The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-10-04
Hints for the Month.

If every section of the country had suf-
fered as this has from drought, il would
take regular Irish hints to encourage a
farmer to do anything this month. We
had but single shower from the 18th
July to the 18th September, and conse-
quently have but little cotton to gather,
and may have little else worth housing.
Nevertheless good time may be coming,
and hence we should not despair but
work with a will, and prepare as. far as
possible against the inclement winter
ahead of us. As rapidly as possible cot
ton should be picked and packed; as to
the selling we are in doubt. 1t surely
can 20 no lower; every indication is, that
it will go higher before March; especial
" if it leaves the farmers hands. The
producer never will control the price OF
cotton until he sells it at his ginhouse.
When buyers come to the farm to o7buy,
and then pay the farmer for delivering at
the depot, we may look for the price of
cotton being set by the producer. But
as long as it is hawked about for sale the
buyer has the inside track. The farmer
who loses day with wagon and team
and hired hand, hauling cotton to the
depot, had better take one-eighth of a
cent less for it at his ginhouse, and use
his team and hired laborer otherwise on
the farm, for this month has twenty-seven
valuable days in it.
Corn should all be gathered and housed
before the cold of winter sets in. Peas
should be picked and late pea vines cut,
cured and housed. Sow oats even on a
head wherever cotton has grown. Give
two shovel furrows to run around the cot
ton, SOW the oats, and then with shovel
and heel sweep give one, or, if need be,
two burrows to throw out the middles and
cover the oats. With nine ploughs we
sowed twenty acres in this way in day
and half in the second week of Septem-
ber, and now have a beautiful stand.
Sow wheat as early this month as practi-
cable, and if the crop is at all promising
during the winter prepare to dress it in
February with 100 to $50 pounds OF
superphosphate per acre, and run over it,
as soon as the fertilizer is sown, with a
two-horse harrow. With this treatment
we made twenty.four bushels of wheat to
the acre last season on old red land.
Read carefully the published letter OF
Mai. R. A. Griffin on wheat'in cotton
land, and if you have only gray land try
DR.. Ravenel's cash Element" idea.-
Don't attempt to grow wheat for sale, but
determine to buy no more -four.
If wheat is sown in corn land, much
more ploughing is necessary, simply be-
cause the land is not in so good tilth as
when planted in cotton. On corn land
broadcast forty bushels cotton seed pei
acre; plough in, SOW one bushel wheat,
previously soaked, five bushels wheat
to one of bluestone for twelve hoursl per
acre, and cross-plough to cover. Top.
dress and harrow, as above, in February.
Barley and rye should now be sown ;
the latter for calf pastures, and the for
mer on the richest land on the place,
highly fertilized, to make soiling lots for
spring use. We have often said that
greer barley, in March and April will
come nearer making an old mule young
than any possible treatment that can be
given him; the land, however, must be
very rich.
This is the month in which to gather
sweet potatoes. Take time, for it is q
laborious Job to shave down the vines as
soon as the potato is matured, land they
will usually grow till the first frost, into
the valley between the beds, and cover
them with two or four twister burrows ;
then plough out the potatoes. Those
vines are fine manuring for next years
crop. In gathering the potato make
three piles-the cut potatoes, the eating
and the seed-each to themselves. Bar
rel the two last and eat the first as soon
as possible. If you have dry cellar put
the potatoes in there on bed of straw or
shucks, cover with the same, aud eat as
needed. With no other care we have
thus kept them sound until eaten up the
following spring, for the past three years.
Lend an eye, as we'll as helping hand,
to the stock, and particularly your COWS.
If you have more than you can keep com.
fortably during the winter, butcher and
sell if at all fat, or sell on the hoof at
whatever you can get. Better economy
and truer humanity is to sell cav now in
beef for song, than to keep i."r to
shiver away the long cold nights n! win
ter in poverty and pain wh'' sou are
snugly housed and warmly wr".ped be-
tween the blankets.
Make every effort to do fall ploughing.
Now 10 the time to turn under the stub