The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-09-06
Hints For the Month.

September Is upon US, and with This
month begins the labors of harvesting
the fruits Of the past eight months
labor. There can be but little fault
found with the AGO during the past
year. The winter was warm, and the
spring was, perhaps, unpleasantly
cold and damp, but the early and lat
ter rains have fallen throughout the
Summer, and where the labor has done
its duty, the crops about to be harvest
ed are above an average. The heavy
rains of June greatly damaged bottom
crops, but, generally speaking, this
years. farming has been q productive
success.
During this month much cotton will
be picked out, and packed, and should
be sold as soon as picked. Early cot
ton left open in the field is injured ;
thrown In bulk in the ginhouse it will
heat and depreciate in value, andgin-
ed and packed and rolled under the
shed, Is liable to destruction. Early
sales in the nearest market Is always
best for the farmer, in our judgement.
Cotton should he picked free fromtrash
or dirt. Grit or sand adds to its weight,
but subtracts from its price. Trash on
ly reduces the price while In the far
mer's hands; it does not add percep-
tibly to the weight, nor effect the, val
he Of the staple; and SO thoroughly
does the improved machinery of the
manufacturer rid 1.-The staple of
every vestige of trash, that he would
prefer buying it a little "trashy," be-
cause be can get it cheaper. Hence
we should pick cotton as clean as pos
sible, and rapidly as it opens.
Early upland corn should be gather
ed as soon as ripe during this month.
Corn should be housed in the shuck,
and shucked as needed. It will last
much longer, because the very
act Of shocking will make one
count the ears he uses for any pur-
pose. Throw q little salt over the pile
as it Is housed this will make both
cattle aud mules eat the shucks vOra-
ciously all winter. Young corn will
ripen its fodder this month, and if the
blades are to be stripped, cure well,
and house at once. Fodder stacks are
an expensive nuisance.
Peas sown for nlanuring should now
be turned under, not only the vines,
but peas also. Remember, that to
grow q crop to turn under and then
take off the germ of the growth, the
fruit of the vine, the concentrated
fertilizer is taken off at the same time.
Bury under the vine and the pea SOW
the land in oats as SOC as turned over,
SOW to-day the land turned over yes
terday, run "a dag" over 1t ian imple-
ment described elsewhere in this num-
ber), and the work Is done till next
June.
Dat stubble, broken up well early
this month, will produce a valuable
crop of volunteer oats, If the land has
not been pastured too closely with
sheep or hogs, which is not apt to be
the case, as these animals are rarities
now in the cotton section.
If it was not done in August, sow
oats this month in cotton land. Run
two sweep burrows, then SOW the oats
and cover with n or two sweep fur
rows, depending upon. the width OF
the cotton rows. The injury done the
cotton by this ploughing is more ap-
parent than real. Bolls do not knock
off as easily nov as they will after
frost,
Select the"richest piece of land you
have (half acre to the mule), make it
still richer by fertilizers, and SOW it
in barley early this month, two BUSH
els to the acre. Old red land, heavily
opened, grows the best barley. New
ground is the next selection. Sandy
land does not pay in barley. A halt
acre of barley is more than half the
feed necessary to keep a mule fat be.
tween the first February and first
May.
Sow rye with the same preparation
recommended for barley, on gray or
sandy land, and the sower, who has
never tried it before, will simply be
amazed at the quantity and quality OF
green food he will harvest during the
early spring for all kinds of stock.
The vegetable garden should now be
worked over thoroughly, to prevent
weeds and grass from going to seed
Onions shddld be planted in richly
prepared beds, and collards set out for
early spring and winter salad.
Look after the stock. They should
now all be fat, and kept so. Very lit
tie trouble or attention will keep a fat
animal fat, but to fatten a poor animal
is always all expense.-RWat Carroll
nian.