The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-17

| \ few ~roccries and some clothes will com
prise your actual wants. You will have mon,
ey, enough to get them and pay a%Ss' schoo'
| bill, medical and charitabie demands.
Let us look ut the matter III another llSht !:
\ farm with one hundred acres OF nf;lhlc i;thu
and twrnty-ti of timber, generally WIN or,
dinary improvements, can be bought ior =, ,o'o
or less; 500 will stock and equip it with mn
plements aud vehicles: 500 more Will supply
provisions for the first year: in snort: 9Z:T"
viii be glpita lnEsS1ea M%SUppse we Wa~S 'r IN @ re
turn for his labor and Il capital OF S2OW'. Wllai
does he get? \ home, 1irewooi, bread ana
meat, milk, butter, eggs potatoes, Fc"etahleS,
fruits: that is, good cnllotIaoi" m rIy innc t
bale to three acrcs), five bales of cotton IN adj
diton. That observe, is the lowest estimate;
if an energetic, good farmer, ne ouSht TO naTe
Mt least ten bales of cotton. Five ba les would
he equivalent 20 eight per cent on his capital
ten bales to sixteen per cent If ms labor IS
hired he would make"a living. but nave lt-
thcno On ordinary farms, with ordinary
management, II small farmer. who does MS
own work. may make c"mioTtahle lVln%;
he can't lay up much money Uhdcr IKE con,
ditionS those who hire labor probably 90 we'll
if they make both ends meet. On rich land.
or with plenty Of manure, and with labor say
ing implements, both may make money; hut
neither can on the "al-cottOn plan, as abun-
dant experience has demonstrated.
Rotation Of Crops,
Our agriculture has suffered much from q
disregard of iutliciOuS rotation OF crops. Inc
subject may be viewed from two Stant-pOlntS.
l. The relation of successive crops to each otl'
err as regards the portion of the SOIL ana the
clements OF the soil exhausted by eaei. =:
The conservative or counteractihS eltrct OF
one crop upon the destructive (washin% ana
leaching) effects Of the other. In general, INC
grains feed i'm the upper layer OF the SOIL chiel-
~, and exhaust its nitrogenous conlerls.
They are fl rousrooted plants. Ihe tap-root,,
,lo,Y ii-n
deeper in the soil, and exhaust It's contents OF
phosphoricp id and potash. While a deep
roofing crop. then, is drawing UPON the SUBJ
soil. the upper soil has an opportunity 10 re,
cruit its stock of plant food from the air and
from weathering, etc: while the Surfa"e-r''ot-
ell crop is feeling In the upper SOIL, tne Suo' .
soil has an opportunity to recruit its ioSt
strength. The attenuation of such crops is
plainly advantageous. In a hillv country the
other relation OF crops, to-wit, their eilect up
on the washing and teaching of soils, Is II any
beddcd. imrerfeciion in the running OF rows
concentrates water upon certain points with
destructive energy. Continued plnwlnS zoos
ems the soil and makes 1t an easy prey 10 rum
ming water A crop where cultivation rem
derS Il field destitute of living plants throush
a heightened period facilitates the lcachlnS
out of its available plant food. On therontra-
~ crops growing on smooth, lcHel surlare'
like the small grains, cause uniform dlStrl-
button of ra;nwa1cr over the surface with less
washing: the cOmparatite firm SOIL, nndls-
turbcd by the plow and He'd with roots, re-
SiSts the securing effect of water; as the crop
grows through the winter and in summer IS
followed quickly by a spontaneous growth OF
weeds and grass, the soluble elements OF me
soil are appropriated and held by living
plants. and have no opportunity OF helng
ieached ont by rains.
