The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-11-13
FARM WORK FOR NOVEMBER.
GOOD ADVICE TO THOSE WHO TILL THE
SOIL.
Cotton MISUNDERSTANDING Wheat and
OatS...FecdinS and Fattening--.
GruSS.--The Outlook.
Southern CuHiUdtOr.

Gri,ss.--The Outlook.
Southern CuNiUator.
COTTON HARVEST.
This month should witness the wind
ing up of the cotton harvest. Every
boil that opens in November should, if
possible, be picked before the first day
of December. Cotton now open in the
field will not only detcriolate in value
very rapidly under the influence of
dew, rain, cold and wind, but the work
of picking will he very slow and disa-
greeablc after the close of the month.
There are but few jobs necessary to be
done that will seriously interfere with
the work of housing the remnant OF
the cotton crop.
SOWING WHEAT AND OATS.
In the northern portion of the cotton
belt the wheat crop has been put In,
In those portions of the middle belt
the old rule of clark nights in Octo
Der" as the time to sow has had it's ad-
vocates from time imnemorial. We
refer to this rule partly to give occasion
for the remark that we do not believe
either in Sowing in the moon" or in
being governed by its phases in per-
forming any of the operations of the
farm and garden. Our own rule for
sowing wheat is to commence about
the time when the first severe frost
usually occurs, which is generally-in
the region last referred to-about the
first week in November. 1t has per.
haps been noted by habitual readers OF
THE CULTIvAToR that the writer OF
these "Thoughts" does not insist that
every farmer should sow wheat. 1t
depends OH circumstances which are
GENERALLY beyond control, chief among
which is available land especially
adapted to wheat. The doctrine that q
arnler should produce everything he
requires has its reasonable as well as
it's absolute limitations. A farmer in
Ohio is absolutely prevented from
growing cotton and sugar cane, and
yet he must have cotton shirts, sheets
and maybe mattresses for his bed, su-
gar for his coffee and syrup for his has
ty puddingC) So farmer in Georgia
or Alabama would be unwise to persist
in sowing wheat if his best choice OF
upland would only yield it at cost OF
eight dollars per barrel of flour, when
he can buy better article, laid down
at his door, for six dollars. The same
argument applies with equal force to
many other articles of ordinary coll
sum ption. But many farmers in the
"hill country" of the cotton region
can and ought to raise their own
wheat, in connection " ith other small
grain. A high and dry hill top or hill
side, with a good clay subsoil, is the
proper soil for wheat. 1t is better to
follow cotton, or peas, with wheat,
though corn land, if not too foul, will
do. Rich virgin, or naturally rich soil
is not requisite it is better to enrich
by fertilizers. Wheat requires large
percentage of nitrogen, and the land
should therefore be manured with an
ammoniated fertilizer. This fact is
well illustrated in the generally good
results of cotton seed as fertilizer. 1t
is more economical to use the cotton
seed meal than the whole cotton seed.
But ammonia (nitrogen) is not the OIL.
ly element required by wheat; it must
have potash and phosphoric acid also
For the average worn soils OF the mid.
die region compost of meal, acid
phosphate and kainit in the following
proportions will give satisfaction
Cotton seed meal............. 500 pounds
Acid phosphate. 900 pounds
Kainit. ...........................-. 200 pounds
Total. ........................~2,OO pounds
On fresh, granite soils possibly the
kainit may be dispensed with unless d
very heavy application be made
From 300 to 500 pounds per acre, Of the
above, would be a moderate dose, anc
should give a yield of ten to twelve
bushels of wheat. On clean cott0r
land Il good close plowing with turning
scooters, or good turning plow, to bt
followed by a harrow il necessary, will
put the land in good condition to re-
ceive the seed. Soak the seed in 6
bluestone solution of one pound of the
salt to five gallons of water. Sow the
wheat, and Immediately the fertilizer
and harrow in smoothly. If practica
ble good rolling, after narrowing, viii
be labor well expended, especially il
the soil is Of u loose, open texture, or il
it be cloddy.
1t is now too late to SOW oats with q
reasonable probability of escape from
winter-killing, except in the extreme
South, where they may be sown ut any
time during this month, selecting the
land from which crop of cotton has
just been harvested.
FEEDING AND FATTENING.
Hogs intended for porkers will now
he we'll OH the way to fatness. We
have always thought that pork made
from sweet potatoes is the sweetest.
best and cheapest that can he produced
ON a farm. Let the hogs have liberal
sdpply of this esculent every day, feed
| ing once day OH corn, or better, corn
meal, and finishing off with corn meal
mush fed in clean troughs rs the cold
weather and hog-killing time ap-
proachcs. Intelligent farmers need
not to be reminded that there is no
economy in Withholding food of the
most tattening character from animals
intended for the slaughter. One may
stint, to some extent, the working ami
mails on 4 farm without loss or detri-
ment to their working ability, but ev-
ery pound of food withheld from
milch COWS and porkers involves Il loss
that can never he recovered. The aim
should be to fatten Il hog in the short
est time. TO do this he should be sup
piled with as much food as he will con-