The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-02-03

feeding stock and for manure. Contra v
to widespread belief, the oil has very
little value as manure. At present prices
Tor which seed are bought and cake and
hulls sold, farmer would lose quite
heavily. We see from the New Orleans
Democrat OF recent date, which contains
full and interesting account of the cot
ton seed oil industry in that city, that
the net price Of cotton seed to the farmer
at present is from $3.50 to 800 q ton.
From that ton he should buy back / 900
pounds OF hulls and $50 pounds of cake,
when are the quantities respectiv ly
yielded by ton of seed. At the mills
at present prices, these would cost him
1000 pounds hulls, at 800 ton. SO. SO
1901 pounds of cake, at $4,000 ton. $50
Total. .......s..... 81 90
That is to say, he has to pay 90 at
the mills For the same manurial elements.
that he sold for 800. From the farm
er's standpoint, it is clear that the price
paid for cotton seed is too low, or those
for hulls and cake too high. With a
proper adjustment Of these, the oil mills
would be a great and very profitably inc
dustry to the country. At present they
are very doubtful blessings. Not only
do the farmers sell seed and buy
cake lose by the operation, but in point
of fact the greater portion of the cake
made is sold to British and Northern
farmers for stock feed, and q regular
drain upon the fertility of our fields is
being constantly made.
The increasing appreciation O Il utili-
Zatlon OF cotton seed as a manure, not
only for grain, but in conjunction with
| phosphate for cotton also marks a very
decided advance in the system of chem
ical farming during the last ten years.
In addition to his advocacy of chemical
fertilizers, Mr.. Dickson was very largely
| instrumental also in introducing the
'swecp" as an implement Of cotton cul-
ture, for economizing labor. Modifica-
tions of it in the shape of "heel scrapcs"
have since been made, and "cultivators."
walking and riding (embodying the same
idea as that underlying the sweep, to-
wit shallow and broad surface furrows)
are rapidly bring introduced. Chemical
and mechanical improvements have thus
kept abreast, and cotton Gu ture has
reached a degree of perfection little
dreamed OF twenty years ago. In this
| connection we must not fai to mention
the great improvement in cotton seed,
brought about by judicious selection and
breeding. 1t is no mean factor in the
production Of the extraordinary cotton
crops recently made. We point to these
large crops as an illustration of how
much can be done in agriculture by ear
nest, well-dirccted, persistent effort, gui-
dcd by intelligence and aided by science.
1t enlivcns and stimulates our hopes fer
the future of agriculture. What has
been done for cotton can be done for
other crops alSo. 1t only remains for !
our farmers to realize and feel the i'm
portancc Of raising other crops, and SIM
liar results may confidently be antici-
pated.
Another marked feature Of progress,
in the last decade, has been the cxten-
sivc substitution Of oats for corn, as
stock feed. This is prc-cminently move
in the right direction. Oats require less
labor than corn. Oats are made by the
winter ralns-corn is cut off by the
droughts of summer. Oats arrest the
washing away of the soil and supply it
with humus, n matter of the very first
| importance in q cotton country-corn
does neither, but helps on the loss Of soil.
A rotation of cotton and oats, following
each other IN regular succession, is an
admirable one in every respect; we can
suggest none better for the cotton States.
And rs January is an excellent month
Tor sowing oats, we urge the reader to
SOW down in oats II large part Of his cot
ton fields, which have been run down by
long and continuous cotton culture.
But we must stop-the subject is too
extended for a single article. Allow us
to add, that having perfected cotton cul
ture to a degree that it is almost impos
sible to pick the crop that can be made,
let us now direct our energies in smi,
lar manner to perfecting our food crops.
This is q ur great need, this is the weak
point in our lture.-Southcrn Cul
tiyat0r.