Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-03-13
ranges so as to have the smallest amount of

ranges 80 as to have the smallest amount of
money to pay out at the end Of the year, wheth-
er for debt or for the needs of family and farm,
is clearly the wisest man. tt.st :.,..r
To apply these general considerations to de-
| tails The cotton crop is the most danger
ous-it involves greater outlay for labor,
plough-stock, ploughs and fertilizers than all
Others and unfortunately, when the crop sue
ceeds best, it's very success proves disastrous
in lowering the market price. We have no
hesitation then in urging reduction in the
area devoted to it. By selecting the best spots
of land and making the home gathered ma
nure go farther by the addition of small guam
titles of commercial fertilizers, good crop,
one ample enough for all the legitimate pur-
poses of a money crop, may be raised with
great reduction in the cost OF production as
compared with former years. - .-----..-..-..
In the next place on such land as is suited to
the corn crop-and only such-it should be
pushed farther than has been customary since
the war. Every spot Of valley land should be
utilized-rich, deeply broken upland allotted
to it, and if thin land only can be had, it
should be most thoroughly ploughed and well
manured. To plant corn Oh poor, shallow
ploughed, unmanured upland is poor ecOnO-
my-it will not pay The poorer portions Of
the farm not embraced in the above allotments,
may very protitably be set aside for peas
either to be sown broadcast or cultivated in
drills if circumstances will permit. OF course
it is not intended in the above arrangements to
exclude such valuable crops as the sweet pota-
to, chufas, ground-peas, grasses, clover, &c.
They should be amply provided for, as sound
economy calls for a decided increase of the
area devoted to them. They are the most val
liable in themselves and call for small Outlays
of labor and money and involve comparatively
little risks. With these general hints, we
leave the matter with the reader, to decide for
himself what is best in his particular case.
IMPROVING CoTToN SEED.-The planter in
tent on having only the BEST selects the most
promising bolls that open before frost. For
prOductiveness these are taken from the plants
which boast Of the greatest number Of perfect
bolls; for quality, care is observed to secure
the bolls which disclose the finest and sOftest
or longest and strongest of staple. This is
ginned separately from the remainder of the
crop, and after ginning the seed is sorted over
that it may be freed from all blasted, imper-
fectly formed and not fully developed speci-
MEMS 1t is then carefully stored in shed or
loft, where the air has free access, to prevent
fermentation and insure it against becoming
in any way damaged previous. to planting
time. While the variety Of seed employed is
of great Importance, even more SO IS its con-
dition at planting time. Seed that has been
exposed to winter rains in a great pile near
the gin house, as is frequently the practice, is
almost certain to become heated by fermenta-
tion, and it's terminating power largely, if not
entirely, destroyed. Planters i'll localities
where the lands are not propitious to the i'm
provement of cotton, find that it is economy
in the end to secure seed from cotton raised
where the soil is peculiarly fitted to this sta
pie, as, for instance, if improved varieties Of
upland cotton are desired, obtain seed grown
in the vicinity of Vicksburg. If long staple
or sea island cotton is the choice, seed from
plants grown OH the coast of South Carolina,
especially in the vicinity south of Charleston,
will I've found among the best. Experience
has proved that success in the Improvement OF
cotton seeds depends much upon locality as
well as care i'm cultivation.