Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-08-06
HINTS TO FARMERS.

You seldom meet q farmer at this season OF the
year, without hearing an old song, the cold hum
dred" of farmerdom, about excessive wet or dry
weather. The crops are either drowned, or the
sun is crisping up the lu1uriant blades, and the
woeful countenance of the farmer wildly portrays
prospective famine. Providence, he supposes'
is unfavorable and though he says nothing public
" he, no doubt, thinks of some secret sin which
the veil of night hides from mortal ken, but when
he knows that all-seeiug eye behed, and to this,
perhaps, he attributes his misfortunes. The idea
never enters his head that the wisdom of man was
given him to guard against fortuious evils and to
enhance the blessings of fortune. He has never
for a moment supposed that two such simple anti
dotes as deep plo,ring and complete ditchng and
draining will effectually remedy both evils and
make him comparatively independent of the va
riableness of the weather. If he sees anything
of the beauty of rural life, it is certainly the
beauty and attractveness which poets find in sim
plicity, for he is not contented He is the sport
of fortune. simply because he EjllnRot take and
read good agricultural paper. This year the
sun has burned up his crop, so be can't afford to
send his children to school. The year before ex-
cessiye rains had cut short his harvest so he had
to "still little in order to make something to live
on, and so from year to year he is the sport OF
circumstances. His children gradually grow up
and perchance some neighbor lad wooes and wins
his buxom daughter, but then he cannot afford to
give them n wedding party. Provisions are too
scarce He cannot spare n COW, because he neg
lected to save hay enough for the winter and
the SHOWS of December found him without shelters
which could have been constructed in day, and
so his finest cattle, between famine and cold
weather perished, and his daughter is portioness.
But adversty has not taught him the least wis
dom, and although the "American Cotton Ptanter'
would soon explain to him how he might keep his
COWS fat all winter off Of few acres OF grass-the
common crab grass-he does not take it, and per-
haps would not read it were some friend to pre-
sent him copy, so strong is his prejudice against
book-learning, and his faith in the old system of
wearing out plantation by a suicidal course OF
farming. Besides, he will be sure to forget to
SOW his turnips until it is too late to make the
proper preparation. If he does not neglect this
very important crop altogether, he will plant in
patch of new ground, slightly scratched by an
imitation of ploughing and just fit to produce
suake-root or tobacco plants. His seed will be
begged or borrowed from some neighbor, and in
stead of the delicious Rua Bags, will produce the
radish looking spikes so common among bad farm
ers His entire product will be some ten or
dozen punches of hard, diminutive, bad-favored
turuips scattered about over an acre or two, when
with the proper care he might have twenty-five
hundred bushels-enough to nourish his cattle oil
winter. we might continue our remarks, but pre-
fer giving the advice to hortculturistS so admira'
bly, condensed in the August number of the "Cot-
ton Planter and Soi":
"Thcre are many vegetables that do quite as
we'll in the fall, Ms in the spring and summer. The
early varieties of English Peas planted this month
will make fine garden peas, ms the cool weather OF
October comes on Snap beans planted now will
make fine snaps in October. Plant early turnips,
kale. early cabbage and lettuce; transplant late
cabbage, caul. flower, &c. No matter how long
and spndng the stalk of the cabbage may be-
put it in the gronnd up to the leaf Celery may
now be planted for spring. Mustard and spinach
NAV now he grown for winter use. Onion buttons
sets and the black seed mny now be planted. II
will be understood by the gardener that Will be
useless to plant until after a rain has molstened
the ground enough to ensure the yegetating OF the
seed. Should the weather prove dry and warm
mulch around the peas and snaps"