Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1877-08-30

ccsStuI; IN most cases 1t was ruinOus to tho
land, burying what little soil was left in tho
land to such depth that tho plant could
not reach it to make use Of it., for obscrva-
tioe proves that the plant does not penetrate
beyond certain depth to ind ana take up
it's nourshmcut; thus tho land became less
productive than before.
A few years ago tho whole country went
wild upon results Of experiments by Mr..
Dixon, Of Georgia, and without calculating
the effect of deep p!oughiug upon The diff
terent grades of soil that exists in each State,
many planters adopted tho plan laid down
by Mr.. Dixon for all soils; they made many
futures; denounced improved implements
and deep ploughirg, and went back TO the
old shovel plough without knowing why
they had failed.
A friend of miuc had plantation on
which he thought Dixon's ploughing and
culture would produce similar results. lie
read Mr.. Eixon's articles with great care
and attention; he bought the mules and
ploughs, and hc ploughcd and subsoilcd
until he could almost sec the glitter of gold
with each furrow the plough turned. lie
had his land ploughcd and narrowed, and
ready for the seed before his ncighbor COM
menccd work. About this time his neigh
Dor, who had tho saulc kind of soil, trashcd
down his cotton and corn stalks, and with
the old short shovel plough reversed the old
beds, und planted his crop. My friend,
whose place looked like garden, could not
but feel pity for the failure that was ahead
for his ncighbor. Both crops were planted,
and both came up Ny friends heart went
out in sympathy over tt e f ohlc effort made
by his ncighbor But 10! tic neighbours
crop soon passed his in size, aud continued
to do SO up to harvesting. The result Of
harvest was still greater than between the
growth and fruiting; aud he, diseustc1 with
improved implements, went back to the old
shovel plough, and pronounced Dixon Il
humbug Here is Il case where all the bear
ings were not taken into considerations My
friend attempted to accomplish in ono year
what Mr.. Dixon had taken probably five
years to do, turning tho land shallow ut
first, and increasing the depth gradually,
by which means he preserved what there
was of soil lett upon the land for the use OF
tho plant.
The success of the farmer has been the
result of experiment, and not Of knowledge;
and SO long us we work in the dark 10 spc
Gifted result can be certain. It. is self cvi-
dent that all land must be ploughcd, hut how
it should be ploughed depends upon the
character of the soil Sandy soil should be
plonghed shallow first; it may be SUBSIDIZED
to any depth, and the ploughing may be
dcepcncd each year without injury to land
or crop.
Clay and bottom land can be ploughcd
deeper, following with the subsoil, aud in
creasing the depth in ploughing yearly.
All land should be ploughcd in the fall and
winter. and get the benefit of frost aud ice;
land gctsa great deal offructifying power from
ice and frost We now have exhausted
land aud improved implements which cnable
us to prepare the land thoroughly for seed
We pced something more. We get that
in the commercial manurcs, which supply to
the plant those chemical properties which
have been exhausted by long culture and
injudicous management.
We now have land and implements, but
We need something to make the land pro-
duotive to sufficient degree to pay tho pro
duccr. We find underlying aomo of the
land and waters in the lower part of the
State phosphate deposit, which, upon
being ground uud rendered solih!o, forms
the basis of a manure, which supplies to the
lands those properties which have been cx-
haustcd. These mixtures, known as com
mcrcial manurcs, have become generally
used, aud have even, with our experimental
applications, paid the producer in some in
stances. This vast source of wealth to the
State and farmer seems to bo providcntial,
and is the means by which We will be cna
bled to recover our losses in great measure.
If the farmers had known how to make
proper use of this discovery, their lands
would have improved yearly, instead of fail
ing, after repeated applications of fertilizers.
1t is almost the universal system of the
farmer to apply the cotton seed, with its
increase by tho use of commercial manure,
to somo other exha Isted land, instead Of
returning the same to tho land that mndo it
Thereby they render the land less produc
tive each year, after tho first or second ap
plcation. This system will not build up
our exhausted lands, but have the reverse
effect. Tho rotation of crops in some dcgre"
removes the difficulty, but even that will
not effect it entirely. You must return all
tho increased production Of an acre of land,
which is used as manure, to the same land, ,
auu hot htIe"pt 10 Oulid up TWO piGccS vi
land with tho production Of one. No land
can stand such depletion and pay tho pro-
duccr. Tho best evidence Of tho fertility
of our lands is that they have been nblc to
stand such system Of culture and produce
anything J havo travelled over somo of the
best farming lands in tho Northwest, the
New England and Middle States. The same
system would, and did, for time, render
these lands very poor. The owners, how
ever, cav the error of their culture, and