The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1888-02-23

for yield of twenty fold is q pretty safe
general rule, unless the unexpected yield
or capacity of the land is small, in which
case the seeding should be somewhat
heavier than this rule would indicate,
and vice versa.
| INTENSIVE FARMING.
In last months s'Thoughts" we prom
ised moro on the subject OF intensive
farming "after awhile" It was then
suggested "that as O principle it does
not pay the best to manure few acres
very heavily and leave the main expense of
the farm with little or no manure" TO
state the proposition affirmatively we
mean to say that as a general practice it
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 moro particularly appli-
cable where concentrated fertilizers are
used, which cost comparatively little to
distribute.
Good fertilizers, judiciously applied,
should be considered as an investment
rather than an 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 q 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 ono cent
OF profit, but on the contrary, entail O
positive and real loss. The remedy is
either to throw such acres out of cult
vation, or cultivate them in O different
way. The most available and immediate
remedy is to throw such land out of cul-
tlvatlon and confine our efforts to
smaller areas, with less expense of labor,
stock, ETC., and increase the investment
in fertilizers.
There arc many farms yielding q
scanty living for all concerned, whore it
would be wise to sell one-half the mules,
one-half the plows and other imple.
ments, one-half the land Cor lot it rest),
dispense with half the labor, and invest
tho money saved in fertilizers, improved
stock and improved implements, and
such appliances as may be needed to re-
duce loss and waste. Tho farmer who
confines his best efforts and skill to a
small portion of his farm and still con-
tlnues the whole area in cultivation has
practically 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 mos, kinds, if not
sown last'Gall, 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, rs it will grow
on almost any soil. March, however, is
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 were needed, that Georgia can
produce not only mules, but horses of
the finest type and quality. Sumter and
Randolph and other counties in south
west Georgia are stirred up on the ques-
tion OF stock raising. Habit is all that
Is against us, and habit can be changed
and reformed. We ought at least 20
produce nll our horses and mules, enough
butter to supply every dining table in
the country three times a 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 homo demand for all these ami
nal products they will have solved the
problem, how to make the farm pay.
What n Liberal Education Means.