice
I am certain of a large yield per
acre. The principles which I observe
and which are here described are rir>-
plicable to all sections where rain-
fall is abundant.
First Principle.
Plant no more cotton than a single
mule can culti\ate, that is to say
that can be gone over in four days,
working three or four acres per day,
or twelve to sixteen acres per mule,
depending on the liveliness of mule
and driver, the character of the soil,
etc. This four days allows three
days per week for rain to fall and
dry off. Two horses or mule cultiva-
tors on wheels, walking preferred, can
go faster and go over more uuiu in
the same time. Therefore, if these are
used the acreage per mule can be
slightly increased.
Second Principle.
Feeding or Fertilizing the Cotton.—
Rapid growth and large fruiting in
ninety or one hundred days on most
uplands is dependent or fertilizing. On
my loam upland, where without ferti-
lizing a half bale under proper treat-
ment is certain, I use 200 to 250 pound
mixture of phosphoric acid and nitro-
gen, about two parts acid phosphates
to one part cotton meal or other sub-
stance, to furnish the nitrogen. No
potash is used. Cotton on some soils
is not benefitted by the use of either
nitrogen or acid phosphate, but is
beds, or "list" three and one-half feet
apart on upland in the fall or early
winter, with one horse to a six or
seven-inch beam turn plow. Later I
run out middles, which are either old
cotton or corn rows, with a long
pointed sixteen-ingh sweep, which lias
welded to its point a "duck bill" two
and one-half inches wide and four
inches long, which cuts the tap roots
of cotton, and the stubble falls back
in the middle, but not on to the bed
to interfere with seed planters. I use
a curved steel beam stock and two
horses to run this sweep, and I do
this about ten days before planting
time. The stalks, whether corn or
cotton, are cut with a two-horse re-
volving stalk cutter. I rarely run a
center furrow to bed on, as the old
middles are soft. The cotton stalks
are cut off as soon as picking is
finished, whether the stalk are green
or dead. I cut off the tops of the beds
with large solid sweep, at planting
time, which, with running out middle
as described, destroys all vegetation
before planting and gives a firm bed;
but no hard "core" or "hard pan"
under the bed. Foul corn or other
land covered with dead gras cannot
be put into proper beds. Flat break-
ing is necessary then beds may be
/% %
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A MODERN COTTON GIN
benfited by cowpeas or soy beans, the
former is planted between rows of
corn, and the latter between rows of
cotton. On thin soils cowpeas are
planted between the cotton rows, and
on such soils the cowpea does not
run enough to interfere with the cot-
ton. Wide rows are required when
the legumes are grown between the
cotton, about five feet. The Missis-
sippi Experiment Station authorities
say that the Delta soils are greatly
benefited by legumes.
I will say emphatically that If cot-
ton is properly grown all soils, «ich or
poor, will yield more cotton than they
do regardless of weevils, and regard-
less of fertilizres, but good feeding in-
creases yields.
Third Principle.
Plant cotton on a bed for drainage
nnd warmth, not too high. Just good
water furrow between. Lands that
are wet in late spring must be drained
or planted in other crops than cotton
,,,• it n-oovil conditions, 1 form
formed by running a wide sweep for
water furrows or drainage, and the
seed planted on the bed between these
furrows, I consider rebidding a use-
less expense, and if It is done late,
just before planting it is harmful.
Bed properly at first and let that be
final.
Fourth Principle.
A firm bed, one that has been
thrown up and firmed by rains, or if
no rain then by a heavier roller. I
bed up four to six inches deep on up-
lands, but such depth of breaking is
not advisable on sandy or fertile bot-
tom land; shallow breaking is bet-
ter. Such soils are naturally loose
enough for root growth, and left as
they hold less water, and the plants
grow less rank and are earlier. Al-
most every soil is penetrable by cot-
ton root when kept moist by stirring
the top soil after each rain during the
growing season.
A firm bed prevents the planter. If
it be a one-horse planter, from going
too deep, and allows shallow plant-
ing. Shallow planting, about one-half
inch and less depth if soil "crusts"
does not liold surplus rainwater
around the seed, and the seed get
warm quicker from the limited heat
o£ the early spring sun than deep-
covered seed. Also, young plants are
not exhausted of food in their two
seed leaves in coming through the
thin covering, and therefore are
stronger and resist disease and grow
off faster. Shallow planting is essen-
tial for early planting, and early
planting is necessary under weevil
conditions. If I could plant late X
would cover deeply. A perfect stand
is of first importance.
Shallow planting permits planting
fewer seed per acre. I plant one-
third bushel of seed to the acre. Mora
seed is necessary, one-half bushel to
the acre, if not planted exactly right.
My seed are ginned clean so they will
separate in planting and come in
closer contact with the soil.
Fifth Principle.
Rolling or Pressing the Soil on the
Seed.—I use a planter with a roller at-
tached to and behind, as part of the
planter. This prevents a one-horso
planter going too deep, and it firms
the seed in contact with the soil be-
neath them, and moisture freely en-
ters nnd germination is prompt. A
two-horse roller may be used. I con-
sider a scooter too open and Scooters
to cover objectionable on a well-pre-
pared firm clean seed bed. They may
be necessary on trashy seed beds and
late planting, but I am careful to
avoid such bed anil late planting. A
clean seed bed is of great importance.
Sixth Principle.
Early and Rapid Fruiting Cotton.—
The seed is the beginning of the crop,
and the quality of the seed foretells
the yield. Pure, high-bred seed, pos-
sessing desirable qualities, is of the
utmost importance. In five years of
cotton breeding for early and rapid
fruiting, to escape boll weevil, I found
great difference in cotton in respect
to these qualities. Early opening is
not as important in escaping weevil
as is early and rapid setting of
squares and bolls. Hence the plant
must begin to fruit near the ground
for early fruiting and have short
joints for rapid fruiting. I pointed
out the fact that these two charac-
ters. low fruit limbs and short joints,
distinguish early and rapid fruiting
cotton and that they are a guide in
seed selection.
Good length of staple can go with
the above qualities and character. My
work in breeding long staple cotton
has resulted in as early fruiting and
rapid fruiting and opening of the bolls
as the best short staple cottons.
The cotton grower should remember
that pure seed of a cotton are all of
one color, size and general shape, es-
pecially the color must be uniform.
Likewise the plnnts must be uniform
In all characters. An occasional
plant may be found that is different
from the type, but that is a natural
variation.
Seventh Principle.
Chopping. Early and Shallow Cul-
tivation.—I cultivate once or twice
with small sweeps before chopping
and chop only after cotfon has five
or more leaves, and to one plant in a
hill, eighteen inches apart; but re-
member. I plant only a few seed, one-
third bushel per acre, and my plant*
on page Eleven.}
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Greer, Frank H. Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 18, No. 10, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 11, 1909, newspaper, August 11, 1909; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc88251/m1/1/: accessed August 15, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.