The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-10-29
Meeting of the Pickens Agricultural
Society.

Society.
The Pickens Sentinel Of the 18th con-
tains the annexed report Of the proceed.
ings of the late meeting of the P!ckens
Agricultural Society:
The minutes of the last meeting were
read and confirmed. The first business
was the reading of the constitution and
bylaws. The signing of the bylaws
and constitution was next in order.
Several additional names were placed on
the roll.
The consideration of the published
programme was then commenced. Mr.:
w. a. McAIahau was the first heard
from on the wheat crop. he sowed
land in wheat generally which he had
planted in cotton. Plowed up the stalks
then run the smoothing harrow over it.
Cotton seed is good fertilizer. Twenty
bushels of cotton seed to the acre was
sufficient. twenty-five bushels of wheat
was the most he had made to the acre.
November was the best time to SOW, and
he had gathered the best crops from red
soil. Had never used the commercial
fertilizers with success. Had used lime
successfully. 1t would do to SOW stub
BILE land if weeds and grass were plowed
under while green, but would not do well
where vegetable matter was plowed
under after it was dead. He had not
noticed much difference in the yield of
corn land and cotton land sowed in
wheat, but he preferred land which had
been cultivated in cotton because it was
better prepared.
DR.. Clayton had prepared the land in
ridges, then spread the fertilizers, sowe1
the wheat and narrowed in. This left
the wheat in rows, with the row not quite
filled up. 1t seemed to stand the winter
better, was more vigorous, and made
better yield than that prepared in the
ordinary way, which in other respects
had the same chances. Cotton seed was
the fertilizer used.
Mr.. McMakan had narrowed wheat in
the spring, but was not prepared to say
that it was benefit.
DR.. W. T. Fields said that wheat and
oat straw scattered over the crop or land
sown was worth far more than fed to
stock.
Mr.. Gillespie put the average yield
per bushel sown at seven. Mr.. NJ. a.
Boggs placed it at about six.
Mr.. G. L. Hollingsworth had noticed
that when it was a good crop year, the
yield was about ten to one sowed; when
it was not good year, he generally got
about five to one of sowing. Land
should be plowed deep and as often ss
practicable before sowing the wheat.
He thought fifteen bushels of cotton seed
to the acre would do better than great
er quantity. Too much fertilizer would
make rank stalks, but not much gain. 1t
is far better to SOW small acres, and have
it we'll prepared. If he wanted to use
the value of thirty bushels of cotton seed
for an acre in wheat, he would take Is
bushels of seed and use the balance in
something else, as fifteen bushels of seed
contained a sufficient quantity of that
kind of fertilizer for an acre in wheat.
Mr.. McMahan said that it was owing
to the quality of the land how much cot
ton seed he would use. If the land was
rich he would use more than he would
on poor land.
DR.. Clayton thought that good plan
for fertilizing land for wheat, was to
plant peas first then follow them with
wheat That peas enriched the soil
while they were growing by the absorp.
ton of ammonia. In this way they
were the cheapest fertilizer, and it vas
no advantage to turn them under.
Mr.. McMahan thought that peas plant
ed with corn was an injury to the corn.
DR.. Fields dissented!e He thought as the
harm could not be detected by the eye it
was not worth naming. :
DR.. Fields had not been very success.
full with oats. Had always got better
crop from sowing in February. Had
never been at all successful with theyfall
sowing. If they were sown in the fall,
September was the proper time to SOW
them. Oats we're never fertilized to any
extent.
Mr.. Reese Bowen thought that the
Spring sown oats were generally the
best, but fall sown oats were the heaviest
when they were not killed out.
Mr.. E. B. Richardson had always
succeeded best with sowing in September.
He preferred red land for sowing them.
Fifteen bushels to one of sowing, was
given by several as a yield. Col. Hol.
lingsworth being called upon, said he
thought he could tell the biggest oat
tale of anybody else. He had tenant
once, Jack Stephens, who reaped off of
a piece of bottom land, 60 bushels to
of oats sown in the fall. He thought no
farmer could get along without sowing
oats, and they ought to be sown in every
month from July to March.
DR.. Clayton thought that threshed
oats ground was the best plan for feeding
them to horses. He had tried the ex-
pertinent, and knew that the same guam
tity of oats ground would do stock much {
more good. J
MIR. Reese Bowen said he was satisfied
it would be matter of economy to
grind not only oats, but corn also. Thst
the additional good derived from sds
was we'll worth the trouble. J
Mr.. Looper thought now was the tiAea
to SOW oats. They were more aptso
make good crop sown in October tEsn
any other time. Wheat nor oats eitne5
ought to be covered deep. He had pseo
fertilizers on oats with advantage. IL
Mr.. j. E. Gillespie thought from his
experience that oats sown in stubble land,
would do better covered deep.
Mr.. M. w. Newton did not think
continued oat crop would injure land.
There were several important obserya-
tions on the crops which are not mem
toned, as the discussions progressed
rapidly, but we caught enough to give
;Inn &c flni.