St. Landry democrat., 1885-05-09
Broadcast Cultivation with
Harrow.
Southern Cultivator.

Southern CultivatOr.
tNoTE.-The following was written at tht
request of gentleman much interested III t1t
matter similar requests had also been maze
by other parties. and the writer asked tnaU II
be inserted in the Cultivator for the benefit oi
all. We are sure that our readers Will De pro
fOundly grateful to the gentlemen VINO nave
thus drawn out DR.. Beliinger; details LII L, 8
matter OF this kind are especially valuable. we
trust the article will receive repeated ana
careful study at the hands Of our readers; we
are thoroughly convinced it opens the pathway
to much grenter success in farming, ana Dr. 3
has blazed it out most admirably. Let us all
try the new method il it be on a small scale
Only.-W. L. j..
An easily pulverized and compara-
lively level surface free from obstruc-
tion is essential; because the cultlva-
ting harrow, rarely cutting more than
half inch deep in even the sottest
land, cannot pulverize hard crust, De-
sides stand is destroyed by crushing
plants which in yielding soil are merely
brushed harmlessly aside. On uneven
surface (eyen the lowest beds) the
teeth cutting too deeply through eleva-
tions iDjure stands in depTesslons
either failing to cultivate or burylng
plants. Fixed distractions, as stumps,
etc., would often lift teeth above sur
face or break implement; sticks,
coarse trash, ETC., either prevent tho
rough cultivation or by getting en-
tangled in teeth tear out plants lrregu-
larly.
These conditions, at first glance,
seem hardly attainable in even nice
garden culture, but the following will
show that it is easily done after remov-
al OF fixed obstruction, without which
you can never proftably use any imple-
ment better than the one-hOrse plow or
the negro's hoe. Break flush; it rested
or in stubble no previous work is need
ed !; if preceding year in cotton or
corn the latter must be chopped in two
or three pieces to each stalk and the
first threshold down. Good two-hOrse
ploWs Cor larger more economically and
better) will bury these so that the
deepest ''laylng off" will not bring
them up to Obstruct future work. |
should think the Acme harrow would
take the place of hand work (the cOun-
try's curse) in sufficiently crushing any
stalks. In freezing weather, when the
teeth cannot penetrate ground, can
with three horses in three section
Thomas harrow weighted, crush stalks
far better than by hand, but in milder
weather it will fail.
Next, lay off with ten inch straight
tWO-hOrse shOVels, put in fertilizer COW
cred with two furrOWs OF six inch
shovel, making low wide ridge.
Open with bull ll-tongue, set deep enough
Ca few trials get it) SO that when fol-
lowed by drill planter with scooter re-
seed will be placed from one
and half to two inches below the
level, using one bushel of well-rubbed
sound seed per acre. Break hard crust
in middle with any implement narrow
wheeled cultivators with
planters attached viii plant and pulver-
ize middles at one "go.n Follow this
work closely with harrow of three
sections (unWeighted) if in deeply bro
ken ground with three horses, it not
with two horses going parallel with
rows. When over field cross harrow at
once, leaving ground as level as it
nicely prepared for grain indeed, SO
that one cannot see where future rows
will be till plants come up. 1t beating
rains come up before plants, harrow dl-
rectly across future rows and at once
cross harrow the moment land is in
good plOwing order. Ii done in time,
surface will certainly in
snre stand; but if crust is allowed by
time to harden, no harrow short OF one
cutting deep enough to destroy seed
bed can pulverize it. But generally
unless ground is exceedingly dry,
plants will show before beating rains
come if there is any reserve moisture
in subsoil, the pulverlzed soil like a
vast super-imposed sponge will by ca
pillary force sprOut the seed, and with
dry subsoil a slight shower is enough.
AS soon as plants begin to come, har-
row, diagonally across rows; in four
days repeat in opposite direction, and
IN four days more harrow again, cross
ing the last. You rapidly repeat har-
rowing to cultivate surface thorough
beginner will fear in first br0adcasting
in cotton, used three bushels of seed
half bushels and this season | will only
use one bushel; indeed it any way could
be found to distribute one peck or even
Ialf that quantity per acre uniformly.
would use that. Under the broadcast
plan, I have never replanted
! hill nor needed to. Perhaps the only
obstacles to good stands are elods,
sticks and crust. These cannot exist
here and hence the chief difficulty in
cotton is not to secure stand but to thin
out rapidly and at least cost. While
plants are in the first yellow leaf, rap
a harrowings do the work OF thinning
but when older and in green
especially if in yielding soil and not
crushed against hard crust or trash en-
;angled in teeth) they are tougher, and
while some are thinned, the most Of
hem are merely bent over making it
lifficult to chop out uniformly or side
With plow.
The third and last narrowing leaves
plants thinned out in a great measure
rom two to three or more inches apart
nd growing from thoroughly cnltiva-