The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-05-13
Earm Work for May.
[SoWhern Horld.l

The main crop OF being we'll on tho way, and most
Of the cotton crop planted, the work VI cnl ivati"n Is
now pressing on the attention. III The wHrk 0i pre-
%paration has been thorough and The planting donc
with care, the labor Of the next sixty days VIII have
been greatly facilitated. Ii the cnsa OF cnri, II the
preparatory plnwing was not we'll done, the first work
in. should, rs fnr rs possible, ntonr for previous neg.
lrct, Deep work cannot he safely deferred hey ond
the first blowing both on account OF the dancer 81 In
| turing the plants BY managing the roots, and also be-
l.can,e the srusuns cannot b. relied on to d" more than
a lew days work nj such n time. The best time tu
kill ", eds Is before they CHIC up, and u the crop De
,,lowed and narrowed as often as will be necessary To
encourage and maintain n vigorous growth md devcl'
upmcnt Of the plants, there will be no trouble on that
We do not thiuk anything Is gained by blowing very
early, or while the corn Is still very small. Better
defer the first working. In such cases, until later, when
IL will be more beneficial. The time honored rule Is
are Of the opinion that three weeks 10 too long a
period, especially II the seasons nrt grd and the corn
Is - growing well. Where the ground Is already mel.
low and luose. use widc..rreniing cultivaturs Or
sw.rps thut will clean out Il iivc-fcct row 81 one round.
What the crn,, nerls Is q fine. mellow soil. The best
| time to pillow any crup (slir the surface soii) Is after q
| goud rain, and before q crust has time To iprnl. II The
surface could he kept always open and porous, the
eyopuratiun of moisture would DC greatly lrssrned,
and the free circulation Of air thus rncnurn ed wOuli
enable q CROP to grow and mature with mnrh less
rainfall. 1t Is true, when a field Is fresh pl"wed the
surface does seem To DRY oil more rapidly, bur. In
fngt. Tic lnUlSluTe 10 elllu' wv VI
much longer. The lonse porous roll left behind the
c~ultivator acts rs q mulch, just rs straw or other litter.
Any one may convince himself Of this by stirring the
surface VI a few rows soon nner encl rain, and leaving
other rows unhisturbcd during the intervals of ten or
! fifteen days, which frequently separate showers.
The characteristic work of the month Is ~"ch0rpinG
cotton" We congratulate those farmers who have
planted their cotton already chnpped ont, so to SPEAK,
BY dropping either in hills or by the step. We believe
It Is the plan that sill eventually prevail among pro-
grcssive md intensive farmers.
II the crop was well planted, the STAND good, and
the beds smooth nnd mellow. 1t Ia often The utter plan
to 70, Tie hoes prscede the plows. We have seen II
crop chopped out ahead "f the plows that was every
whit in Us good condition as If It Ind been first rl"wvd
and then hOcd. In chOpping coltun there Is room for
the display Of good Judgment AMI skill. Some farmers
insist on cleaning out the weeds, thoroughly, in going
over the first time, md are content to get lia!f to three
quarters Of an acre per hand per day. 1t 10 better ia
got over more ground and hoe more rows even " moi
done so well. A hand that goes In o half walk, stIik'
inr but once In u place. will have done more ctftc.
tive work at the close Of q dry than another who care
fully ..iruns' every hill and counts the nuulb,r OF
stalks 10 be lrft standing. The first will have nccoin'
plished from one AMI u hall to two acres, while The
last will have done only half rs much. The one will
have destroyed twice rs many weeds, ms well ~ guns
over twice the number OF rows Us the other. The
rapid plan 10 sometimes called "~blOcking out" BY
this plnn the hands will get over the crDE In Une-hnl
Or even one. third the lime required BY the slow tedi'
out method, and will b. enabled to get over the sec
ond tune before, by the latter, they could have faisr'
cd the first time, There Should Ut M interval De-
tween the two workings, but the hoes shnald start On
the srcund round 81 soon Us the first is completed.
This leads to the remark that there Is little wisdnm
In the policy uf g0in: over n crop with On undertaking
there is in aIhcrlng t" one particular from or SIZE OF
pillow, the crop through. a wide-awake nnd. success
iuI farmer. ncts very much like q successful command.
Ing general IN battle, changing his taclics and points
Of attack ~accurling To circumstances. We have secn
the machine larnlrr "stuch In the grass In the last
quarter of tho H. st round with the hoes, slowly tug.
ging away OF the rate Of onc-quartcr Of mn acre PER
day, only to find, when starting over again, that the
first has become rs bad rs the lust. He hns followed
the tactics of O celebrated general, who determined to
flight 1t out on this line II 1t took all summer" and
he will have to d. as that general did, draw largely
upon unlimited reserves in order to accomplish the
end In view. 1t would have been better to have
thrown away the latter fourth Of tho crop. Or ut least
deferred 1t to q convenient season." until the first
thrpr.fnurtlis could have been secured.
Where abundant crops If forage crops were not
planted In April, there is still time to plant ,nillci,
fura.e cnrn, Milo NJ lie, collards, etc. 1t ought to be
n rule with farmers 10 feel rs much green forage "a
possible, and save the cured stuff for use when nc
other can DO had. 1t Is an easy matter to provide an
abundance OF one sort and another OF the various
crops suitable fr solling, and there is no cxcuse for
feeding all through spring. summer, fall and winter on
dry corn, fodder and oats, except the few days when
the stock can go to pasture.