HOW TO PROSPER
IN
BOLL WEEVIL
TERRITORY

By G. H. ALFORD

Published and Copyrighted
by the
Agricultural Extension Department
International Harvester Company of New Jersey

Prof. P. G. HOLDEN, Director
CHICAGO, USA

A good stalk of cotton

Introductory

This book was prepared to furnish information on farming in the boll weevil territory. Special attention has been given to the production of cotton in infested districts and to showing how to adopt a system of farming which has been found profitable by many farmers in boll weevil territories. It was written by a man who has had practical experience all his life in growing cotton in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. He later devoted a number of years to the special study of the boll weevil in the cotton fields of these states as special agent for the Farmers’ Co-operative Demonstration Work. In addition to this, he is acquainted with the financial and economic conditions throughout the cotton belt.

How to Prosper in Boll Weevil Territory

The System of Farming Necessary to Obtain Best Results Under Average Conditions in Boll Weevil Territory

In order to obtain profitable returns from farming in boll weevil territory, we must—First, grow an early crop of cotton; second, use every means possible to destroy the weevil and reduce their number to a minimum; third, follow a system of diversified farming.

Grow an Early Variety of Cotton: To secure maximum cotton crops in spite of the boll weevil pest, the cotton grower must use every effort to bring the crop to maturity just as early in the season as possible. An early crop means profit—a late crop goes to the weevil, not to the farmer. If we are to succeed in growing cotton under boll weevil conditions we must—

1. Reduce the cotton acreage so that the most effective cultural methods may be closely followed. It is often advisable to reduce the acreage 50 per cent.

2. Plant only warm, fertile, well-drained land.

3. Thoroughly prepare the seed bed before planting. Young cotton plants do not grow well in cloddy ground.

Boll Weevil; enlarged above; natural size below

4. Make heavy applications of commercial fertilizer where the soil responds to such treatment, for it will hasten maturity and increase the yield.

5. Plant early, rapid-fruiting, prolific cotton seed.

6. Plant the seed as early as the season will permit, in rows just about as wide apart as the cotton usually grows tall in the average season.

7. Commence to cultivate the young cotton just as soon as possible, and do not permit a crust to form or the field to become grassy.

Reduce the Cotton Acreage: In many sections of the country, intensive farming—smaller farms and more thorough cultivation—is being profitably practiced. In boll weevil territory, we would likewise advocate “intensive” cotton growing—smaller acreage to cotton with more thorough cultivation—as a good step toward securing early and profitable cotton crops. For instance, many farmers in the boll weevil territory are now producing as much cotton on five acres by following proper methods as they formerly produced on ten acres, thus leaving half of their land to produce some other crop.

Plant on Fertile Soil: This is one of the necessities in order to produce an early cotton crop. The land must be well-drained so that it will warm up early in the spring and retain the heat. It must contain plenty of humus or vegetable matter to prevent packing. Plenty of vegetable matter also increases the water-holding capacity of the soil, thus reducing the loss due to the droughts that may occur in summer. Where the soil has not enough humus and therefore will not hold a sufficient amount of water, the cotton crop will stop growing and putting on squares during a long drought, and will shed the squares and many of the small bolls already on the stalks.

At left of each pair is a boll weevil.
The weevils at the right are weevils often mistaken for boll weevils.

The soil may be kept in the proper condition of fertility for cotton by practicing a suitable rotation of crops, including legumes, and by turning under the corn stalks, the oat and pea stubble, and the grass.

Thoroughly Prepare the Soil: The soil should be plowed deep for the following reasons: First, to increase the water-holding capacity; second, to let the water escape from the surface without running over the ground and washing it off; third, to permit the air to circulate freely for a considerable depth in the soil; fourth, to secure crops against droughts by enabling the cotton roots to go down to moisture; fifth, to increase the area from which plant roots may obtain food. It is advisable to flat break the land in the fall and winter and then bed it some time before the planting season. The bed should be disked or harrowed just before planting the cotton seed, but it is seldom advisable to re-bed the land just before planting. Cotton comes up quicker, grows off faster and begins bearing sooner on a well settled, firm seed bed. It is not wise to plant the cotton on freshly prepared land.

The late cotton is for weevil—not for the farmer.
The boll weevil prevented the above late cotton from making a single boll.

Apply Commercial Fertilizers: Where the soil responds to commercial fertilizer, it is advisable to make heavy applications to hasten maturity and increase the yield. It is best to use fertilizers which will stimulate the fruit rather than stalk growth. High grade, 16 per cent acid phosphate is the basis for increasing fruit and hastening maturity; cotton seed meal is usually the basis for stimulating stalk growth. A mixture of two parts of 16 per cent acid phosphate and one part of 6 per cent cotton seed meal is a good mixture for cotton on soil of average fertility.

It will usually also pay to mix about ten pounds of nitrate of soda with every bushel of seed just before it is put into the planter. The nitrate of soda has a tendency to cause the young cotton to grow vigorously and resist the bad effects of cool nights. It also usually pays to make a side application of nitrate of soda just after the cotton has been thinned the first time.

Plant Early Varieties: The production of an early cotton crop requires carefully selected seed of an early,