Share The share system is based upon the practice of the landowner taking for rent a share of the crop, the share depending upon whether the land is cultivated mostly in corn or cotton, and to what extent the owner supplies the tenant with the necessities for mak ing the crop. Some share-tenants furnish themselves with everything and pay one-fourth of the crop for the use of the land. Others look to the landowner to furnish the fertilizers, pay blacksmith accounts, keep of stock, etc., in which case one-half the crop is given for the use of the land. Another class of share tenants are those who furnish nothing but their labor, the landowner taking two-thirds of the crop to cover land rent and expenses.
The methods of cultivating cotton differ somewhat in the different sections according to the character of the soil. A di versity of methods and a diversity of imple ments may be observed even in the same locality and when the same kind of soil is cultivated. The farmers in the pine hills prac tise shallow culture, while those of the prairie lands believe in deep culture; in the one case single-horse plows are used, in the other heavy double-horse plows. In some sections most of the cultivation is done with hand hoes, and in others with two-horse cultivators. On alluvial soils when the crop is laid by the land is gen erally left almost level, on most other soils in ridges or beds. In the southern part of Texas preparation for the crop begins 1 December, in many other regions plowing begins as near the time for as possible. In the east ern section commercial fertilizers are in gen eral use, in many other sections none at all are used. On many farms crop rotation is followed, but the great bulk of the cotton crop is grown on the cotton lands of the previous year. After the final picking and before plowing for the new crop begins the old stalks or stubble must be disposed of. On some farms they are knocked down, allowed to decay and are turned under the soil with other vegetable matter. On other farms when the stalks are unusually large and the season is late they are knocked down and burned. Some farmers attach a drag chain to the mule and plow so arranged that the stalks may be drawn under the plow, broken up and turned under. The more progressive farmers use a stalk cutter usually attached to a cultivator. It is generally conceded that in pre paring for a cotton crop the lands should be broken up as early as possible after the crop has been gathered, the earlier the better, so that all vegetation may be turned under while green and sappy, and so that the soil may be disintegrated and the insects killed by the winter freezes. The plowing may be done in the fall or during the winter, or sometimes it cannot be done until spring. It all depends upon whether the old crop is early or late, whether the yield is light or heavy, or upon weather conditions. It often happens during February, or even in March, that picking the last of the old crop and plow ing for the new one are going on at the same time in the same field. However, if possible, the land should be thoroughly broken up with a two-horse team, using a plow that will turn i the soil 8 to 12 inches deep, the depth being governed by the character of the soil.
Bedding After breaking up the land the next thing to be done is to bed it up. For this purpose a one-horse turning plow should be used, the bed being formed by turning a furrow along one side of the field and another on the opposite side, running parallel to it and so close that the two furrows may lap. This may be repeated to build up the beds to the proper height. The beds are spaced at varying distances, on thin lands 2Y2 feet apart, on rich alluvial lands as in Mississippi Delta where the plants grow 6 to 10 feet high, at 6 feet. The average distance is about 4 feet. It is not an uncommon practice, where cotton follows cot ton, not to break up the land at all, but to form the beds upon the alley left between the beds of the previous crop, Sometimes fertilizers are dropped into the alley before the bedding be gins. After bedding up is completed the next
step is ((bursting, out the or plowing out the alley with a ((middle burster)) This plow not only cleans out the alley but throws the soil upon either side of the bed making it more compact and leaving a good 'drainage trench.
Fertilizing.— Many varieties of fertilizers are used in cultivating cotton. Barn-yard manure, cotton seed composted with stable man ure and acid phosphate, and cotton seed meal mixed with acids are used to a limited extent, but the commercial fertilizers that contain available phosphoric acid, nitrogen or potash are in general use. Some of the cheap ferti lizers contain only a small per cent of plant food, while the higher grades of ((complete fertilizers)) contain a very large per cent. Fertilizers should be carefully selected and de termined by analysis, for what may benefit one character of soil may be injurious to another. In the northern section of the cotton belt where the season is shortest a fertilizer should be selected that will force and such fertilizers should also be used in the boll weevil infested territory. The quantity to be applied to the acre is a matter of judgment, dependent upon the quality of the fertilizer and the char* acter of the soil Some lands may require a half ton to produce the best results, others much less. The average quantity applied to the acre in all the cotton States is about 400 pounds Some farmers still adhere to the old method of applying the fertilizer, using a tin tube 5 or 6 feet long with a funnel at the upper end. The funnel is fed by hand from a bag filled with the fertilizer and suspended from the shoulder, the end of the tube being inserted in the soil where the fertilizer is to be dropped, Home-made fertilizers are generally broad casted and harrowed in before the land is bedded up. The up-to-date farmer puts in his fertilizer with a machine, consisting of 'a hopper mounted on a frame something like that of a wheel-barrow. The fertilizer is evenly dis tributed from the movable bottom of the hopper which alternately opens and closes by the revo lutions of the wheel. Two shoes attached .to the rear of the machine cover up the fertilizer, Seed Selection.— The seed to be planted should be carefully selected and reserved from the first pickings of the bottom or middle fruit of the plant, never from the last picking, or top crop. It would be far better if the seed could be taken from selected plants or rows of plants of prolific yield. Unfortunately too little at tention is paid to seed selection, the common practice being to take the required number of bushels of seed promiscuously just as they come from the gin, or to buy them from a neighbor ing oil mill. There are any number of varieties of seed. Among the favorite early varieties are Cherry Cluster, Dickson, Drake Cluster, King and Welborn Pet; of the medium (date) varieties, Bates Big Boll, Boyd Prolific, Ifer long, Peterkin and Petite Gulf ; and of the late varieties Allen, Cook, Mammoth Prolific, Peeler and Texas Storm Proof. The seed are now planted almost entirely with machines, except where the stands are irregular and broken, when replanting is done by hand and with the use of the hoe. A few farmers still adhere to the old method of ,opening the tap of 'the bed with a light bull tongue plow, dropping in the seed by hand and covering them with •a block or board drawn 'over the bed. The machine planter now used is so arranged as to.open the drill, drop ,the seed and cover them. IL ,noepnly economises the seed, distributes them more ani formly, but ensures a better stand while facile hating cultivation. Some of these maching also distribute fertilizers, along with the seed, but this is not considered the most advisable method of fertilizing.