The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-06-09

land.
The pea crop should be planted now
as soon as possible. Put in drills three
feet apart; brshel of seed viii plant
four acres; and as seed is a considera-
ton, this mode is oftentimes preferable
to broadcast sowing. More peas can be
raised by the former method Of plcnting,
but the latter is better for the land. II
ones object is to raise seed, drill by all
means, and give necessary plowings and
hoeings, which will not De a great deal.
The practice of planting peas in corn is
good; it involves no expense except seed
and the dropping or sowing of them.
But We think the pea is entitled to a
place on the farm as regular crop to be
planted by itself and properly cultivated.
It's value, as a renovating or recuperat-
ing crop, is unsurpassed, and it holds no
mean place as a food crop, either as
grain or forage. It can be made to take
the place of corn to considerable de-
gree, as we have often seen, and can be
raised at less expense. The gathering
of the crop is the greatest obstacle to be
overcome, but until better method IS
invented we can NOW when the pods are
about grown and cure as forage. A cor
respondent mentioned recently a pea
gathering machine-that is the thing
needed. Let inventive genius go to
work in this direction. The problem IS
very much simpler than that Of cotton
picking machine, and inventors have not
yet abandoned the latter.
June is good month also in which to
plant forage crops generally. Last year
we planted amber cane on the 29th OF
June, and it was fully matured before
frost. Maturing late it can be kept
green and succulent for six weeks or two
months, extending the season for feed
ing green stuff well into the winter.
Forage corn planted at intervals of two
or three weeks, up to the last of next
month, will keep stock amply supplied
with good wholesome feed ali through
autumn, without the necessity of trench
ing on the winters supply Of fodder. 1t
is the neglect Of such side crops that
causes so much Northern and Western
hay to be sold in the South. A very
few acres on each farm could supply all
of the forage needed Recently we pre-
sented the latest testimony and conclu-
sions about ensilage. It is sufficiently
encouraging to warrant every farmer
trying it, on small scale, at least. The
expense of digging small pit, putting
in the forage, weighing it down and
putting simple roof over it, Will be
very small All can be done by the
laborers on the farm after the crops are
laid by. Plant the necessary crops to
fill one now and build silo later-l don't
think you Will regret the venture
Last year, whilst laying by some bot
tom corn, we broadcasted Sofa bean over
a portion of it, and were rather sur
prised to see it mature its seed fully be-
fore frost. AS it stands erect lis not a
vine) we found no difficulty in moving
it, and gathered the crop in that way.
1t is doubtless a renovating crop like the
pea, and might be substituted for it on
bottom lands, where the running vines
of the pea interfere with the pulling OF
fodder. The bean is very hard and the
weevil does not seem partial to it. We
kept the seed two years before planting.
Ground into meal, there is no more
nutritious grain to be found The yield
is fine, and the bushy habit Of growth
and nutritious quality of the grain COM
mend it. Unless cut when young and
green it would make poor forage as the
stems become very hard and woody with
age.
As the oats crop was very much killed
by the cold last winter, it is very desira-
bic that all that survived should be care
fully saved with a view to propagating a
harder strain of winter oats. Darwin
relates that spring wheat sown in autumn
was nearly all killed, but by planting the
seed of that which survived, in few
years a hardy strain of winter wheat was
developed from the spring wheat. Why
could not the same thing be done with
oats? What is termed in Georgia "win-
ter grazing OATS originally, we believe,
from Virginia, certainly stands cold bet
ter than the rust-proof. We have tested
that point from sowings of each side by
side on the same day last fall. a decided
sprinkling of the grazing oats survives,
and scarcely plant Of the rust-proof is
10 be seen. The grazing oats is there
fore the more promising as regards cold,
but it is not rust-proof. What We need
is variety both rust and cold-proof.
The present is a most excellent oppor-
tunity to begin work to that end. Let
every one gather the scattered heads and
SOW the grain therefrom next autumn.
The pliabilty of the oats plant, so to
speak, has been shown by the Burt and
other early varieties recently developed:
weare encouraged, therefore, to hope that
it may be changed also in its power to
resist cold.
We trust also that an abundance OF
seed rye will be saved at the South this
wear. The area sown in this most Valu-
nhl. ct,.ain hos heen Very materially crr.