The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-08-10
DEEP CULTURE EoR co7roN.
The Method and the Benefit,


from MIR. q. I. Gustin, prominent and sue.
cessful cotton planter Of Ynsville, Georgia,
will be read with interest by everybody inter
osted in the culture Of our great staple
VMEvnLr August Al feel embarrassed
cotton patch in the Ireegraph, as you are
aware that have no taste tor y pubic contro-
versy With these who advocate {: different ai..-
ture. But as you and some OF your readers
1t, will try TO describe, as briefly as possible
my method Of culture on this patch.
am thoroughly convinced. from experience.
that the benefits of deep ploughing in winter
not followed up by deep culture afterwards.
Because the ground soon becomes hard and
compact underneath, If only the surface soil is
cultivated in shallow manner; the disadvan-
tages ofMhlch will speak hereafter.
Ihe cot0ba patch in question IS on O gentle
slope Of a red hill. ard more soil has been
washed from it. to the lands below, than has
been washed upon it from those above. It ia
free from stones and stumps. But was nearjv
as as hard as brick when II was pioughed for
the frat time IN the early part Of May last.
-. before plouehing. sowed upon 1t broadcast
''Gustln's Superphosphate," st the rate of 500
pounds per acre. With four mu;es to one On t Of
Brnley's largest sized prairie ploughs it Was
pioughed eight inches deep followed in the
same furrow by subsoil plough. running
swetve inches deep. The same quantity Of
harro we'd IN. The soil was thus pretty thor.
oughly pulveriEed aud disintcgrated to the
depth Of eighteen or twenty inches, and en-
rlche9 w1th superphosphate ut the rate Of 1000
pounds per acre.
You Will say that that is pretty expensive. But
l Will venture to say that this land viii pro-
duce quite US much cotton and as much corn
eS es whoS q in
Atter narrowing it was checked OF with q
small plough 3x6 feet in which the seed were
Planted-a single plant only was left to bill
anu covered with hoe. which was the only
ture was done entirely with Mapes, Subsoil
LITTER ond horse hoe. It has bsen cultiyated
four tunes with the subsoil litter and twica
with the hCrse hoe.
ls nght aud can easily bs. drawn BY q single
mule Or horse wheretha ground has bsen pre-
viously subsolled., From It's peculiar construc.
zion sn II iuras 1:, no furrow. but works under the
Seen inahss NIKE %9s 70 ths depth Of about
moves along. The soil in falling back Is puls
track. rs rs1 -'s ' .'N'' y A''
,,:C Ths horas hSe is 40 Improvement Oh the oul-
thoroughly pulverisss the surface soil. -,...
;, Al the hrst working Of he,cotton the subsoil
inter was run four. times bStween the rows the
wide three times tho second--twlca the
third time-and once at the last working. run
time. fA'" s'oA1
There is no danger Of destr 5ying or iniurine
the roots by this method Of culture Il the
P,ongn Is Is not run SO near that theswingle-trce
very best preparati, ~ for the rapid multiplica-
ton and extension OF the small fbrous roots
which 0aa are the feeders to the plants.
anls aeep culture mnst be kept up from the
+ nto Own
.srasV wing downwards by the hardness ana pov-
eerty of the soil below, andsnre forced to extend
themselves only near The surface. deep plough
edly mutilate tn ,se rooia. to the injury of tile
plant and cause it to s!issaa it's fruit.
Ahls cotton is now about Ave and q half feet
,,. ,hlsn. and where the stand is perfect, the
branches meet IN every direction. and are so
heavily laden with fruit that ssame of the
branches are splitting off with the weight.
1t was planted on the 9th Of May, and has
ii tPo s9 the start was not in
time not q single fallen boil, square or form
could be found. Since the rains I have noticed
rev fallen squares. Plants growing on q aoil
Gultlvated so deeply can hardly be injured by
ways.
1t must be remembered thai the al nosphere
is the great store house from which plants de-
rive at least nine-tenths OF the substances of
stantly escaping into the atmosphere from de-
caylrg animal and vegetable matter. Carbomc
acid gas and watcr are largely diffused in the
and the hotter the weather the
how large a portion Of tree 10 charcoal or
carbon, and that when it is burnt and combines
with the oxygen OF the atmosphere and becomes
earbon:c acid Ras-sp invisible gas escaping
INTO tho atmosphere -how little ia left behind
the soil. What has disappeared is Substance
derived from the atmosphere. ias- 3
Now. II the soil be deeply pulverized. SO es
TO =; allow e. free circulation OF the atmosphere
tbfou2h 1t. the watery vap Or is condensed by
coming into contact with Che cool supstratum
OF the earth. on tho same principle that the
condenees upon the sides of q
pitcher filed with GOLD water upon warm
with moisture holding in solution these Rertili-
2inR gases which the atmosphere CONTAINS. 40
necessary to the growth aud development OF
tne plant, and in this condition 80 readily to
be taken up by its roots and Hbres. 4
Besides all this. these atmospheric gases
ana water make soluble and food for the
plant other substnnces in the earth, which
without tn ana would remain insoluble, inert
and useless. S. ~. ~ s.
A deeply pulverised soil has stu another ad-
vantage IN dry weather. II draws MP the
from below, upon the principle of
capillary attraction, which may be- illustrated
merced intyour cup OF coffee. The sugar wiil
draw up sufficient OF the LIQUID 10
become saturated with the moisture. a 3 n
: AN these advantages are greatly diminished
or entirely lost IN, . hard. compact soil. When
The rains tall -impregnated with these fertliiz.
ING gaseA1itthe soil be deeply melowed and
porous, they are absorbed at once and pene-
trate to the roo.s 81 the plants, with theirsloh
burden Of life and health. hut II only the sur
!ase ls mellow. and the ground ebo sloping or
billy. most Of she rain runs OH. Carrying with
Il much Of the surface mould into the streams
below. On the other hand, should the ground
pc level 1t lies 1poD tho surface till evaporated
by the sun and the enriching gases escape
again into she atmosphere which should be sp-
pf0priated by the crop.
Water which lies upon the surface Till eyap-
GRATED By the sun makes the ground cold. III
takes the heat from 1t to convert the water into
vaP0r. upon the same principle that room or
sidewalk is cooled by sprinkllng with water on
sunny day. Finally, 1t the water remains
npoa the surface long enough to become stag
1anS, " becomes 80 poisonous to the plants
That they tarn yellow and sickly. M .s "
It would be easy, Messrs. Editors. 10 pro-
!ong these re marks indefinitely, but have no
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