The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1884-10-01
SMALL GRAIN.
Substitute Oats for Cotton as @
Monied Crop.


Monied Crop.
Correspondence of the Cotton Plant.l
made promise while at our sum-
ner meeting at GreenvIlle to write you
an article OH some agricultural subject
while out among the hills Of Tennessee.
which [ will now try to do, and will
take for my subject, the practicability
OF substituting oats for cotton, as our
monied crop. The small farmers of
South Carolina all start with a two
horse farm, say one hundred acres Of
cleared land. We have to start in Jan
uary, and as spring oats are rather an
uncertain crop, We will begin with the
usual half cotton and half corn plan,
thirty acres Of each, and ten in oats in
january. At the last planting of the
cotton we would SOW it all in red oats.
Now turn over the ten acres of oats
stubblc, first sowing about a half BUSH
el to the acre, which with what has
been shattered out by rcaping will in
sure good stand, then break we'll
twenty acres Of the land that was left
uncultivated, and SOW it, and better
plow it in with gang plow or some
such harrow rs the Acme by this time
the corn is far enough advanced so as
not to be injured by plowing, and we
would sow oats in all the corn land.
This would give us eighty acres in oats,
oil sown early in the fall, which is the
great secret of growing oats in South
Carolina.
Then we add five acres in wheat. and
the first years work is done. Of course
the cotton and corn must be saved.
which leaves no rest. In January we
would break and subsoil fifteen acres
for our corn and cotton crop, and pre-
pare compost enough to manure it thor
oushly, which you will have plenty Of
time to do, as We have so small plow
and hoe crop. Ten acres Of this We
would plant in corn and five in cotton {;
and in March or early in April, we
would sow broadcast over the oats one
hundred pounds Of acid phosphate and
fifty pounds of kainit to the acre, and
harrow i'll with Thomas Harrow. The
small crop of corn and cotton can be
put in complete order by the time the
harvest comes in, and can be plowed
and hoed whenever desirable to do so.
In this way the best results the land
can afford will be obtained, and should
at least double the average all cotton
and corn yield. Now We will speculate
on the reasonable results Of the best
crops and the expense:
PROCEEDS OF COTTON AND CORN PLAN.
Is bales cotton, -. - 1886 90
3I5 bushels cotton seed, 56 rs
800 bushels corn, 300 90
200 bushels oats, 80 90
Fodder and shucks, 80 90
$osl 25
Expenses four hands, $4OO
Feed for same, 16O- $50 90
Leaving for crop, S43l rs
GRAIN AND COTTON.
2,4Oo bushels oats, worth 5 96o 90
200 bushels corn, 200 OO
90 bushels meal, 90 90
bales cotton, IT'S 90
1875 bushels cotton seed, 18 Is
Fodder and shucks, 2OOO
$l,4sa IS
Two hands and feed, 28O 90
Leaving for crop, $l,l53 rs
| 43l 25
Difference, s 1872 so
In making the above estimate and
comparison we have confined ourselves
to what is thought to be a good average
of the present cropping, allowing four
hands for the cotton farm and but two
for the grain farm, as it will require two
horses in either case. We have left out
Of the calculation anything for horse
feed, farm implements, ETC., as there
would be no material difference in the
cost of each, except in n reaper for the
grnin farm, and rs two mules will only
be required part Of tho time, good mare
might be substituted for one OF them,
and colt be raised from her every year,
which would more than pay the differ
ence in the expense in farm implements.
The next winter we would prepare Ave
acres planted in cotton for clover, and
in March SOW it down in that article for
hay, not allowing an animal to make q
track on it. Some think oats will not
succeed well in oats stubble; my i'm
preston is that this depends very much
on the preparation Of the land if prop
erly done it may be sown for years on
the same land. This kind of farming
very materially leads to, rearing moro
animals, which increases the manure and
enriches the land, and greatly increases
the income. Under this system our inn
poverished country would soon recuper,
ate her lost strength, and we can become
a prosperous and happy people, which
very much fear will never bo the case so
long as we depend entirely on cotton.
md then the white man can do his own
work. j. WAsHIRGroN WATTa.
| What Drainage Does.
The late John Klippart oondenses the
advantages Of the drainage under tho
following heads:
1. The drainage removes stagnant wa