Cotton production. Tex» as‘ perennial No. l cash crop. has undergone shitt- ing trends through the years. It was introduced as a plantation. slave- labor crop. Until about 25 years ago. most of it was produced on smalt tarms. largely tenant-op- erated. Farm size has more than doubled in late years. Cotton production spread during most of its history in Texas partly be~ cause it is a drouth-resist- ant plant. but about a third of the acreage is now irrigated. Produc- tion has moved to South and West Texas from its traditional bedgrotind and rapidly approaches complete mechanization. CONTENTS Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 Soil and Climatic Adaptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Varieties . . . . . . . . . . . . . .’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Historical Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Current Varieties and Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Type 1. Texas Big Boll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 Type 2. Storm-resistant Big Boll . . . . . . . . 8 Type 3. Western Open Boll . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Type 4. Texas Stormprooi . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 Type 5. Trans-Pecos Irrigated . . . . . . . . . . 8 Type 6. Medium-staple Open Boll . . . . . . 8 Type 7. American-Egyptian . . . . . . . . . . .. 9 Varietal Types and Acreages . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 9 Cotton Variety Tests in Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cotton-growing Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..10 East Texas Timberlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Coast Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Blackland Prairies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Grand Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 West Cross Timbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 North Central Prairies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Rio Grande Plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Rolling Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 High Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..l2 Trans-Pecos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Production Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Cropping Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Coast Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Blackland and Grand Prairies . . . . . . . . . .13 North Central Prairies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..l5 Rolling Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 High Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Trans-Pecos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Fertilizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Methods of Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..l6 Fertilizer Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . .16 East Texas Timberlands . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Coast Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Blackland and Grand Prairies . . . . . .16 West Cross Timbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Rolling Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 High Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1'7 Rio Grande Plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 _,Lower Rio Grande Valley . . . . . . . . . .17 Trans-Pecos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Preparation of the Land for Planting. . . . . . . .17 Irrigation (continued) ‘ Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irrigation Experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Iowa Park . . . . . k. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..j Lubbock............. Weslaco............................. College Station......................‘ Trans-Pecos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . j Cotton Insects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thrips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Cotton Fleahopper....................... Boll Weevil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bollworm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pink Bollworm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cotton Leafworm........................? Cotton Aphid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Spider Mites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..; Other Injurious Cotton Insects. . . . . . . . . . . Cotton Insect Control Program. . . . . . . . . . . . r Cotton Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fusarium Wilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VericilliumWilt.......................... Cotton Root Rot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seedling Disease........................ Nematodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .~ Bacterial Blight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boll Rots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FungusLeafSpots.......................; Preharvest Chemicals......................... Reasons for Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ChemicalstoUse......................... Regrowth Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WhentoApply..........................; Bottom Deioliation........................ Application Equipment.................... Harvesting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hand Harvesting........................, Mechanical Harvesting.................... Mechanical Stripper.................. Mechanical Picker.................... CulturalPractices..................... Field Storage of Seed Cotton. . . . . . . . . . . . Ginning . . . . . . . Marketing and ¢1¢.+.;..g¢¢lu¢.i f . . 1 . . . . . . “ 4 ' ' '1 Classing Determining Fiber Properties. . . . . . . . . Strength.............................:i Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preparationofthe Seedbed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Fineness.............................» Planting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Value oi Fiber Measurements. . . . . . . . . . . . Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Uses of Cotton and Cottonseed Products. . . . .j Seed Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Cotton Fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 New Cotton Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plant Population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Cottonseed and Cottonseed Products . . . . . .. ' Depth to Cover Seed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..19 Cottonseed Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Furrow Openers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Cake and Meal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Press Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Hulls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cultivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..20 Linters..............................f Weed Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Influence of Governmental Policies. . . . . . . . . . . .1 Irrigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Economic Importance of Cotton to Texas . . . . . Sources of Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .... SUMMARY l tton is the most valuable cash crop in Texas, although it now ranks second in acreage to sorghum for f For the 5 years, 1952-56, the Texas cotton crop, including lint and seed, had an average yearly value e than $720,000,000. This was more than three times the combined value of wheat, sorghum grain and i 3 ‘g the same period. 3’? he High Plains, Rolling Plains, Blackland Prairies and the Lower Rio Grande Valley are the great cot- A uction areas in Texas. A minor concentration occurs around Corpus Christi. .- M, mudl i ' ‘on has shifted to areas where water is available for irrigation, I = ly to the High fitflntle Vzfiey and Trans-Paws area. Cotton grows well on many kinds of soil, but it _ t a“ eston moderately fertile, deep loam and sandy loam soils in good structure and having perme- l‘ bSOHS. fThere are about 80 named varieties of cotton available to Texas cotton growers. For convenience, these ‘es are classed into seven broad types or classes having different characteristics. The relative acreages 2e types grown in the several land resource areas of the State are given. The storm-resistant, big-boll A w" to be more widely grown than other types. Pima S-l, an American-Egyptian variety, is produced in only in the Trans-Pecos area. _.jlCultural practices used in growing cotton in Texas are similar to those used in growing other row crops, ‘as corn and sorghum. Preparation of the seedbed usually is done in the fall or early winter. Prepara- ay include disking, chiseling, flat breaking or bedding (listing). In the humid part of the State, most 3 cotton is planted on beds. In areas having less than 25 inches of average yearly rainfall, it usually is -» in lister furrows. ifCotton usually is planted after the average date of the last killing frost in the spring. The planting ‘yin Texas range from early February in the Lower Rio Grande Valley to May l5-]une 20 at Lubbock High Plains. Much of the cotton in Texas is planted to a stand; that is, it is planted and not thinned, 20 to 30 pounds of seed per acre. Plant populations of 40,000 to 60,000 per acre are about optimum for ynical stripper harvesting, and 25,000 to 60,000 plants for machine picking. . The amount of cultivation done depends on the amount and distribution of rainfall, with a cultivation each good rain. In the humid parts of the State, several cultivations usually are needed to control weeds. A cultivations are required in the subhumid areas. Cultivation and hand hoeing are the principal meth- ' controlling weeds in cotton. Rotary hoeing, the use of weed-control chemicals and flame cultivation are ntary practices. Rotary hoeing probably is the most widely used supplementary weed-control prac- »1 CXEIS. Many of the soils in Texas respond to fertilizers, but, where the average yearly rainfall is less than 30 moisture generally is the first limiting factor in yields of cotton on dryland. Fertilizer recommenda- are given for the several land resource areas. Cotton is grown only under irrigation in the Trans-Pecos area and under supplementary’ irrigation on *2 igh Plains, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, scattered areas on the Rio Grande Plain and the Rolling '_ . The amount and frequency of irrigation depend on the amount and distribution of