The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-10-23
The Plou is the Remedy: for Dr,o,uuth.
Southern Ctatiralor.

UP to the first of August (present
year. the crops were never more promis.
ing, both corn and cotton, also peas, no,
tatoes aud gardens, when drouth set in
and changed the fettering prospect to
one of dependency aud failure. Fortu.
nately, old corn was nearly made, and it
sustained only an injury Of abort ten
per cent, but late corn was damaged fully
| fifty per cent, il not more, and potatoes
and gardens ruined. The time Is near at
hand for sowing wheat and oats, and the
ground Is so hard and dry no blowing can
be done. These destructive drouths seem
TO be of moro frequent occurrence; last
year 1t was runous, also this year. And
whether we are undergoing series of
years Of drouth, or only temporary
period, IL Is very evident that our long
cultivated fields cannot stand droutb, moi
even an ordinary drouth, without the
crops growing on them Immediately Civ
Ing way; and il the drouth be protracted,
q total failure is the result. We cannot
regulate the seasons or predict with any
certainty what they will be-whether ~et
or dry. But we can guard against ordi.
nary drouths to great extent, by man.
aging and preparing our lands in such
manner that will cause them to stand
drouth without injury to the crops, pro.
vided 1t is not protracted drouth. Well,
what must be done to prepare our lands
against drouth2 The frat thing is to
restore the land humus which has become
exhausted by long culture, and without
humus 1t cannot stand drouth or produce
line crops. Humus is the life and exist.
ence of land, and without humus it
becomes exhausted and barren. Then
how are we to restore TO it humus Only
by Incorporating with it vegetable matter
to rot and become humus and that must
be done by rotating crops. Sowing down
small grain, clover, peas, etc. and with
the Plcw turn under stubbe, clover, paa.
vines weeds, grass, cornatalks, anything
that will rot. Depend on the plow and
vegetable matter to bring up your lands
with, and haul leaves and straw in your
iote to make manure to compost with
your cotton seed to use as fertilizers, and
abandon commercial fertilizers for I
have seen moro farms aud farmers ruined
by cotton planting and fertilizers since
the war than from any other cause. In
short, it has ruined all who gave up their
farms to cotton crops and commercial
fertilizers. The plow, and vegetation
turned under, Is the only salvation of the
country. Diversity your crops, and let
them be largely in grain snd grass, and
htock raising, and then will come
change for the better. Make the farm
sslf.sustaining, as nearly as it can be
done. and give up buying bread. mea,
and fertilizers for the farm.
AS before remarked, our lands cannot
stand now even ordinary drouths, for the
want Of vegetable matter Incorporated
With them. There Is nothing to hold the
moisture in the land 80, what rains fall
run of, or are los. by evaporation. The
commercial fertilizers furnish no humus,
hence they hold no moisture; but IN dry
seasons hasten tho ourling up aud Gs.
struction of crops. The Dlow aud yege-
tation is Tie salvation Of the country.
So, go 10 work and plant such crops az
will furnish vegetable matter to turn
under. And after the wheat and corn /
crops are harvested, don't turn stock on
them to Craze, but keep them off; and
let weeds and grass and vines fgrbw on
them to be turned under with the plow.
And II the lands are 80 exhausted they
cannot produce crop Of weeds then SOW
down cow peas TO be turned under, and
rely also on clover. !" :H
This fall as soon as the grounds can be
plowed, SOW down largely of wheat and
oats. For should the corn crop be in.
jurcd by drouth, these crops will save you
from being ahort of provisions, and II is !
the crops your lande need. And the oats
.ss 7sant are .ts kinds sset will give :.s |!
long straw, 30 we can cut high and have
q long and an abundant stubble to turn
under: The fault find with the rust.
proof.are they don't grow high enough,
and the least drouth they arc 80 short |
they have to be cut too low: The grazing |
oat I have always found best for the
farm they yield abundantly and make
an abundance Of straw, which I value as
much as the grain, aud stand drouth bet.
ter than the rust.prq2f ,oats.;, Ny desire
isIin having such crops as will afford the |
most vegetable matter to turn under for
the benefi. of the land for our interest
now is to benefit the lands and. keep mp |
their fertility. ,..... .t.. % a.:
JNo. Fl. DENT.