The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-09
WORK FOR JUNE.
THE ADVANTAGE OF A THOROUGH cUL-
TIVATION.
Crab GraSS.--Rapid TiIlaSe -. sweeps
and GuItivatOrS---Thc Pea Crop So
Winter FOra.c---Grazin.c Oats.


The cultivation of summer crops now alb
sorbs attention. The plants valued ny man
cannot stand natural competition; they wGull
he destroyed by worthless competitors put i"r
his timely interference and aid. Mr.. laWcS
left d crop Of wheat unharvcStcd to see II tiie
plant could reSccd and perpetuate ltScll With
out assistance. 1t failed utterly; in on" year
wheat would become extinct but for the ihtei-
rcntion of man. Under like treatment inc
turnip lost its bulb and formed only = !on9'
Contracted taproot us II does in its wild state.
On the other hand, wheat on c;reluiIs P,rp'.i,
ed land kept perfectly clean so us 10 TehioEoo
aIl comDetition made an average Elelu Oh 10
bnshris per acre for thirty years without man
ure; highly manured under INC same cOhHi. co.. or,
lions otherwise, the average Slclu per acre iOl
thirty years was 81 bushels per acie. M ltii
cultivation and without manure, IL DuShcis
per acre; with cultivation and manure, IL buSh-
els per acre: without cultivation or manure,
nothing. There is lesson FOR us. ,
Every one with the slightest FARMING expo
rience appreciate the importance oi 1%htlnS
crab grass. but the fight is often made to0late,
and after irrcparablc mischief has been doEc
Plants never fully recover their rigor after
This grass has once matted itself about them.
BY all means kill 1t before 1t has had tlmc 10
rob the crop of its planttood; Wnen tme stGo tSa
time to destroy it. The only safe RUE, tncre-
fore, is to run the plows or cutivatorS 2t snort
intervas-say once week. Later IN tie sea a
son such frequent workings Will not DC dc-
mandcd; but during the month oi June, new
er stop the plows; us soon as the crop IS gone
over, go right over again; ESpeclal!y Is iniS
demanded by cotton. Give it every auHan'
tnee now. Let it make weed and be ready to
take OH fruit. Growing and irultinS are some
what autagonistic. Encourage the growing
now by freouent workings, anu let IL give
place 10 iruitng later in the season. Constant
Stirring of the soil is the best groWlll-promol-
er. But, says one, growth is naturally excess
I've my Lands; 5 my G1ttSn RGs ff TOO crhans nf
on such soils it might bc well 10 work the
crop at longer intervals-only so often as may
he needed !" kGen d%Tn ba nj s
10 check an overgrowth Of straw in small
grains; it may possibly have q similar clcct
on the production OF excessive weed IN cotlop.
The matter is worthy Of experimental Trial.
Mr. Dickson, whose intentions were very re-
markable, and whose insight into manurlng
was very extraordinary, always put salt III
his compound.
But rapid tillagc not only promotes imme-
diate growth, it contributes also to iruiilnDDS
increasing the supply of fplant-lond IN the SOL.
. We have repeatedly called attention 10 the
necessity of air in the soil for nitrilication TO
90 on. Nitrification increases the supply OF
available nitrogen in the soil plowiag opens
the soil, admits the air, and thus promotes nj
trification Not only so, the admission OF All
generates carbonic acid in the soil, and car
bonIc acid is the great natural solvent OF MN
eral plant-food also The saying, thereiHre,
that ''tillaGe is manure has c9nsidrlf.3le
ib5 the storeHonses @ OF naturc Well-worked crops
seldom fail to yield E9riy, however adverse
the seasons may be. Let IT he borne IN mlna
a'so, that light, surface cult!vhtloii Is lneSreat
cJnservator of moisture in the SOIL. ana Que ol
tae best antidotes to drought y acepiy Drok.
ca, humus abounding soil, with a thin layer
of pulyerized earth upon its surface, Is almost
proof against drought.