rainfall, stage of b - and other factors. On the High Plains, about 25 to 30 inches of water, including rainfall and irriga- ? are about optimum for cotton production. The cotton boll weevil, bollworm, pink bollworm, cotton leafworm, cotton fleahopper, cotton aphid, 3- and spider mite are the more destructive cotton insects in Texas. Fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, root ling disease, nematodes, bacterial blight, boll rots and fungus leaf spots are the major cotton diseases gexas. Methods of controlling these insects and diseases are given. g The use of preharvest chemicals for defoliating and desiccating cotton is discussed. Defoliation aids in ‘ntrol of insects and greatly reduces the cost of machine harvesting. Cotton is harvested principally by i but an ever-increasing proportion is harvested with mechanical pickers and mechanical strippers. It is l ted that about one-third of the cotton in Texas is now harvested mechanically. Cotton and cottonseed are used for many purposes. The principal products of the lint are woven cloth, v- yarns, thread and mattresses. Some of the seed are used for planting. Most seed are converted into I eed oil, meal, cake, hulls and linters. p, New manufacturing processes and chemical research have been used during the past few years to pro- ' entirely new types of cotton fabrics. Some of the new fabrics may be washed and worn with little or pning. They are known popularly as “wash and wear.” Others are wrinkle resistant. Some are durably I and others have high luster. Durable crispness is given to organdies and similar fabrics which are popular J edding and party dresses, curtains and bedspreads. For winter wear, cotton fabrics are worn for warmth appear bulky, but are light in weight. {Governmental policies regarding cotton production have had an influence on the industry in Texas. BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE COTTON PLANT v 1. Tap (main) root. 2. Root hair (feeder roots). 3. Lateral (branch) root. 4. Main stem (stalk). 5. Co. l l) donary node and cotyledons (seed leaves). 6. Main stalk" leaf petiole. 7. Main stalk leaf blade. 8. é stalk node (joint). 9. Vegetative branch (leaves only). 10. Fruiting branch (leaves alternating with ¢ l) ll. Square" (floral bud) that develops into the flower and eventually the boll. 12. Terminal bud or grid ing apex oi shoot. l3. Young boll. DUCTION OF COTTON, perennially Texas’ most important cash crop, has undergone shift- ing trends through the years. It was intro- the United States as a plantation, slave-labor mil about 25 years ago, most of it was pro- small farms, largely tenant-operated. Cot- uction spread in Texas partly because it is ,-resistant or drouth-evasive plant, but about f the present acreage is irrigated. i tle cotton was grown in Texas during Span- ‘fMexican sovereignty, but rapid development g Anglo-Saxon colonization after 1821. Most a ly settlers were from the “Old South” and u d the soils and climate of East and South- s much like those of their old homes. 1: its early location along the lower Colorado 0s Rivers, cotton production spread rapidly i’the East Texas Timberlands, the Blackland by 1861, westward across the Grand Prairie t Cross Timbers, onto the Rolling Plains by if the High Plains by 1920. Next it moved _Lower Rio Grande and El Paso Valleys, the ‘Bend area around Corpus Christi, and only 1 into the Pecos River Valley. As late as the i e Blackland Prairies were the center of Tex- n production. Williamson, Ellis, Bell and unties, in Central and North-Central Texas, the leaders in cotton production. In late Blackland county has ranked higher than :1 cotton production. i teen counties on the High Plains adjacent Yck, during the past 10 years, have produced, ,under irrigation, more than a third of the ‘otton output. All cotton in the El Paso and iver Valleys and most of the crop in the 3' io Grande Valley is grown under irrigation. in the Coastal Bend is largely on dryland. iimany of its advocates, cotton is called a “won- ,” since it produces the three essentials-food, , flbfil‘. e Census of 1849 showed a production of 58,- s (500 pounds each) in Texas, and that of ‘l,000 bales. The first million-bale crop was 1w in 1878. the 5-year period, 1926-30, an- erage production was 4,612,000 bales on 16,- acres. In the 5-year period, 1953-57, Texas ~ an annual average of 3,908,000 bales on 7,- acres. Between the two periods, depression- I kets, governmental restrictions and improv- ties and cultural and harvesting practices en- F the retreat of cotton to acreages best suited 60th?” production in I'd/as E. B. Reynolds Formerly Professor, Department of Agronomy to its production. From the beginning of commer- cial cotton growing in 1822 until the end of 1957, Texas produced about 266,929,000 bales. This rep- resents a total valuation of about $20,000,000,000, taking each year’s crop at its current value. The large areas of relatively level, productive soils in Texas are favorable to mechanized produc- tion. For this reason, cotton mechanization has de- veloped more rapidly in Texas than in most other parts of the Southern Cotton Belt. An ever-increas- ing percentage is machine-harvested. The mechani- cal picker is a large power-driven machine that is bet- ter adapted to large farms. The mechanical stripper uses a single or double revolving stripper roll or a set of stationary fingers which strip the seed cotton from the plant. Formerly cotton was sold only on the basis of grade and length of staple. Scientific instruments have been developed which measure accurately the length, strength, fineness and some other characters of the fiber. These tests supplement grade and staple and greatly aid in determining the actual spinning utility of cotton. The harvested seed cotton consists of the lint and seed. They are separated in ginning. Principal prod- ucts of the lint are woven cloth, cotton yarn and thread, and waste that is sold to other industries for batting, wadding and mattress felts. Some seed are retained for planting. Most of the seed are converted into cottonseed oil, meal, cake, hulls and linters. “Thile Texas cotton geographically was in the path of the boll weevil as it invaded the Southern Cotton Belt from Mexico about 1901, and that of the pink bollworm from the early 1920’s, the drier cli- mate and higher altitude of much of the Texas cot- ton-growing areas have resisted these and other in- sect pests. Some of the limy soils of Texas, however, are infested with cotton root rot, one of the most de- structive diseases of cotton. Most of Texas’ cotton has been grown for ex- port. Situated in the southwestern part of the Cot- ton Belt, far removed from the center of domestic cotton milling, with deep-water ports on the Gulf of Mexico, Texas early became an exporter of cotton. About 70 to 80 named cotton varieties and strains, ranging in fiber length from 7/8 to 1 7/ 8 inches, are grown commercially in Texas. The longer staple va- rieties are best adapted to the warmer, more humid areas and to irrigated areas. The shorter staples are grown on dryland farms in the drier areas and those with short growing seasons. son. AND CLIMATIC ADAPTATION Climate The commercial production of cotton in the world lies within the limits of 37° N and about 32° S latitude, except in the Russian Ukraine, where cot- ton is grown up to 47° N latitude. In the United States, the 37° N parallel lies somewhat north of the northern boundary of North Carolina and extends through Cairo, Illinois, on westward across the inte- rior states nearly 2° north of Amarillo, Texas, and through California, about l/f north of Fresno. For successful production, cotton requires a rela- tively warm climate, with an average summer temper- ature of about 77° F, an average mean temperature of over 60° F and a frost-free season of 180 to 200 days. Cotton also requires a minimum of 20 inches of rainfall a year with suitable distribution during the growing season (or irrigation water) and many clear, sunny days which are favorable for high yields of lint. In Texas, the northern limit of cotton produc- tion approximates the line for a ZOO-day frost-free growing season, which on the High Plains lies some- what south of the 57° N parallel. The ZOO-day frost- free line deviates considerably from the 37° N paral- lel because it is affected greatly by altitude. The average yearly rainfall in Texas ranges from 55 inches in the eastern part to about 8 inches at El Paso in the extreme western part. An average rain- fall of 30 inches, if properly distributed through the year, will produce high yields of cotton. But, irre- spective of the total amount of rainfall, the yield of cotton on dryland usually is restricted in most years by a deficiency of water sometime during the grow- mg season. The greatest concentrations of production - the High Plains, mostly under irrigation, oni Blackland Prairies, in the ‘ZIJQX/ver Rio Grande and on the Rolling Plains: ‘There also is a u, concentration in the Coastal Bend area around: pus Christi, along the Pecos River and in the El; Valley. " Soils I l Cotton grows well on many kinds of soil. l; it seems to do best on moderately fertile, deep and sandy loam soils in good structure, and h permeable subsoils. Such soils are readily perm to air and water, are easy to till and remain in structure. The Amarillo fine sandy loam on High Plains and the Miles fine sandy loam on Rolling Plains are the better cotton soils in i’ areas. Hidalgo and Willacy fine sandy loams are preferred soils for cotton in the Lower Rio G fl Valley. On the Rio Grande Plain, Brennan and: val fine sandy loams are recognized as superior ton soils. Magnolia, Bowie and Nacogdoches fine y loams are among the better upland soils in the f,’ Texas Timberlands. i’ Cotton apparently is not as sensitive to soi action as some other crops. It grows well on ranging in reaction from pH 5 to 8. The highly‘, careous soils of the Blackland Prairies, in the , Brazos and Colorado River bottoms and the gated soils in the Trans-Pecos areas, which have » reactions of pH 7 to 8, produce high yields of c0 p THE ROLE OF COTTON i‘) less. Cotton today is the friend of the poor and the luxury of the rich. It is made into cloth so It is made into fabrics so fine and so beautiful that it can hardly be told from silk, and so heavy and so thick that experts can hardly dis- tinguish it from wool. It is made into rope and cord so strong that it is almost the equal of flax or hemp, and into thread so fine that one pound will reach more than a hundred miles. Every year manufacturers discover new ways of preparing it, and every year the demand for it