The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1882-11-10
RED RUsT-PaooF OARS.
CoKEsBURY, S. c.. Oc,obc,

the subject of selling oats. That notice
gave me orders for my crop thrice over 10
less than twenty days. Willyou once more
please allow me a few words in your columns
upon the general subject of the oat crop,
which | wish to address to the farmers of
middle and lower South Carolina?
First, SOW the oat crop as early as pract-
cable, not later than 18th of October, and
preferable in September, if possible Ap-
parently inconsistent advice, for have not
yet sown half my own crop, nor can l SOW
until rain, for we have had no rain since
10th of September, and my land is like
pavement.
Second. Oat land should be as thorou IL
ly ploughcd and narrowed as If for cotton
or any other staple crop, and in January
or February following, wren the weather is
dry and the oats have begun to "stoop or
tillcr, from one hundred to one hund red
and fifty pounds of ammoniatcd phosrhatcs
should be broadcasted over each acre, aud
the land immediately scarifed with horse
harrow. The process will seem destructive,
but experience has shown that such a culti
vation is exceedingly beneficial to the crop
Third. There are three essentials to a
good seed oat. 1t should be rust-proof,
winter proof and weight. proof TO my mind
there is no value to be attached to color. A
bushcl octhc brightest red oats may be
sown in halves upon two qualities ofland-
red clay ard lightsandy. At harvest timo
the oats sown on the red clay land will DO
the darkest, some of the grains may indeed
be black. Those sown on the sandy land
will retain the bright color. Weigh them;
the red clay oats are the heaviest. For
this reason the farmer who cultivatcs sandy
land should change his seed annually. The
earlier sown oats too on the same quality of
land arc heavier when harvested than those
sown later.
Fourthly, and most vitally. Abbevlle
County has exported this year perhaps 300
600 bushel ofoats. Doubtless 200 600 BUSH
els have gone from the Abbcville farmer to
the low country farmer through the mcr-
chants of this and the other end of the line.
At whose cost, and to whose profit? III
grow 1000 bushels of oats for sale, and YOU
farmers Of Sumter or Orangcburg Counties
want to buy this many to sow, why should I
sell to merchant here to be sent to mcr.
chant there, both of whom make apro6t be-
fore you can SOW your crop? TO say that
merchant should not deal in oats is nonsense
His money is his own, let him buy and sell
what he pcases, and if he is shrcwd enough
to see profit in such traffic, it is his
privilege to take advantage Of it and
no one blam4s him. Surely do not
But when farmer needs seed to plant, and
knows that his fellow farmer grows such
seed for sale, wherefore the necessity of hav.
ing one, much less two men step in between
them and make net profit at the expense
of both Look at it thus. Twenty mer.
chants in Abbeville buy 200, 900 bushels of
oats at from 33c to 3Sc. per bushel and sell
at from 3Sc. to 4Oc. pc: bushcl, realizing an
average net profit ofonIy three cents per bush
el say, the aggregate profit is 81, 900, or $500
each in six weeks. The same profit is made
at the delivery end of the line. These Sl2,-
600 are taken from producers unnecessarily
Had this amount been retained hv them it
would perhaps have paid their taxes, and
tho DnprnbnptS could e. 4. a.
they were damaged to the amount of far.
thing.
But [ may be asked how l would remedy
the evil, if my complaint be just? BY the
easiest possible means. IF the farmers
were organized as they should be they would
have constant and and direct communication
with each other, and all such necessary
commercial transactions as the buying and
selling the pcrishable products Of the farm
or su. plying each other with seed and i'm
plcmcnts, could be done without paying a
heavy commission to third party.
Now | have advised to harrow small
grain, and already have been asked, "What
harrow would you advise me to use 2" If
l were to reply through your columns who
would reap the benefit ? l have gone to
considerable expense to secure the best har-
row, and only secured it by experience. TO
the farmers my experience would be nval-
liable; but the agent Of the harrow manuiac-
turer would be, perhaps, the first man to
profit by its publication, and as apt as not
he would be dry goods merchant or a
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