The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-03-07

[originai1
I THE COTTON PLANT.
An Anderson County Farmer Presents 6
/ few Valuable, Thoughts in Regard to IT.
) Cultivation.
Mr.. EDITOR If you will allow me
space. in your valuable columns I wil
sndeayor to- present few thoughts il
regard to farming, and also give my
method of managing and cultivating the
cotton plant. If any of your many read
ers have not already better system, they
can very easily, and without much
expense; adopt mine:
Your columns frequently contain let
tiers from those who are successful, but
they are too expensive for the average
farmer, owing to the present state or con.
dition into which bad management has
forced him.
To devise more reliable method OF
farming is, and should be, the uppermost
thought in. the minds of every successful
farmer.
Why Is it that the majority of farmers
in Anderson County are scarcely making
8 support7 Has ouf land lost its fertil-
ity !? Can it bestha we are growing more
Ignorant Of the knowledge which is our
right to possess {? lam anxious to see the
farmers Of Anderson County ptospering.
| I want to SEQ them become more inde-
pendent. But unless the present. system
Of manuriDg and cultiyatipg is aban-
doned, there can be no hope for better
condition. The farmer needs a reliable
method, and at the samej time ore that is
not SO expensive. lean see but one rea.
son why such plan as the farmers
have has ever existed, and that is, sit is
easy.n The farm calls for labor every
month in the year, and neglectiDg its
requirement is sure to reduce the profit
accordingly.
Reader, if you are seeking some plan,
ortrying to devise method by which
You expect to work only four or five
months in & the year and prosper, You
had better hire to your neighbor TOR
i.aboard and clothes..y
have never known farmer to admit
that he was nlazy," or acknowledge him.
self to be abad manager" He always
attributes his. shortcomings and failures
to droughts, misfortune or chad luck"
If you should ask him Why his neighbor,
Mr. "a, who is industrious and successful,
was making money so rapidly, he would
tell you that MIA was the ,luckiest man
he ever saw that it mattered not what
he undertook, luck always favored him.
when it comes to farming ] am not
believer in aluck.o In the first place
the successful man, if you will notice,
puts in twelve months in the year, or sees
to it that the work is done. By putting
plenty Of labor, mixed with Judgment
and economy, You may expect success.
Labor and Judgment united will accom-.
plish anything undertaken.
at present the outlook for commercial
fertilizers Is discouragiDg, and farmers
should be urged to make the home sup.
ply as large as possible. Considering
the fact that smmoniated phosphates
have been freely used upon most land for
a number Of years. it Is necessary only
to apply a manure that contains little or
no ammonia to. furnish the plant with a
proper food. The lot and stables furnish
a wonderful supply Of manure if 9 little
care and attention ID given, land plenty
Of leaves or straw kept in them. Acom.
post Of reasonable proportion Of cotton
seed, stable and lotsmanures and acid, is
81 IS good i fertilizer as I want for cotton.
When stable or LOT manures is scarce, the
compostiheap may be enlarged: By: adding
rich earth Scrsped from tie low grounds,
which can can Be found ia quantities to sup.
ply any farm. One Of the most impor-
tant points in preparing compost is to
begin early. IF neglected till time for
bedding, the busy season, in nine cases
out of ten, forces the farmer to substitute
aguano" instead.
In order to save time I mix all together
and make one application complete the
work. If land is some distance from the
lot, it is we'll to haul the manure to the
field and build the heap on one edge /;
this can be done when the ground is vet,
and at bedding time it is handy and 9
great deal Of precious time is saved.
Breaking land Is the next thing in
order. It has been said that cotton must
be placed where it's root can touch hard
clay before it will grow. If there is any
sound judgment in such argument 1
would like to know it. I admit that
some deep, sandy soil may be too loose
and open to produce we'll, but for far
mer to suppose, that by planting in
unbroken soil he can obtain bright
prospect, is nothing but absurdity. The
object of breaking is not only to loosen,
as a great many think; for if that should
be the case, it would be useless, even
detrimental, to breaka deep, sandy soil
-one which is naturally Zoo loose. In
breaking, it is well to consider the differ
enu varieties of soil. Loose land should
be- broken first, especially if there is an
abundance of grass or weed on it, and
there is generally great deal of rain
afterward, which is apt to settle and
cause it to become compact. If it is pos.
! sible I break every foot of land, whether
stubble OF stalk, sandy or stiff clay, for in
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