St. Landry democrat., 1885-05-09

annual expenses combined land, ami.
NAL power, implements and manures
| Yet we will economic in any other
item before this, so deep seated is this
| hereditary belief in its cheapness. 1t
| has led to such sharp competition
among farmers for hands, that labor
controls capital and they fear now a
negro exodus far more than their IA
theirs an insurrectiOn. For labor's sake
| the best friends often become enemies
felOnies are compounded and in past
venal administrations criminals even
bought from prison the employer new
er discharges the hand, the hand "Quits''
the employer. 1t is customary to de-
nOunce free negroes as indolent, roguish
ETC., yet the same people made excellent
punishment disciplined them then, the
fear of losing their situation, the COM
mon fear of employees in all well or
dered industries, must influence them
now to again make the excellent labor
ers they were before.
This substitution as far as practicable
of animal for human labor is plainly
the only remedy for the existing evil.
We can see to a limited extent one step
in the proper direction the use of two
horse plOws. To show what a revolu
tiOn the general use Of even so simple
an implement would effect. will state
that by actual count there are in this
and three adjoining townships, collec-
lively, nine hundred One-hOrse plOWs.
AS these townships in population are,
il anything, below the average, this
would give the country four thousand
and the State making ample allow
ance for the more thinly settled up
country, one hundred and twenty thou
sand. The general use of two-horse
plows for breakinS and two horse culti-
vatOrs and other double implements
for all other work except last blowing,
would discharge in South Carolina to-
ers, even if the old style hOeing was
continued. Yet how often during the
season do we hear phrases like these ::
"Crops grassy for want of work, }" "labor
scarce and unreliapble."
have only described the broadcast
cultivation of cotton. 1t is equally eff
ticlent for any crop where seed will bear
planting from one and a half to two
inches below level. Work and prepare
for corn the same as for cotton and
harrow till six to eight inches high.
Irish potatoes the same way till they
begin to run, then throwing low beds
with sweeps, chOpping ahead about
twice before hauling up Irish potatoes
once narrowed after coming up My
personal experience stops here. / have
never seen a single corn plant injured
in properly prepared land /; can we say
as much at first pl0wing of corn with
any plow where darkey's toe fails to
uncover
use the Thomas Smoothing Harrow:
the old style wooden framed requires
ObliQue draft to prevent teeth tracking
and doing poor work. 1t calls for more
painstaking than average hands give,
and for broken or worn teeth repairs
are practically impossible. The new
style iron framed is better in every
way; broken and worn teeth are cheap
ly and easily replaced, and with it's du-
rability make it in a short time cost
less than the usual expense of hoes, for
which it is so efficient a substitute. 1t
is pulled by direct draft and needs not
as much skill to, run it as a one-llorse
plOw. With plow handles ON single
sections, cutting three feet, it is admi
rable to split middles after siding and
at last plOwings when the shade of the
cultivated plants checks grass it is ex-
cellent both to side and split middles.
In this absence of the wheeled cultiva-
tor, prefer for first siding and split
ting middles the iron framed single |
horse five-tooth cultivator and also for !
splitting middles at second ploWing. |
It cuts too deep after this. | do not |
like the one-horse sweep, though at first |
using it for want of something better !;
the surface is apt to bake after it. Be- |
sides in work like this, necessarily so |
shallow, careless hands let it drag |
without pulverizing. We want after |
first sidings an implement that will |
simply pulverize surface and Just throw |
enough dirt to freshen up around |
plants all deep plowing, so essential |
in cultivated ground, must be done be- |
fore planting. In this plan high beds |
must be avoided only fat hoeing can
cultivate these.
Judging from my experience, would
suggest to beginners to try only small
crop the first year, say twenty-five
acres. My mistake was at first to plant
my whole crop this way and though the
success was fairly good. had much
trouble, especially with unwilling
hands who opposed it at every step
now the same hands work after it
readily enough. In conclusion / would
say that if foregoing directions are
closely observed, [ can, with the utmost
guarantee success.
MARTIN BELLINGER.