Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-06-16
TheOat Crop.
A GooD FARMER INTERvIEwED-PRAc
TIcAL Views OF w. r.. WALTON, ESQ
EFtom the Hdgefield Advertiser I

T.,
Question, Are tho farmers generally
cheerful and contented?
.Apswer,-No. The great complaint
among the planters is hard times.
@. Why do they complain?
A. Because they spend so much time
Hauling supplies from tho depot can't make
enough to live on at home; and they will
lav the blanc on dry weather last year, bad
luck, 60, and will state dozen things but
the right one.
9. What is the real dificulty2
A. TO toll you tho truth, the fault is in
themselves. Numbers of farmers who
were raised and died on plantation, never
knew what it took to make crop. Too
mapysof our good citizens work but little,
nnda think. less; and such farming will
always fail. ptops! .,t. rre5aqI
Q, Well, sir, are not many Of our lands
in Edge6old quite poor?
A. No, sir; there is no land so poor but
thaE if properly managed, will make plenty
of Corn, oats, or cotton-our main orops
QtYour'land, l remember, was once
oonhidered very poor, and they said cotton
would, always rust on it; how have you
managed to mako such fine crops on it2
A Yes, elk years ago I bought farm
thatwas considered worn out, too poor. to
livesson, and | was laughed at by somo of
myEneighbors for moving on O place to
starye. The cotton would rust, and the
land would make four hundred pounds of
seed cotton to the acre, from Eve to eight
bushels Of corn to the acre and say ten
bushelS,of oats per acre. When I moved
on Ma place, used tho first year about 200
or ff, fho
averaged Sfix hundred pounds seed cotton,
ten bushels of corn or ten bushels of oats
per acre.
@. Did you consider that fair yield?
A. &Why mo, sir; no living in that! So
the second year, sowed down the land
had planted in cotton, used 200 pounds
Soluble Pacific Guano to the acre on cotton,
worked it we'll, and made 900 pounds of
seed cotton on the land latoly sowcd down
in oats. also put about ten bushels of
cotton seed aud rs pounds Of guano per
acre under corn, and gathered an average
OF twenty bushels per acre; and my oat
crop yielded about twenty bushels to the
acre. :" =" % ~ -
Q. What is your opinion in regard to
aowirg land down in oots?
: a. That is one Of the great secrets of
success with planter. I have been cow.
ing my land every other year. SOW down
half of my land every year, following the
next year with cotton mostly, as l have
not needed much corn for the last few
years. 4.
O.. Do you think guano pays?
"A. 1t certainly does, where your land
hos lot OF vegetable matter in it and is
worked we'll, Guano, like sugar in coffee
BToetens up tho vegetable food for the plant
and pushes it forward to an early maturity
but with ,the slip shod, careless way in
which most farmers uso guano, doubt il
they find it very profitable.
y. WhatHwill make good vegetable food
for lana2 s&
"a. Cotton seed is great manure,
have been using about rs bushels of cotton
seed'with from 80 to 100 pounds of euano
to the acre, and l gather about twelve
hundred pounds seed cotton per acre
twenty i've bushels of corn or rs to &c
bushols oats.
Q. Wien do you consider the best time
to SOW oats? %a,.
A. Well, I have sowed oats that wer,
too forward in tho Spring, and got killed
IN tfhlee.sboot, but it grew up again. J. sowot
someln December last year, and gathered
50 bushels to tho aoro.ss,
u Does your cotton still take tho rust
IN a. No. For the last two years my Ian,
VIII not give cotton the rust and I assig,
this as reason: l manage to work in
heavy coat Of stubble every timo | sow tn
hndI--weeds, grass, straw, &c., and besides
! never let my stock run on my stubbl
% lands. They eat,up all the weeds, grass
H and other vegetation, and consider thi
sort Of stuff more valuable than litter ou
of the woods, aud more than that atoc
should not walk on land and pack it togethe
it kills the soil and makes it rough to worl
The changing of my land and always Civ
lug itplehty Of vegetable food, has cure
IL nf fha rIak