Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-04-11
The farm and fireside.
From the Southern Cultivator.
THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL.

THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL.
PITCHING CRoPs.-This very important
matter will be virtually decided during this
month. On Southern farms, the chief con-
test is between cotton and provision crops.
For years past, cotton has generally carried
the day-other crops, however, have been
gaining little upon it, and we hope will gain
still more the present year. No rejecting
person would advise the abandoning Of cotton
as leading crop but all rnust see the abso'
Lutte Importance Of keeping it within bounds.
As general money crop We know none equal
to it as an exclusive, dominating crop, it is
excelled by none in its baieful influence on
farm and farmer. 1t exhausts the vegetable
matter of the soil, leaving it poor and worn
and quilted, and makes its owner equally poor,
careworn and full of wrinkles. Occupying
its proper place in we'll adjusted rotation, it
is an admirable cleanser, eradcating foul
growth, and serving rs we'll as clean fallow
for grain of every kind. -,
But the temptation to plant too much cotton
is very strong, and we warn our readers to
guard against it, Money is valuable simply
from its purchasing power-but if we have
or make what we need, where is the use for
money or for the cotton which brings money !?
Let US get back as near as possible to the
good old times when the farm was quite q
complete little world in itself, producing al
most everything needed by the family. Our
older readers can remember the time, when
two or three merchants in a village did all the
business required by populous county. At
present there are almost as many merchants
and clerks as there are farmers! Then, far
mers were the lords of the land-now the mer-
chants reign and the land mourns. But how
did the merchants obtain such power? OBJ
viously by the unwise policy pursued by far
mers after the war, of buying so largely Of
things they could have made at home. Buy !!
buy! buyl has been our motto. and debt |!
debt ! debt has followed hard after it. For
heavens sake, let US stop buying so much,
and thereby force our good friends, the mer.
chants, into the nobler field Of agriculture.
In answer to the oft repeated question, chow
to keep the boys on the farm" we say, stop
buying every ything, and thereby close up four.
ffthsaof the stores in the land. So far as we
are informed, there was not even one store in
paradise.
1t is hardly necessary to caution any, but
the inexperienced, against over cropping.
Never put in larger crop than you can man.
age we'll, if May and June should both prove
wet months A small crop we'll cultivated,
will make more than large one half worked.
An eye should be had also both in the prepa-
ration and mode Of planting to facility of af
ter.workings. A bed too low, makes the first
workings of cotton, when the plant is small,
very difficult bed too high renders it
equally inconverient to dirt the cotton during
the later stages Of growth and leave the sur
face nearly level at laying by. Study care
fully and procure in time the ploughs best
adapted to cultivating the crops. Economic
ing labor should be the paramount consider
alton, and this is to be accomplished chiefly
by making the plough do as much and the hoe
as little as possible.
PLANTING CoRN.-It is best to plant just
as soon as the danger of frost is over-the
later it is done, the greater the danger of not
getting "stand" promptly, because the win
ter supply of moisture is exhausted very rap
idly as spring advances, and the earth is apt
to get too dry. If planting is deferred till
late, the safest and best plan, is to open fur
row, SOW seed, list on it with two furrows, and
afterwards knock of. When we'll done, this
is the surest method of securing "stand." :"
Early plantings, on clean smooth land, may
be very we'll done with "planter." Run a
harrow in advance to remove clods and fresh
en- the surface. On rough land open furrow
with small, short scooter and cover with
harrow. The harrow is much better than
"board''-the ground is very apt to bake
after board.
The vigor of the young plants is much in
creased by rolling the seed or mixing with
them small quantity of fertiliaer-a little
Peruvian guano, or highly ammoniated phos-
phate, or mixture of one.fourth s.cid phos.
phate and three-fourths land plaster, or ashes
and plaster, half and half, will answer. Be
careful not to use acid phosphate undiluted,
or in large quantity-it will destroy the vi.
tality of the seed.
Low ground corn should be attended to as
soon as cotton is planted. Bed up high when
the land is wet and disposed to remain so du.
ring the summer, and retain the beds through
the season. Dry bottoms may be cultivated
the same as uplands, but it will be found more
convenient and economical to plant in checks.
In narrow bottoms run the rows obliquely
across it will give them greater length.
When planting in drills, open these wide and
deep, gather up all the old cornstaks aud lay
them in-they will then serve as manure in
addition to being entirely out of the way.
DRILL Corn AND GERMAN MILLET may
also be sown as soon as cotton planting is over.
To get the best returns, make the land erces.
sipely rich, and SOW in drills eighteen inches
to two feet apart, so as to give at least one
good working. If sown by the first Of May
these crops are more apt to escape drought
than if sown later, though successive sowings
may be made through the summer.
SWEET PoTAToEs.-Have ground ready
(freshly plowed) to set out slips as soon as
ready-the early crop is the surest. Plant
great many-it is, or should be, the great crop
Of the South-holdng position similar to-
turnips in British husbandry. By bringing
the tubers to the surface with plow, without
any handling, they could be consumed by
sheep through the months of October, No.
vember and December, in all localities south
of latitude 80 degrees. Portions should be
successfully plowed up, and hogs allowed to
CLEAN after the sheep.
GROUND PEAS AND CHUFAs should also
be planted before the end of the month-the
former in hills three feet apart each way-the
latter in drills feet apart, hill every IL
inches Manure ground peas with mixture
of any vegetable matter (fence corner scra.
pings, woods earth, &C., with lime-and chu-
fas with any kind of manure you may have
Sweet potatoes. peas, chufas, ground peas and
native fruits constitute the basis of successful
pork raising at the South. Iu this connection
we suggest that the hogs be looked after and