The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-08-14
Thoughts for the Month.

! ground during this month being general
" dry and hard, everything should be in
readiness to speed the ploughs whenever
a shower of rain falls. Have ploughs
sharpened, gear put in order and every
thing ready to hitch up at q moments
notice. Stop at once everything else
which interferes, as soon as rain comes.
Glover, turnip, rye and barley land needs
to be put in finest tilth by the middle of
September, and there is no time to lose.
Plough, cross-plough, harrow and drag
whenever the land is in order. Haul
out manure stable or compost) at once,
so that no mule will be kept out of the
plough after rain falls. Some farmers
seldom fail to get these crops started in
good time-others fail oftener than they
succeed, and the cry is "bad luck" no
rain, whilst the truth is, good or bad
| management is at the bottom of it all.
One looks we'll ahead and makes his ar
rangements accordingly-the other looks
little beyond the end of his nose, and is
never ready when the golden moment
arrives.
We publish in this number a very
timely article from the experienced gar
dener, Mr.. Peter Henderson, on .tirming
the soil as means of encouraging the
termination and growth of seeds in dry
weather. We have repeatedly noticed
facts such rs he describes in our own ex-
perieuce, and have for years adopted the
plan of pressing small seeds down in the
drill, either by foot or with the edge of a
thick plank. The past spring, in plant
ing some corn when the earth was quite
dry, we had the droppers step upon the
grains as they dropped them, and the re-
suit was one of the best stands Of corn
we ever had. In broad casting seed, the
"frming" can only be done by passing g
heavy roller over the land after the seed
are ploughed, narrowed or brushed in-a
practice long and heartily advocated by
the best farmers in grain and grass grow
ing countries.
Our readers will not be offended if we
urge upon them to devote quite large
area to fall crops-a country afflicted
with such disastrous summer droughts as
visit us, ought to push winter crops to
the utmost. These crops are also COM
mended to US by the comparatively small
amount of labor they require-the plant
ing and the gathering sum up the whole.
A farmer within our knowledge, by SOW
ing four acres to the mule in oats, made
this year Notwithstanding the dry
spring) enough oats to feed each mule Z
months without other grain or forage,
and an abundance for seed purposes in
addition. Suppose every farmer in the
South had done likewise, how little corn
would suffice to bridge over another year.
If it has not been done, and the supply
of food is too short to last till next years
crops are laid by, what then-buy West
ern corn! By no means-begin at once
to take steps to supply the deficiency by
home grown crops. First give the peas
already planted, all the working needed
to make a full crop, and, when made,
gather and store away in the huA, to be
fed in that state. Where the crop does
not promise fair yield of seed, cut the
vines and cure them; if mixed with
grass so much the better. If roofing can
be had, cure in rail or pole pens, making
floor of same or s inches above the
ground, putting in layer of green vines
2 feet thick, then another floor, then
vines, and SO on, as high as desired. If
roofing cannot be had, put stout stack
poles securely in the ground and, begin
ming 18 inches from the ground, nail on
cross pieces or arms, decreasing in length
as you 60 upwards, and standing off in
every direction like the limbs of tree.
Make an open rail floor one foot from
the. e.ground and build up stack with the
green vines, shaping and Gaping it so as
to shed rain. An old field pine if con-
veniently situated can be trimmed, leav-
ing the large part of its limbs as arms,
and answer quite as we'll as the stack
pole. The green vines arranged in
either of above ways, will soon shrink,
and being unable to settle down into a
compact mass, on account of the inter-
vening rails or on account of the arms or
limbs, will cure beautifully; and being
unexposed to the sun will retain their
leaves.
In addition to pea vines, cut and save
all the crab or other grass to be found.
Where long scythes cannot be used las
in corn felds) get the short stout blades,
known as "bush" blades mot "hooks")
and set them more at right angles on the
snath than you would regular grass
blade. They can be made (if sharp) to
do very good work in tall tangled grass.
Cut down also and cure in shocks, all
the stalks of corn which have not pro-
duced ears-do this as early as possible.
So much for material already on hand.
Now for crops that may be planted and
utilized early next season.
Clover stands at the head of the list
red clover in strong clay and limestone
soils; crimson, California or burr clover
in all soils if rich. The last two are an
nuals-planted next month they will
flower and produce seed next spring and
then die. For feed early in the spring,
they are probably to be preferred to red
clover, unless one had contemplated SOW
ing the latter for other reasons. The
California clover is not always relished
by stock at first, they must be taught to
eat 1.-THE crimson is fully as palatable
to them as red clover. Put the land in
good tilth, manure heavily with stable
manure, crushed cotton seed or cotton
seed meal and 100 or $50 lbs. of super
phosphate per acre-and SOW of crimson
clover Is pounds per acre, of Califarnia
clover 3 or bushels per acre (the seed
of the latter being in the BURR and har-
row or brush in and then roll. BY the
first of March, or possibly earlier, you
can cut and feed to stock. We do not
recommend lucerne in an emergency,
such as now under consideration, because
it is when young more delicate than the
above plants, and more uncertain the
| first season.
The next in value is barley-admirable
both for grazing and soiling-early and
Misunderstanding also matured grain
for stock feed earlier than any other crop
we can grow. Can be harvested in May,
from 8 to 4 weeks earlier than oats. The
threshed grain, soaked in water or
crushed in the mill, makes excellent
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