The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-05-07
The following report will explain itself:

! Tue lOiio"InS EepoTt VIII e8 pam tGSSll
To che members of the BOtI.leAsm Grange. No gz2
Brothers, if you have done your duty
for the last two months you have rep
resented the initiated candi
didate in the first degree of our Order
cleaning up and removing every thing
that would obstruct the plow, and in pre-,
pairing your soil for the reception of the
seed
hope very member of this Grange
has made good and proper use of the
time 10 preparing his land tor planting
the crop, for much depends upon this
part of the work.
If there should be any one of you that
is MT through planting cotton, we would
say finish this forth with and let nothing
but the hand OF Providence prevent this)
and, upon the completion of this, turn
| your attention to your corn crop, which
| is, by this time, up sufficient to begin its
| culture. You will now represent the
candidate 10 the second degree of our
Order ! will only say to you her e,
remember the lessons that are so forci>
| bly, and impres sively taught in our mans
ual in this degree
Farmers are like all other curiosi-
! ties in nature, their ideas and plans of
| cu'tivating their crops are as varied ana
diversified as the production of the fort
est itself, and as for me, or any one else,
! to lay down certain rules regulating or
giving any specific mode of cutivating
the different CROPS, of the members Of
this Grange, is more than we anticipate
doing but we will say this much work
with good tools and with those that you
think y9u can accomplish the most good
for the amount of work required.
The most important work or cultita-
ton IS the first working of corn. This
neglected upon your part, failure is in~
eVitable, and empty barns, poor, suffer.
ing stock are appe aling to you to>ddy in
tones louder than thunder itself Come,
brethren, let US profit by the sad experi-
ence of the present and past and put all
your teams and available force to work
in your corn, and don't move out your
Plows from this crop until you have it in
had your crop before. The thinning
should be done during this working, and
be sGre to thin to one stalk Invariably.
Your hoe hands you can employ very
prottably IN going over every row taking
out the grass and weeds that is not GOV
cred up or destroyed by the pillow, for
it's appearance that does the most injury
to cur crops Now mark the time when
you complete this working, and never let
this crog'stand longer than urteen da, 8
before you begin to stir it again, (and
We would say earlier if POSSIBILITY taking
your ulow out of the ground, that is not
going in so deep as the first working, Of
sufficient depth to destroy all the grass
and weeds that may have made its ap-
pearance.
Now, by the time you are through the.
first working Of your corn, your cotton is
ready for work If the weather is dry
use the best side~hLrrow if not, and the
land foul, use the best scraper you can
get, following after it with the hoes cut~
ting the plant to a stand and taking out
every spris of grass and weeds, thereby
saving you much labor and trouble in
the future The land being in good or
der, follow the h cs with a good steel
ten-inch, shO7el, putting the best pillow
hands you have 20 this work.
Many good farmers differ very mate
RI lily as to how much cotton is a statd.
We generally cut the width OF a good
sized cotton hoe, leaving one and two
stalks We believe that in going over
the crop the secJ"d time, if we would
take out every other hill we w9cld
make more cotton, and especially In
thin lands.
Now if you anticipate planting Fea
crop to themselves (Which crop no good
farmer will neglect) the land should be
prepared in this month fIr planting the
first Of next.
D. not, by any means, neglect your
gardens, for much depends upon the
vegetables In furnishing a good table
They are not only luxuries, but we cons
slider them a necessity and indiSpen>
sable tor the good health of your
families.
Much attention should be given to
the swee: potato crop. In preparing
your land to receive the slips continue
to plOw and harrow until all the clods
are we'll broken, and if your slips are
ready by the 18th do not wait for sea-
son, but set out and water.
Should any of you have wet bottom
land that Is not yet planted in corn, con-
tinue the work of preparation. Don't
quit and think you have done enough to
this kind of land preparatory to plant
ing. Do the work in this month and
plant about the first of June, and it is
my opinion that you will make a better
crop than if planted in this month
w. a. CARUTHERs
How to Make Home Attractive.