The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1853-07-27
Work For July.

Inc tllne Is Taploly drawing W eiooe,
and soon the operations OF crop making
for another year, will have ended. We
may see much to regret in the errors or
omissions of the past; these may not now
be cured, but if properly noted and re-
membered, may have in them lessons OF
instruction and of warning, for the future.
Experience is often our best teacher, and
its instructions ought not to be lost on our
selves, or to the world.
The cotton crop is now in its full tide,
moving rapidly to its destiny. What
may be the result no one can fortell. Its
season of calamities has yet to be passed.
There are however some things which
remain to be done, about which we may
appropriately offer a few thoughts
Shallow plowings are now to keep up and
we think may be continued to advantage,
almost as long as there is space between
the rows for the passing of the mule and
the plow. Our convictions are decidedly
in favor of late workings to this crop. AS
the plow only operates in the middle of
the row, the hoes must keep all clean in
the drill, by carefully removing all re-
manning grass or weeds, and keeping up
proper supply of soft earth about the
root of the plant. The heaping of earth
upon the roots should not be carried to
an extreme. The laws of nature and its
indications are to be regarded, and should
not be violated, by covering the roots too
deep.
SAVING FODDER.
Before the issue of our next, this por-
ton of the harvest may have arrived with
some. 1t is a question of importance,
and one often settled to the injury of the
corn, to know when the fodder is ripe, or
rather, when the corn will bear the strip
ping of the blades. This should never
be done until the milk has disappeared,
and the shrinking of the grain has well
commenced. The exposure of the stalk
and the ear is very sudden and very great
aud if the grain is not well prepared by
its maturity, for the change, it must suffer
loss, and one which is often greater, than
the value of the whole fodder crop. The
blades when pulled may be spread to dry
in the middle of the rows, or be hung in
small punches upon the stalk. Wien
dry these are to be made into large bun
dies and stacked Immediately. This done
late in the evening or in the morning,
before the dew has dried off. In an
emergency, fodder may be stacked when
partially cured, and as soon as it becomes
hot in the stack, pulled down again, slight
ly aired, and then restacked. This is
greatly preferable to having it wet by rain,
as it is much more acceptable as an arti-
scle of food. When well cured, the double
or treble stack is better than the single,
weather. 1t would be better and we sup
pose generally good economy, to provide
houses for all such crops. But necessity
has not yet forced upon us the Importance
of much care, in this department.
We have given our advice about saw
ing fodder, because it has been the long
established reliance Of the Southern plan
ter for this kind of food and because we
are not ready for its total Abandonment
Yet all are prepared to admit that it is
hard, disagreeable work, badly laid out.
We have been limiting very strongly for
a change, and as we think it practicable
and desirable that it should be made, we
in good time, urge upon our readers to
try and see what may be done this sum-
mer, in hay making. Ours is put down
as no grass country all this has been as
signed to higher ATTITUDES, and it is true,
that the hay which we buy is made from
grasses which seem to flourish best in |
them but VIC have our peculiar grasses,
q generous Providence has not withheld
from us her gifts, in this regard. Our er-
rior, we think, has been in discarding and
refusing those gifts, and failing properly
to appreciate them.
1t Is not longer question of doubt or
debate, as to what may be done with the
crabgrass, crowfoot and the peavine.-
These are all peculiarly and eminently
ours. We get from our corn two hundred
and fifty or three hundred pounds of fod-
der to the acre, whom we often have upon
our stubble lands, without the trouble of
sowing or culture, many acres OF luxuri-
ant grass which would yield five or ten
times as much in hay. This we leave
to bleach and dry, as thing of no &C.
CONT.
AS we have before remarked necessity
has not been hard upon us hence we have
been content. Yet if there is better
aOay, let it be adopted. Many of the little
experiments which have made have fail
ed, because Improperly conducted-the
grass has been left too long. 1t should
be cut when in bloom, exposed to the sun
until about half cured, then thrown into
small heaps or ricks and allowed to cure
in that way-after which it is to be stack. |
ed or carried to the barn. The common
error has been to wait until the grass was |
in seed, and when cut, to allow it to be
exposed to the sun until it was fully dry,
thus allowing much Of its nutritious juices
to escape before cuttings, and the balance
to be lost in drying. The crowfoot grass
might be raised to great advantage by
saving the seed, to be sowed upon rich
well prepared lots. We shall at another
time, say something about the practical
bility Of raising the red clover this far
South, and many Of our readers, we doubt
not will b0 surprised nj the ahun3ant |