The weekly clarion., 1871-02-02

In looking forward and Arranging plans
for the new year il is we'll b tako q be-
Prospective view Of the one Just past. that
If errors have been committed thoy may
be avoided hereafter-if lines Of discovery
have been opened, they may be pushed
still further A careful, thoughtful er-
animation Of all steps taken, such al con-
tracts for labor-amount Of Same employ
ed, compared with capital at farmers
command-number OF mules t0 number
Of hands-number Of acres % each hand
or each mule-rates Of food producing t0
money crops-of crops requiring "a great
deal Of labor, like cotton and corn. ~
those requiring comparatively little. lko
] small grain, clover, grass, ETC., otc. -all
these should be carefully pondorcd over
and if necessary. re-adjustments made.
| Hardly year passes in the experience of
most farmers, when il Is not true that
such and such "A crop failed from not gct-
| ting n working nt some particular time
/ when IL should have been given. or from
not having one more than il received. .-
Let all such cases be brought In view. and
the question cindidly answered why it s1
happened-wacrc was the iaultf Was
il one Of judgment or of lack of means
was more undertaken than could bc hC.
complished Ali the delusi0ns of hope
how like an ignis fatuus or like % mi.
rage Of the desert il leads the trusting
farmer into debt! Plausible calcula-
tons induce him % undertake moro than
his capital warrants -he owns broad
fields, hates 70 see them lie idlc-and ia
thereby tempted 90 hire too many hania,
and 10 plant ground which will NOT bring
remunerative crop. We would most
earnestly urge upon our readers to cm-
ploy as little labor az p0saibie--culuvute
only such land as will naturally, on with
the aid Of manure 10 bc had produce
good crops-the balance either rcst or
SOW down in grain or grass. This we arc
satisfied is good farm policy in the alb
stract-and with the present labor system
at the South il doubly goOd-aa nothing
we can conceive Of would give the planter
As much control over the negro.
In arranging for the next corn crop,
il would be well % consider the policy OF
pushing the yield of brach and creek bot.
toms, which are susceptible of irrigation.
10 the maximum of production. TO
show what can be done we publish Ou
onotheI page the noted example of Dr.
Parker, of Ouiutabia S O. who up0u
land Of the kind mentioned produced D.
little over two hundred bushels Of shclIcd
corn per acre. The farmer Is apt t0
think his bottom lands rich enough and
to feel perfectly satisfied III ho obtains
from them a yield Of thirty, forty or
| fifty bushels per acre. But is there on
the farm any land which will pay ns hand
some profit on manure applied aa these
valley lands when thoroughly drained 2
| BE il remembered that IN the case sup
posed there is no risk from drouth. which
is always the case on uplands With
small, low dams thrown across these bot
tom lands at intervals, and simple wood
en- gates (such as used by rice plautou)
constructed in the branches whore thos0
dams cross them-such lands could be
! saturated with water when needed.
Where stubblc or rested land intended
for cultivation the ensuing summer has
not already been turned over, IL should be-
| plowed now whenever Circumstance pcr-
nit The chief point 30 be guarded. is
10 aviod plowing when the land is wot,
IL is not very often during the rainy
months of winter that the soil and ospcC-
tally the subsoil is as dry as IL ought t0
be for the pl0wshare One Of the ndvan.
tages of early fall, over wintor ploWiug
arises from this very circumstance. lu
the fall the land is usually quite dry
almost too hard b plow aud is rarely
moistened beyond the point Of being
softened just enough for the plow 10 cn-
ter il. In the winter on the contrary, it
! becomes saturated with water and remains
80 most Of the time. Better let it al0no
under such circumstances, and break up
Just before planting in the spring
Bulky manure may be hauled ont aud
! distributed in convenient piles Owe tho
! felds--a little dirt thrown over tho piles
will prevent any loss --Southcrn( Athena,
Ga, Culhyator.