The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-09-21
tn OUR PLANTERS.

rs hogs and cattle, and why not breed our
horses and mules? We can do it cheaper
than Duying, if we would raise but half the
cotton we have hitherto done, by sowing
clover patch, lucernc and millet, which grow
we'll here Lucerne is we'll adapted to ONE
hot and dry s,intmezs,, and is-vcry -PfelhfS.
| as we'll as nutritious. Glover is well known
to be the very best vegetable fertilizer in
colder attitudes than ours. The pea, vine is
| perhaps its equal and better adapted to our
climate. As we have found that we cannot
| produce cotton here uudcr twelve cents per
pound, it costing that price to raise it, why
not turn our attention to the cereals, grass
es ana to stock raising? At least, all we
require for use. | am confident from an
experience Of forty-five years in planting
and the rearing of stock, that we can pro-
duce our own provisions at less cost than
buyinr chem. and live stock also No one
need fear that he can find ready market
at home for all the surplus grain, peas, po-
tatocs and live stock that he can produce
and rear, and hay also, at rcmunerative
prices a more important item will be at
tanned by this course in the Improvement
Of his lands | will take the liberty of
quoting part of letter from an esteemed
friend and practical planter, living in Rich
land County. and who owns about thou
sand acres Of medium Cedar Greek land
He is well known as a close calculator aud
economist, and successful stock raiser and
farmer before our late war; and a member
of the Legislature. He writes, Aug. 2lst,
as follows Il plant no cotton. ] AIN now
breaking up stubblc land preparatory for
small grain. That is the crop for me |
can make moro money ut it than any thing
else, besides the manifest Improvement of
my lands All the lands cultivate i'm
prove ten per cent. per annum. y mau
who wears out his land is Il poor farmer and
Il meancr sinner. He is fool too. That's
my bank-my very capital. If [ exhaust
that AIN wasting and waning. Besides,
am bringing evil hard times and poverty
upon those who follow me. II | impruxe
my land, increase my capital. Production
will not wear out land. Bad, foolish cult
vation does that. I can make full crops
every year, and tn, land improve too
never pasture cultivated land He is fool
who will do that 1t is ruinous. will tell
you what regard the best rotation for crops
ON hill land that is liable to wash: 1st
year. peas in horizontal rows 2nd. wheat
Sd, oats ,ith, p :as again. stubblc to be
turned in August grain to be sowcd and
borrowed in well. with no other blowing
No pasturing That land will improve 10
per cent. per annum. a still better course
would be: Sow peas broadcast, > bus. to
acre lst july turn under lst October, and
| sow oats with harrow. Repeat this course
every year. aJ nfnitum, ana the land will in-
crease every year 90 per cent The mass of
our people in farming are foolish hopeless,
iucorrigiblc and incurable idiots Their
dcterioating farms, their empty gamers
poor stock, and general indcbtcncss aud
poverty prove it. The farmer who does not
improve his land and have a surplus over
all expenses every year is Il dolt and rob-
Der. &c. This is strong language, but never
thclcss true. Peas have found to yield
| half crop or more sown from 10Th to 25th
June, and would prefer that time, and
turn under lSt to 18th October. have
never tried harr ,wing small grain but think
it would answer we'll 1t would seem, less
than two bushels of peas would suffice for
an acre Of land. [ sowcd one to one and
half, and thought it thick cnough-sENEX
IN Ncmbe1y UcroM
.. Tile VALUE or HEN MANURE.-lt all
the droppngs from the roosts by hens be
carefully saved in barrels, and every spring
and fall this manure be compoited with any
good soil or muck from swampS, and so kept
a few months, its value for any crop is equal
to Peruvian guano, and it may, think be
estimated at fifty cents per fowl per annum
From fifty hens saved about ten barrels of
the pure hen guano during the year. What
| save from November to April | compost
in the spring with soil. First | spread in
circle soil to the depth Of three or four in
chcs. Then | spread hen manure about an
inch deep; then spread another layer Of
soil, and then layer Of manure, till :hc
heap is completed, using about four time the
bulk Of soil that do of manure, the last
layer being soil. The top Of this compost
heap make fiat, to catch the rains then
cover it with any refuse hay or straw, then
place some sticks Of wood or boards against
the covering to keep it in its place, and in
two or three months it is ready to use, hav-
ing become thoroughly Incorporated with
the soil but, as the season for planting is
then past mostly, | leave the heap till the
next spring, when use it with what com
pest in November. Perhaps it would be
better to make n compost i'll March, where
the climate will admit. and use the manure
T., ,l,,tnl hn l,ct Of Nn,, owl,