Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1883-02-22
THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH.
rSouthern Cultiyator.


Courosr.-Ons Of the first
things to be looked after now is
the compost heap. Where acid,
phosphates and other chemicals
are composted with cotton seed
and stable manure, it is often rec
commended to put them in alter
mating layers; this does pretty well,
but sometimes the phosphate will
cake and become difficult to pull
verize and mix with the other in
gradients, when the heap is cut
down-a better plan is to mix all
the ingredients thoroughly at the
start; no caking will then take
place, and, moreover, the acid
phosphate being in close contact
with the cotton seed and manure
all the time, will rot and disinte-
CRATE them more thoroughly than
when the several substances are IN
separate layers. Of course the
mass must be well wetted and
tramped to insure proper fermen.
tation and escape fre-fanging.
Touching proportions it may be
safely said, That where phosphates
are freely used, Gas they should beg
there is little danger of a farmer
having too much manure or cotton
seed to mix with them. For cot
ton, we have found six bushels
each Of cotton seed and stable ma
nure to one hundred pounds of
acid phosphate, a very good mix
ture; but half those quantities of
the first two, would be very much
better than none at all. II the
materials are well mixed when the
heap IS put up, it is not necessary
to tear it down till ready to be
hauled to the field; then it should
be cnt down vertically, to correct
any defect in the first mixing. The
heap should not exceed four feet
in height; if made with perpendicu-
lar sides, it is not necessary to
roof it; rains will only keep it
moist enough, the constant ten
dency of a heap being to get dry.
A layer of rich earth, three or four
inches thick, on the top, is all the
covering that is necessary.
PLowING STuBBLE LAND.-It is
customary to break stubble land
early iii winter-the practice is
good ; it saves time in the spring,
and such lands are less liable than
others to run together and become
injured by heavy spring rains.
There is an additional reason for
the practice ; vegetable matter,
especially, the hard, woody stems
of weeds, take time to rot and
yield up carbonic acid (gastric acid
Of plants) and plant food. Plowed
early, then, weeds have time to
rot and their products to act upon
the unavailable substances in the
soil and change them into available
food for the coming crop. This
they could not do, if plowed IL
just IS the crop is planted.
As very heavy rains are liable to
fall within the next two months,
have an eve to them, and see that
old bitches are well opened, and
new ones made where needed.
Bear in mind that a ditch should
be cut, not with reference to ordi-
nary or moderate, but to excessive
rains /; the latter do nine-tenths of
the injury. Old hillside bitches
may be quickly and inexpensively
opened by a V slapped implement
made of 2x12 inches timber, and
pulled by a horse, the driver stand
ing ON the implement. The same
implement with a hillside pillow
preceding, will finish up a hillside
ditch, and leave little or nothing
for the hoe to do.
As a rule it does not pay to sow
oats after the middle of this month
except on bottom land; but all the
grasses and clover may be seeded
down to advantage from the mid
die of February to the middle of
March. If the land is already set
in grain, run a harrow over it, sow
seed and then roll the land-seed
heavily if you desire to save
money.