In any rotation, then, it is well to look to
both the points mentioned. Let us c"hSldcr
them in connection with the crops sketch"d
out for Il two-hOrsc farm. Those IN the IrSt
fifty acres nre pretty generally plantcd on
beds. are plOWed repeatedly. and maturing IN
autumn leave the land bare of living ve2cta-
ton through the winter Most of those in the
second fifty acres present the opposite conn'
l;ons-no beds, growing plants throrgh inc
winter. followed quickly By growth on hFln@
weeds after the corps mature and di" IN SUM
mer. The two SrtS are therefore complemcnfh-
ry: one is conservative. the other dcStruclvr;
one in part repairs the injury done ny the o!n-
er. They ought, therefore, TO alternate . WIN
each other. Let us attempt to arrange them
thus. H. cannot he perfectly done WIN the
proportions above, but may be approxlnatrd
by two parallel series, as shown III the folo"-
ing plats each containing twenty acres.
BIRDS EYF VIEW Or THE FARM.
The first series is quite perfect; the second
is quite defective The orchard ana Bermuda
grass. rlats are permanent; the clover rye
and drilled corn may he rotated. corn IN part
following clover at end of two years, and rye
following corn in part. The ten acres OF corn
land which is to- be occupied by peas and mil
rye the previous autumn. and again IN rye at
the last plowing of peas and millrt, and thus
he covered with growing crop through INC
winters The expense would he small, ana
the rotation much improved thereby.
PITCHING AND ROTATION.
In the preceding discussion the special
"pitching' Of crops, and the special 'rotation'
presented a,e not claimed to be perfect, or
best adapted to every locality. Bat il is be-
E.y yal tl,nt q lev a
which perva,le them are sound and good, ana
it is hoped that they may be suggestive OF
some changes for the better.
THE NECESSITY FOR ENERGETIC ACTION.
The present month calls for much activity.
Preparation for summer crops must be press
ed forward it cannot be safely delayed any
longer Land which has not yet been broken
and which is hard may become too dry 10
plough if the work Is longer deferred. One
GOOD breaking is generally regarded us sufl1-
cient. II is better to let land which has bcen
broken receive one good rain, and then give IT
a thorough pulverZng with one Of the MOD
crn harr0wS like the Acme. In land already
broken, these can be run to the full depth OF
the breaking. traringt to pieces the ciodS ana
fihing il much better than Il plough could 90.
AS the harrows finish q wide strip ut n go, SIX
TO ten acres may be passed over in q Cay. 1t
is not expensive work. therefore, ana, indeed,
if several beating rains should fall between
the breaking and planting OF land, It, would
pay handsomely to follow each one of them
With such narrowing. In clay lands, especial
ly, the opening and pulveriZin" OF the SOIL is
equivalent to Il good lnanuring; ana IN drill-
ed crops the work must be done before the
crop j. planted; it cannot be done afterwards,
except very near the surface.
HOW WE SHOULD WORK.
Some weeks before planting, bedding should
begin-but Il partial bedding Only-Say four
fllrrowS to the row, leaving the middle TO he
broken just before or Just after planting. rms
will give Il clean. fresh surface pretty much
over the whole ground, as the top of the beds
will be freShcned in the act of planning ana
covering the seed. Where land has been well
prepared, this preparatory bedding may be
done very rapidly with n walking or riding
cultivator; and anything which saves time
and labor ut this very busy season Is certainly
worthy Of attention. 1t will throw four lur.
rows together at one going. and That is as
many as one desires. We have never seen II
done, but imagine that by removing the two
inner plowhOts, and setting the two outer at Il
proper distance apart, that two rows may De
laid Off at one going by The same implcmcnt,
Snd with q marker attached every row might
thus he made exactly equl.dlStant. when
compoSts are to be applied, the work Is great
y facilitated by putting it in sacks or h;rrels
and hauling out and denOSitinS those III con-
venicnt Ines through the tieid. This can be
done II few weeks in advance. when the ground
is too wet to plow, or the teams are not Specl-
ally busy. The putting in sacks or barrels en-
ables one also TO divide or proportion out the
manure to every acre very uniformly. AS the
use of cOmpOStS must become a certainty III
our farming. machines for distributing II rap
idly and uniformly must be perfected. 1t Is Il
matter that should command the attention OF
manufacturers and inventors.
NOW IS TIE TINE TO BEGIN CORN PLANT
ING.
When land is dry enough, Orn.plantlng
may be advanl agcously begun this month,
both on uplundS and bottoms. The adv;tn-
tagcs are freedom from hud-wormS and the