increases, and the World, it seems, cannot have enough of it . . . And if, through some calamity, we should lose all goods made entirely or partly of cotton, and if all people should be thrown out of employment whose occupation is, in any Way dependent upon it—Whether in the cultivation, the manufacture or the commerce—the civilized world would be all but naked, a large percent of it would be hungry, and the homes wouldbe bare and comfort- coarse that it sells for a few cents per yard. Xltgéflé £70045 Historical Background céThe first commercial production of cotton in as was made by the Stephen F. Austin colonists, a settled along the lower Brazos River in 1821. ey used seed of the varieties or stocks they had ught with them from Louisiana, Mississippi, Ten- iee, Georgia and the Carolinas. As settlement of grew and expanded, cottonseed were intro- ed into Texas from Mexico and Central America. of these stocks proved to be especially well suit- j to Texas conditions and were prized for their fie, fluffy bolls. Famous “Texas Big Boll” varie- such as Boykin, Mebane-Triumph and Rowden, e developed from these stocks. , Around the turn of the century, professional I t explorers collected large numbers of cottons in y xico and other countries to the south. Trial plant- of these cottons were made at Victoria, Waco Clarksville. The “Big Boll” cottons have con- uted importantly to the development of modern ton varieties in the entire Cotton Belt. A variety ft ed Lone Star was developed from one of the in- iuctions grown at Waco. Though this variety g er gained widespread acceptance in its own right, rnished the breeding stock for a number of im- itant varieties, including Stoneville, which was ., it in Mississippi. Varieties called Tuxtla and ichi soon faded out, but Paymaster 54, now pro- ed by a commercial seed company on the High ins, traces back to Kekchi. Another stock select- if from the adaptation trial blocks at Clarksville . A field of cotton at the Lubbock station showing the tw i’ storm-resistant cotton. o main types grown in Texas. l storm-resistant cotton at the right. In mechanical harvesting. pickers are used mostly in open boll cotton, strippers in VARIETIES was named Acala. Today this variety is widely grown in the Trans-Pecos area of Texas and in New Mexico, Arizona and California. Current Varieties and Types The production of cotton planting seed for sale to Texas farmers is in the hands of commercial seed firms and other private organizations, including farmers’ cooperatives. The methods and practices of developing varieties and increasing the seed vary considerably. In some cases, foundation seed are ob- tained from the Texas Agricutural Experiment Sta- tion; in others, foundation or registered seed may be obtained from private seed firms; and in still others, the foundation seed stock is developed and main- tained by the firm’s own research organization. There has been a free interchange of basic breed- ing material between public and private agencies and, in most instances, the pedigrees of current com- mercial varieties show that at one or more stages of their “evolution” the state experiment stations have made significant contributions. Operating as it does under the free enterprise system, the cotton planting seed business is highly competitive. When it is re- alized that breeding has been going on for more than 75 years in Texas under these competitive conditions, it is not surprising that most of the varieties of cot- ton now offered for sale are in a highly developed stage and perform well in the areas in which they are recommended for growing. Open boll cotton is at the left. The 1957 Seed Directory, published by the Tex- as Department of Agriculture, lists 5l different va- rieties of cotton of which registered or certified seed were produced for sale. Planting seed of several cot- ton varieties also are produced in Texas by seed firms that do not operate under the State Certifica- tion Program. Planting seed of a dozen or more va- rieties move into Texas from private companies and other organizations in other states. Thus, there are at present some 70 or 8O different named varieties of cotton from which Texas cotton farmers may choose. In respect to yield, fiber properties, disease re- sistance and other major characteristics, the over-all range among these varieties is considerable, but dif- ferences amony many of them are slight to insignifi- cant. All but one of the varieties, Pima S-1, belong to the same botanical group, Gossypium hirsutum and, therefore, they have the same general genetical, morphological and anatomical aspects. Such differ- ences as exist among them are relative and matters_ of degree. For these reasons, cotton scientists have been unable to devise a system of classification below the species level that permits cotton varieties to be characterized or identified with unerring precision. Nevertheless, many problems in cotton improvement are such that it is impractical, if not impossible, to deal separately with each named variety available. Consciously or unconsciously cotton workers think of the cultivated varieties in terms of general types, and the type concept will vary somewhat from per- son to person. For purposes of this bulletin, an attempt was made to fit the varieties of cotton grown by Texas farmers into seven classes or types. These types have been established largely on the basis of varietal ori- gin and boll and fiber characteristics. These seven types, together with their description, general charac- teristics, principal varieties included within each type and their general distribution in terms of the land resource areas of the State are named following: Type 1. Texas Big Boll Varieties included in this group are derived prin- cipally from the Lone Star, Mebane and Rowden stocks. This “Big Boll” type formerly was the most popular cotton in Texas and occupied the greatest acreage in the eastern two-thirds of the State. In re- cent years, the popularity of the varieties of this type has lessened considerably, although there still are a good many varieties in production that were develop- ed from the Big Boll stocks. Current varieties that can be considered in this group include Gorham’s Lone Star, Bagley’s B17 Rowden, Malone’s Rowden, Malone’s Mebane, New Mebane, Anton 22, Qllalla 60, Kasch LL No. 7, Floyd 8G, Dortch 4016 and others. Type 2. Storm-resistant Big Boll This type resembles in many respects the Texas Big Boll group, differing principally in the degree of 8 storm resistance shown in boll characters. 1- the varieties included in this group were se‘ from older Texas Big Boll stocks; others pr were derived as hybrids between the Big B0 special breeding stocks. Current varieties that y‘ included in this group are Northern Star ll cona, Northern Star 5, Lankart Selection 611, kart Selection 57, Anton Stormproof 99, Sto t Harper U-strain, Kasch SS strain, Bagley’s Sto t; 157, Stufflebeme Stormproof, Dunn 7 and w‘ ilar varieties. Type 3. Western Open Boll A number of varieties of this type have be veloped in Texas and Oklahoma in recent Most are early-maturing varieties, lacking in degree of storm resistance and with rather i, staple lengths (7/8 to 1 inch). Included in this, are Paymaster 54B, Lockett 140, Parrott and ville 62. ' Type 4. Texas Stormproof . The practice of harvesting by hand-snappin later by machine stripping, principally in Nortj Northwest Texas, indicated a need for highly s resistant varieties. The first such variety, ; was offered for sale in 1936 and became the runner of the group of varieties that can be fied under this type. A large number of these resistant varieties are now sold in Texas an, grown extensively on the High and Rolling P A number of varieties comprise this type, incl Lockett Stormproof No. 1, Blightmaster, Pa n; 101, Paymaster Stormrider, Lockett 88, Gregg, W, Stormproof, Qualla l0, Cluster No. 12 and others. L Type 5. Trans-Pecos Irrigated This type includes varieties derived pri from the old “Acala” introductions made from ico in 1906. The group is characterized by va ,1 of medium to long staples which are adaptep marily to irrigation on the higher elevations s” Trans-Pecos area. Limited production of this t found on the fertile irrigated soils of the High and a few small, scattered plantings occur in; tral and South Texas. The principal current ties included in this type are Acala 1517C, ' l5l7BR-l, Texacala and Mesilla Valley Acala. y; Type 6. Medium-staple Open Boll In Texas, the largest number of varieties fal this class. It is characterized by bolls of m size with average to poor storm resistance and‘ staple lengths averaging mostly l to l 3/32 r Varieties of this type are grown mainly in the it Rio Grande Valley, the Gulf Coast areas, bo lands of Central Texas and to a limited exte other areas. a Within the type, two groups of varieties c5 delineated primarily on the areas in which they _ ped. The Delta and Southeast group are com- fir of medium-boll, medium-staple varieties which 1 bred primarily in Mississippi, the Carolinas, "a, Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana. The prominent varieties in the Delta and Southeast , which are now offered for sale in Texas, in- Deltapine 15, Coker 100A (WR), DgcPL-FOX 4, ., 9169, Stoneville 3202, Stoneville 7, Auburn 56, ‘t. Stardel, Empire WR, Deltapine Smooth Leaf, 124, Pope, Rex and Dixie King. nother group of varieties similar in major re- 1g t0 the Delta and Southeast group can be con- 1d mainly on their development by Texas breed- p; d designated as the Texas-Delta group. In the t, the varieties in the group are grown along the g Coast, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and i lands of. Central Texas. Many were selected i the Delta and Southeast varieties for better tation to Texas conditions, others were develop- 00m hybrids among various varieties of this gen- type. Principal current varieties included in f4 exas-Delta group are Deltapine TPSA, \/Vatson’s yire, Deltapine STPSA, Texacala X, Austin, q and Tideland. if 7. American-Egyptian i n addition to the Upland types grown most ex- vely in Texas, there is another type which is d to the Trans-Pecos region. This American- ian type is characterized by extra long staple gh quality that can be produced to best advan- in the far western areas of Texas. Only one Iican-Egyptian variety is now available, Pima S-1. I‘ ximately 28,000 acres of Pima S-l were planted exas in 1958, as compared with more than 5,- jl acres of the Upland varieties. ' Varietal Types and Acreages - he acreages of the varietal types grown in Tex- be estimated only from data made available Y year by