The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-06-17
WORK FOR JUNE.
The Advantage Of thorough cultivation.

The Advantage OF thorough Cultivation.
The cultivation of summer crops now
absorbs attention. The plants valued by
man cannot stand natural competition !,
they would be destroyed by worthless
competitors but for his timely interfer-
enee and aid. Mr.. Lawes left crop Of
#heat unharvested to see if the plant
could reseed and perpetuate itself with
out assistance. 1t failed utterly in one
year wheat would become extinct but for
the Intervention of men. Under like
treatment the turnip lost its bulb and
formed only long, contracted taproot'
as it does in its wild state. On the other
hand, wheat on carefully prepared land,
kept perfectly clean 80 rs to remove all
competition, made an sverage yield of l9
bushels per acre for thirty years without
manure; highly manured under the same
conditions, otherwise, the average yield
per acre for thirty years was SO bushels
per acre. With cultivation and without
manure; Is bushels per acre; with culti-
.yation and manure, is bushels per acre ;
without cultivation sor manure, nothing.
There is d lesson for US.
Every one with the slightest farming
experience appreciates the Importance of
tfghting-crab grass, but the fight is often
made too late, and after irreparahle mis-
Schiefshas been done. Plants never fully
recover their yigur after this grass has
oncs matted itself about them. By all
means killsit before it has had time to
rob the crop of its plant-foodi when the
seed have we'll spfouted or have just
come upis the time to destroy it. The
only safe rule, Wherefore, is to run the
plows or cultiyators at short intervals
say once a week. Later in the season
such frequent workings will not be de.
nanded |; but during the month Of June,
never stop the plows; as soon as the
crop is, gone over, go right ever again.
Especially is this demanded by cotton.
Give it every advantage now. Let it
make weed and be ready to take on fruit.
Growing aud fruiting are somewhat an.
tagonistic. Encourage the growing now
by frequent workings, and let it give
place to fruiting later ID the season,
Constant stirring Oh the soil is the beet
;growth:promoter.; But, says one, growth
is naturally excessive on my lnnds; my
cotton makes too much weed and does
not mature Its fruit. Perhaps on such
;soils:it might be we'll to work the crop at
longer intervals -ouly so often as may be
needed to keep down grass. ftseems to
be;pretty well established that common
salt tends to check an overgrowth Of
straw ia small grains; it may possibly
have similar effect on the production OF
excessive weed iu cotton; The matter is
worthy Of experimental trial. Mr.
Dickson, whose intentions we're very re.
markable, and whose insight into ma.
nuring was, very extraordinary, always
put salt in his compound.
But rapid things not only promotes
immediate growth, 1t contributes also to
sfruiting by increasing the supply Of
plant food in the,soil We have repeat.
;edly called attention to the necessity Of
air in the soil for nitrifcation to go on,
sNitriGcation increases the supply Of
available nitrogen In the soil; plowing
opens the soil, admits the. air, aud thus
promotes nitriHcatic,n. Not only SO, the
admission of air generates carbonic acid
in the soil land carbonic acid is the great
natural solvent Of mineral plant-food
snlso. The saying, therefore, that "till.
age is manure has considerable founda.
;tion to rest on. 1t certainly unlocks the
storehoases Of nature. Well.worked
crops seldom fail to yield fairly, however
adverse the seasons may be. Let it be
borne in mind also, that light, surface
cultivation issthe great conservator Of
moisture in the soil, and one Of the best
antidotes to drought A deeply broken,
4humus abounding soil, with thin layer
Of pulyerized earth upon its surface, is
almost proof against drought.
What are the best implements for this
light summer cultivation 2 The Dickson
sweep fifteen or twenty years ago was
esteemed the best. It certainly was a
great improvement over the shovel, both
as regards quantity and quality y-of work.
Mr.. Dickson insisted that they should be
heavy, to keep them steady to their work
The long extended cutting edge caused
them to strike more distractions and
rendered it difficult TO hold them steadily
to their place. This is great defect Of
the sweep. On the ether hand this long
cutting edge makesit almost impossible
for maypop or brier to escape. This is
decidedly in its favor. Of late years the
heelscape has largely supplanted the
sweep on account of its greater simplicity
and less cost. It does about the same
kind of work-some think better work.
Both sweep and scrape will make beds,
unless their wings are carefully set,-this
is decided objection to them in hilly
land, liable to wash. A 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 Opposition by distractions,
and does not work The land up into beds.
Probably a combination of the two, fol.
lowing each other at alternate workings,
would be better than either alone.
A cultivator will run too deep for light
summer work, unless the depth of its
cutting is regulated. by a wheel. We
are inclined to think, that in some form
or; other, wheel plows will become of
suniversal;use, not only for gauging the
+ n 4 Z q r. A. &c IL