Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-02-19
From the Southern CaitieatOr.
Letter from MIR. David Dickson.


following extract from private letter o.
Mr. Dickson to US, which accompanied
the communication below: With my
present business, cannot answer private
letters, and at the same time contribute
to the Cultivator. " hat do, therefore
must be for the benefit of all through
your paper. | repeat, from actual obser-
vation, that nearly one half of the Agricul'
tural labor Of Georgia is thrown away
from want of knowledge aud skill in its
application. There is as much for the
farmer to learn about the use of the plow
and hoe, as there is for the painter, con-
cerning the use of the brush"
EDIrons SOUTHERN CuLr1yAroR =
There is great demand for inc TO re
write my plan ot cultivat:ng corn, pre-
paration Of land, manure, &C., by new
subscribers, and by persons that are not
subscribers to your paper.
In the first place, refer them to my
system of Improvement, rest and rotation
given in the Southern Cutivator last
year. Many inquire, what is the proper
time to break up land. write for this
latitude. and every person must make
due allowance, as his farm may be North
or South of this line. The blowing must
be commenced the first d,y of January
to get it done in time, or rs soon as you
are done sowing wheat. If | had my
choice, and could get all the work done
in one day, ! would not have the blowing
done more than Ten days before planting
for the following reasons, derived from
actual experience If it is dry, cold
freezing winter and spring, the fall plow-
lug is the best; in some springs of th'
kird, as those of 1889 and 1864, | LEFT
belts through the middle of Il field, which
were not p!owed until u few days before
planting, and could distinguish the belts
IL! through the year--the corn in then,
being from Is to % inches lower than
the rest. For the crop and the improve.
ment of the land, in about one winter Out
of seven, fall blowing is the best. In the
cases where the belts were left, when the
winter was warm and rains abundant, the
late plowing would beat the early plow
ing twenty-five per cent in the crop; be-
sides, according to my experience, there
is less loss from washing. Land must
be we'll broken before planting, so com
mence in time TO do 1.-THE later it is
done the better for the land, taking seven
years together, but not quite so good for
terms.
Have good turning plows, and accord
inc to your ability, use one or two horses,
and sub soil ride over the field, and lay
off the land so that the horses will go
round on level, and the dirt will fall
doWn hiH-a team will break up the soil
nine inches deep in this way, as easily as
they could seven inches, on u level piece
of land. Continue to take the lands III
the same way until the field is finished:
one team. following anotEer-all the time
going round the circle; and if you sub
soil, have one team between each turning
plow, running in the bottom of the fur
row. When you finish, the field is ready
for planting, if the proper time has arriv-
ed. In deciding this point, you must be
governed by the weather-it varies from
the 10th Of March to the lst day of April.
According to ny experience, man only
gains hard work and more of it, by very
early planting.
Now for the planting. Lay off fur
rows with long shovel plow, on q level,
seven feet apart. Commence at the op-
posite end, with longer shovel, and open
out the same furrow. The reason for this
is, you get up to trees and stumps, and
make better finish at the ends. This
furrow should stand open seven or eight
inches deep. Whether you use compost
cotton seed or guanos, let each hand have
his three-foot measure, and deposit the
manure in the bottom of the furrow, just
three feet apart. Then drop the corn
within three or four inches Of the ma.
nure, one or more grains, as is your Gus
tom-dropping on the near side of the
manure, as the dropper goes; then, with
q very light harrow, cover the corn one
or one and half inches deep. The har
row should 90 the same way the drop
per does, to keep from pulling the manure
on the grain. ,'s
If YOU cover deep, you lose all the ad-
yantages of low planting, but not the
deep breaking,) and for this reason corn,
in good weather, will come up from
depth of one to six inches, but will strike
out roots about one inch from the surface
of the ground, and all below that will
perish. That is one reason why am
opposed to dirting corn 81 soon as 1t
comes up-it brings the root of the stalk
to the top of the ground.
My plan is to finish the first working
from the 10Th of April to the 10th OF
May. Sometimes have not finished be.
fore the 25th Of May. With the land
well turned, very little grass and weeds
will come up, except in the bottom Of the
furrow, and this is easily managed.
For first plowing, have heavy twen-
ty two inch sweep, with the right wing
so set, that its back end will not be more
than one inch above the ground. This.
is to run near the corn, and should fill
he furrow within one or one and half
inches of the general surface. Break out
he middles with the same sized sweep,
With the back Of both wings turned up;
{ the blowing is we'll done, fo1r burrows
Fil, finish out-four hands completing
ourteen acres every day, by going six
cen miles day.