Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-01-21
COTTON CULTURE.

Of $25,OOO. When the war broke out his capital
was eighteen times larger. This result was brought
about by his energy and system; by improved
modes Of culture by improvements of agricultural
Implements; by attention to the health and COM
fort of his laborers by nursing and protecting his
stock; and care bestowed upon his bees, his or
chards and dairy. Above all, and mainly, his gold
en- harvest was reaped from the judicous use OF
Fertilizers" "a,
Having seen who Mr.. Dickson is, hear now what
he has to say on cotton culture:
| SPARTA, Ga, Feb. 10 1868.
| Editors Southern Cutivator Thinking it best
to tell what have done instead Of gi..'" advice
that do not follow, I will give you the "details Of
the preparation, manuring, planting, cultivation,
and production of sixteen acre lot, plauted in
cotton; and as many may desire to know all the
particulars, will be as explicit as can be in
letter.
First, the land is good pine land, and has been
under the plow nearly seventy ysars, and as many
ago, it was sown in oats, with 200lbs Of guano
and bones mixed with salt and plaster, and made
80 or IS, bushels per acre; all fed off by. turning
stock in the field. -Four years ago left it uncul-
tivated until the middle of July-there was then q
heavy growth of weeds on it, just grown. turned
them in, and dropped peas in every third furrow.
The result was large crop Of vines, and at least
fifteen bushels of peas per acre. These we're TED
off by beef CATTLE.
That if you call it rest, is all the field ever had:
The lot lies between two branches, running North
second growth of pines-the other is peach Or
chard. The cotton was planted on the top Of q
level ridge, lying within onefourth to one-haf OF
mile of Little Ogeechee. 1t was planted in cot
ton in 1866-manured with about one hundred and
fifty pounds of bones and Peruvian guano each,
and one hundred pounds Of plaster lcommenced
on the Sd day of May, with two horses, to prepare
the land cotton rows four feet apart ran two fur
rows in the middle of each row, which stood open
about eight inches deep, and applied to each acre
25O pounds Soluble Bones, 165 pounds No. Pc
ruvian guano, and 100 pounds plaster. Salt being
too high, omitted that. The mixture was depos.
tied in the bottom Of the furrow; then covered
with long scooter plow, going about as deep as
the other two burrows; then ran on the side of
each scooter furrow, with good turning plow go
ing seven inches deep. After preparing about Six
acres in this way, Iopened with small bulltongue
plow; dropped the seed and covered lightly with
a board-pa1t of it with harrow. continued in
this way until the lot was planted, finishing the
fifteenth of May. The land being freshly prepared
and little dry, it did not come up well The 25th
of May, had fine shower, and on the first morn
ing of June, there was first rate stand. About
the first of June, turned the plows back to finish
the preparation. running scooter six Z inches
seven inches deeper; then plowed up the old stalks
with la ge, long shovel plow, going under the old
cotton stalks-naking nine burrows to the row, in
preparing the land-taking nine days, with one
horse for every eight acres, which was equal to q
full sub b-soiling. You observe the preparation was
not expensive. Including the planting, it was
eleven days work to eight acres.
The cotton soon stretched up well. The first
blowing was done with heavy % inch sweep,
fright wing towards the end nearly hat; the back
edge of the wing about one and fourth OF an inch
above the front edge in elevation.) then hoed
out to a stand, the width of No. 2 Scovell hoe,
leaving one to three stalks in hill Cotton stand
ing thick in the drill, will be much forwarder than
that which is thin Give it the necessary distance
between the rows. =
The second plowing was done with the same
kind of sweep, with both wings elevated-the sec
ond and last hoeing followed in few days. The
third plowing ran one furrow IN the middle OF the
rows. The cultivation with the plow occupied one
horse five days for each eight acres, which makes
two days plowug for each acre, and about two days
hoeing for the same
The cotton grew 50 rapidly, it did not need any
more work. I hired the picking of most OF it, at
30 cents per 100 lbs. The lot averaged about
(3OOO) three thousand lbs. per acre, but owing to
a storm and other causes, l gathered only (2700)
tweuty.seven hundred lbs and fraction, which
will make two good bales per acre. l picked one
hundred bolls in two separate parts OF the lot at
4 o'clock in the evening ofa dry day. Each weigh
ed twenty-one ounces In the lot was an lrlsh
potato patch that had been manured and mulehed
with straw twice. think that portion made at
the rate of six thousand lbs per acre. The next
hest place, was about one acre Of old pine field,
first wear. which made think about 5000 lbs.
Ifyou expect such results, you must not cut the
roots of the cotton. Cotton is sun plant, as you
will see by it's turning its leaves to the sun, as the
latter moves through the heavens. So have al
deep water furrow in the spring, work fat by hot
weather and on level land run the rows North and
South.
The cotton would have been much better, plant
ed the 10th of April. The seasons we're as tine as
they could be, up to the 2Sth Of July. After that
too much rain. The hands had were an newand
very sorry the manure was badly mixed and bad
ly put on: =,
manure was put, it stood the test best-especlaily
the part that had the most Peruvian guano on it
There was some rot, owingto the density of foliage
and wet weather; some bol-worm and caterpillar
on about one-half of the patch. The seed planted
was of the David Dickson, Oxford, Ga, variety,
selected twice by myself, and would sell tor more
than the cotton, if l did not wish to plant them
myself. There are none for sale this year. lpur-
chased my manure of first hands, by Messrs. John
Merryman & Co., and got the best article at the
lowest price in the market The cotton Is unsoid.
The seed will use Below is thecost OF one acre
COST OF MANURE AT pL,SrA- Horse two days, 81 per
$50 , Soluble ps Bones. SO rs plo% hand two days. Soc
l65 lbs. No. Peruvian per Gay .''''.. NJ NJ
GHano. 20 hoe manu- twou uas0''''. oe
100 ms Plaster. 25 Dropping seed......
putting 25Plcking. ~ oVl
- Manure. ~ W.
Whole s,Dense ner oeIs sn w! .x............s .s@ O5
Count the seed and lint and you will see what
manure will do. Respectfully yours,
DAVID DICKSON"
The plan adopted by this prince Of farmers is to
manure heavily and judicously, at whatever cost
and by these means gathers his princely returns.
Investing in manures at the rate Of seventeen dol
lars per acre. no doubt appears to many as an idea
too preposterous for any sane man to entertain.
But when that investment yields q dividend of
over five hundred per cent, under MIR. Dickson
iudicous method of planting, the wonder IS that
everybody does not profit by such experiments.
COMMUNICATED.
FURMAN UNIVERSITY.
This popular institution will open on Wednes-
day. Sd of February. The bonds can yet be taken
by applying to the agent. See the advertisement
in this paper. By taking bond, you can send
your son three years for only little more than
g.. rruSkhn hp