Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1868-02-28
From the Southern Cultiyator.l
Letter from Mr.. David Dickson.

Dickson to US, which accompanied Tie COM
munica,ion below: "With my present bus
iness, cannot answer private letters, and at
the same time contribute to the Cultiyator.-
What do therefore, must be for the benefit
of all through your paper. repeat, from ac
I ftual observation, that nearly one-lialf Of the
Agricultural labor Of Georgia is thrown away,
J from want Of knowledge and skill in It's ap.
plication. There is as much for the farmer
to learn about the use of the plow and hoe, as
there is for the painter, concerning the use Of
the brush"
EDITORS SOUTHERN CULTIvATon There
is great demand for mo to rc-writc my plan
OF cultivating corn, preparation Of land, ma
nurc, &c., by new subscribers, and by persons
that arc not subscribers to your paper.
In tho first place, refer them to my sys.
tenn of Improvement, rest and rotation, given
in the Southern Cultivator last year. Mary
inquire, what is the proper way to brcal. up
land. write forth latitude and every person
must make due allowance, as his farm may be
North or South Of this line. Tie plowng
must be commenced the first day of januar,,
to get it done in time, or as soon as you arc
done sowing wheat. IF had my choice,
and could get all the work done in one day,
would not have the plowing done more than
ten days before planting, for tho following
reasons, derived from actual experience: If
it is dry, cold frcczing winter aud spring, the
fa!! p!oN'ing is Che best in some springs of
this kind, as those of 1889 and 1854, i loft
belts through tho middle Of field, which
were not plowcd until few days before plant,
ing, and 1 could distinguish the belts all
through tho ycar-thc corn in them being
from Is to 22 inches lower than tho rest
70 jss Gyse sa%e aad the Improvement Of the
l,nd IN ,bon4 ~ anl theyIt seven, fall
'' - "oou0 opo "lueer QUE ornnerty OF W.
plowlng is the best. In the cases where IT fftt2e tt2ex
belts were left, when the winter was warm and
rains pirs abundant, the late plowing would beat
the early blowing twenty five per cent in the
crop; besides, according TO my experience,
there is less loss from washing. Land must
be well broken before planting, commence in
time to do 1.-THE later it ID done the better
for the lahd, taking seven years together, but
not quito so good for teams. aaa fl
Have good turning plows, and according 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 a Lowell,
and tho dirt will fall down hill--a team will I
break up the soil nine inches deep in this way,
as easily as they could sovcn inches, on lev
oi piece of land. Continue to take the lands
in the same way until the field is finished, one
team following anothor-all the timo going
round 'l the circle; and if you sub-soil, have
one team between each turning plow, running
IN tho bottom of the furrow. When you :fn.
SD, the fold is ready for planting, if the
proper time has arrived. In deciding this
'olnt, you must be governed by the weather
1t varies from the 10th Of March to the 1st
lay yof April. According to my experience,
man only gains hard work and moro of it,
y very early planting.
Now for tho planting lay of fprrows
nth a long shovel plow, OH Lowell, seven feet
part, Commence ON the opposite end, with
anger shovel, and open out tho same furrow.
he reason for this is, you get up 70 trees tand
Jumps, and make better finish at the ends. +
his farrow should stand open seven or eight /.
lchcs deep. Whether yon use compost, cot.
'p seed Or guanos, let each hand have his /.
lree,foot measure, and deposit tho manure
the bottom of tho /. furrow, just three ifeot
oart'iB Theh drop tho c. rp within three or :
ur'inches Of the manuro ono or moro grains,
is your custom dropping on the near side 9
1 the manure, AS the, droppcr goes; then,
ith very light harrow, cover tho corn one 9
'one and half inches deep, Tho harrow y
ould 60 the samo way tho droppor docs, to 9
'op from pulling tho manure on tho grain. .
Iffyoa cover deep, you lose all the adyan- :
gos .of low planting, (bgt not tho dcop5 =
eaking,D and for this reason. corn, in good q
,ather,. will come up from n depth Of one, to- i
inches, but Will strike out roots about ono lie
Oh from tho sarfaoc Of tho ground, and ALL q
low that will perish. That is one trchsom i
~; am opposed to drifting corn as soon as III,
comes upf--rit brings tho root Of tho stalk a
hotop Of; the ground. ..,i1li d x..sa d q,
MY plan Isl to finish tile first working from q
t2Oth, q Of April to the 10th of May. Some 4,
nes have not finished Before tho S25th Of :. -
~, yyr:aI ~ Sg{th n, 4 2itis = go Tue