For More Economical
Production of Cotton
<zA Summary of Rccent Research Studies
By A STAFF WRITER
IMPORTANT studies of cotton pro
duction seeking more economical and
more profitable practices are made
yearly by the South Carolina Experiment
Station. Valuable to practical farmers
are some of these studies made at the
Pee Dee branch at Florence in connec
tion with time and methods of planting,
varieties, fertilisation, and soil treat
ment. From reports by K. E. Hall, su
perintendent of the branch. Dr. H. P.
Cooper, agronomist, and their co-vvort
ers are summarized these results:
Growing cotton profitably" depends
largely upon the quality of seed ami va
riety planted. Farmers have taken advan
tage of the excellent work of plant
breeders in developing varieties an I
strains of cotton with superior qualities.
The South Carolina Experiment Station
conducts yearly variety tests, obtaining
the yield of seed cotton, length of staple,
per cent of lint, and sire of boll for each
variety.
40 Varieties Tested
Forty varieties and strains wore tested'
ill 193s showing a difference in xield of
411 pounds of seed cotton between the
highest and lowest yielding varieties. The
four highest yielding varieties, follow:
Humco Carolina Foster 1.019
pounds; W. W. Wannamaker Dixie
Triumph, 1,912 pounds," Coler Farm
Relief J3-ID, 1,910 pounds, and Colter
Wilds St. 6, 1.906 pounds of seed cot
ton per acre. Wood's Ingold h 70 was the
lowest yielding, with 1.S08 pounds.
Usually best yields are obtained front
early plantings provided perfect stands
are maintained. Too early planting often
results in having to plant over. or. in
broken stands, with lower yields result
ing than from later plantings.
From 1923 to 1934 plantings have
b?en made at the station at 10-dav in
tervals, beginning about March 1 s and
ending May 10, to determine the best
average plaining date for local condi
tions, Four years during the 12-vear pe
riod. March plantings made the highest
yield, but in 1926- and 1928, March
plantings were failures. Highest avertige
yields were obtained from plantings
made the first two weeks in April.
Since 1923 tests have been made to
compare results obtained with cotton
seed delinted by machine, sulphuric acid
treatment and seed in normal uudeliutrd
condition. Acid-delinted seed hav e proven
superior in obtaining stand and increas
ing yields, as will he observed from
yields over a period of 1 1 years, the aver
age of yields from normal seed being
1.S96 pounds of seed cotton per acre;
from machine-delinted seed, i,6ss
pounds; from acid-delinted seed, 1,711
pounds.
Since 1930, delinted and normal seed
have been dusted with Ceresan, an or
ganic mercury dust disinfectant, with
beneficial results. When seed are treated
with dust they do uot rot as quickly if
weather conditions are not favorable for
germination and improved stands have
resulted. Plants from dusted seed have
been freer from sore-shin disease, angular
leaf spot, and anthracnose than plants
from untreated seed. These benefits are
reflected in increased yields. Results for
the five-year period show that normal
seed yielded 1.651.6 pounds of seed cot
ton per acre; normal seed dusted with
Ceresan. 1,792.6 pounds; acid-delinted
seed, 1.821.2 pounds; acid-delinted dust
ed with Ceresan. 1,848.4 pounds; 111a
i-hine-delinted seed. 1,713.5 pounds; ma
chine-dHinted sen) dusted with Ceresan.
1,765.1 pounds. x
What Is Best Spacing?
Results obtained in South Carolina
cotton contests show that close spacing
of cotton is most profitable. ^
To obtain maximum yields of cotton
under boll weevil conditions it is neces
sary to have as large a number ot plants
per acre as possible without undue
crowding. This can be accomplished b\
leaving plants closer in the drill or bv
planting in narrow rbws. Cotton spaced
one plant every right ii.ches in the drill
will have approximately the following
number of plants per acre for different
width rows: 3 feet, 21.700; 3 1-2 feet,
18.600; 4 feet, 16.300.
In a width of row test over six years
the average yields were: three-foot rows.
1.884.8 pounds ot seed cotton per acre;
3 1-2 foot, i,tt<)6.6; four-foot. 1.807.3.
Recent studies show that different
methods of application of tertili/.er have
a marked effect upon tile stand and yield
of cotton.
Dusting cotton with a tractor proved effective for this cotton grower in
Georgia. ?/ - ?
