The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-02-21
Th0uRhtS for the Month.

whenever the ground is dry-and only
then. II land has not been broken here
toforc, lay OFT o w and bed up now, with
Il view to reversing beds before planting
time. If his provisional bedding in ad-
vance was universally adopted, it would
prevent the formation of many q gally.
Defects in laying off rows could readily
be discovered and rcmedlcd whilst re-
bedding. But if lows are permanently
laid Oft ut first, Il manure put i'll defects
are never corrected again that year,, and,
by the end of the season, a permanent
wash is established. The proper time for
%rcbcdding is determidcd by nature Of
soil-if very light and sandy, it is best TO
do the work some time in advance Of
planting, to allow a settling and COM
pacting of the soil-othcrwise tho surface
dries off so rapidly, it becomes q 'tand,
particularly OF cotton. If tho land is
'stiti,' it is better to delay the operation
longer.
PUTTING IN MANURE.
This, of course, will be done whilst re-
bedding. BY ploughing out the water
furrow of the first bed very deep, the ma
nurc may be put in very deep also, if de-
sired. The proper depth is to be deter
mined by circumstances. In clay lands,
NIlClC UOlll lllC Soll t}ll vi L tAiAo
vorablc to early maturity Of cotton, it is
best to put manure in rather shallow, say
3 or t inches below tho surface. But
where there is no difficulty about the
crop maturing, if the land is broken deep,
it is we'll to put the fertilizer i'll still deep
er, as the crop is then less liable to be
burned up by it. Where. it is put in
deep, however, a small portion ought to
be deposited with the seed when planted
to push the crop forward at once. 1t is an
excellent plan to distribute manure, COW
or with two fnrrows, and finish bed just
before planting. This gives a clean bed
everywhere, unless it be a narrow strip
on the top, and that is clcansed in the act
of planting. Such a procedure gives Il
clear start of weeds and grass. Bulky
manures, as stable, farm yard, and com
post, should be applied first, to allow
time for their getting thoroughly wetted.
and for their more soluble portions to
diffuse themselves through the adjacent
soil. Commercial fertilizers may be put
in last, their small bulk requiring little
water to wet them thoroughly. There is
not much danger of teaching, except in
cases Of very light sandy lands, and
where is applied as u nitrate
this should never be applied long in ad-
vance of the crop which is to be fed on it.
the same remark applies to highly ammo
mated for the ammonia is con-
stantly disposed to change into nitrates.
PREPARATION FOR CORN.
Inasmuch as fertilizers adopted to corn
are highly ammoriated, it Is not good pol
icy to apply the larger portion of them in
advance of the planting. a little put Ill
drill and bcdued on, probably answers d
good purpose of making the young corn
Strong and vigorous, but All abundance OF
food, in the early stages of growth, ell
courayes the formation of too much stalk
"a tendency already too strong in our
hot climate and long summers. The lar
ger portion Of the manure applied at the
second working, or when tho corn is half
ley to knee high, seems to produce the
heaviest caring. At that stage, the corn
may be sided very closely without mate
rial damage, the spur or brace roots,
which form soon after, repairing any in
jury done, and taking up, as needed, the
manure last applied. We should be very
glad to have reports Of the big crops of
corn made last year-mode of manur-
ing, cultivation, &c.
SPRING OATS
If fall sown oats have been killed out
by tho cold, SOW over again or, If you
did not SOW enough then, put in more
now. Don't sow spring oats on poor
~land-unless you are willing to manure
them we'll. A good application OF stable
manure, or cotton seed meal. or the
crushed seed 600 lbs. to the acre. will in
sure a fair crop-so will 100 lbs. nitrate So
da, applied as a top dressing the latter
part Of March. If any of the phosphates
are used, the most highly ainmoniated
will be best-but none Of them are
as highly ammoniatcd as they ought
to be for a grain ~crop-thcy are ar
ranged to suit the wants Of cotton, not
grain. Peruvian guano and cotton seed
are much better adopted TO the latter.
CLOVER AND GRASS.
From tho 18th February to the 18th
March is the proper time to SOW clover
and'wintcr grasses, whether upon small
grain or by themselves. We repeat adj
vice often given, SOW a plenty of seed
clover 10 lbs. per acre, orchard grass, two
bushels, Herds and blue grass. II BUSH
ell each. Glover and orchard grass make
Il good combination, as they are ready to
NOW at the same time. Elegant pastures
of blue grass can be made at the South,
by thinning out the pines in old fields,
where the soil is naturally strong and
stiff burning off, sowing seed and lightly
narrowing them in. 1t may be done
either in spring or fall. None of the emil
tivatcd grasses grow we'll OH poor land
they require 4 soil as rich as that required
to make good wheat.
BERMUDA GRASS.
AS many are seeking information on
corning this grass, we devote a para
graph to it. The plant bears flowers in
this country, but does not perfect seed
hence must be propagated by portions
of its underground STEMS. AL that is
necessary, is to- drop pieces of these at
short intervals in burrows three feet apart
and list on them. BY the second year it
will be apt to take possession Of the
land. We would remind the inexperien-
ced that it is very difficult to eradicate,
and should only be put on land intended
for permanent pastures. In its place tits
very good, out Of its, place it is very bad.
BY far the best summer grass we have
aud an indispensable adjunct to sheep
raising
SWEET POTATOES.
Prepare a good large patch for potatoes.
Land rather dry is best. Lay off rows 4
to 5 feet apart, and put in a liberal supply
of woods earth and ashes. In the alb
sense of ashes, use 100 lbs, of kainit and
100 lbs OF ACID phosphate Win the WOODS
darth. Make low beds now-complete
them hereafter. Arrange to have a hot
bed or it's equivalent to enable you to
have slips ready by tho last of April.
Glass is desirable, but not indispensable
a supply of planks to W. at night
and in cold weather and to keep out raip
Is all that is necessary. Dig out, in a
sheltered place, a trench : feet wide,
(length to be determined by quantity OF
seed potatoes and 2 feet deep, and about
middle of March fill it to depth Of n
foot with u mixture Of stable n
and leaves-moisten these lightly and
tramp them moderately. Place upon this
a layer of rich, triable earth g inches
thick, then potatoes upon this, and cover
with same Kind of earth 4 inches deep.
Put on planks so as to keep out rain. BY
such arrangement, more available slips
can be obtained from given supply Of
seed, the first drawing being an extra
one az compared with. those obtained in
the usual method.
UPLAND RICE.
This is a valuable crop, and worthy. Of
more extended cultivation thun it has
received. With proper management, rice