Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-04-14
far1m:er's / 4e;pajrtment.
From the Cotton Planter and Soil. .,.
PEAS COTTON, AND WIDTH OF
ROWS

DR.. CLoUD-Dear Sir I'm the Decem.
Der number of the Planter and Soil you
ask, will Velho Farm reply to the second in
quiry Off. c.. c., who perceive halls from
Fairfield District, S. c. 'It'wds in a'neigh
boring district of this good old State that |
received my first lessons in the culture OF
cotton, corn, peas, &C., consequently am
very familiar with what he calls, "our light
sandy Soils" He inquiries, edo 1 under;
stand your correspondent, Velho Farm, in
the March number, that he plants his peas
when he is giving his corn the last plo"lns'
or does he pillow it again after the peas are
plauted2 How much cotton per acre does
his land yield when he plants four feet
rows ?" He then states, "the width OF the
rows here is generally three feet on land
that will produce. from five hundred to one
thousand pounds per acre" very readily
perceive from the above statement, and in
quiry, that our young beginner as he styles
himself, continues the old Carolina method
of dropping his peas in the hill, either on
the bed or between the corn rows, to be al
terwards cultivated with the corn; planting
five or six acres with the bushe of peas. In
this progressive age we Mississippians use
more literally seed peas. The pea crop to
my mind, is evidently the clover of the South;
and to produce the greatest yield, Doth OF
corn and peas, the corn should be laid by
before there isa visible tassel to oeseeu, and
the'peas sowed broadcast, at the rate ct three
or four pecks to the acre. Some of INV most
successful -neighboriug planters SOW aud
plough them in, as their corn is laid by;
but Iprefer the method recommended by'me
as published in the March number, already
referred to. The quantity of peas sown, as
herein recommended, will, on good land,
very soon obscure the earth from the scorch.
ing rays of the summer sun, and will tend
very much towards keeping under all grass
and weeds. Perhaps two pecks of peas SOW
ed per acre will yield as many bushels OF
seed peas, but the return to the, earth, as
fertilizer, will fall far short of the quantity
recommended. Asa fertilizer, the pea crop
is not generally appreciated as its merits de,
mand. Economy requires that every acre
of corn we plant should be sown down in
peas, at the rate of at least three pecks per
acre, and one bushel is better, even when
the seed peas are to be bought at one or one
and half dollars per bushel, to begin with.
With the aid of pea vines, thus cultivated
as fertilizer, together with our compost
heaps of manure, aud our cotton seed prop
erly attended to, I am fully persuaded, from
practical experience, that we may cot only
keep up, but improve all good and produc-
tive lands, to the extent Of oul broadcast
fields, especially in all those extensive re-
gions, of the cotton growing States, where
the suil is strongly impregnated with lime,
and this I hold is the case, not only in our
prairie country, but almost universally wher-
ever they are found to be rich and produc
tive cotton lands. And having cultivated
a variety of soils, with and without lime, |
think I am prepared for rightly appreciating
lands thus impregnated with lime, and |
would not like to undertake the improvement
of lands deficient in this important particu-
lar. hope from what | have said above,
in connection with my article referred to
by your South Carolina correspondent that |
will be understood as to my mode Of cult
waiting the pea crop, and will nov eudea-
vor to answer his inquiries relative to the
giving of my cotton rows four feet distance,
and the quantity of cotton to be expected
from such lands as cultivate, or from lands
requiring four feet distance. In the first
place, my lands are all laid off horizontally,
with hillside bitches. A work which does
not admit of anuua! or frequent changes,
consequently, in changing from cotton to
corn the distance of the rows must be the
same for both crops, and for such lands as |
cultivate four feet is near enough, if it Was
not I would again emigrate, as | did when !