The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-10-23
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL
Seasonable Suggestions.

IeCt IN lis temperature, 1ts gentle
zepnyrs, its cool mornings, with its
glories of departed summer and its
wealth of harvests ripe for the garner.
is always exacting and frequently con-
flicting in its demands on the skill,
judgment and industry of the farmer.
The urgency of the cotton harvest has
many time defeated the purpose OF
the farmer to SOW larger area in oats
While we press the importance of
rapidly housing the fast-opening cot
ton, at the same time there are other
things that may not be neglected or
postponed to convenient season."
SOWING OATS AFTER COTTON.
We repeat our previous suggestions
about sowing oats in the cotton-tield
Among the various plans and condi-
tions to save time, to insure protection
against winter killing, and bounte-
Gus yield at harvest time. there is
none that has given us better re-
suits than the plan of sowing
oats in drills in the cotton
field. One who has never seen such
work done in the cotton fields is apt to
think that great loss of cotton and
damage to the stalks would result.
But there is no difficulty and no loss
worth mentioning. All that is re-
quired is to put cotton pickers enough
in the field to gather the cotton-row
by row-as fast as the plows are to
plow in the grain. Let the oats be
sown either broadcast and plowed in
with scooter and scrape, sweep double
shovel or cultivator, as may be found
to do the work most satisfactorily.
We have more than once adopted the
simple plan of laying off two burrows
in each middle Or row OF cotton with a
small scooter, drilling the seed oats by
means ofguano trumpet and then COW
ering the two rows at one trip by using
scooter and WIDENING sweep. A
machine for drilling in small grain in
the cotton fields, that will do the work
in satisfactory manner, would be
worth a great deal to the South
ern cotton farmer. The cotton field is
just the place to SOW oats, for several
reasons: The cotton field has been
under clean culture since spring and
is usually pretty bare and naked, and
is exposed to the danger of washing
and teaching rains of winter and
spring. The soil needs a crop of
growing grain to bind it together by
means of its countless roots and root
let's. Another reason is found in the
fact that the great bulk of commercial
fertilizers used in the South is applied
to cotton, and considerable percent
age of the fertilizers SO applied to the
cotton crop remains in the soil ready
for the use Of the closely-following
small-grain crop. Another reason is
the fact that the all-summer blowing
and hoeing of the cotton is an excel
ent preparation for the small grain.
In regard to drilling in the oats,
there is no doubt that drilled oats stand
the winter better than when sown and
plowed and narrowed to a level
surface. The aim should be to
SOW early enough for the plants to gel
firm hold of the soil, the roots being
interlaced and matted so as to proven,
heaving or "spewing out" the individ-
ual plants.
We have already given timely ex.
hortations on this subject and recur to
it now only in the way of a reminder.
We are glad to note that the Commits.
sioner of Agriculture of Georgia, Hon.
j. T. Henderson, Is distributing seeds
of several of the leading varieties Of
grass to the farmers of his State. This
is move in the right direction.
It should be remembered that good
grass can not be produced on poor soil
Indeed, with one Or two exceptions
the really valuable cultivated grasses
will not even live through a single
season on poor and unthrifty soil. Blu
it does not require heavy application
of manure to start the young grass of
vigorously, and it is easy to add NOR,
in the form of top-dressing in tn
spring. The cotton field is also an ex
celent place tor sowing grass for tn
same reasons that have just been give1
in the case of oats.
We were taken to task" two year
ago for advising Southern farmers no
to sow wheat simply Or the sake Q
diversity of crops, Or because -four /
an indispensable article of food. Q
course we were flying into the YER
face of the threadbare advice to ''di
versify your crops; plant and pro
duce every thing needed for home con
SUMPTION" etc. Such rule is entire
ly too broad. in one sense, and We
narrow or hidebound. The farme
should not attempt to blindly folio,
such an unqualified rule, but he shout
be governed by his right reason an
sound common sense. The time wa
when the farmers of Middle and eve
of Southwest Georgia found it more Q
less desirable and expedient to SO
wheat Those were the days of hig
freights and high prices and before tn
development of the great wheat prairi
region of the Northwest. The rul
now should be to plant wheat onl
where the soil is known to be especia