St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-11-10
e0uTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Practical Hints for September.


Cotton picking win absorb most OF
tne time and attention of the planter
IRON nov until after ''killing frost. :"
1t Is pity that this important and not
oesily-postponeable work 20 conflicts
with other operations that ought to be
equally important, of which we will
speak directly. Every farmer Of any
experience knows that cotton deterior-
ates In value daily after the boil Is open
sufficiently to yield readily to the pick
er's fingers. Much has been said BY UNI
Informed writer's about the losses which
annually result to the cotton growers
OF the South from careless handling,
including bad storage. poor ginning.
oaling. etc., but We are satisfied that
the surest loss. the greatest aggregate
damage. Is that which results from
undue exposure Of the open cotton to
the weather, storms, sunshine, rain and
dew. The most desirable invention.
the longest-felt want for the use OF the
cotton planter. is machine that will
eupersede tho hands and fingers in the
cotton harvest Win it ever come?
We have often stressed the impor-
lance OF gathering the crop as rapidly
- possible. No operation on the farm
that may y postponed to q later period
or until ''wet day" should be per-
mitted to stay the hand of the cotton
picker. just as soon as q good hand
can gather as much as fifty pounds in q
day. the work ought to commence and
continue. 1t is especially desirable
for more than one reason to gather the
early opening bottom hollis rs prompt
~ ~ possible. Being next to and
nearest the ground. they more readily
rot and are easily soiled and injured
BY soil from below and stain from
above. Besides. the first few bales
generally bring more money, the price
being usually higher and the cotton
heavier. So far as we have observed,
We have been almost alone in urging
that the salable quality Of the lint
cotton win depend more upon
the seed cotton being prompt
ay gathered than upon extraordi-
nary care in rejecting trash. We
speak from long. practical experience
as farmer when we affirm that the
loss in quality and quantity from the
delay Of picking and the exposure of
the open cotton to the vicissitudes Of
the weather. much more than discounts
the advantage Of selling q few bales
early In the season at fancy prices be-
cause OF its greater freedom from trash.
The bese and most profitable cotton
picker on& plantation. as q rule. is the
enc who daily runs out the steelyard
Pea the fsuthest. whose basket most
often requires to be weighed on the
big side" OF course we do not UNDER
rate the real value OF care and cleanli-
ness In Ill the operations OF the cotton
harvest when not pressed to q costly
extreme. It does not hinder the prog
cess of the picking in the least to have
good. sound baskets, clean floors and
tight roofs to cotton houses. and the
proper disposition Of dew-wet cotton to
prevent undue heating and spelling.
Before leaving the subject Of harvest
ing fall crops. we would reiterate our
advice to gather the early corn As soon
rs possible. Corn planted early in
March and the fodder pulled early in
August will generally be ready for the
crib by the 10th of September. II
there is any thing gained to the corn
by allowing 1t to remain in the field
one day after it will keep in the crib.
We have never realized it. II the
weather h dry. however. and the cot
ton fields are white unto harvest, let
the corn alone until q wet spell. or
until the early cotton has been housed.
Tho entire crop of corn may often be
gathered during the wet spells when it
is impracticable to do any thing else
of equal importance. We think farm
ers lose much by failing to provide
good rat-proof and thief-proof cribs for
their corn. A hint ought to be suf-
acient.
The unusually good oat crop of the
past season win doubtless induce the
sowing of = larger area than usual in
cats. The vacillating policy that has
marked the history Of oat-raisine in
the South. ought to give way to . SET
tied conviction, one way or the other,
that the oat crop should be staple
crop of the South. the chief reliance
for rations for work stock. or that it
b too uncertain q crop for such re-
lance. The corn crop and the cat
crop. the one planted in the spring.
the other in the fall. dovetail together |
in q remarkable manner when proper
" considered and managed. Say We |
Q system now: Sow in |
September and October not less than |
six acres of oats to the plow, on
good or we'll fortified land. II
sown early. the odds Of the chances 1
are in favor of their standing
the winter and making good yield.
enough to almost feed the mules 4
year. estimating yield Of not less
han twenty-five bushels per acre. At
III events, by corn-planting time next
March and April. We will be able to
the yield of the fall sown oat
crop pretty closely. II the prospect is
good. for . heavy yield. we may reduce
he arca in corn correspondingly; If
The prospect is bad, plant more corn
50 likewise in the fall. rs now, we
know what the yield of corn will be,
and may enlarge or decrease the area
in oats accordingly. In this way the
Two crops are complementary to each