The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-05-11

Manures and Flowing.
BY JOHN II. DENT.

ANY farmer who stables eight
head of horses, and pens ten head
of cattle, and owns sheep and hogs
in proportion, and will hire an ac-
tive hand by the year as lot man
and stock man, and TO perform no
other labor but the collecting and
heaping the manures, and to litter
| the lots, etc, will make sufficiency
of manures, provided a proper rO-
tation Of the crops are observed, as
we'll as to SOW clover on your fields
as will enrich a farm of 200 cultiva-
table acres, without having to buy
these commercial fertilizers. 1t is
as much part of a farmers duty to
make manures, as it is to make his
fencing, cultivate his crops and
house them. This modern mania
for fertilizers is only q speculation
inaugurated by cotton planters, to
make heavy yields of cotton at the
expense of everything else; it's one
Of these manias that will have its
day and time, and then phiz out.
Farming proper, that is, mixed
crops, consisting of corn, wheat,
oats, potatoes, peas and grass and
clover, enables one to do much for
preserving and improving the lands
by rotation, as well as by turning
under clover and stubble. The adj
vantages are much greater than
with the planter who plants only
corn and cotton crops; hence, as
above remarked, with the amount
of stock named, and hand to at
tend to the collection Of manures as
a speciality, for 200 acre farm,
bought manureS are unnecessary
all required can be made on the
farm.
My crop on a 200 acre farm
would be, corn, 60 acres; wheat, 60;
oats, %; cotton, 20; potatoes, s.;
grass and clover, Bottle rotation
system strictly adhered to, and the
twO-horse pillow used for breaking up
the ground with.
Much has been said in favor of
cultivating with sweeps, but it is a
pillow l could never admire. | used
them when a cotton planter, and
they destroyed young grass by
wholesale murder, but on broken
lands the lands washed away very
rapidly after them, and on fat
lands they became compact by
heavy rains. Iprefer the iron tooth
harrow as a cultivator; they leave
the middle in better condition than
the sweep. l am satisfied in my
own mind we have not yet the
right implement in cultivating, to
break out the middles with; some
thing is wanted that is light, thor
ough and expeditions.
l am for four feet rows. 1t is
presume, a difference of
opinion, based on a successful expe-
rience of the two; but with the mar
row system, the harrow answers an
excellent purpose after the second
blowing, and | can make more corn
and as large cared corn as any man
can on the and row width. But |
am in favor Of any system that one
succeeds best at. The great error
in our farming is the want of thor
Ough blowing in the fall and win
ter. We stick too much t. the old
One-hOrse pillow, with which we can
not break up our lands as they
should be broken; hence, our spring
work is s. hard, and drouth affects
our crops so materially. On my
farm there is a striking instance of !
it. During the winter / broke up the |
poorest land in a field of,siXty acres
twenty acres with the Brinly No. |
plow, with two horses attached;
he balance Of the field was broken
Up with one-hOrse scooter plows,
breaking, at least, eight inches
leep. (The scooters used were the
'quare-pOint scOoters.) L planted
he whole field, 90 acres, in corn
hat spring. At least six bushels
more corn was made to the acre on
he land broken up with the Brin-
y pillow, and all was planted and at
ended alike. Remember, the part
broken with the Brinly plOws was
he poorest land. The next fall | h
owed the field in wheat, and the
Wheat on that twenty acres was at
east one third better than that on
he rest of the field, and sowed and
managed alike. can account for
in no other way, except it having
zen thoroughly broken up with
arge twO-horse plows, and turning
nder a heavy coat of grass and
ther litter, has caused the differ
nee. As such, if we expect to
arm successfully, we must use
roper plows and pillow thoroughly;
not, manure and fine seed will
vail but little. The pillow and
borough blowing must be the be,
inning to make fine crops and ben
fit the land.