Poor stands, resulting in low yields,
were obtained by placing the fertilizer
Nn narrow bands at depths of one, two.
three, and four inches beneath the seed.
No injury to stand has occur red from
placing the fertilizer two to three inches
to the side and slightly below the level
of the seed. Highest yields have been
obtained from such placements.
Nitrogen For Cotton
Three brands of nitrate of soda ? Ar
cadian, Chilean, and Champion? were
used to determine any advantage ?t
brands in cotton production. These were
used along with a fertilizer mixture in
which the ammuma was derived from
one-third nitrate of soda, one-third cot
tonseed meal, one-third sulfate of am
monia. Fertilizer mixtures analyzing
2-10-5, with the ammonia, were applied
at rate of 5(H) pounds per acre before
planting. After the cotton was thinned
it was side-dressed at a rate equivalent
This wise farmer knows how to conserve moisture and keep down weeds ana
grass. Just as the tiny cotton plants break through the crust, he begins to stir
the soil in the crop's first cultivation.
Information that sticks is presented in this field demonstraton in the use
of a dusting machine for boll weevil control, Shelby, N. C.
f
? -w ? -
It's surprising what a short time it will be before cotton cultivating with
two- horse outfits will be the order of things. This photo was made in Chester
County, S. C.
to 100 pounds of nitrate of soda per
acre.
Highest average yield was made from
the fertilizer mixture in which the am
monia was derived from three sources;
lowest froiii sulfate of ammonia. Difter
ent brands of nitrate of soda gave ap
proximately the same average yield.
Results of experiments show that it
i*> profitable to side-dress cotton soon
jitter it has been thinned to a stand with
some form ot readily available nitrogen
ous fertilizer. Fourteen materials were
used in side-dressing experiments at a
rate iquivalent to i so pounds of nitrate
of soda per acre. No significant differ
ences were shown in the five-year avei
age yields with most of the 14 materials.
Nitrate of Soda Side- Dressing
Nitrate of soda as side-dressing has
been applied at rates of 101 >, 150. 200.
250. and 300 pounds per acre to cotton
over a period of years to determine the
most profitable amount to use, Average
results for a seven-year period show the
110-nitrate check plot yielded 1,537.1
pounds of seed cotton per acre; 100
pounds nitrate, 1,795.2 pounds cotton;
150 pounds nitrate, 1.856.4 pounds cot
ton; 200 pounds nitrate, 1,886.5 pounds
cotton: 2Si> pounds nitrate, 1,890.2
pouniN cotton ; 3<x> pounds nitrate,
1.920.4 pounds cotton.
Side-dressing cotton with so, loo, and
lyi pounds of muriatr of potash per
acre, following a basic fertilizer appli
cation of (h *> pounds of a 4-9-4 per acre
before planting and 1011 pounds of ni
trate of soda after thinning, has been
under'- test since 1930.
The average yield of cotton for the
five-year period for the regular fertilizer
was 1.HH7.4 pounds; 2,075 pounds when
side-dressed with IOO pounds of nitrate
of soda; 2,134 pounds when 50 pounds
per acre of muriate of potash was ap
plied. No further increase in average
yield for the five-year period has oc
curred from heavier applications of pot
ash.
To tost the value of legume rover
crops on the yield of cotton following
these legumes, the growing of crops of
Austrian peas, hairy vetch, Monantha
vetch, and Hungarian v etch preceding
cotton has been continued six years.
These crops arc seeded in the cotton mid
dles ahout the first of ( )ctober' and are
turned under about March i 5, prepara
torx to planting cotton in early April.
The basic fertilizer is yxi pounds of a
4-8-4' per acre, with half of each plot
receiving in addition 2<>o pounds of
sodium nitrate as side-dressing. Check
areas of similar size are left without
cover crops but otherwise receive the
same treatment.
At the beginning of the experiment,
side-dressing increased yields of seed cot
ton on all plots, hut after a few years
the cumulative benefits from the cover
crops became more pronounced, resulting
in practically 110 gain from side-dressing
un cover crop plots.
For six years, side-dressing has given
1 20 pounds average vearlx gain of seed
cotton 011 the check area as compared
with a yearly average gain of 47 pounds
un the hairy vetch plots, most of which
occurred during the first two years. This
shows the value of legumes in supplying
most of the nitrogen needed to produce
i cotton crop.