What are the best implements lor lniS llSnt
Summer cultivation. The Dickson sweep ili-
teen or twenty years ago was esteemed the
best. 1t certainly was great Improvement
over the shovel, both a. regards quantity anu
uuality of work Mr. Dickson insisted that
bn a.
their work. The long extended cutting cage
caused them to strike more obstructlcnS, ana
rendered it difficult tohold them steadily 10
their place. This is Il great defect OF the
sweep. On the other hand this long cutting
edge makes it almost impossble for a may
pop or brier to escape. This is decidedly IN
largely supp!anted the sweep on account OF
its greater simplicity and less cost. 1t docs
about the same kind OF work-Some thlnK
better work. Both sweep and sc:ape VIII
make beds unless their wings are carefully
set this is q decided objection TO them IN
hilly land, liable to wash. y cultivator, with
wheel to regulate the depth OF the plow, Is IN
some respects preferable to either sweep or
scrape 1t is not SO easily thrown out OF posi-
t:on by distractions, and does not work the
land up into beds: Probably q comoin;lllon
of the two following each other at alternate
workings, would be better than either alone.
4 cultivator will run too deep for light sum
mer work, unless the dcpih OF It's % c9itimS Is Is
think, that in some form or other, wheel
plows will become OF universal use, not only
for gauGing the depth OF Iurrow, but iof !iie
sake Of decreasing friction, and relieving Tie
pressure OH the bottom of the furrow, ARISING
from the weight OF the plow itself, increased
by that of the earth which it lifts. This grind
ing and pressing down ey me ortlinary pIow
generates the hard pan found III long cultlNat-
ed land. ~
as possible. Put in drills three feet apart; Il
bushel of seed will plant four acres; and rs
seed is q consideration, this mode Is olton-
times preferable TO broadcast sowing. More
peas can be raised by me l"reG GehI Ge d.
II ones object Is to raise seed. drill Dy a!i
means, and give necessary ploWlnSS ana noe
ings, which will not be q great zeal; Inc
practice of planting peas in corn Is good; II III
wolves no expense except seed and the drop
ping or sowing Of them. But we think the
pea is entitled TO place on the farm us Il reg
ular crop to be planted by itself and properly
cultivated. Its value, as Il rcnoratinS or re-
euperating crop, is unsurpassed, and 1t holuS
no mean place as food crop, cithcr as Era!l,
or forage 1t can be made to take the place ol
corn to q considerable degree, AZ we have Of
ten seen, and can be raised at less expo nSc.
The gathering OF the crop is the greatest oD-
stacle to be overcome, but unit better lnc!h-
cd is invented we can NOV when The pods are
about grown and cure as forage. \ corrcSpon-
dent mentioned recently Il pea gathering MAJ
chine-that is the thing needed. Let invent
i've genius go to work in this direction. Inc
problem is very much simpler than that OF Il
cotton picking machine, AID inventors nave
not yct.abandoned the latter
June Is good month also in which TO plant
forage crops generally. Last year we planted
amber cane on the 10Th Of June, and it WAS
fully matured before frost. Maturing iatc IL
can be kept green and succulcnt for SIX weeks
or two months, extending the season for feed
ing green stuff we'll into the winter. Forage
kcorn planted ut intervals OF two or ihrcc
weeks, up to the last of next month, wlllkcep
stock amply supplied with good Wholesome
feed all through autumn, without the nGcrSSi'
1y Of trenching on the winters supply of fod-
der. 1t Is the neglect of such side crops that
causes so much Northern and Western hay to
be sold in the South, y very few acres on
each farm could supply all OF the forage need
ed. Recently we presented thG latc"t teStino-
ny and conclusions about cnSilagc. 1t is SUI
ticiently encouraging TO warrant every farmer
trying It,, on n small scale, at least. The cN-
pense Of digging small PIT, putting IN Inc
forage. weighing it down and putting slmri"
roof over it, will be very small. All cam BE-
done by the laborcrS OH the farm after the
crops are laid by. Plant the necessary crops
10 till one now and build sil0 later-l don't
think you will regret the venture.
Last year, whist laying by some bottom
OF 1t, and were rather surprised 10 see 1t lGt-
ture its seed fully before frost. As IT stands
erect lis not q vinc) we find no difhculty III
moving 1t, and gathered the crop in that way.
1t Is doubtless q rcnOvating crop like the pea,
and might be substituted for it on bottom
lands, where the running vines of the pea in
1erfere with the pulling OF fodder. The bean
is very hard and the wccvil does not seem
partial TO IL. We kept the seed two years be-
fore planting. Ground into meal there is no
more nutritious grain TO be found. The yield
is fine and the blShy habit of growth and nu-
tritious quality of the grain cunimcnd II. un-
less cut when young and green ii would make
DOOR forage as the stems become very Hafu
and woody with age.
As the oat crop was very much Killed ny inc
cold last winter, it is very desirable that all