The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-02-22
INTENSIVE FARMING.

In last months Thoughts" We prom
ised more on the subject of intensive
farming ssafter awhile" It was ther
suggested 'sthat as principle it does
not pay the best to manure few acres
very heavily and leave the main expense ot
the farm with little OF no manure" To
state the proposition affrmatively We
mean to ssy that as general practice il
pays better to distribute manures some.
what uniformly and impartially over the
entire area to be cultivated than to fer
tilize few acres very highly and the
remainder very lightly. A ton of any
good fertilizer will yield better per
cent. on the cost if distributed equally
over field of twenty acres than If one
half the ton be concentrated on two
acres and the remaining half distributed
among the remaining eighteen acres.
These hints are more particularly apph-
cable where concentrated fertilizers are
used, which cost comparatively little to
distribute.
Good fertilizers, iudiciously applied,
should be considered as an investment
rather than al expense. An increase OF
the area in cultivation involves increased
expense of labor, supplies, implements,
etc., but an increase in the quantity OF
fertilizers need not involve any material
additional expense, and while We have
promised that a uniform distribution
gives better results on the whole. the
correct conclusion is to reduce areas and
fertilize both literally and uniformly the
entire crop cultivated.
There are thousands, yea hundreds of
thousands of acres annually cultivated
in the South that do not yield one cent
Of profit, but on the contrary, entail a
positive and real loss. The remedy is
either to throw such acres out Of cultl-
vation, or cultivate them in different
way. The most available and immediate
is to throw such land out of cul-
tivation and confne our efforts to
smaller areas, with less expense of labor,
stock, etc., and increase the investment
in fertilizers.
There are many farms yielding a
scsnty living for all concerned, where it
would<be wise to sell one-half the mules,
one-half the plows and other lmple-
ments, one-half the land (or let it rest),
dispense with half the labor, and invest
the money saved in fertilizers, improved
stock and improved implements, and
such appliances as may be needed to re-
duce loss and waste. The farmer who
confines his best efforts and skill to a
small portion of his farm and still con-
tinues the whole area in cultivation has
only reduced area without
reducing expenses.
SToCK AND GRASS.
We have often touched upon the I'M
portance of stock-breeding and fattening
and grass culture. Now is the time to
SOW grass seeds Of most kinds, if not
sown last fail, or if the fall sowing failed
from any cause. 1t is useless to attempt
grass culture on poorly stricken and
poorly prepared soils. Bermuda may be
excepted in this remark, as it will grow
on almost any soil. March, however, is
8 better time to set q Bermuda pasture.
There is absolutely no reason why
Southern farmers-cotton farmers
should not raise all the horses and
mules needed for any and all purposes.
We recently attended colt show in
Jefferson county, which demonstrated,
if proof we're needed, that Georgia can
produce not only mules, but horses of
the finest type and quality. Sumter and
and ether counties in south
west Georgia are stirred up on the ques-
ton OF stock-raising. Habit is all that
is against US, and habit can be changed
and reformed. We ought at least to
produce all our horses and mules, enough
butter to supply every dining table in
the country three times day, beef and
mutton to fully supplement the home
made bacon supply and furnish the
markets of all the cities and towns. If
the farmers OF the South will only sup
ply the home demand for all these ami
NAL products they will have solved the
problem, how to make the farm pay.