various agencies. Generally, estimates g ieties are made by crop reporting districts of _aphical areas. It is difficult to interpolate these onto land resource areas and the accompanying ary is only approximated from various 1957 "958 data available. These estimates are deriv- i» data taken from “Cotton Varieties Planted, p57," a compilation distributed by the Agricul- i Marketing Service of the U. S. Department of Culture, and from the 1958 edition of “Goe- 3- Cotton Varief‘~y‘-‘Map,” published by Otto gecke, Inc. i’ i *While these estimated acreages are only approx- L, they offer some indication of the distribution e various types throughout Texas. To a de- '7 they may be taken as recommendations of the ytal types best suited to the varied soil and pro- 'bn' areas of the State. ' v APPROXIMATE DISTRIBUTION OF TEXAS COTTON TYPES Land Resource Areas Percentage oi Acreage Occupied by Varietal Types Medium-staple Open Boll 60 A-East Texas Timberlands gteércrtirggigstggtu Big Boll 2g t er 15 B—Coast Marsh No cotton produced _ _ Medium-staple Open Boll 8U C—Coast Prairie gttlalrm-resistant Big Boll 10 t er 10 Storm-resistant Big Boll 7O D_B1“°k1““d Pmifies ir/Ieexaciitriilgiqgliu Open B011 2g Other 5 E—East Cross Timbers ) ) F—Grand Prairie g gtorm-rgasistaétt Big Boll 60 exas ig 011 15 G—West Cross Timbers ) Texas Stormprooi 15 ) Medium-staple Open Boll 5 H-North Central Prairies ) Other 5 ) I-Central Basin ) Storm-resistant Big B011 45 I—Rio Grande Plain‘ Medium-staple Open Boll 45 Other 10 Storm-resistant Big Boll 60 Texas Stormproof 15 K—Edwards Plateau Texas Big Boll l0 Medium-staple Open Boll 5 Other l0 Storm-resistant Big Boll 45 Texas Stormprooi Z5 L—Rolling Plains Western Open Boll 15 Medium-staple Open Boll 5 Other l0 Storm-resistant Big Boll 55 Western Open Boll 20 M—High Plains Texas Stormprooi 15 Medium-staple Open Boll 5 Other 5 Trans-Pecos Irrigated 85 N—Trans-Pecos American-Egyptian 12 Other 3 ‘In the irrigated Lower Valley area of Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy and Starr counties. the medium staple, open-boll type accounts for approximately 95 percent of the acreage. Cotton Variety Tests in Texas The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station has conducted cotton variety tests for more than 50 years. The program currently conducted provides for test- ing commercial cotton varieties and strains at some 25 locations in the State. Data are taken on com- parative yields and other agronomic characters and on staple length and grade. Such data are of con- siderable value to breeders, seedsmen, gin operators, farmers and other segments of the cotton industry. For the farmer, these data furnish information that may prove useful in helping him to select the varie- ties best suited to his area and production methods. Preliminary data are tabulated each year for the various test locations and these are summarized and compiled at the end of each 3-year cycle for publi- cation in bulletin form. Bulletins 739, 778 and 877 were published covering tests conducted during the past 9 or 10 years. COTTON -GROWIN G AREAS Cotton is grown t0 some extent in all of the land resource areas in Texas except the small Coast Marsh area in the extreme southeastern corner of the State. The land resource areas are shown on page ll. A brief description of these areas, including soils, to- pography, vegetation and rainfall, follows. Results of cotton variety tests conducted in these areas serve as a basis for making recommendations of varieties of cotton for Texas. East Texas Timberlands The East Texas Timberlands, previously known as the East Texas Timber Country, is a large, irreg- ularly shaped area of approximately 25,000,000 acres, lying in East and Northeast Texas. The surface relief is uneven with a general slope from north to south. _ The land is generally undulating to rolling and hilly. Much of the land is covered with timber. The upland soils are mostly light colored, acid and sandy. They belong principally to the Bowie, Lakeland, Boswell, Susquehanna, Caddo, Ruston, Kir- vin and Nacogdoches series. Generally, these soils are low in organic matter and minerals. They have good physical properties and respond readily to suit- able applications of fertilizers, manures and green manures. The bottomland soils are light-brown to dark gray sandy loams and clay loams. The average yearly rainfall ranges from about 55 inches in the extreme southeast part to about 35 inches in the western part of the area. This is suffi- cient for good yields of cotton, but its distribution during the growing season is not always favorable for maximum yields of cotton and other crops. Coast Prairie The Coast Prairie occupies a nearly flat strip of country 20 to 80 miles wide bordering the Gulf of Mexico. It embraces all or parts of 18 counties and contains approximately 7,500,000 acres. The average yearly rainfall ranges from about 55 inches in the extreme eastern part to 35 inches at Victoria in the western part of the area. Lake Charles, Beaumont, Edna, Bernard, Hock- ley and Katy are the main series of upland, or prairie soils. As a result of flat topography and slowly per- meable soils, drainage is slow on the surface and through the soil on most of the upland soils. The bot- tomland soils are of the Miller, Norwood and Plcdger series, which are among the most productive soils in Texas. The Coast Prairie is the main rice-growing area of Texas. It also is devoted to beef cattle ranching and the growing of row-crops, such ‘as cotton, corn and sorghum. Cotton is grown mainly in that part of the area west of the Brazos River. l0 Blackland Prairies . The main body of the Blackland Prairies v4 pies a large wedge-shaped area extending about. miles southwestward from Red River county tof vicinity of San Antonio. Minor parts of the Bl land Prairies lie outside and to the east of the ~- body. The Blackland Prairies contain about ll 000 acres. The major upland soils are dark-co i calcareous clays belonging to the Houston Bl, Houston, Hunt, Austin, Bell and Lewisville se The more important bottomland soils are Tri =v Catalpa, Miller, Norwood and Pledger. The av yearly rainfall ranges from about 45 inches at Cl ville in the northeastern part to 28 inches at , Antonio in the extreme southwestern part. I Blackland Prairies have long been known as on the most important and productive agricultural; gions of the State. Cotton, corn, wheat, oats I grain sorghum are the main crops grown. Grand Prairie The Grand Prairie lies just west of the Blackl Prairies and the East Cross Timbers. It occupi high, rolling and hilly, deeply dissected limest area crossed by a number of deep valleys. Erosio severe in some places. This area contains app i mately 6,500,000 acres. The average yearly rain‘ is 30 to 35 inches. The soils are mostly dark-cola calcareous clay over limestone. The principal j land soils are San Saba, Denton, Tarrant and C ford clays. These soils are used principally for ra pasture, small grain, grain sorghum, corn and cot _ The bottomland soils, consisting mainly of clay .= clay loams of the Catalpa, Miller, Norwood and T ity series, are used for grain sorghum, alfalfa, past .7 small grain and corn. ‘A West Cross Timbers g The West Cross Timbers is a narrow tim‘ region in North Central Texas, extending south i from Red River to Brown and Comanche coun The region has an area of about 3,000,000 acres. average rainfall is 26 to 31 inches. The surface ra from gently rolling to very rolling. Only a “f proportion of the land is devoted to farm cropsf though crop farming and livestock raising are ca on in all sections of the area. The predominant ’ land soils are mostly of a sandy texture and are, the Windthorst, Stephenville, Nimrod and May i‘ ries. - North Central Prairies g The North Central Prairies comprise an are about 6,000,000 acres in North Central-i Texas. It l’ cludes parts of the West Cross Timbers, called a LAND RESOURCE AREAS OF TEXAS OALLAM 5mm“); aoasnrs h near smm Dom“ WORTH eunuch CASTRO HALL CHILD- RES DAlLEY LAMB HALE MOTLEY CDTTLE VHLQAR- GER WICHITA BAYLOR HOCKLEY LUBBOCK F HUNT COLLIN STON E " J AQK WALL YOUNG YOAKUM TERRY LYNN KENT WOOD UPSHUR scuamr nsuzn JONES ummsau ELLl5 D/ NAVARRO PANOLA RUSK SHELBY NACOG- DOCHES u wax an ‘cron mo mo LDVI s l L e L BOSQUE Z 4 ID cuuaznsou WARD» ,/ N \_/ JEF DA )\‘ CORYELL '\ UPTON REAGAN TOM GREEN union ' "mmrrv _ POLK TYLER SCHLElCHER MASON LLANO PECOS CROCKETT JACINTO SUTTON TERRELL KERR “VAL VERDE EDWARDS REAL A D R ‘ e u E A ‘om BEND 4\ C I ermzanm. /. ATASCOSA YKARNES IAVALA MATAGORDR g 01mm LA SALLE l" We e55 Rgpumo OAK J SAN PATRlClO E051 Texas Timberlands i. Coast Marsh Coast Prairie ' Btackland Prairies East" Cross Timbers Grand Prairie West Cross Timbers North Central Prairies Central Basin Rio Grande Plain Edwards Plateau t Rolling Plains High Plains Trans- Pecos NUECES JIM WELLS KENEDY » HIDALGD . CAMERON (Bfllmmlaflds not shown due to limitation of scale) Windthorst-Nimrod Prairie, and the fringe area of the Rolling Plains. The average annual rainfall is 25 to 30 inches. The soils are mostly reddish brown to grayish brown, neutral to slightly acid sandy loams and clay loams, mainly of the Kirkland, Renfrow, Darnell and Zaneis series. Small grains, grain sor- ghum, cotton and some truck crops are grown. Ranch- ing is important in most parts of this area. Rio Grande Plain The Rio Grande Plain is a wedge-shaped area in the extreme southern part of Texas. It has an area of approximately 22,000,000 acres. The area con- sists of a broad undulating to rolling plain with a general slope to the southeast. The average rainfall is about 30 inches in the eastern part and 20 inches in the western part. Dryland farming is carried on successfully in the eastern part of the area, especially on the deep and productive soils. In the western parts, only small amounts of land are cultivated with- out irrigation and moisture often is insufficient for' successful crop production, even on the most favor- able soils. Considerable land in the northern, south- ern and western sections is farmed under irrigation. The soils range mainly from pale brown to reddish brown or dark gray in color and from fine sandy loams to heavy clays. The most important series are Goliad, Duval, Webb, Medio, Willacy, Hidalgo, Bren- KING COTTCN More than 400 years before the birth of Christ, the Greek historian Herodotus wrote about a marvelous land in Asia, from which travelers returned with stories of a tree that bore wool “exceeding in goodness and beauty the wool of any sheep." The “fleece-bearing "tree" that called forth the praise of these travelers in the Far East was a species of