Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-02-18
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From the Southern Cul,Ivator
LETTER FROM MIR. DICKSON.
Sparta, Ga, December S, 1868. 4,
Editors Southern, Cutsuator There Is
much confusion through the country, as to
the plan of agriculture 1 pursue-some
using the solid sweep as 3 part OF my plan.
Let me say, would not have one of them.
Moreover, there are other plans called mine,
that cannot endorse.
I vail give my plan in a very few words.
First, drain the wet land, and if you wish,
or it needs it, ditch the hill sides-then
deepen your soil; charge it well with vege-
table matter, either by rest or sowing oats
bad feeding off in the field, sowing and
turning under pea vines Or clover and 9th
er grasses, where they win succeed, &c.
Then plow deep and snbsoil to the extent
Of your ability. Gather oil the manure
possible from previous crops, cotton seed,
manure from stock, leaves, pine straw, and
mud and other serapings-then add each
year to each crop, corn, oats, cotton, wheat,
&c., such soluble ammonia snd bone earth,
&C., as Peruvian Guano and Dissolved
Bones, Lsnd Plaster, Salt and wood ashes
may have in them-the latter if to be had,
in any form, at price that would warrant
its use. " ' .......
Plant corn eight inches below level,
put the manure within three or four inches
of the seed, and cover about one and half
inches deep. Cultivate shaliow-frst plow-
ing II inches deep; second, one inch, and
third, enc hslf inch. I prefer heavy
sharp sweep, 22to 26 inches wide, either
for corn or cotton. Former communica-
lions will show how I prepare land for cot
ton and corn.
/ If you carry out this plan well as to or,
der and time, it viii never fail. One OF
your correspondents from South Carolina,
in criticising my plan, says you cannot
make corn without q wet July. I have
made first rate crop of corn, with no rain
after the 18th of June, and can do it every
time. Below I will tell that gentleman
and others how to do it. Ihave never had
to resort to the extreme there described,
but it win pay.
IF you wish fort to stand a hot and pro-
tracted attack, you must water and provis-
ion, as well as man it, in order that it may
hold out until the siege is raised-reme1n-
bering one day unpro7ided for may prove
fatal, so if you wish cotton plant or q corn
stalk to stand a hot burning sun, and a
dry north west wind from 4 to 10 weeks,
and come out safely, you must water and
put in sufficient soluble food to last. How
is that to be done? Answer, by deepen.
ing the soil, plowing deep, sub-soiling, and
filing it with humus, that it may retain the
greatest amount of water. The soil is like
a sponge, if too porous, water will sink
through it-if too close it will hold but lit
tie. I find that humas clay and a due pro-
portion of sand, constitutes the best Of soil,
to succeed under all circumstances, with
soluble plant food in abundance.
Twill now give you plan that will carry
the cotton plant through ight or ten weeks
of drought with-safety, and enable it to get
ahead Of the caterpillar-the boll-worm may
come too soon for full crop, but one need
not fear the caterpillar, if they do not come
before the 1st of September. Always re-
member, the soil must be good and deep,
and sub-soiled six inches deeper, and furn-
ished with good supply of guano, dissol-
we'd bones, plaster and salt. A cotton
plant to stand two weeks, always remem-
ber to use the Dixon Select Seed must
have inches of soil and 6 inches sub-soil,
5 weeks, six inches soil, same sub-soilng,
six weeks, eight inches, same sub-soiling,
and for every week Of dry weather, you
will need an additional inch, with the same
six inches subsoi, broken below. So you
will see, to stand ten weeks drouth, you
must have a-soil sixteen inches deep, with
six inches broken below.
This plan will hold the forms and bolls
during the whole time, and not give them
up when it rains, but should you prepare
right, and your supplies give out, or sur
render, one week, before reinforcements
come, in form of water, much is lost, and
it may be too late to start anew. If you
prepare and carry out this plan well, you
may expect from 400 to 1900 pounds Of
lint cotton per acre, according to the char
acter of the land, locality, &c.
Truly yours,
DAVID DICKSON.