Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1838-08-09
AGRICULTURAL.
From the Augustn COnStitutionalist.
ESSAY

From the Augustn Constitutionalist.
ESSAY.
Read. July l4th 1883, before tho "Agricul-
1ural Society Of Richmond County" and
published ut their request, by DR.. J. G.
M'WIioRTER
Ertraet from Ec Minutes
On m0ti0n OF Judge Schlrv, RcS0lrrG
Tha, the thanks OF the society he presented
TO DIR. NV h"r,c' for his scientific and prc-
,icai communication upon The snhlect of
sowing small Grain. and ,ha, a copy be re
qucsed for publication in the papers of Au-
gus,a.
It is believed that grca, improvements
MAY be mad, in our agricultural operation
moi excepting our Iwp most pericc, cu,:j>a
tons, Cotton aud Rc'. winch arc srplu,u.
TO have reached the ne pius ultra of i'm
provc,neit. We al The south are greatly
behind the age III every thing reia,inSro the
cultivation of the earth. the great chploy
ment which supports the human race, and
indirectly the mass Of aninnl existence. So
important an eDplUymcni. OF 'n,n deserves
Aais ls.sf. sn s!fol,lds s
best eXertuts iW IT'S itnrrOvcmppt. To
contribute our mite to This great ohicc. was
the motive which led ru the iorma,un ot The
Agricuiiurui Society Of Ri"hmoad C0unty;
and no citizen who has Witnessed. or can
conceive the different aspects ota vel! c,,i-
tiva.ed au,l Il neglected country, ,coul,i hc-i
tale To assist in extending a more general
knowledge ol the principles Of agriculture
and its Improved operations. With th"t
view, the writer has hastily, lin the absence
OF Il regular report trn'm HE Bo0rd oC .ig-i
cutture,) drawn up lh,S paper, no, iih the
bu, y, itsl the hope of calling greater alicn
tion To the hest made OF putting into The
earth, wheat, oats, an; grain of all kinds,
aud the principles which demand and usli-
fyu.
These three maxims rold universally true
in agricultural operations:
Isl. What is worth doing at all, is worth
doing well.
2L. The hes, plau.hin. Il crop gets, l.,
that which it receives before il is ;i,n!cii.-
And,
:,d. A cr4Awc!l pul in, is half made
AS Il universal ru!c, HE first thin: ID hc
done. allowing the ground 10 l.. fertile c
nom.a. is TO break ii np well. having II soft
an.l pnlvo:i4ed 10 dcptii propari!onH! 10
tho ,iopth ol til" soil. IN. next Thin. IS hr
proper disposition AMI lnnunltinu ui ,hn
seed. Win regard to the preparation n!'
the soil, as it is believed i'll understand The
necessary operations, 1 shall saw ,nut r!ng,
hut Confinc my rrmayis to the Disposition
an.linhuuIaiinn OF the seed, aAd the re;,*pns
fer such directions as si;ai! he given in re
gard 10 these operations.
The ground should he narrowed and lev
cilcd, and the surface pu!verixci 70 The
depth Of at least two or three inches, before
snwing the seed, which will then lie more
.rl ~ mi,
falling in masses into ,pcn furTows ana in
dcni;iiions in the suriIcc, thus lhroming too
many seeds in one spot, while other ,,!icrS
have nbnc ut all, or not their proper pro
portion. The seed sown S!IuIiii be corrSgi
9rtth. Tie harro,gaton and The lrvcllnc pro-
cess previously executed will prevent the
b. harrow from throw ing the seeds from rid q.
OIL Which they might lodge, into The adjpin-
. ing ho!low,whcre they will he TOO thick To
be productive Of abundant hcads. If from
the great Inequality Of the surface. an equal
distribution Of the seed is supposed no' Ia
have been Effected The narrowing slIoull
be repeated in III" Opposite directions; indeed
this cross narrowing it would be well to re.
peat in all eases, so that il the liarrow .uci.,
arb 10, too far apart, the sect! will br plirn!
in relation to- each other AT such distances.
rs, by proper distribution. 0ll rnS,,r.. i
fall occupation Of all the land. without ,hnS;.
inrqnnli'ie%. which are otherwise al ,.n.r
incvltabr. and whirh by crow;Inn puricu-
!as spots allow The farmer but Il moderate
return of straw without grain.
These remarks. ii is hoped, are so far in
tclisillc. They are designed to STOW. tim,
il is important to'pfocurr an equal di.trhl-
tion nf seed over the land. which canno; II
done. if so;yn on an nn!cvelch s,.rfacc, an.
without double narrowing tosrpara,e tn
seeds which have farn too many in civ
place, and in:D tho furrows made by thc
teeth of the harrow in the firs' operation o
covering. This second operation, if IL,
l'arraw has teeth ret f:rErom cac's.o.bcr