The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-10-11
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
Practical Hints for September.

Cotton picking will absorb most of
the time and attention of the planter
from now until after sskilling frost. +"
1t is pity that this important and not
easily-postponeable work so 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 I'M
| informed writer's about the losses which
annually result to the cotton growers
| of the South from careless handling,
including bad storage, poor ginning,
baling, 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 a machine that will
supersede the hands and fingers in the
cotton harvest. Will it ever come?
We have often stressed the impor-
lance of gathering the crop as rapidly
as possible. No operation on the farm
that may be postponed to later period
or until a .'wet day. should be per-
mitted to stay the hand of the cotton
picker. just as soon as a good hand
can gather as much as fifty pounds in a
day, the work ought to commence and
continue. 1t is especially desirable
for more than one reason to gather the
early opening bottom bolls as prompt
ly as 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 will depend more upon
the seed cotton being prompt
ly gathered than upon extraordi-
nary care in rejecting trash. We
speak from long, practical experience
as a 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 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 plantation, as 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 UNDER
rate the real value of care and cleanli-
ness in all the operations of the cotton
harvest when not pressed to a costly
extreme. 1t does not hinder the prog
ress 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
as 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. If
there is any thing gained to the corn
by allowing it to remain in the field
one day after it will keep in the crib,
we have never realized it. If the
weather is dry, however, and the cot
ton fields are white unto harvest - let
the corn alone until wet spell, or
until the early cotton has been housed.
The entire crop of corn may often be
gathered during the wet spells when it
is &mpracticable 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-
fcient.
The unusually good oat crop of the
past season will doubtless induce the
sowing OF larger area than usual in
oats. The vacillating policy that has
marked the history of oat-raising in
the South, ought to give way to set
tied conviction, one way or the other.
that the oat crop should be a staple
crop of the South, the chief reliance
for rations for work stock, or that it
Is too uncertain crop for such re-
Lance. The corn crop and the oat
crop, the one planted in the spring.
the other in the fall, doyetail together
IN remarkable manner when proper-
~ considered and managed. Saw we
commence a system now: Sow in
September and October not less than
six acres of oats to the plow, ON
good or well fortified land. IF
sown early, the odds of the chances
are in favor of their standing
the winter and making good Weld.
enough to almost feed the mules a
year, estimating yield Of not less
than twenty-five bushels per acre. At
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