the won- derful plant from whose fibers much of the clothing of the civilized world today is made, and whose seed furnish food for man, beast and soil; it is a plant deserv- ing well to be called exceedingly good and beautiful, and to bear the title so often conferred upon it——“King Cotton." ll/l/Of/J 6,04 12 nan, Victoria, Clareville, Orelia, Harlingen Cameron. a f Cotton and grain sorghum are the main e grown on uplands. On the irrigated soils, many _ such as cotton, vegetables, citrus, corn and sorghf are grown. The irrigated areas in the Lower if Grande Valley produce large ifymounts of cotton, v, tables and citrus fruits. ‘ Rolling Plains The Rolling Plains have a rolling surface a general regional slope from west to east. Thé? is bounded on the east by the North Central Praii and by the High Plains on the west. It has anl proximate area of 24,000,000 acres. The ave annual rainfall varies from about 25 or 26 inch‘ the eastern part to 20 to 22 inches in the western northern parts. The predominant soils are brown to reddish brown sandy loams, clay loams clays of the Abilene, Miles, Foard, Tillman, Vernon and Hollister series. Crop farming is fined largely to the areas of deep, productive s Cotton, grain sorghum and small grains are the t crops grown. High Plains The High Plains occupy an area of 20,000, acres in the northwestern part of Texas. The el tion above sea level ranges from about 3,000 fee the extreme southeastern part to about 4,500 fee the extreme northwestern part. The average l fall is about 20 inches a year in the eastern part 15 inches in the western part of the area. ' The main soils are the dark brown to red brown sandy loams and clay loams of the Ama l Pullman, Portales and Mansker series. The Pull and Portales soils are especially well adapted: wheat. The Amarillo and Portales soils, especi the fine sandy loams in the southern part of the are well suited to cotton production. The i, Plains form the leading cotton area in Texas much of the cotton and grain sorghum are f‘ grown under irrigation. Trans-Pecos The Trans-Pecos area lies mostly west of Pecos River. It contains approximately 18,000? acres. The climate is arid to semi-arid. The a, age rainfall is l4 to l5 inches in the eastern o, about 17 inches in the Davis Mountains and 6 inches in the western part. The rainfall over Y_ entire area is too low for successful crop produc Cotton is grown in several irrigated areas along; Pecos River in the eastern part, in the Upper g Grande Valley south of El Paso and in several o‘ _ areas in Pecos, Reeves, Hudspeth, Culberson y Jeff Davis counties. The other parts of the area; used largely for livestock grazing. The principal gated soils are silty clay loams and clays of the ,_ Reagan and Verhalen series. * PRonticrroN ‘PRACTICES "The cultural practices used in growing cotton in vary somewhat among the several land re- ice areas. These variations are the result of dif- _, ces in soil, climate, the prevalence of insects and i es, methods used for weed control, harvesting , defoliation, and other factors. Successful cotton production is a highly special- a business and requires intelligence and expert wledge. Farm management practices and deci- are involved in all of the production practices. example, for highest efficiency in stripper har- ling, storm-resistant varieties and close spacing of ts must be used. Close spacing— 8 to 4 plants g foot of row — produces plants that are more suit- - for stripper harvesting by reducing the overall t height and plant spread, increasing the height irst limb and decreasing the diameter of the stalk jlthe base. When the specific requirements and is of cotton production are known, the grower 4p then decide what practices are best for his par- lar conditions. i; The cultural practices used in cotton production "§Texas are discussed briefly following. Cropping Systems ] The main objective of any soil management pro- Ln should be the sustained, profitable production icrops on the land. Such a program usually in- Qes suitable cropping systems, the judicious use ifertilizers and lime where and when necessary, ures and green manures. The addition of animal l- ure, green manure and crop residues improves soil in several ways. The decomposition of the f: ed organic matter improves soil surface, increases ‘ rate of infiltration of water and air into the soil, R probably increases the availability of soil nu- nts. 1' Leguminous green manures, in addition to sup- ing organic matter, take up nitrogen from the air, 'ch is added to the soil when they are turned un- . The economy of using green manures in crop- jg systems is essentially a local problem, depend- ,n the kind of soil, the type of farming carried ilnd the amount and distribution of rainfall. Crop- 51g systems or rotations with a legume-grass sod are on the fact that growing a perennial legume, : s or grass-legume mixture usually brings about an provement in the pfhysical properties of the soil. There are several crops, however, that apparently i be grown more or less indefinitely on the same ‘d year after year without a reduction in yield. ; ch of the world’s wheat and rice is grown contin- i, sly on the same land. A considerable proportion 5 the American cotton crop is grown continuously. ntinuous sugar cane is the general rule where it is grown. The continuous growing of the same crop on the same land year after year is sometimes called monoculture. Coast Prairie Cotton production on the Coast Prairie is con- centrated largely in Fort Bend and Wharton coun- ties and the southern part of the area. No well-es- tablished rotations seem to be in general use on the Coast Prairie. At the Angleton Experiment Station in Brazoria county, cotton in a 3-year rotation of cot- ton, corn and cowpeas produced slightly higher yields than continuous cotton over a period of 18 years. Several annual legumes may be used as soil-im- proving crops on the Coast Prairie. Among these are Hairy vetch, Dixie Wonder peas, Austrian Win- ter peas and Hubam sweetclover. Adequate surface drainage is necessary for the successful establishment of winter-growing legumes in this area. Alfalfa also can be grown successfully on well- drained bottomlands on the Coast Prairie. Cotton following alfalfa on such soils usually produces ex- cellent yields. Blackland and Grand Prairies Cotton is the main crop on the Blackland Prairies although corn, sorghum and small grains also are im- portant. In farm practice, these crops are grown in various cropping systems, as cotton and corn; cotton, cotton and corn; and cotton, corn and oats. In many cases, adapted and suitable legumes, especially an- nual (Hubam) and biennial (Madrid) sweetclovers, Austrian Winter peas and Dixie Wonder peas are in- cluded in cropping systems. The Temple Experiment Station in Bell county on the Blackland Prairies has conducted experiments over a period of 35 years to develop more suitable cropping systems for cotton and other crops in the region. These studies have included cotton, corn and oats with various legumes, grasses and mixtures of legumes and grasses. Some of these results are mentioned here. The highest average yield of cotton for l0 years, 898 pounds of seed cotton per acre, was obtained from 2-year rotations of cotton and oats or oats-legume mixtures. Two-year rotations of cotton and Hairy vetch or Madrid sweetclover, where the legumes were grown to maturity, produced about the same yield as continuous cotton. Cotton in a 1-year rotation with winter peas, vetch or sweetclover for winter green manure produced a decidedly lower yield than continuous cotton without legumes. The effects of rotations on the incidence of cot- ton root rot were highly variable from year to year and from field to field. 13 I_\'JBDL\DI_\')I_\DI_\J§)r-—II—JI—J|--1|—JI-II—JF—‘r-JI—I FD?”PFQPQF‘QSQPONFDFJ“PPQNF*FDFQFDFTFDFFPPQNW Growth and Fruiting Habits of Cotton in Central iliexas (Based on planting about April 15) Compiled by Fred Elliott Extension Cotton Work Specialist Time to come up——average 7 to lO days, range 7 to 3O days. Appearance of third leaf (first true leaf)—8 days after emergence. Appearance of fourth leaf (second true leaf)—-9 days after emergence. Emergence to square—35 to 4O days. Square to White bloom—2O to 25 days. Bloom to open boll—5O to 65 days. Boll full groWn—2O to 25 days after bloom. Should be ready to harvest in l6O days (25 percent open in l3O days). Number of seed in one bushel of average seed—l20,000. Most effective fruiting period——]une 2O to August 1. Approximately 35 to 4O percent of blooms make bolls. August 2O generally the last date for normal setting of fruit. Boll period——45 to 65 days. Fiber length laid down first 25 to 3O days. Critical period in length of fiber--16 to 2O days after blooming. Strength of fiber built up in second 25 to 3O days of boll development. Moisture is the limiting factor in determining length of lint in a given varety. Average number of days to blooming peal<—90. Average number of days from first bloom to peak of blooming—35. Average number of days from first bloom to shed peak——40. Average percentage of blooms shed—6O to 65. Average number of blooms per plant—4O to 45. 3O percent of crop open—65 to 75 days after first White bloom. 7O percent of crop open——85 to 95 days after first White bloom. 