Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1836-03-22
RURAL ECONOMY.

RURAL ECONOMY.
From the Southern Agriculturist.
THE CORN CROP.
Mr.. Ediior,-The corn crop may be well
considered among the most important in the
eyes Of the planter. 1t contributes, as much,
perhaps. as any other grain to our national
subsistence. AS the season approaches,
when preparation will be made for setting
this crop, l shall present you with my plan
of cultivatingit.
PREPARATION OF THE LAND.
Iuso the plough almost during the whole
process of cultiyating my corn and con-
slider it an objection, not based upon the
truo state of facts, that our low country lands
are too heavy for the successful use of the
plough. flour soil is not too heavy for
our negroes to work, it is an inhuman re.
Election upon them to say, that it is too stiff
and heavy for our horses. The truth is,
most planters, who speak against the use
of the plough, have never used it. AS an
instance of this, friend of mine, several
years ago, was a great opponent OF the
ploughing system;1 upon his sea-lsland land.
Upon his heavy lands, he urged as an OBJ.
lection that the plough killed his horses, while
upon his light lands, he contended that 1t
made the soil too loose. prevailed upon
him to try my system ofploughing, for one
season-he now eonfesses, that he gets
through much more work docs it better {;
his negroes are strained less and he makes
better crops than. formerly. One reason
for this last fact may be, because he has
more time to devote to fnanuring. But to
return to the subject ofinquiry.
In preparing my land for the corn crop
| mark out the line ofmy beds five feet apart,
with the daggon plough. Irun a deep fur:
row first one side of tho line, and then re-
turn, doing the same upon the other side; !;
thus throwing up a bed of about two feet
base. III have manure 10 apply, my first
consideration is, whether it bo decayed or
L,pr not. If it be undecayed or only partially,
decaycd, or ifthe manure be cotton.seed,
| invariabysprcad the manure where / In.
tend making the bed, and then plough upon
| it. This gives the manure time to ferment
properly, and to impart its nutritive quail
ties to the land. If on the contrary, my
manure be well decaycd, my planls IS differ:
ent. After making my beds, as described
above, convey the manure,to where In
tend applying it. With the hoe, make one
or two deep chops where 1 intend dropping
the seed. These chops make three or
four feet apart, according to the original fer:
tlty of the soil; each chop thus made, fill
up with the rotted manure from baskets,
which my wenches carry. | next drop the
seed upon the manure and cover them over
with loose Garth.
This mode, i.syc found from long ex,
pericnce, to be the most eco;:ornica! way OF
applying manure, where it is weli rot;ea'
However, think, that where you Can plant
early, and prepare your lands eurly, more
corn will be made by applying the manure
in its undecayed state.
TINE FOR PLANTING.
In a country so various in its teinpara'
ture as this is, thirty years experience has
taught me to make two paintings of corn.
One in March, say about the goth, the 9th.
erin May, say about the 1st, longer than this
will prove uncertain. 1t is we'll here to
observe, that would rather put no manure
upon my land, than uufermcntcd manure, in
my May planting. twill cause the corn to
burn or if it should not do this, it will cause
it to shoot up too suddenly, and thus pro-
ducc nothing but stalk. BY selecting these
two periods for planting, l am sure to to hit
the ri ght season, for at least one half my
corn and am clearly ofopinion, that, one
halfofa field of prime corn, is better than a
whole field of corn that has been injured by
an adverse season. have generally OBJ
served, that where we have no rains to put
the corn forward in March and April, that
the reverse is the case in May and June, and
uice rersa.
SELECTION OF SEED.
Too muckattention cannot be pald, TO TINS
matter. It's an opinion, with most planters
that little is to be gained by selecting corn corn
seed but the testimony OF the very pest
farmers throughout the .. States proves