The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-10-11
for tbe 1armers.
From Ms Charleston Mercu,y,
* Small Grains.


.MEssus. EDIroRs:- The cultivation of the
different kinds of small grain has not yet re
ceiyed from our planters that attention which
they SO fully merit and SO amply repay. 1t is
pretty generally proved that Wheat cannot be
produced on our Sea Island lands, but it is
NOT necessary to, so far from salt water in
order to be. able to grow it with reasonable
success. When it can be grown so cheaply, |
can see no reason for devoting every effort for
the production of staple SO uDcertain,S and at
times so unpro6table, as Cotton, and depend
ing upon other, States to supply US with wheat
AOLr, which can be made quite as good and as
cheap at home. 49,.
TO raise Barley, it is absolutely necessary
that it should be sown in land rather sandy.
and either naturally rich or made so by liberal
manuring. Barley is not used among us as
food, but when cut green is the sweetest, and
among the earliest, of all the small grains, and
when ripe furnishes excellent aud very early
food for horses and poultry.
Rye can be grown in almost every soil, even
the poorect, though it prefers a sandy one, and
the product very materially depends upon the
fertility Of the sill. For cutting green it is
neither so early nor SO paIatable to stock, as
either wheat or Barley, but it can stand severe
cold and close pasturing much better than eth
or Of them.
The Oat,is the most valuable as we'll as the
generally cultivated in the lower country of
all the small grains:
For cutting green or pasturing. Septembes is
the proper month for sowing all of these grains,
but when the grain is the consideration, Octo.
ber is the better season. When sown later,
doth Wheat and Rye are less productive, more
liable to rust, and more uncertain; while Oats
and Barley may be proftably sown during The
months Of January, February and March,
though the earlier shey are sown, the more
productive and certain the crop will generally
prove. An excellent time to sow Oats is the
first half of January, as when sown at this time
theywillsbe up and green before the cold spell
that we usually Rave in February, which would
Kill Them If in the white sprout.
The largest and best crops Of all of these
grains that have ever made were made, by
bysrunning furrow with n small plow, wheth-
er BarslIare or Bull.tongue, on the Cotton,
Corn or Pea beds, as close rs the stalks or vines
which need not be cut for this purpose, as can
he done conveniently, turning the earth down
wards into the alley. The grains are then sown
by hand, and covered by another furrow, of the
same plow, taken from, little higherup.
The quantity of seed necessary will mateI
ally depend upon the fertility of the soil and
the time Of sowing. Early sowing and fertile
, soils require less seed than late sowing poor
soil, when sown in the above manner about
half.,he usual quantity Of seed per acre only is
required as it tillers much more; when large
cropisrequired, and the cotton seed can be had
six parts Of cotton seed may be mixed with
each part Of grain, and the two sown together.
1t is easy to Judge when the sowing is as thick
ss desired. lhavs successfully pursued another
pan jn root potato land, where no hogs are kept
or allowed to have aecPss this consists in
stripping down the vines and siding or under.
mining the beds as usual, then strew or SOW
the oats &c. over the vines &c, and cover by
pulling with care, the earth from the middle OF
the bed across the alley, so as to cover all or
most of the seed. Crops sown in either way
pci:her admit of nor require any farther crlri-
yation, even in very stiff soils, resist drought
or rains much better than when sown jy the
usual way, and produce very nearly, if not
quite, as much. The past season | sowed
one and a half acres Of Rye and four acres OF
oats to the hand, by the first method witlou,
missing the labor required to SOW the crop, aud
though the spring WIS unusually unfavorable
vet made the largest crop Of both these grains
that have ever made, and both fle1 well.
have made good crops of both Rye anc
Oats by blowing up the land, trenchng fur
rows every 25 inches with the bull tongue plow
sd covering with another furrow of the same
ulow but when thIS soan, tl.ey rell:e to b;