The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-11-17
THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH.
sOsIE sEAsONABLE SUGGESTIONS FROM
HIGH AUTHORITY.


the Month Of Novcmher--tn imterestin.: sr'i
Gle From an Intelligent Writer.
(W L. Jones in the Noveyutc. ''Cal;:va;or.')
In the southern portions of the cotton
belt, oats and wheat may still be sown;
in some sections it is the best time to
start these crops. But in the northern
portions OF the belt. it is too late to SOW
anything but wheat, rye and barley-too
late for clover and the winter grasses.
Cotton planters delay the sowing OF
wheat, until the cotton is picked out,
both because, while that work is progress
ing it absorbs all the available labor, and
because wheat usually follows cotton, and
the plougLing in cannot be done till the
cotton is out of the way. This makes
the sowing OF wheat come on g little later
than is desirable Fear OF the fly justi-
fes delay till after frost, but the sooner
after frost wheat is sown the better. The
plant needs time, while the weather is
still mild to developroots and push them
well into the soil and get good strong
foothold. Some think that deep cover
ing of grains makes them stand cold
better; our observations do not accord
with this belief. Wheat, oats, ETC., have
little stem beneath the S,lrface-if covered
deep they soon throw out circle of roots
near the surface and the part below dies.
But while the stem does not extend down
wards much, the roots may, and often do,
penetrate the soil to considerable depths.
This not only establishes the plant finn
", but puts the ends of the roots (Which
are their main food-absorbing part be-
yond the reach of the severest cold. In
our climate the ground is not often fro
zen more than two or three inches; only
in very extreme cases does the freezing
extend to a depth OF five or six inches.
Root growth, therefore, can so on most
of the time during winter; and this it
does, though the part above ground
makes little progress. The roots are
gathering materials and tapping the foun-
dation during the winter for vigorous
growth of the plant in early spring; and
thisis Just what is needed, IN our climate,
to hasten maturity and escape the rust.
The greater yield Of fall, as compared
with spring oats, illustrates the advant-
ages Of this root growth during the latter
part of autumn and through the winter.
The part above ground may be sharply
cut down by the cold, but that which is
beneath and at the surface goes on accu-
mulating and storing material out OF
which the stalk, blades and ear rapidly
develop in the spring Just as the flower
ing stalk of a turnip shoots up in few
days from its enlarged underground root,
in which material for growth had been
stored the preceding autumn
It is gratifying to note an increasing
desire and disposition among our farmers
to raise needed supplies at home Bread
and meat head the list of these, and as
we are VIII at-eating people, it is ex-
tremely desirable that varieties adapted
to our climate should be discovered OF
developed. Every plant We cultivate
does, or may, acquire special adoption to
any locality in which it can grow at all.
Note the varieties of corn North and
South, the rust proof oat of the South
and the several kinds at the North. Rye
from the Northwest fails utterly in the
South, even though one cannot detect
any difference In appearance CT seed or
other parts of the plant. The same holds
in case Of fruits and vegetables. With
these facts before us, is it unreasonable
to suppose that variety or varieties Of
wheat might be developed at the South,
thoroughly adapted to its soils and ch-
mates ? Why should wheat form an ex-
cepton2 It has been localized in other
portions of the world; the Mediterra-
nean wheats grown for centuries in south
egn Europe and in Egypt arc marked
varieties compared with those northern
regions. Why may not the cotton States
have corresponding varieties adapted to
them9 # farmers would examine their
wheat fields carefully before harvest, and
when rust prevails gather the heads Of
those stalks which are entirely or most
nearly free from rust, SOW the seed from
these by themselves The next season, and
again select as before, and continue
doing thus for a few gears, We have little
doubt rust-proof variety could be es-
tablished. Further selection OF the most
prolific stalks with best developed seed
would carry the Improvement still fur
ther. Time would be saved and chances
OF success increased by starting with
varieties-ike the Eled:terranean-which
have already become accustomed to warm
climates.
In the meantime, those varieties may
be sown which tie concurrent testimony
Of neighborhood shows to have succeed
ed best in it. AS stated before, the seed
lug down should be done as early in No
vember as possible. Wheat follows cot
ton admirably, and the highest, dryest
land should be selected for it. The sur
face soil, to depth CT three or four
inches, should be brought igto the finest
tilth by plowing, rolling and narrowing.
Whatever manure is used should be thor
oroughly Incorporated with this surface
soil. Il cotton seed IS applied, it should
be ploWed in with the wheat. CONNER
cial fertilizers may be plowed in shallow
or narrowed in. IN olden times, fifty
bushels Of cotton seed to the acre was re-
garded as a safe guarantee of good
crop, even on poor land. Thirty bushels
of cotton seed and one hundred and fifty
pounds OF acid phosphate per acre is
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