Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-20
DEEP CULTURE FOR COTTON,
The Method and the Benefit.

The Method and the Benefit.
The following letter to the Ma
con Telegraph, from Mr.. s. T. Gus
tin, a prominent and successful
cotton planter of VinevilIe, Gcor-
gia, will be read with interest by
everybody interested in the culture
of our great staple:
VINEvILLE August Al feel en-
barrassed by the prominence which
has been given my cotton patch in
the Telegraph, as you are aware
that [ have no taste for a public
controversy with those who advo-
cate a different culture. But as
you and some'of your readers seem
anxious to get more information
about it, will try to describe, as
briefly as possible, my method of
culture on this patch.
1 am thoroughly convinced, from
experience, that the benefits of
deep ploughing in winter and spring
are lost, to great extent, if it is
not followed up by deep culture
afterwards. Because the ground
soon becomes hard and compact
undern cath, if only the surface soil
is cultivated in shallow manner
the disadvantages of which 1 will
speak hereafter.
The cotton patch in question is
on gentle slope Of red hill, and
more soil has been washed from it,
to the lands below, than las been
washed upon it from those above.
1t is free from stones aud stumps.
But was nearly as hard as brick
when it was ploughed for the first
time in the early part of May last.
Before ploughing, I sowed upon
it broadcast "Gustin's Superphos-
phate," ut the rate Of 500 pounds
per acre. With four mules to one
of Brinley's largest sized prairie
ploughs it was ploughed eight
inches deep-followed in the same
furrow by a subsoil plough, running
twelve inches deep. The same
quantity of superphosphate was
again sown broadcast and harrow
eiin. The soil was thus pretty we'll
pulverized and disintcgratcd to the
depth of eighteen or twenty inch
es. and enriched with superpho-
phate at the rate Of 1000 pounds
per acre.
You will say that that is pretty
expensive. But I will venture to
say that this land will produce
quite as much cotton and as much
corn as the best land Oh Il planta-
tion in Floyd county Which sold
for 500 Per acre few weeks ago.
Alter narrowing. it was checked
of with a small plough 3x6 feet in.
which the seed were rlantcd-a
single plant was only left to a hill
and covered with q hoe, which
was the only work done with hoe
AS the subsequent culture was done
entirely with Mapes' Subsoil Litter
and q horse hoe. It has been cul.
tivated four times with the subsoi
litter and twice with the horse hoe.
This subsoil litter is made of
wrought iron-is light and can ea-t
silly be drawn BY single mule or
horse where the ground has been pre-
viously subsoiled. From it's pecuA
culiar construction it turns no fur.
Tow, but works under the ground
like molo, to the depth of about
fifteen inches, slightly raising the
soil as 1t goes along. The aoil Id
falling back is pulverised at least
a foot on either side Of its track.
The horse hoe Ia an Improvements
ON the .cpltivaton. and efectually
destroya all weeds and thoroughly
pulverises the surface soil. 49,
At the Arst working Of tha got
ton the subsoil litter. was run fonf
times between the rows the wide
way-three times the sec9nd