Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-01-18
Farmers department,
From the Newberry Sentinel.

giving you my views on the culture of
cotton.
The cotton plant is not easily suited IN.
soff and climate, and it seldom happens that
they are so.eombined as to perfect the plant.
'Ehe best cotton lands are of deep, rich,
soft mould, naedum Between the spongy
and sandy. The most important part OF the
eultivation consist in judicious and proper
preparations of the seih for planting. All
cotton lands should be- broken up deep and
close, at she latest by January; it would be
better to have it done in November or DE.
cember, but picking out generally prevents
it, Plough deep, the deeper the better use
subsoi as much as possible; even if your
land has been in cotton the year previous,
break it up deep, at least one foot.
About the 25th of March prepare for
planting. | lay off my rows from 81 to 36
inches wide. Cotton should be so planted,
that when it arrives at maturity the branches
will slight interlock on every side. ] lay off
these rows as deep as can with shovel or
scooter from two to three inches broad, the
plough is one half inch broader at the point.
then drill my manure as regular as posi-
bic. | follow with q turning plough, laying
on two furrows, raising the bed as high as
possible; | then break out the mddles. II
the land is low, draw up the bed with hoes !;
with small, narrow plough l lay open the
bed, making furrow Of uniform size and
depth. A careful hand follows, strewing
the seed evenly in the furrow, always using
enough to secure good stand, about three
bushels per acre cover with a boad Of
hard wood, an inch or inch and a half thick,
seven or eight inches broad, and a foot in
length, slightly notched in the centre: This
board is screwed on the plough foot, aud
when drawn over the row covers the seed
nicely. If the ground is well broken up
and the seed well planted, half the labor is
done.
AS soon as the cotton is up, commence
thinning out, leaving punches from s to IL
inches apart, passing along rapidly with hoes
follow with a small shovel, running close
to the cotton, p!oughing very deep and
throwing up little light soil TO the roots Of
the cotton. This ploughing, too should be
close and deep, so that the roots may easily
penetrate the soil, as they strike deep into
the earth. If the ground is very rough the
poughs should precede the hoes.
in the second working, which should
follow as soon rs possible, the pl"ughs go
before the hoes. This pleughing also should
be deep and close. now bring my cotton
to- stand. This should be carefully done
and the hoes atteutweS watched, as a stand
is often ruined by this working Sore shin,
rust, g., are often chargesble to the way in
which this working rs done. | now leave
one stalk in every bunch heretofore left,
making my cotton stand from to IL inches
apart! | throw little dirt to the stalks Of
cotton, and leave the crop clean, free Of
grass and weeds. The cotton will then
grow off finely, and not suffer for work for
twenty or twenty. five days. Every SUBJ
sequ,nt plouyhing should be shallow and
not close, sufficient, however, to cover all
the small grass that may have sprung up
since the last ploughiug, The hoes should
also pass over the crop, killing such grass
and weeds as the ploughs cannot reach. i
is difficult to say how often the crop shosld
be ploughed, as that will depend good
deal upon the season. My rule is to keep
the crop clean of grass and weeds, and to
keep the earth we'll stirred up until the BRAN
ches interlock, or the cotton commences to
open. The two first ploughings should be
deep and close, the subsequent one shallow
use the sweep, bow, twister, side plough,
scraper and the old fashioned shovel, in my
crop The selection of seed is also a mat.
ter Of great importance. But must close,
for fear | tire you.
JouN p. KINApD
How TO De GOOD FARAER.-Here is
the secret Of good farming. You cannot
take from the land more than you restore to
it, in some shape or other, without running it,
and so destroying your capital. Different
soils may require different modes Of treat.
ment and cropping, but in every variety Of
soil these are the golden rules to be OBJ
served: Drain until until you find that the
water that falls from Heaven does not stag.
nate on the soil, but runs through it and of
it freely. Turn up and till the land until
your foot sinks into loose powdery loan,
through which the air and heat will readily
penetrate Let no weed occupy the place
where a useful plant could possibly grow.
Collect every particle of manure that can be
obtained, whether liquid or solid. Let moth.
ing, on the farm go to waste. Put in your
crops in that course which experience has
shown to lead to success in their growth,
and to an enrichment and not an impover.
ishnaent of the land. Give every plant room
TO spread its roots in the soil, and leaves in
the ai7. And, in all your operations, en-.
deavor to be little ahead Of your neigh.
bors.
Farm AccouNTs.-No person can become
thoroughly ,;kiful aud successful farmer,
who does not keep accurate accounts OF all
his farming operations, that he may know
precisely the amount Of profit or loss on
each of his experiments, and consequently
which to adopt in his future movements. Ii
is true, he may by shrcwd guessing and a
keen memory, form some estimate of the
most profitable crops; but to comprehend
accurately at glance, the precise amount
of expenditure through all the mutifarious
operations of whole season, for even a sin.
gle crop, would be almost as difficult as to
undertake to decide, BY naeans of the memo
ry solely, the profits of bank or railroad,
and to divide the proceeds by guessing
among the stockholders.
Valuable Receipts
DowS1Sc's CEMENT, made by dissolving
shellac in alcohol, has never been surpassed