85 percent of crop open—95 to lO5 days after first White bloom. Plant population per acre, 40-inch rows—l plant per foot of row, l3,068 plants; 2 plants per foot of row, 26,136 plants, etc. mlmmvm.aw-~<~'~<~l"> - l4 tton, sorghum, oats and corn, in the order it according to the 1954 Census. These crops Vown in various cropping systems, but not al- h a definite sequence in rotations. Experiments fbeen conducted for many years at the Denton dent Station in Denton county on the Grand , to develop more practical cropping systems region. This work included continuous cotton fitton in 2 and 3-year rotations with and with- iumes. A 3-year rotation of cotton, corn and -.fwas decidedly better than continuous cotton ’a period of l5 years. This rotation also was profitable than similar rotations which includ- “ubam sweetclover or cowpeas preceding cotton. I vetch as a soil-improving crop preceding cot- A d not increase the yield of cotton. The failure ; mes to increase the yield of cotton might have f due in part to a deficiency of soil moisture dur- fruiting and maturing period of cotton. In years, a deficiency of soil moisture, and not soil 'ty, is the first limiting factor in the yield of _' on the Blackland and Grand Prairies. In favor- years, the use of sweetclover as green manure es the yield of crops, especially corn. Central Prairies v heat and oats are the main field crops on the Central Prairies, according to the 1954 Census. in and sorghum ranked next, with approxi- by 40,000 acres each. Cropping systems or rota- Qwith definite crop sequence are not practiced llly in the area. Where adapted legumes can tted into suitable cropping systems, however, may be used to advantage. For example, at the Park Experiment Station in Wichita county, T: | sweetclover has been a profitable cash crop git doubled the yield of cotton which followed lover. Alfalfa also is a valuable crop for seed forage on bottom and irrigated land in the area. U- Plains Cotton, sorghum and wheat are the principal V. on the Rolling Plains. According to the 1954 _' , cotton was grown on approximately 1,544,000 , sorghum on 1,147,000 acres and wheat on 987,- zacres. Alfalfa was grown on 34,700 acres. As a ', these crops are not grown generally in definite in cropping systems. fExperiments were conducted with 16 different ping systems at the Spur Experiment Station in ens county on the ._Rolling Plains, for 21 years, 4. The work included cotton and grain sor- J continuously manured and not manured and -year and 3-year rotations with and without barn- , manure and with and without green manure. i peas (a legume) and sorghum (a non-legume) 7 used as green-manure or soil-improving crops. -year rotation of cotton and sorghum manured e the highest average yield of cotton, 230 pounds f, are the most important crops on the Grand.- of lint per acre. Continuous cotton without manure produced an average yield of 169 pounds of lint per acre. Although these experiments did not yield out- standing results, they show that growing cotton and sorghum in rotation with or without manure pro- duced higher yields of cotton and grain sorghum than growing the crops continuously on the same land. Since the average yearly rainfall at Spur is about 20 inches, it is to be expected that moisture would be the first limiting factor in crop yields in most years. Rotations under dryland conditions prob- ably would not haveimuch influence on yield, except possibly as they might affect the penetration and storage of rainfall in the soil. High Plains Cotton and sorghum are the main crops in the cotton-growing area of the High Plains. These crops fit well together in the agriculture of the region. No standard patterns of crop rotations are practiced, al- though many farmers use some sort of cropping sys- tems in their farm enterprises. In experiments with various rotations for 31 years under dryland condi- tions at the Lubbock Experiment Station in Lubbock county, continuous cotton produced higher yields than cotton following sorghum. Although rotations that included 1 year of fallow or 1 year of sorghum for green manure produced slightly higher yields of cotton than continuous cotton, the increases were not large enough to be profitable. Recent trails under irrigation at Lubbock indi- cate that soybeans are a promising commercial cash crop for the region. There seems to be a good possi- bility that cotton could be grown profitably in a 3- year rotation of cotton, sorghum and soybeans. Where other adapted legumes, such as alfalfa and sweet- clover, can be grown profitably in rotation with cot- ton, they could be included in suitable cropping sys- tems. In such cases, the legumes would be profitable as cash crops in their own right and, in addition, would add some organic matter and nitrogen to the soil for the following crop. Trans-Pecos Cotton, alfalfa and vegetables are the main crops grown in the Trans-Pecos area. Other crops, such as sorghum, oats and barley, are grown to a small ex- tent, but relatively are not important for the area as a whole. Cotton is rotated to some extent with al- falfa, but the practice is not as prevalent as it for- merly was. Cotton growers are now using increasing amounts of commercial fertilizers high in nitrogen to supply the nitrogen previously supplied by alfalfa. Fertilizers The fertilizer needs of cotton vary greatly among the land resource areas of the State, depending on the chemical composition of the soil, length of time un- der cultivation, moisture conditions, cropping sys- 15 tems and soil types. For example, the upland soils in the East Texas Timberlands are mostly sandy loams and sands. They are low in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. For this rea- son, fertilizers containing suitable amounts of these elements should be applied for successful cotton pro- duction on these soils. Most of the cultivated bot- tomlands in the State contain moderate to adequate amounts of phosphorus and respond to nitrogenous fertilizers before they do to phosphatic fertilizers. Soils that have been cropped continuously for a long time may be depleted in the three more common ele- ments—nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The average rainfall in areas having 35 inches or more is adequate for good yields of crops. The rainfall, however, is not always distributed favorably during the growing season for maximum yields of crops. In most years, in all parts of Texas, there are times when cotton and other crops suffer from lack of adequate soil moisture. Methods of Application MLny experiments have been conducted in Tex- as and other states since 1930 to determine the best methods of a l in fertiliz r to various cro s. Rec- ommendations on methods of applying fertilizer to crops in Texas are given in Texas Agricultural Ex- tension Service Bulletin 253, “Methods of Applying Fertilizer for Efficient Use.” For cotton, fertilizer may be applied prior to or at planting in bands 3 to' l0 inches from the row and 3 to 5 inches deep. This placement results in the early availability of the fertilizer to the plant and does not injure germination of the seed. Suitable equipment usually is available for ap- plying fertilizers according to the method mentioned above. If, however, such equipment is not at hand, ' probably the next best method would be to apply the fertilizer in a band in the bottom of a deep water furrow and rebed the land.‘ Then plant the cotton on the bed at such a depth that the seed will be 4 inches above the fertilizer. Side ings of solid nitrogen fertilizer usually are applied to cotton after theTirst cultivation a_n‘d_ not much later than he arl s uare sta e of rowth. The sidedressing should be placed far enough to the side of the row to avoid mechanical injury to the roots and deep enough so that the nitrogen will not be disturbed by later cultivation. Anhydrous ammonia or aqua ammonia, used as sidedressing, should be applied immediately after the cotton has been chopped and should be placed 6 to 8 inches to the side of the seed row and 6 inches deep. Special equipment is required for the application of anhydrous or aqua ammonia. Fertilizer Recommendations Fertilizer recommendations follow for cotton on average soils in several land resources areas in Texas. These recommendations are based on the results of I6 field experiments with fertilizers on cotton, the‘ perience of farmers and chemical analyses of soi, the several soil areas. They may or may not be plicable to any given farm. For this reason, co growers should consult their county agricultural -; about the use of fertilizers. In cases of doubt about the proper fertiliz‘ use, the soil should be analyzed to determine its tilizer needs. The Soil Testing Laboratory, Tl Agricultural Extension Service, College Station, = as, and other laboratories in the State provide a’ testing service. 1 Extension Leaflets 220 through 228 give If detailed information on fertilizer recommendal for the various land resource areas in Texas. I East Texas Timberlands. The predominant; land soils in the East Texas Timberlands are loams and sands. They are low in minerals an ganic matter and naturally are not very produc Most of these soils have good physical properties‘ cluding permeable subsoils. They respond re? to good soil management practices, such as fertil" manures and green manures. In experiments a ducted at Nacogdoches and Troup, these soils- sponded profitably to applications of nitrogen,‘ i phorus and potassium. A 40-40-20 fertilizer is ommended for the upland loams and sandy In On sands and loamy sands, the use of 40-40-40 is , ' gested. In addition, a sidedressing of 30-0-0 sh be made at first square if moisture is adequate. On bottomland clay and clay loam soils, a 4, is recommended, with a sidedressing of 30-0-0 at a, square. A 40-40-0 fertilizer, with a sidedressin 30-0-0, is recommended for loams and sandy o; on bottomland. i" Coast Prairie. The optimum rate of applic of fertilizers varies considerably among the diff soils of the Coastal Prairie. On Lake Charles ' at the Angleton Experiment Station in Bra county, applications of nitrogen and phosphorus A produced consistent significant increases in the A of cotton. The use of 60-60-0 is recommended; Lake Charles clay and other upland clays and , loam soils on the Coast Prairie. On the black _Z and sandy loam upland soils, 60-60-30 is sugge The application of 40-40-0 is recommended for] clay and clay loam bottomland soils in the area. ’ the loams and sandy loams in the bottomlands; use of 30-60-30 is recommended. - Blaekland and Grand Prairies. Soils on Blackland and Grand Prairies have not respond readily to applications of fertilizers as the soilsof East Texas Timberlands. These soils are relatii low in phosphorus and comparatively high in a gen. At the Temple and Denton Experiment tions, in Bell and Denton counties, respectively} plications of phosphorus have produced greater?‘ creases in yield of cotton than applications of i gen or potassium. 1 l'ilar results have been obtained in coopera- xperiments with cotton growers in different 30f the Blackland Prairies. From present knowl- the application of 15-30-0 per acre is recom- 1" for cotton on the upland clays and clay on the Blackland and Grand Prairies. On la soils, such as loams and sandy loams, in the til and western part of the area, 30-30-0 per - suggested. On mixed land (loams and sandy l) in the eastern edge in the area, 30-60-30 is 'mended. On irrigated bottomlands, a 60-0-0 izer is suggested for clays and clay loams, and I for loams and sandy loams. yilWest Cross Timbers. The soils in the West Timbers area are mostly sandy loams, loamy and sands. They are low in organic matter, Ten, phosphorus and potassium. They respond _'ly to applications of fertilizers when adequate ture is available. The use of a 20-20-0 fertilizer ommended for upland loams and sandy loams, 714 20 on sands and loamy sands and 20-0-0 for I and clay loams. On bottomlands, a 20-0-0 ferti- recommended on clays and clay loams and -0 for loams and sandy loams. {Rolling Plains. Moisture is probably the first ting factor in cotton production on the Rolling ‘g s, since the average yearly rainfall ranges from t 25 inches in the eastern part to about 20 inches I e western part of the area. Fertilizers do not jys increase yields, but may do so where moisture equate. On upland and bottomland loams and It loams, a 20-40-0 fertilizer is recommended. ggFor irrigated land the following recommenda- A are made: 30-30-0 for bottomland clays and loams and 30-60-0 for bottomland loams and F» loams and upland clays, clay loams, loams and y loams. In addition, sidedress with 40-0-0 at square. 