Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1873-03-13
Thoughts for, the Month.

L - ~ *. 4 .4ts { i
There has not yet been enough corn
iproduced at the SoIth tornake it cheaper
for fuel than wood or coal, and We may:
safely raise it without fear of gfuGtfhhg the
market, but it is also true that no point
in the economy of the farm, demands
closer scrutiny AMI examination than the
cost of raising corn. We have always
advocated the policy of raising provisions
at home, but it does not by any means
follow that that means laising corn
Our profound conviction is that small
grains, cow-peas, clover and grass should
be the leading grain and forage crops of
the South, and that corn should be con-
fined to valley lands, and uplands suscep-
tible of irrigation, or such as are fresh
and rich. We beg those who differ with
us to recall the crops of corn they have
made on ordinary upland for the last FIVE
years; ascertain as well as they can the
yield per acre each year, and take the
average. After doing this, multiply the
number of bushels (average) by the av-
erage price of corn for the same period,
and then contrast the product with the
cost of cu1titating ard manuring. We
feel confident that they will find nothing
left on the credit side.
On lands independent of drought, corn
may be profitably raised, because manure
may be freely applied, and large quan
|'tity Of grain PRODUCED On small area of
land-50 to 100 bushels per acre. Cot
ton seed is universally regarded as the
best manure we have for this crop, but
there are many points connected with its
use which are not fully settled, OF at
least generally known, We shoild be
exceedingly glad to get from our readers
their experience MS to the largest amount
of cotton seed which may be protitably
applied to an acre of corn, together with
the time and mode of application. We
beg to propose This as subject of discus
sion and interchange of experience.
The point was raised in our columns
about a ear ago, that the very common
practice of planting corn in the "watcr
farrow" was not good one; that upon
land manured and otherwise treated in
the same manner, corn planted upon Il
bed would yield more than that planted
i'll the water furrow. We had intended
to test tsc point by experiment, but cir
cumstances prevented. Have any of our
readers tested the matter by planting ad
jacent rows or plats? if SO, we trust they
! will give us the results.
PREPARING LAND For COTTON.
| Land not yet becdcd' should be at
tended to, and the bedding completed ac-
cording to latitude, frorn the tenth to the
twenty-ffth of this month. The point
70 be secured being settling of the
soil before planting time. This is very
important, in order to secure a good
stand of cotton, especially on light lands.
We suggested some time ago, and repeat
Che suggestion now that the beds should
be thrown up sufficiently high, to allow
of their being dragged down by u
smoother" or harrow and still remain
high enough to secure ease in working
the crop. The advantage of this plan is,
that if the spring Is dry, as is very often
the case, the seed will be planted i'll moist
earth, and in addition all of the hard
crust and clods will be gotten out of the
way. Running the smoother just in ad-
vance of the planter, will leave every
thing i'll most beautiful condition to re-
ccive the seed. The smoother may be
made wide enough to run over two beds
at once, and field may be very rapidly
swept over.
WIDTH OF ROWS
We ask MS special favor that those
who have been experimenting upon the
relative yield, where distance between
rows are varied-other things remaining
the same-wll favor lis with the results
reached The saving Of labor increases
SO rapidly with increased width of rows,
that it is exceedingly desirable to fix the
average limit of distance, where falling
off in production balances the saving in
| cost nc labbr TIpop lands which pro.