The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-05-16
Views of a Young Farmer.

Will you permit a young and expe-
ricl,ced farmer, through the columns
Of the Southern C'ultirdt0r. to exchange
views with some Of your older and
more experienced contributors, al
though I work on n small scale, and
my ideas may be very commonplace.
! desire to see prosperity among our
farmers, SO | will give you Il few lines
as to my notions Of farming. King
cotton still continues To sit on his
Throne, the "mOrarcll of nations" etc.
My notion about planting it on Il small
scale, with clay land, H. to manure very
highly only y few acres to the horse,
say about ten, break it up thoroughly
twice or thrice with a turn plough,
harrow after each blowing, lay off the
rows four fectapart, manure heavily in
the drill with compost manure. l
think that leaf loan, stable manure
and cotton seed vastly superior TO any
of the commercial fertilizers, and GER
tainly much cheaper for III poverty
! stricken Southern farmers, although
where the land is liable to rust, l be-
lieve kainit as Il preventive. should be
used. Throw upa high bed and cover
with Il Thomas harrow, single section ;
before the cotton comes up run the har-
row with the rows. When ready to be
chopped run across it with the harrow,
then bar it Off with turn plough and
fender; after ch"pping run the harrow
with the row again, then continue
working with sweep or scrnper Till lalh
by. This mode of cultivation saves
great expense in lOeing, and more il
made on ten acres with less work ami
expense than twenty acres worked in
the old way.
Our farmers will soon find that there
is no money in rOtt0n, with negro Ia
hor, unless worked as l have stated
fewer acres to the horse and the using
of more home made fertilizers. When
cotton is plOughed The last time then
oats should he Sowed, which gives the
farmer stubhIe land every year for cot
ton, and oats are sOwn with little ar no
expense, and the result is a larger and
finer yield of this grain. My motto Is
LESS cotton and more oats" Rcgnrd-
ing corn, I have only This to say a:
Do not plant your bottom land too
early. After oats are cut. which is
generally about the last Of May, break
the land thoroughly with u small
wing plough, harrow well and lay OF
the rows six feet apart. corn three feet
in the drill. having manfred with COT
ton seed and stable manure, throw two
burrows OF it with wing plough, then
harrow. Just As ii comes up harrow
again either across or with the row ;
plough the middles out we'll with Il
wing plough, when the second plough
ing Is given. Sow outs and lay the
corn by with Il scrape or sweep.
On Il farm, whether large or small,
the cultivation of sweet POTATOES should
not he neglected. No less Il an two
acres of this crop should be planted.
Besides supplying the family table
nothing is SO fattening for hogs and
young pigs, and they arc fal better food
for cows than turnips. With swec po-
tatoes ] have always been especially
successful. Tie land must he thol-
oughIy broken up in February and
laid off in Ows three and Il half feet
apart, running twice in a row with a
long shovel plough. Fill the furrow
! with pine straw. Throw two furrows
on it with Il wing plough. Let il lie
until ready to set out The plants, then
bed il up and run over the bed with a
harrow. After planting the first work.
ing must be done with a Thomas har-
row by running with the row; the
next working plough out with 4 shovel
and then with a sweep until laid by.
My plan for keeping sweet POTATOES
all winter is to build apem witllina pen,
leaving q space of six inches between
the two pens which should be well
filled with saw dust, letting the roof OF
the outside pen be higher than that of
the inside pen. which is packed with
straw or saw dust between the two
roofs. OF course Il small door must be
cut in both pens, having it well sealed
on each side to prevent the saw dust
falling out. Lay a thick bed Of straw
on the ground before putting in the
potatoes. BY this means u hundred
or more bushels may be preserved all
winter.
EDWARD j.. JONES,
HIychcid &. II. S. c.