The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-05
Plant Peas.

Were our farmers in the habit of pre-
pairing their oat land as we'll as they do
their cotton land, we would feel sure that
the past light harvesting had barely paid
the expenses of preparation; but usually
the oat crop is thrown in as that much
extra, and making much or little is in a
majority of instance considered as just so
much gain. After a while we will learn
that this crop deserves more attention,
and the more care bestowed upon it the
better it remunerates the farmer.
There may be, however, many of our
readers who sowed their oats in good
land, and who prepared the land
thoroughly before sowing the grain.
Such men feel that they have not been
repaid by the light crop just harvested.
To all such men we say, you need not
grumble, for there is ample time to get a
fine net income from that very land if
YOU have time to cultivate it. The recent
continued rains have prepared the stubble
fields beautifully for second crop, and
nothing will pay better now than peas.
The speckled pea, known as the whoo-
perwill, and the shiney pea will make a
crop if planted by the middle or last of
July if it gets seasons in due time after
it is up. The COW pea will mature if
sown by the first of July, and the red
stock pea will grow an bundance OF for
age if it does not mature before frost.
Now if the grass is pushing the cotton
planter, land doubtless they all now wish
the day was forty-eight hours long, he
will not have the time to prepare the
stubble land thoroughly before planting
his peas, and, therefore, must chit it a
lick and PROMISE" SO he should simply
run scooter burrows about thirty inches
apart, drop four or five peas every foot,
and cover with two scooter furrows. If
the ground is in good season, the crop
will be up and ready for a working be-
fore the season is out of the ground.
The middles ("bawks") should then be
broken out by deep and close ploughing,
and ten days after the crop should be
carefully hoed. AS soon as the grass be-
gins to Show itself after that, two sweep
furrows should be run between the rows
of peas. Possibly the crop may need
three burrows. At any rate, it should be
left clean, for this is the "laying by"
working. If the seasons prove tavora-
BILE, the growth of the crop will astonish
the planter.
Some farmers prefer sowing peas broad
cast. We do not. To SOW broadcast re-
quires too much ploughing, just at the
time when it is difficult to spare the
teams from the summer crops long
enough even to lay off the burrows and
cover the seed. And broadcast sowing
will seldom produce as much forage, and
rarely ever as many peas as the drilled
| culture.
If it is proposed to convert this crop
into "roug ghage," that is provender for
stock, the vines should be cut with a
grass blade just when the first peas begin
to ripen and before the whole crop is
ripe. If the peas are to be picked, or if
the crop is to be given to hogs, the peas
should not be picked nor the hogs turned
| on the crop till the peas are all ripe. 1t
the crop is to be turned under as a manu-
ring, the plough should be started just
when the bulk of the crop is turning yel-
low and before the leaves begin to drop
off. Except crab grass nothing is more
difficult to turn under with a plough
than pea vines, and the best plough for
the purpose we have ever used, even on
level land, is the hillside turning plough.
Just how much forage an acre of peas
and pea vines, cultivated as above, will