The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1869-10-22
From the Rural Carolinian.1
Experiments with Barley and Clover.

MIR. EDITOR: The times have chang
cd, and with them must change many
Of tho habits Of our people. Old
things have passed away, and many
things have become new. Amongst
none Of our population are these facts
more materially realized than among
tho planters. in by-gonc days the
Southerl:'plantcr was de Jacto ct dc jurc,
as the lawyers would say, truly and
really the monarch Of all he survey
cd. The land and the laborcrs. as
we'll rs the produce, were equally mcr-
chantablc. Not SO nova days. The
lahorer is the property of himself,
and IS III most cases Il perfectly ire
liable producer. The planter may
| purchase, bat can seldom effectively
| syStcmatiZc labor; hence the necessi-
ty Of becoming more srlrrcIiant; and
to become sclt:rcliant, the Southern
! planter must not only change his hab-
its, but must also change his crops. his
culture, and his implements. More
, stock must be raised, that more man.
urc may be made, that moro land may
DC enriched, that more land nav be
! realized. 10 feed more stock, more
forage must be housed and to house
more forage. crops ln"st hc grown
that require less cultivation. In
short, less cotton anal corn must be
grown, and more wheat, rye, oats.
barley and clover must be sown.
Upon either Of these grain volumes
might be written, which, if read.
would profit the South Carolina plan
ter; but this article must be confined
to- few words upon clover, entirely
practical and suggestive, and the sim
plo narration OF an experiment feast
bic and profitable to tho hulnblest
planter in the State.
On the tenth day Of August, 1867,
L enclosed ono and a half acres of old
rcd clay land, uncultivatcd for many,
many years, and too poor to cover It's
own nakcuncss with Il coat Of weeds.
Ihls lot Was again divided into two
equal parts, and in each open" were
kept every night ALTERNATING wcclliy)
twenty head Of cattle and fifty sheep.
AS often as the pens were allcrnatCd
they were broken up with narrow
plows. If too hard, they were left
until rain, and then plowcd. The last
week in October, 81, the cross fence
was removed, the acre and u half we'll
and deeply plowcd and cross plowcd
with one-horsc plows, Immediately
sown with three bushels Of barley
and plowcd i'll with scootcrs. \ peek
Of clover seed was then sown and
narrowed in with onc-horsc iron
toothcd harrow. y perfect stand Of
both barlcyand clover was secured, and
IN March, 'GS, bag Goo pounds) Of
Soluble Pacific was sown broadcast
upon the growing crops. On the
tenth Of April / began feeding the
barley. and for six weeks it was the
only long forage fed TO nine head OF
mules CT horses, and every morning,
noon and night during that tilnc, each
ANIMAL had rs much as he could cat.
In November, 'GS, q bag Of Wando.
(lGG pounds:) mixed with 100 pounds
OF plaster, was sown Broadcast over
The acre and i half. In May last
the clover was moved with Il Buck
eye Mower, and eight two-horsc loads
Of beautiful clover hay hauled oil the
lot.
One half acre of the acre and q
half Was measured and moved to it.
self, and housed and fed to thirteen
mules and horses, and it supplied them
houhtliu!iy three times Il day for eight
days and Il third.
On the 7th OF June q has Of Alta
Ncla guano, 600 pounds, m;xcd with
lGo pounds Of plaster, was again sown
on the clover stubblc, iust hcginniny
to grow off beautifully, and today,
22d June, thcsccond growth Of clover
IS nearly knee high, and as rich and
luNuriant as can be found III the lime
stone lands Of kentucky. If July is
q scasonablc month. the second crop
will, in all probability, yield eight
more loads OF winter forage for COWS
and sheep. This crop is saii to be
Injurious to horses and mules, but cx-
ccllcnt for other stock.
Now, Mr.. Editor, the only difficulty
with the South Carolina planter in
raising an abundance Of stock is the
lack Of winter food. Our old fields
and uncultiyated lands will forage ten
times the amount Of stock we have,
from 1st May until the 1st November.
The feed for the other six months is
the rub. This can only be procured
by sowing small grain and clover.
Small grain straw, sheltered ut the
threshlng and saltcd as thrcshcd, is
equal to good fodder, and far better
for winter feed than most Of the fotl
der saved. And IN acre Of GOOD clo-
vcr will yield moro winter food, intin
ltely superior to the best fodder, than
one freedman will pull from the corn
stalk during the whole month of Au-
gust. Then why will our planters not
grow clovor? Let me bcscoch every
man who reads this article, if he has
but garden to attend, to sow q small
patch Of clover seed, and treat it as !
did the above lot, and report in future
the result Of his experiment. Nature
has done much for our beloved Sec
tion, and we can do much more for
ourselves if we will only mako the
effort, and not allow Natures sue"cs-
tions to bo hcathcnizcd by tho lazy,
shiftless Ethiopian.
D. WYATT AIKEN.