The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-09-05
HARVEST THE FALL CROP
THE NECESSITY OF SAVING ALL THAT Is
MADE ON THE FARM.

ENpoSuEe the
Should go in the Crib ~ Soon as
Ripe...SensibIe Talk About Plant
ing Corn and Oats-.-What May be
Done With n Playground ShOat...
The VaIue Of Hay.
Cotton picking will absorb most of the time
md attention Of the planter from now until
lfter "kllling FROST. 1t is pity that this I'M
,ortant and not easily postponcable work so
,e equally important, of which we will speak
lircctly. Every farmer OF any experience
Knows that cotton dcteriorates in value daily
Utter the boil is open sufficiently TO yield read
ly to the picker's fingers. Much has been
aid by uninformed writer's about the losses
which annually result to the cotton growers
If the South from careless handling, includ-
ng bad storage, poor ginning, oallng, etc,
,ut VIC are satisfied that the surest loss. the
greatest aggregate damage, Is that which re-
ults from undue exposure Of the open cotton
% the weather, storms, sunshine, rain and
lew. The most desirable invention, the long
,st felt want for the use of the cotton planter,
s machine that will supersede the hands
ind fingers in the cotton harvest. VIII II
We have often stressed the Importance OF
Gathering the crop as rapidly as possible. No
operation on the farm that may be postponed
o later period or until a wet day" should
,e permitted to stay the hand OF the cotton
,icker. Just as soon rs q good hand can gath
,r as much as fifty pounds In day, the work
ought to commence and continue. IL is
% gather the early opening bottom bolls as
as possible. Being next to and
nearest the ground, they more readily rot and
are easily soiled and injured by soil from be-
few bales gen nerally bring more money, the
price being usually higher and the cotton
heavier. So fiir as we have observed, we have
been almost alone in urging that the salable
Al II.k will M
Upon the seed cotton being promptly gather
ed than upon extraordinary care In rejecting
trash. We speak from long, practical expert
ence as q farmer when we affirm that the loss
in quality and quantity from the delay OF
picking and the exposure OF the open cotton
than discounts the advantage OF selling few
bales early in the season at fancy prices be-
cause OF its greater freedom from trash. The
best and most profitable cotton picker on q
as u rule, Is the one who daily
runs out the steelyard pea the furthest, whose
basket most often requires to be weighed on
the big side" OF course we do not underrate
the real value OF care and cleanliness In all
the operations of the cotton harvest when
not pressed to costly extreme. 1t does not
hinder the progress Of the picking in the
cast to have good, sound baskets, clean floors
Ind tight roofs to cotton houses, and the prop
,r disposition of dew-wet cotton to prevent
under heating and spelling.
GATHERING COhN.
Before leaving the subject Of harvesting fall
crops we would reiterate our advice to gath.
,r the early corn as soon as possible. Corn
planted early in March and the fodder pulled
early in August will generally be ready for
he crib by the 10th Of September. II there is
anything gained to the corn by allowing 1t to
remain in the field one day after 1t will keep
n the crib, we have never realized 1t. II the
weather is dry, however, and the cotton fields
are white unto harvest" let the corn alone
until q wet spell, or until the early cotton has
oeen housed. The entire crop Of corn may
often be gathered during wet spells when 1t Is
10 do anything else OF equal
Importance. We think farmers lose much by
'ailing to provide good rat-roof an thief
proof cribs for their corn. a hint ought 10 be
sufficient.
FALL CRoPs-oATs AND WHEAT.
The unusually good oat crop OF the past sea.
son will doubtless induce the sowing OF larg-
policy that has marked the history Of oat-
raising in the South, ought to give way TO a
settled conviction. one way or the other, that
tho oat crop should be staple crop Of the
South, the chief reliance for rations for work
stock, or that 1t Is too uncertain crop for
such reliance. The corn crop and the oat
crop, the one planted in the spring, the other
n the fall, dovetail together in remarkable
,ged. Say we commence system now: Sow
N September and October not less than SIX
acres of oats to the plow, on good or well fer
tilted land. If sown early, the odds Of the
winter and making good yield. enough to
almost feed the mules year, estimating
Yield of not less than twenty-five bushels per
acre. At all events, by complaining time
next March and April, we will be able to esi1-
mate the yield Of the fall sown oat crop pretty
yield, we may reduce the area in corn corrre-
,pondingly; If the prospect Is bad, plant
more corn. So likewise In the fall, as now
we know what the yield OF the corn will be,
md may enlarge or decrease the area In oats
In this way the two crops are
to each other. We think as
, rule our farmers cut too closely IN their cal
,ulations, and the result is generally too
armer ought to make 1t his aim to produce
surplus of every one of the leading crops he
,rows. Always have little corn to sell,
rood many choice seed oats, potatoes, beef,
1ork, butter, etc., to spare. There Is more
money in these crops than. in making cotton
It present prices, and this is why the farmer
Who makes his own corn, oats, bacon, hay,
.tc., and does not rely on the West for any
hing that he can grow on his own lar!n,
makes more money and less debts than the
armer who buys large portion of his sup
There is no better succession than oats or
wheat after cotton. Oats may be sown before
he cotton has been harvested, as we have, Of
Ter Ter Of he fertilizer applied to the cotton crop
will be eagerly consumed by the oats, with
he additional advantage to the land of the
protection against washing afforded by Il
growing winter crop OF oats. According TO
he best experience, there Is no crop on which
ertilzers yield better results than crop OF
all-sown oats.
OF course 1t is rather too early for wheat,
md nothing can be done in the way of pre-
,aration where cotton land Is to be sown.
~. Shn fQ ~ a r
to SOW wheat. In the absence Of
,ariety that Is reliably rust-proof and at the
anne time good Touring wheat, the crop is
90 uncertain as rule There are localities
Is certain crop as anywhere In the country,
md the sowings should be limited to such To-
;alities.
WILL YOU SOW GRASS?
September and October are the two best
months in which to SOW grass. There are
Indications Of an increasing disposition on
he part Of the Southern farmers to engage
more in grass culture. We do not advise
arlner who Is without experience in the cul-
ure of "cultivated grasses" to 60 into The
business too extensively at first. Better 60
slowly, planting II few acress only 70 each
blow and adding little TO the area annually
Is experience determines the varieties and
,ther conditions that contribute most certain
y to success. AS we have often said, II is
Useless to try to grow the finer quality of
grasses on our ordinary old uplands without
,ood preparation and manuring. The ground
should be plowed and narrowed until the soil
S In fine tilth. The clay subsoil should new
,r be turned to the surface, except on rather
light soils where red clover Is to be tried. AT.
,er getting the soil in proper condition, the
,rass seeds may be wctted with water and as
much ammoniated suano stirred with them
IS may be desired to apply as fertilizer.
rhis Will greatly lessen the labor of sowing
both seeds and fertilizers, and both will be
more uniformly distributed. 1t Is best to go
,ver the land two or three times when sowing
o insure perfect uniformity: 1t Is not nee
,ssary to lay of lands for sowing with aplow.
We have found II very convenient to have
nan to walk along putting block, a piece OF
oole, or an ordinary dog-block, TO mark of