The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1853-03-30
A8tiGnltural.
Is sloth indulgence It's toll,
Encrvatcs man and damns the soil.
Young.
From the SOnthern Cultirator.
Planting and Cultivating Cotton.

MEssRs EDIToRs "A friend called on
me to give him my plan, or mode of ma
king cotton; and now do so without Civ
my my address, as he will understand
from whence this article comes when he
reads 1t. propose to be short. In the
hrSt place, recommend you to make all
the manure you possibly can, by building
stock lots. and hauling into them from the
forest, cornheld and thresher, all the litter
you can, and spread it entirely over them
ON which, never fail to pen YOUR stock
every night. In this way you can make
as much manure Of the first quality, as
you can haul out AS early in January
as you can, commence hauling your man
ure and deposit it in piles thick enough
50 rs TO be certain to have each row manur-
cd alike. AS soon as you get as much on
one held as you want, commence LAYING
on your cotton rows with scooter plow.
and put your manure in the furrow about
three inches deep, Oh which throw YOUR
beds with one horse turning plow, or
turning shovel or common shovel and
ia iaLu .iidS ".sS III GOWN p,v, rvus
year, as you can plow up the cotton stalks
more easily with them than any other
pIow have tried. This should be done
in January or February, so as to give
Your beds time to settle before planting.
which will prevent the tearing down of
your beds in opening and covering your
cotton, besides other advantages unncces-
sary to mention here. The 10th of April
commence opening your beds, with an
opener made Of n block Of wood, twenty
inches long, triangular, with small, short
scooter plow in front, with beam and han
die ; never open your beds deeper than
two inches. | should have mentioned
that side harrow should proceed the O.
pener, to clean the bed of trash and clods.
Roll your seed in ashes, lime or plaster
and strew them very regular, at the rate
OF half bushel per acre, and cover them
shallow with block or coverer made of a
piece Of wood, "a by l6 inches, followed
out in front one inch, with beam and han.
dies.
AS soon as there is enough cotton for a
stand commence running around it with q
mississippi Scraper,' which will leave the
bed in the shape of the roof of house,
with the cotton standing on the ridge, as
it were, about one inch wide, ready for the
hoe, which follows, chopping lightly
through, leaving from l to three stalks in
a place. After you have gone over all
your cotton in this way, turn on it with
all hands, with the hoe, and put it to a
stand as soon as possible. After which, as
soon as possible, run around it with side
harrows. The balance of the cultivation
to be done shallow, with sweep and har-
row.
have now given my friend and his
neighbors my plan of managing a cotton
crop. And | avow most emphatically,
that if he will manage as have directed,
he will never fail to make as much cotton,
as any Of his neighbors, other things being
equal.
The above plan is not altogether origi
nal with me. | have been managing Q
cotton crop but about six years in the ca
pacity Of an overseer, during which time
have studied agriculture as physician
studies medicine. After reading all the
agricultural works l could get, amont
which the Southern Cultivator stands pre-
eminent, and writing p ivate letters to tn,
best and most successful cotton grower
Of the South, together with my experience
| have fallen on the above plan, as tn
best have tried, or seen trie,l.
Yours, DC,
AN ovERsEER.
Cedartown, Ga, Feb. 1928.