The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1885-11-04

Smith" oat, but we doubt its making a |
good yield on poor land. Not many
crops do well on poor land. Next to
the Red Rust-proof oats we have valu-
ed the Burt oats, but several years
since discarded all other kinds for the
rust-proof, as it is generally known. If
sown during September and the early
part of October they will not be killed
bv the cold Of the seyerest winters in
middle Georgia; aid we have uniform
ly made . good yield when thus man-
aged. II sown later in the winter, or
the early spring, they stand doubtful
chance. and not more than Ole time in
FIVE will they pay for the labor of SOW
ing.
Land upon which the oats are to be
sown should be broken with two
horse plow just as early as the soil can
be turned and the vegetable matter
well covered up. About the 10th Of
September, after the manure has been
dist ibuted over the surface, we sow
the cats at an average of two bushels
to the acre, and harrow them in nicely
and well. Stable manure and cotton
seed are here found most excellent
fertilizer, and we do not know that we
can commend anything better. The
cotton seed are crushed before being
applied, to prevent termination.
Treated in this way any ordinary farm
should average thirty-fve bushels of
oats to the acre, and realize one hun-
dred per cent. on the cost, if the crop
sell at forty cents per bushel.
Oats cannot be raised with uniform
success if slovenly planted. The land,
in our opinion, should be thoroughly
prepared and the seed deposited upon
mellow, fertile bed, thoroughly pull
verized. It may be that we can take
Disc harrow and 60 over much more
ground and leave it in fair shape as to
appearances, but we doubt If the sue
cess can be made equal to the yield of q
deeply prepared and thoroughly pull
verized soil. We have tried purchas-
ing seed south of us with 10 apprecia-
BILE benefit.
The great trouble with the oats crop
has been lack of preparation and fer
tilizaticn. and seeding at the wrong
season. Cotton occupies the attention
of farmers in September and October,
and they are unwilling to employ ad-
ditional labor to put in this valuable
| crop. The teams stand idle in the sta
bles, or worse, they are put into the
| field to CLEAN the last vestige Of vegeta-
BILE matter from the soil, and the gold
en- opportunity for an abundant harves,
is lost, to secure crop that frequently
costs US more money than we receive
for it. When we get ready, in mid
winter, to put in the crop, the oats are
badly scratched into the wet ground
and left to freeze cut and die without
roots or fertilizer to stimulate them in
the struggle for life.
Every farm that is large enough to
have gin should have cotton seed
crusher, and as fast as the cotton is
ginned the seed can be utilized for oats.
lfthe area is reduced, the land properly
prepared and fertilized, and the Red
Rust-proof oats sown the latter part Of
September, in Middle Georgia, an
abundant crop, in our opinion, will be
assured. The largest yield Of oats we
ever made was from an acre sown on
the 9TH of November. Everything that
winter was favorable for good crop.
We have not been able to repeat that
experiment since.
In our opinion our farmers make g
great mistake in relying upon corn for
their teams. We are glad to have this
question suggested just at this time by
our correspondent, as it is one of vast,
import and should be considered by.
our readers. If we can supply our
teams with other grain grown in the
winter and without cultivation, we
then have the more time to devote to
cotton and other surplus crops for an
income to the farm. Let every farmer,
sow FIVE acres for each mule and see
that it is well done at the proper time
anG the question Of stock food will be
settled.-Southe7n Cultivator.