1. High Plains. Fertilizers are recommended only irrigated land in this area. Moisture, and not fertility, usually is the first limiting factor in cot- production on dryland. A 30-30-0 fertilizer is ymmended for clay and clay loam soils, 60-60-0 for l n and sandy loams and 60-60-30 for sands and f y sands. Rio Grande Plain. In the more humid part of v Rio Grande Plain, a 15-0-0 fertilizer is recom- ‘ed for bottomland soils and upland clay and i loam soils. A 15-30-0 is suggested for loams, ‘y loams, sands and loamy sands. Where irrigation is available, 40-0-0 is recom- ded for bottomlanvdgisoil and upland clays and loams, 30-60-0 for Upland loams and sandy loams a 30-60-30 for sands. Sidedress with 30-0-0 at first are. ; Lower Rio Grande Valley. The soils in the 1 er Grande Valley are fairly high in nitrogen, osphorus and potassium. They respond, however, gapplications of nitrogen and phosphorus. A 40-0-0 fertilizer is recommended for cotton on irrigated land in the area, with a sidedressing of 40-0-0 at first square. On dryland, 30-0-0 at planting is sug- gested, with a sidedressing of 30-0-0 at first square if soil moisture is adequate. Trans-Pecos. Cotton is grown only under irri- gation in the Trans-Pecos area. Experiments con- ducted with fertilizers on cotton in the El Paso and Pecos River Valleys and the experience of cotton growers show that the soils are lacking mainly in nitrogen. These experiments also indicate that an alfalfa-cotton rotation generally is more effective in increasing the yield of cotton than the application of commercial fertilizer alone. In this rotation, 40 to 60 pounds of phosphoric acid per acre should be ap- plied to the alfalfa. This will provide sufficient phosphorus for large yields of alfalfa, which in turn will produce maximum yields of cotton following the alfalfa. Apply nitrogen fertilizer to cotton an- nually after the second year. For soils in the flood plains of the Rio Grande and Pecos River, Lobo Flats and Madera Valley, ap- ply 60-0-0 at planting and 40-0-0 as a sidedressing at first square. Also apply 60 pounds of phosphoric acid per acre every 5 years. In the Pecos, Dell City, Wild Horse, Fort Stock- ton and Coyanosa areas, apply 60-0-0 at planting and apply 100-0-0 partly as a sidedressing and partly as small quantities in irrigation water. On loams, sandy loams and sands, apply 60 pounds of phosphoric acid per acre in addition to the nitrogen. Preparation of the Land For Planting Preparation of land for planting cotton in all parts of Texas usually begins with the disposal of stalks or other crop residue in some fashion, such as cutting the stalks with a rolling stalk cutter or a power shredder. The proper disposal of residue cuts or breaks up the stalks and other residue and thus ' prevents it from interfering with later tillage prac- tices, such as harrowing, planting and cultivating. Experiments have shown that a well-established stalk disposal program aids in the control of cotton insects, especially the pink bollworm and boll weevil. In fact, Texas has promulgated regulations that require cot- ton growers in certain counties and zones to plant cotton and to destroy cotton stalks within specified dates to aid in controlling the pink bollworm. The kind of land preparation depends on the kind of soil, the method of harvesting to be used and the average rainfall. Most of the land preparation is done with tractors and tractor equipment, ranging from l to 4-row outfits, as shown on pages 24-25. Cultural practices for cotton are essentially the same as those for corn, sorghum and other row crops, and are known by most cotton growers and agricul- tural workers. The preparation of the seedbed usu- ally consists of some type of plowing with a disk, chisel or moldboard plow in late fall or winter, fol- 17 A cotton grower loads the seed hoppers in preparation for planting. Four rows can be planted at one time with this tractor-drawn equipment. lowed by harrowing and bedding or rebedding. Ir- respective of the methods used in preparing the seed- bed, cotton requires a firm, mellow seedbed in good tilth, free of weeds and very little unrotted residues, with both deep and surface moisture. To attain this ideal seedbed, the bed-forming operations should be completed at least 30 days before planting. If weeds become troublesome before planting, they should be destroyed by cultivating the beds with some suitable implement. The ordinary sweep-type cultivator is perhaps used more frequently for this purpose than other equipment. Large buzzard-wing sweeps (24 to 30-inch) also are used by running them through the middles. The width of rows in Texas ranges from 36 to 42 inches, but the tendency is to standardize on 40-inch rows. Preparation of the Seedbed Tillage operations prior to the actual formation of the seedbed vary considerably, depending on the kind of soil and the average rainfall. In general, light (sandy) soils require fewer operations to de- velop a good seedbed than heavier soils, such as clays and clay loams. For example, on Amarillo fine sandy loam, an important cotton soil on the High Plains, experiments have shown that a limited number of operations are more desirable and economical for both dryland and irrigation. Flat breaking before listing has not produced significantly higher yields than listing alone. In the Trans-Pecos area, where all of the cotton is irrigated, the land is flatbroken with moldboard plows. Following this operation, heavy-duty disk harrows are used to smooth the soil. Prior to irri- gating the crop in the spring, the land is listed or bedded to obtain a more even distribution of water. A disk harrow is used again after irrigating to break the crust formed by the soil drying out after irriga- t1on. 18 In the central and southern parts of Texas, l», preparation normally consists of listing out the rows in the fall after the stalks have been cut 1 shredded. The land is relisted or rebedded in spring prior to planting. This rebedding operati, should be done long enough before planting to t; mit rain to soak the beds thoroughly and allow th to settle and form a firm, rfroist seedbed. i Planting Many factors influence the germination of s and the stands of plants obtained. Some of these " soil moisture, temperature, viability of seed, firrhn? of the soil, type of seed (fuzzy or delinted) and treatments to control soil-borne diseases. Other f tors directly related to the planting operation affect the emergence of cotton seedlings. Ami these are the rate of seeding, depth of covering, t I of furrow openers and methods used to firm the s to prevent loss of moisture. Date The young cotton plant is tender and will withstand freezing temperatures. For this reas cotton usually is planted after the average date the last killing frost in the spring. Planting dates l’ Texas range from February in the Lower Rio Gra i Valley to May l5 to June 2O at Lubbock on v High Plains. The date of planting is more criti at the northern edge of the cotton belt in Te a where the frost-free period is barely sufficient to t ture a reasonably good crop of cotton, than it farther south, where a longer growing season vails. Recent experiments at Lubbock have shown {I 3O percent or more of the cottonseed usually eme when the minimum soil temperature averages 60° j 8 inches deep in the seedbed for l0 days. This aver temperature is not reached until May 1 at Lubb Here the highest percentage of emergence usu‘ occurs between May 1O and 25. Planting after] I 1 shortens an already short growing season and t. A lister type planter planting four rows of cotton at time on the High Plains. 1 Ids. The latest practical planting date at Lub- gis June 15 to 20. i‘ germination and cold soils go together. is more danger of the’ seed rotting and the gs are more susceptible to seedling disease in '2 llS. i, Treatment A _ oper treatment of planting seed with an ap- __ e fungicide is one of the measures used to help e losses in stand caused by seedling disease. p; treatment also helps prevent seed decay and ting-off from both soil and seed-borne organ- ‘f However, it does not provide continued pro- én from the organisms in the soil after germina- 1 occurs. Such protection can be obtained by 1 g suitable fungicides with the covering soil. ‘Amended fungicides are given in Station Prog- __ eport 2003 and recommended methods of mix- ungicides with the soil are reported in Station ess Report 2001. . d otton is planted on beds (ridges) and in shal- listed furrows. In the more humid areas, where i rains are likely to occur during the planting 4 , cotton usually is planted on beds. This al- L drainage away from the beds and the surface y: beds dries out more rapidly. In areas having erage yearly rainfall of 25 inches or less, cotton nted in lister furrows to place the seed in moist i The sides of the furrows also protect the young 1 seedlings from blowing sand. if he lister planter equipped with suitable at- Cents is the most common type of planter used ‘lanting cotton in Texas. The planter may be ‘ped with different types of openers, covering ment and press wheels to suit the particular ‘tions. ‘ Population j he rate of seeding should be based on the final pd plant population and the average percentage ergence expected. Experiments in Texas and l, oma have shown that yield of cotton and me- ical picking efficiency are not affected signifi- y with populations of 25,000 to 60,000 plants per ' which is approximately 2 to 4 plants per foot ‘w. Populations of 40,000 to 60,000 plants per ihave been found to be optimum for mechanical er harvesting. 