Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-05-06
farmers 9epartmellt.
ORR rpGEFlElp AGRICULTURAL COUNCIL,
FOR May.

and Nessrs Golfer, Scooter SaJsoil and SIR
face
THE CHAIR. Gentlemen of our Agricul-
tural Council, am glad to sec you present,
ard sorry to notice the absence of Messrs
Harrow, BooKrARMER, GuARD-DRA1N and
others. will enter against the absentees
our established fine of a halfbushel of
wheat, and then proceed to hear your views
and consider any information you may
have obtained bearing upon the business OF
this very important month. (CAair enters
fines and then goes on J DR.. Golfer, will
be obliged to you if You will speak first;
and let me as usual urge upon You and any
others who may say anything this morning
the great merit of brevity. Come to the
point without circuinlocution, for temp"s
tuyit and the crops need work.
DR.. CoLrER Mr.. Chairman, will en-.
deavor to profit by your hint and jump 4"
nedias res.
The unusual backwardness of the present
season, sir, is very trying to our cotton
planters. The auspicious appearances in
February induced many to plant early, and
they are in danger of getting very bad
stands Of cotton as consequence. My
opinion, sir, is. that where this is seen to be
the case our planters should slap their cot
ton-felds down in corn right away. 1t is
better to make beautiful field of corn than
an ugly one Of cotton. any year. And
this crop of corn it is more than probable,
will command very high prices from the
fact that planters are everywhere turning
their energies towards a big cotton crop.
Such is the case with US, aud such is the
news the papers bring us from all parts of
the cotton region. A very sensible writer
has surmised "that the man who MiS yeu,'
makes good corn crop will make his Jack, :"
and would add. sir, will also SAGE his ba-
con. have no doubt of it; and hence !
urge planters, who have really bad stands
of cotton, to plow it up and plant corn as
early as practicable in the present month.
Mr.. SURFACE. But Mr.. Chairman, how
would the gentleman do if he had manured
all his cotton in the drill? throw it away (!
DIR. Golfer. By no manner of means.
How in fact could it be thrown away9 1t
is there IN the ground, and whether you hit
it exactly with your corn-hills Or not, it
will still be in the earth to support the lat
eral roots of the growing plant, and, espe-
cialy in case of long drouth, will proba
bly, do more good than by any other mode
Of application.
SURFACE. Thank you, Sir, only made
the suggestion at random-l see now how
it is.
THE CHAIR. will ask CAPT. SUBsolL if
he has done as he was requested to do in
preparing hints III general as to the work OF
the current month.
CAPT. SunsoIL. was beginning the task
only yesterday, Mr.. CHAIRMAN, and had
pretty we'll made out the skeleton of such
an article to be read here today, when, hap
pening to call at the Post Office, received
my .Imerican Cotton Planter; and upon
opening it discovered the very thing was
upon, done in better style than | could hope
to do it. | therefore, sir, beg to read what
DR.. CLouD says, as containing some most
useful suggestions. breads: y
The regular work for the growing crop has
now fairly commenced, and every planter
and manager, governed By the seasons and
and the peculiar circumstances of locality
and plantation, will use all tie means at
command to promote the prosperous growth
of the crop, and to keep back the weeds
and grass. There is no season of the year,
perhaps, at which the same object so univer:
sally affects the planting interest. All the
preparation for the crop is now ovcr-if it
has been we'll done, the fruit, bountitully, is
very certain-if not, all is uncertainty, and
it is now too late to amend, in the way Of
preparation, for the present crop.
While there is no one rule or mode of
operation that will apply equally we'll in all
localities, there is, nevertheless, one general
principle that must be observed throughout
the entire operation of cultivating the grow
ing crop, in order to secure the surest and
greatest production, under the circumstances
of seasons, &C.: That universal principle is,
to avoid as much as possible, in the cultiva-
ton of the crop, the cutting or aoonnaing
the roots of the growing corn or cotton
producing at the same time the most perfect
pulverization of the surface soil. To every
man admitting the principle, the indications
are plain and obvious, and will suggest at
once the proper implements with which to
effect that object most successfully.
Your corn land may, and indeed should be
plowed once morevery thoroughly and deeply
ifpossible, with scooterplows, after the young
corn is up, while it is yet young, and before
the lateral roots have spread out from the
immediate vicinity of the stalk. This can
be done without injury to the land Or teams,
as the sun has not yet become oppressivcly
warm; it is also valuable means of per-
fecting and deepening the pulverization of
the soil, commenced in the preparation of
the land for planting. This work properly
done, not only destroys all grass and weeds
that may be at the time standing with the
:. loo,., Il, er,;I opon N, r,..,