The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1870-10-06
AGRICULTURAL.
From the Augusta Chronicle & Sentinel
Sow Wheat.

The great decline in the price
of cotton should admonlsh cotton
planters that "hard times" will be
upon them during the next spring
and summer. And more especial
" will 'fhard times" overtake those
who have failed, either through
neglect to plant enough or from
drought, to make an abundant corn
crop.
Itis not too late to retrieve this
serious error, at least to a very
considerable extent. The fall has
been very propitious for gather
ing.the cotton crop, and. the gener.
al use of fertilizers has matured
the crop earlier than usual. Those
who have been active and dlllgent
will have the bulk Of their crop
housed by the last of October
Then they can prepare well, and
SOW some Of those large cotton fields
in wheat, some in oats and rye.
Wheat does well sown as late rs
the middle of November, provided
the land is we'll prepared and pre-
perly fertilized. The very best
fertilizer for wheat is cotton seed.
Although the cotton crop is IN
some sections very short, an ample
supply ofcotton seed can be had
on every plantation, by the mid,
die OF November, to apply a liberal
dose to all the land sown IN wheat.
But the great secret in wheat
growing is the thorough and per-
feet preparation of the soil before
seeding. The reason why the
wheat crop has been so uncertain
is because there has been hereto
fore hardly an attempt at prepa-
ton before sowing. An old piece
ofpoor, .stubble, full Of weeds, bush.
es and ,briars, or arecently planted
corn-6eld covered with grass and
and corn stalks has been selected
for the wheat crop. Upon these
lands, without any preparation
whatever, the grain is sown and
ploughed under with a common
turning plow, and that is all that
is done. With this sort of treat.
nent the wheat. crop will prove a
failure four out offive years. Its
worse than useless to plant in this
way. Better keep the seed for
grinding and letthe land lie idle.
But ifthese lands are thoroughly
and deeply turned over with a good
two-horsey plow,7 whero they are
heavy, and with large one-horse
plow where they are light, all the
bushes and briars having been
previously cut down and the land
cleared Of the limbs and trash, III
the month of October, or even
early in November, and then thor,
oughly cross ploughed or harrow.
ed, a good crop may be considered
quite certain. After the land is
thoroughly prepared, sow, broad
cast, thirty to fifty bushels of cot
ton seed to the acre-it would be-
perhaps, better to apply the cotton
seed before the first narrowing
then SOW good wheat at the rate
of three to five pecks to the acre
according to the quality of the
land, and harrow all well in the
ground. After narrowing in the
seed, run a roller over the field tc
press the earth around the wheat
and leave the surface smooth and
clear.
If these directions are followed
a good crop may be expected
But, as we before stated, bsttel
not sow at all thar to sow aftel
the old plan. The wheat sown.ac
cording to these instructions vii
be ready: for the. scythe by the
18th or goth of June. 1t will come
in at the very pinch ofthe work
for another crop, and when bought
corn has caused you to have poor
weak and broken down plough
stock. The new wheat will revive
your stock and; enable you to save
your crop. from the next years
grass
The planters must makeup their
minds to adopt one Of the two al
ternatives. They must either de-
termine to make their own provis-
ion crops, or they must sell out to
some one that will. The planting
of cotton at y l-2 10 l3 cents Il