5N0 significant variations in the yield of cotton y been obtained from different methods of ob- l» g stands on alluvial soil near College Station. t were obtainedvvbya.hill-dropping, drilling to a S, hand chopping? and by several types of me- 'cal choppers. The saving in seed and labor ’ opping, by hill-dropping or drilling to a stand nted to $6 to $8 per acre. 1- to "Cover Seed ‘The seed should be covered at the minimum at which they will remain in moist soil until they sprout and emerge. Shallow depths of 1 to 2 inches are suitable for the more humid areas of Tex- as, and depths of 3 to 4 inches are necessary in the drier parts of the State. Tests have shown, however, that a depth of l to 2 inches is more satisfactory in the drier areas if the seed are pressed into firm, moist soil before covering. Furrow Openers Two general types of furrow openers are used in planting cotton: the chisel type and the curved run- ner. The chisel-type opener is used extensively on lister-type planters for planting on beds on the High Plains and in other areas. The chisels vary in width from % to 2 inches. The narrow type with long, low dirt shields is more desirable because the seed are confined to a narrow drill and the shields pre- vent loose soil from falling below the seed. A modification of the standard runner-type open- er has a narrow opening and dirt shields which ex- tend to the rear and prevent loose soil from falling in the furrow ahead of the seed. This modification has given faster emergence and better stands of cot- ton than the standard curved opener in experiments conducted at College Station and in West Texas. Press Wheels Press wheels are used in planting cotton in some areas to provide a firm contact between the seed and the soil, thus permitting the seed to absorb moisture from the soil more rapidly. Types used are the sur- face-press and the seed-press wheel. The surface-press wheel is used on the surface of the soil after the seed have been covered. The seed-press wheel is used in the seed furrow immediately behind the furrow open- er to press the seed into firm, moist soil. Surface-press wheels are used extensively in East and Central Texas. A common practice is to delay the pressing operation for several hours until the sur- face of the freshly planted soil has dried enough to _ prevent it sticking to the press wheel. A solid press wheel is then used over the drill row. To eliminate this extra operation, efforts have been made to de- velop a type of press wheel to which soil would not adhere enough to prevent satisfactory operation. A rubber-flap press wheel was developed which has given good results and works satisfactorily on sticky clay soils. Surface-press wheels are not recommended in the subhumid areas of West Texas because they tend to create a hard, compacted layer over the seed, which interferes with emergence. A seed-press wheel with a soft zero-pressure rub- ber tire was developed at the Lubbock Experiment Station. This spring-loaded press wheel presses the seed into the firm, moist soil in a narrow furrow opened by a chisel-type opener. A drag-type cover- ing device covers the seed with 11/2 to 2 inches of loose soil. This press wheel and covering device have given faster emergence and better stands than the conventional methods used in that area. 19 TOP A four-row cultivatorfloperating in sm cotton for early seasoin weed control. CENTER A tour-row flame cultivator used to con-o trol small grass and weeds in cotton.‘ Cotton plants are delicate. If left unassist-sv ed. they soon would be overcome by weeds and grass. either perishing or pro-_ ducing a negligible crop. ‘ BQTTOM A four-row rotary hoe used for mechanical i weed control and high speed cultivation g of cotton. '- ' t nutrients. Cultivation 1 The main purpose of cultivation is to destroy , which compete with crops for moisture and Cultivation also loosens the soil, ‘fits better aeration and penetration of water into e soil, promotes decomposition of soil organic mat- l and, consequently, increases crop yields. Weeds Se been controlled in cotton by the use of various 1o of cultivating implements, especially the ordi- if cultivator equipped with suitable sweeps, har- I and the common hand hoe. The rotary hoe developed recently and is coming into general l‘ in Texas. p, Cultivation practices for cotton vary consider- in different parts of Texas. The kind of culti- ‘ion depends to some extent on whether planting done on beds or in lister furrows. The fre- " cy of cultivation is determined largely by rain- p, with a cultivation after each rain until the cot- lant are lare e o h to suppress weed growth. ‘j co gisinlanted on beds, the first and suc-l cultivations usuall are made with swees. g3» Cultivation and hand hoeing are primary meth- for controlling weeds in cotton. Rotary hoeing, use of weed-control chemicals and flame culti- if are supplementary practices. Rotary hoeing ithe most widely used supplementary practice in 4X38. start of the season. A heavy crop of seed also remains i the season with four times as much Iohnsongrass as the crown-oilings over most of the field (five on a small part duced the grass infestation to about 1 percent. These cultivations are shallow, 2 to 3 inches deep, and uproot and destroy the weeds in the middles and cover small weeds in the drill row. Sometimes, however, the first cultivation may be made with the rotary hoe. the Where cotton is planted in lister furrows, as on Rolling and High Plains, the first cultivation may be made with the sled cultivator or the rotary hoe. Later cultivations generally are with sweeps. The low rainfall and prolonged dry“periods on the Rolling and High Plains minimize the weed prob- lem in those areas. Experiments in‘ Texas have shown that just s m enough cultivation to keep down weeds 1s the most Rpllwin Plains tron on the suall is critical factgr, two cultivations during the growing season prggmdaggeit average yield of cotton over? periowdflgf l2 years. At College Station, with an aVTeYT aggfyearly rainfall of about 38 inches three to five cu_l_t_i”y”2_1_twions with sweeps made the highest yie o cotton for 6 years. WEED CQNTROL planting an ii Pre-emergence chemical treatment of the row at post-emergence ateral application of oils of the Stoddard solvent grade are popular chem- ical practices in some other states, but are not widely used in as. These practices are appropriate for use only when cotton is planted on a bed. Results of two methods of controlling Iohnsongrass in 1959 are sho 1f in the Brazos River Valley near College Station at harvest time. and four hand-hoeings, yet the Iohnsongrass infestation. the gray patches. was 20 to 3O percent, the same as at the n the field. The 70-acre field. up across the turn-row, started other field. ) with a mixture of half naphtha and half diesel fuel oil re- wn in this aerial view of two adjacent cotton fields The SO-acre field at the bottom had five cultivations Seven cultivations of the middles and three 21 “st Left-A Texas Slidegun being used for nonselective spraying of an infestation of Iohnsongrass. Center-The right l; hand normally is used to operate the pump of a Ietgun and to aim the spray at the target; the Texas Blade is used in the left hand. Right-The Texas Grav' y Sprayer is satisfactory for crown-oiling 6-inch-high Iohnsongrass sprouts in moderate-size infestations. Pre-emergence chemical treatment of a l0 to l4- inch band over the planted row is effective for kill- ing shallow-germinating weeds and grasses under some Texas conditions without subsequent injury t0 cotton. Such treatments usually cost $3 to $7 an acre. Most pre-emergence treatments are effective only when the soil surface is sealed by rain and left un- disturbed. They usually control weed seedlings for only 2 or 3 weeks. Safety in using them depends on the retention of the chemicals within a fraction of an inch of the soil surface. Favorable results are obtained most frequently in humid areas and on soils with crusts free from cracks. Poor results are common in dry areas and on soils that crack after rain. ~ Many of the productive cotton soils in Texas crack following rains, and in most areas cotton emergence is expected without rain. A four-row pre-emergence chemical weed control ap- plication at planting time. 22 Pre-emergence chemicals usually fail 40 percent more of the time under such conditions. Post-emergence lateral oiling of cotton 3 to inches tall (prior to bark formation) can be used f kill weed and grass seedlings less than 2 inches in the row anywhere in Texas that bed-planting’ used. The practice is reliable and economi Safety in using it depends on precise control of if height and rate of application of a suitable oil. l compatability of the practice with conventional play ing methods and the practice of “dirting” young c; ton account for the limited use of lateral oiling i Texas. f Only the young stem below the seed leaf or t seed leaf scar is resistant to the oil. This usually quires the lateral application of the oil within p inch of the soil surface. Undue variation in {i height of application causes oil to miss the wee or hit the young cotton too high. Treating the leav, kills young cotton plants within a few hours. Tre ing the stem above the seed leaf scars seriously it jures young cotton plants and may kill them. Precise control of the height of application quires smooth, firm shoulders on the row that a, slightly lower than thedrill. planting and early cultivation procedures in my‘ areas of Texas violate this requirement. Someti 1:1 heavy rains level freshly-planted beds, and, uni; such conditions, many farmers make emergency i of lateral oiling prior to first cultivation. Sevei methods can be used to provide satisfactory shop’ ders on the row for the subsequent use of lateral y ing. Most of them, however, are inconvenient to _ and most Texas farmers prefer to rely on conventi, al weed-control methods, particularly when ear rotary hoeing is applicable. Both conventio \ IRRIGATION Irrigation has been practiced for centuries near Paso, San Antonio and along the San Saba River. "gation also has been practiced for more than 60 l,» in other parts of the State. It is only in recent , however, that irrigation has figured signifi- i‘ tly in Texas agriculture. It is estimated that approximately 7,000,000 acres land are irrigated annually in Texas. About 2,- 3,000 of these acres are planted to cotton. Most < the irrigated cotton land is concentrated on the ‘fh Plains in West Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande _ley, the Pecos Valley and Trans-Pecos area, but 5"gation is expanding in the older cotton-growing - as. Sources of Water _ Ground water obtained from wells is the source v irrigation water on the High Plains and in widely ' ttered areas on the Rio Grande Plain. Surface ter is the main source of irrigation water in the ‘wer Rio Grande Valley. In the Pecos Valley-Trans- 0s area, about two-thirds of the acreage is irri- ted from surface water and one-third from ground ~