The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-01-17
AGRICULTURE,

. HINTS ON NDRAINAGE.-But,it It VIII DO
asked, How Shall l know whether my
lands need drainingy How shall |
know whether tho draining will pay
for its expense? 1Ou may know this
by the poor or unsatisfactory crops
You now raise; by their suffering In a
wet time, also IN drouth; by the land
being wet late In the spring before it
can be put In; by Its taking long to dry
back you will know whether this is the
case with all your land, or with part of
1t. You may be helped In your think
Ing by comparing your soil with river
or brook soil All this will help. But
there Is better way chan all, and 1t Is
always reliable. Dig hole two and
half or three feet drop; a foot hole will
answer, and Is an excellent way where
you build post fence to determine.
If water settles in tho bottom lin u dry
time, you need no better evidence, your
land then needs draining, AMI will pay
for 1t in better crops in from two to
four years, the post hole is u sure test.
According to the rise of the water in
1t will be the necessity of drainage and
the benefit resulting from 1t. ~ little
explanation here Is necessary. One or
two holes arc not sufficient for 4 test
unless the soil Is uniformly charged
with water. Land that sccT.s dry
enough (clay soiD, yet doesn't act sht, !,
ns we have shown, should be tested in
different parts Of the field, as often in
such soil there arc seems where gravel
or loam prevails, and If the test Is made
here there will OF course be no water,
whereas ten feet from where water
may show. Sometimes, in fencing Il
field, half the holes have water; some
times the number Is less, sometimes
more. Whatever the nature Of tho soil
the pOst-hOles with tell. The test can
be made almost any limo, if tho ground
is not frozen too deep, even III a moist
time If not saturated. The best time is
in tho fall, but may be done in the wip-
ter If tho season Is not too severe. Re-
member, the drainage will at once take
place, as soon rs the ditch is dug: and
| in the spring you will have dry land, ,
lit to- plow or SOW ,and almosttwo weeks
earlier Ii you have no time or means
to ditch largely, test a little. Dig the
holes In the different fields or places,
where you wish to test, If the water
settles in, dig tew' bitches about ten
yards apart, and three feet. docp. Four
feet would be better but three will do
Tor test. Get somebody to show you
how to lay the drain who understands
it, If you do not know yourself. Re-
member it must be done we'll, or 1t
might AZ well not be done. A closed
drain is just no drain at all. .|.
WHEN TO SAVE SIZED CoRN.-A sure
way TO have good seed corn is to 20 in
to your corn fields before we have our
corn killing frosts III the fall, and by
taking the earliest rlpcmng ears you
will, by following it up year after year,
have corn that will mature earlier if
you gather your seed before the cob is
we'll dried. Don't pile 1t up in close
room to heat and spoil. for if seed is
thoroughly heated il will not germin.
ate or grow. have picked seed corn
from corn that WAS just out Of the milk
or Iii for boiling corn, 3uu rieted il up
and hung il up in the loft Of my grau-
cry, and also spread il out thin on 4
cattoid, and never had any trouble
about its growing. To be sure, ii will
shrink or dry W. but IL DOES not hurt
ana II you Try ii you viii ind, If j. il
picked before il is thvgcughiy ripe
that II vii! come up stronger anl have
better color than If left until dead
| ripe, and the kernel will sooner roI aud
the birds ana cut worms will not both.
er 1t near so long. Ii takes q little
more time TO go into the field snd look
1t up before husking time, but il will
pay you TO do ii. 1t has paiG me.
generally pick the seed about the mid
die Of September in Ccn'ral Iowa
| THE necessary stems toward an I'M