The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-22
SOME SUGGESTIONS ON FARM WORK FOR
SEPTEMBER.
Harvesting Fall Crsps---COtton Pick.
ing-.-COrn---SWeet PotatOes---Rye,
barley and Oats,

Harvesting Fall Crsps-.-COtton Pick.
ins-.-COrn---swcet Potatoes.--Rye,
Barley and Oats.
Demosthcnes is reported to have said that
the essence of oratory Was action action !!
RI Lhe great Greek orator had lived in our
day and time, and followed the avocatton OF
the South Carolina farmer, his oratorical mot
to would have been very apropos TO all agri.
cultural interest. If coltontot does not
stand in need Of action, and great deal Of II,
from the first day Of January until the 3lst
day Of December, then our experience and OBJ
servati0ns have been very much ut fault. a
few days lost in the early season means lato
preparation; precious time idled now and
then, later on, will show up late planting; and
folding of the hands and little more SUM
Der means grass bad and unwlsc cultivation,
great reduction In the average Of the crop we
should have made, and thus has come much
of our agricultural poverty, as well as this
heritage of "hard times"
The crop of 1876 is about made. The older
planters tell us that no bloom that comes af-
ter the 1Uth Of September will make white
cotton; but since the days OF guano we have
seen blooms of the 2lst Of this month make
white cotton.
BY the way, will the Hon. Commission er
and some of your correspondents tell us what
Is the largest number OF fresh blooms they
have noticed on ~ stalk of cotton IN one day ?
While this is not matter OF much impor-
tance, yet we may learn from this fact In how
shorta time the cotton plant, under u high
state Of cultivation, can and may make a crop.
We noticed stalk on the 10TH of August that
had twelve white blooms, Oh Goth 1t had sew
en-, OIL Hst eight-twenty-seve blooms In
three days. On average cotton this, by itself,
would be fine crop. but It was on cotton that
will make something over two thousand
pounds of seed cotton per acre. We did not
think Of 1T at the time or we should have no
ticPd for blooms on cOttan more on the aver.
are Of our general crop.
September is the first harvest month for all
our Fall crops Most of the forage crops are
already housed. Fodder and hay are saved,
and pc;l-vine hny Is about the only long forage
crop that will require attention. IT you can
spare the vines, by all means leave them ON
the ground pick over for the purpose OF saw
ing an ample supply of seed; allow your
stock to run over and CLEAN the field, tramp
ing the vines and dead leaves into the soil
Never turn under pea vines without you In
tend sowing small grain leave alone until
for ad eose
walton have taught us that it Is worse than
time thrown away to turn under pea vines fol
anything but grain crop, but we much pre-
corn.
COTTON PICKING.
In the middle and lower section of the State
picking has pretty generally commenced. II
will be the LIST OF October before this is the
case In the upper section, as the crop Is unus
ually late. Pick clean and as rapidly az pos
sble gin as fast rs convenient; sell at youl
nearest market, and stop interest at once
There arc several fallacics regarding this crol
that are fast dying out. One Is that you mus
bulk your cotton until it may heat little
the oil will pass into the lint-and you vii
gain much In weight. The fact Is, about al
you will gain will be damaged lot of lint ant
seed. Another Is that middle men and specu
lutors have combined against the farmer tc
get the cotton crop out Of his hands and lhcG
put the price up. What Is the average actua
result? Cotton held for six months at heavy
expense; loss of weight at from ten 10 TWEEN
the same or less price than could have bcrI
obtained in the carly Fall. Twenty years ex
pericnce has taught us 10 pick clean ana nan
die with care; gin and pack nice and trinity
keep out of the weather; sell as soon as yor
can get to the scales, If you have any fair home
market.
Before the next Report appears we Will bt
in the midst of cribbing corn. AS soon aS DIR!
| by all means gather. and don't leave II
| tenn ptation to man and beast. We prefer put
| ting up in the shuck, and as every few bas
kets arc turned in sprinkle q handful of dry
salt; 1t Will keep out wccvil, and you Will
hardly ever find. q shuck or cob in you
| trough.
SWEET POTATOES.
| This Is q crop that Is very justly growing ir
| favor and increasing In production In many
sections OF the State. Iii the Piedmont sec
! ton, which Is SO often more or less subject L
! heavy freezes, the trouble has been as II
Keeping safely through the Winter. In thu
middle and lower sections we are told tha
there is never any difficulty in This direction
! Without giving the various losses we have
/ had in different plans that have been tried
we Will give u very primitive plan that VI
use now, and which has never failed III ou
! heaviest freezes.
The potatoes arc dug Immediately after the
! first frost. a lot OF pine poles are cut t.
make u bed eight or ten feet square. Pu
these just on the ground green pine tags (o
| needicS) are put upon the poles 10 The depti
| OF two or three inches; on these are placed ;
! layer of dry corn stalks OF two inches: OF
| this the potatoes are put, say thirty or forty
bushels in II cone shape; then layer Of corr
pine tags, three or four inches: then sl3
inches OF sand, II you are going tn cover VIII
! Il buard shed, II not, twelve inches or SAND u
| light clay. We have never failed to keel
| potatoes successfully by this simple, chcal
plan, but have failed with all others.
| One Of the most important matters ina
requires the farmers attention at this time Il
preparation for his Winter grain. In SOM
| sections of the State the corn crop will he Gu
short very much by the failure Of the boti on
lands. This tn lure must be supplemented pi
some carly barley, rye ana oats. We consl
der barley the most valuable early green for
age crop; it never has the same injurious
effects that iOlnws the use Of some othc
green forage plants. To make barley yo'
have 10 SOW only rich land. II you DO other
! wise, it will be simply sending good seed III
ter bad, for your crop Is sure to be n failure
! We are going to sow five acre lot IN q fcv
days, and will give our plan for what 1t Ii
worth. The lot was in oats the past season
and made forty bushels per acre; It has nl
ready been broken deeply with Il bull tongue
plough; we will break again in few day
with same plough as deep as strong mui'
can do it. Will manure with forty bushe
of green cotton seed per acre, cotton s: Scet &c
hn wing been ground in cotton seed mill. VIII
SOW one and Il half bushels Of clean barfey
! per acre; plongh In with q turn plough. hnt
| narrow with smoothing harrow. Shoult
have stated that about dozen head OF catti'
have been pcnncd on the lot NJ nlSnt lor LII
| past month or more.
Rye will make Il fine carly Winter pastur
age, IL sOwn at once, on most any Of our NV
er;lse farming land. We have sown a goot
deal of our thin cotton land, MS we laid by IN!
cotton, in rye, which we will use as q pastur
aye during the Winter and early Spring
! What heads out we will leave to fail on tilt
ground and be turned under next Sunme!
again, rs we are going 10 pursue ms plan io'
several years with this particular piece o
land (l poor red clay as rccupcrating eN
ucrimcnt. Our plan Is: always SOW portion
of your oat crop in September; IN fact IRON
September to March has been our rule to
years, and we have never made complete
: failure. Our judgment Is that the Red Rus
! Proof Is The oats for our climate, from one lnt
Il half To TWO bushels per acre Plough thor
oughly; manure wi th soinclhing-Stable ma
! nure and cotton scotland If you have neither
! of the above, Il mixture Of cotton seed meal
asiduaiCd rock and kainit Nothing re
| spends more quickly tOa little manure THAI
! ain oat crop, and you might just us well give
| up that old idea that oats can he made where
nothing else will grow, for the red oat vii
never do it, and none of the other varieties
will give you crop one out OF three. Don I
! be deceived about seed. We have seen srv
cral lots that have been shipped intothc State
z 4 81 n.,t - ln