Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1867-06-21
ROTATION OE CROPS.

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cotton to moucpolize SO much of their
time and labor. Others again will pertly,
inquire where is the economy OF raising SO
much cotton when you buy bacon, flour ne
gro clothes, and great many other articles
which mi ght be made at home2 Now
we think. it involves considerable thought,
some philosophy, and no less experience
10 conclude correctly, whether planters in
the cotton growing region Of our countay
'uld grow cotton exclusively, or equal
ize the investmen, between cotton and the
cereals or small grain.
We believe If a mans object is to make
money BY planting, and he plants with an
eye to that result alone, he should rely up
on his cotton crop for his income. II,
however, the planters Object to the pursuit
OF happiness, the Injury Of 'livng within
himself" or the improvement Of his plan.
| tatiou, another system should be adopted
and ir. both cases cotton might legitimate
ly constitute the "big idea," in his crop.
Cotton is the only paying crop we can
cultivate, and why! 1t is because the
amount produced per acre is worth more
money than any other crop? Not at all,
but because it is more readily converted
/ into cash. Cotton always has market
and can at any time bo sold for cash;
grain cannot.
Suppose single district in our State
(Fair6el1 for instance) should substitute
one entire crop Of grain for cotton, what
would be tho result2 The world would
not feel it OF course, but our planters would
be the sufferers. Instead OF being able to
sell their grain at home they would bs re-
quired to ship it to market supplied from
countries whose staple produce is grain,
and where this commodity can be grown
cheaper and more sbundantly per acre,
and consequently eould be sold cheaper.
While we repudiate tue principle Of sacri-
ficing Carolina's hills for Florida's ham
mocks, or Louisiana's bayous, solely for the
purpose Of increasing tho capacity of onr
purses, we by no means condemn those
heads Of families who emigrate sonlhward
and westward to obtain the means Of set
Ting their children around them. So, in
the cul,ivationof crops we ART. opposed to
the monopoly of King Cotton" though
equally averse to tho exclusive cultivation
of small grain and raising stock. Each
deserves our attention, and no one more
than the other should receive it.
Our system then is TO divide the planta-
ton into three parts, third for cotton,
third for corn, and the remaining third
for oats, wheat, rye or barley aud potatoes.
AS soon AS the wheat, oats, a"d rye are
harvested, sow broa dcast upon the stubble
half bushel peas per acre, pIow all in inn
medately, and i'll the fall just before frost,
bury under with two horse plow, vines
and peas. The second year put cotton
upon this land, corn where cotton grew
the fist year, and grain where the corn
was. The third year succeed the small
grainTagain with cotton, the cotton with
corn, and the corn again with small grain.
The fourth year b.gins the rotation again.
In this triennial system of rotating
crops the same land produces tho same
crop only every fourth year, hence allow
ing time for thu accumulation in the soil
of those nutritve ingredients required for
each specific crop. Another very materi
al advantage of this system, we think, con.
sists i'll diminishing the area Of your cot
ton crop, and increasing that of your
small grain without diminishing the value
Of your income, while it improves the land,
and affords more time for making manure.
Every body knows that, large cotton
crop per hand reqnires the labor of the
hands from January till Christpas but
the above system allows time for harves-
ting tho summer crops, sowing the pea crop
and making manure enoug to apply to one
third of the land cultivated.
In making manure we venture it as our
opiniofs founded only upon judgment, that
compost heaps, on the Bomar principal
for instance, are not economy. The stable,
COW house and pen pig pen, cbicken.coop,
horse-lot and temple, are the places to
make manure, and will afford, properly
managed as much as the planter has time
to haul ont at the required season of the
year. The manure made, We may be
asked, how and to what will you apply it