Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-01-30
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
EXPERIENCE AND SCIENCE.

sharp sand flint rocks remain on the
surface. If any one will take the soil
that has been in plowed crops for TWEEN
ty years, and the same kind of sandy
soil that has been only in cultivation for
two or three years and examine them
through magnifying glass, they will
see that the surface soil of the land in
cultivation for twenty years looks like
pile Of small, clean flint rocks down
to the top of the clay. This sand shows
where the mold (plant food) has gone,
for it will be found more abundant just
above the clay than nearer the surface.
The fresh, sandy soils will show most
mold or plant food on or nearer
the surface, and very little in
the clay. On fresh lands-on grass,
clover, cowpeas, etc.-the roots OF
these plants catch this substance
in its descent and return it to
the surface in leaves, stalks seeds, ETC.,
each year. For this reason we should
keep some kind of crop growing on the
land all the time. Peas sown in the
corn at laying by to- in and catch
up by the corn from any cause, root cut
ting, drought, excessive rains, bad drain
age or shallow preparation. Nine out
of ten seasons are good, but nine out of
ten years we guess wrong and curse the
season for our own short-sightedness in
not catching escaping ammonia, for it is
settled fact that all ammonia turned
loose by the opening Of the soil with
the pillow ON clean soils, will either be
lost from evaporation by the long sum-
mer and fall heat, or carried down into
the sub-soil by the winter rains. If
there is no clay foundation or
growing plant roots to catch
it, ammonia will, in few
years, be carried below where any plant
root can feed. If the soil is filled with
plant roots, the ammonia will be re-
turned to the surface when the plants
decay; if clay foundation, the clay
will retain the ammonia, where summer
crops, such as cotton and other tropical
plants will get it, but is lost to the
spring crops of the temperate zone, such
as wheat, oats, Northern or extra early
corn, grasses and clover. Why? Be
cause nothing can decay or be digested
without air, and roots can not feed on
undecayed substances. All the plant
food during the spring is held sub
merged in cold water, which is also held
by the tenacious clay until summer
comes. So all that the spring plants
can get is the very scant sub
stances left in this bed of very
small flint rocks and the food gath
cred from the air through its little
feeder roots mot the leaves) All cul
tivation will do much better on these
old sandy soils than those sown broad
cast, because the cultivation stirring
] the soil causes more rapid evaporation
sandy soil on clay foundation is un.
fitted for all spring crops, it is a com
plete soil for summer crops. The land
acts as projection against the heat OF
, the sun by cutting off all capillary at
traction and forming dense shade
| The clay keeps both plant food anC
, water together just on top of it, where
/ all plant roots will be sure to run, fol
they can not catch into the sand or en-
ter the airless clay. There is but little
danger of Gripping the plant by roo
cutting in cultivation, for they are deel
enough to admit of thorough cultivation
with shallow running implements.
Do not understand me to say tina
these soils are not suited for any thinl
but cotton and sugar cane. By NJ
means They are suited to create
number of plants than the clay soils o
. the North, open, porous and under
drained. We must confine ourselves T.
' summer crops, and this is as it should
be. Were it other wise, our summer
. would be much hotter by the direct ray
= of the sun on the soil protected by gree
and growing plants that feed themselve
!, and their stalk In the absense of thi
= growing vegetation our hot month
would cost us just as much for shade an
, stock feed as the winters do the peopl
of the North. We have many summe
grasses that furnish us with summer an
;. fall grazing, and the very cheapest an
: best hay for winter, which, If fed
- cattle land Sheep with cotton seed, wi
il. keep them fat the year round withor
- any kind of grain.
. We have three hundred acres in cult
II vation-all in one field. We have on
side in corn, oats, millet, etc. The cor
" is pulled early. The oats are thrashe
/, and the straw stacked. While we
u not get as good crop of oats as on tn
sitter soils, we get a full crop of cral
D grass hay, which with the millet is pl
D in long, narrow shed in the field.
, soon as the corn is gathered first
! September) we put a boy on mule
herding our cattle every forenoon whel
y the corn grew. This is kept up unit
IA cotton is gathered and the rye sown
tho cotton shows green sward, then Il
cattle are turned loose in the field. III
W plows then turn the land where we ha
u corn and millet under. Generally the
is good crop Of volunteer oats whiC
helps winter grazing; this we lea'
=" until after Christmas. Our Gait
have access to the straw staC
A. a, and hay shed, and the green r,
uurlUE INC NlnVCr. L ne only lttull
y done is with cotton seed. Our cattle ri
y on the outside range all summer.
- March they are generally fatter tn;
- during any part of the year. In MARI
=. they go back to the range and have on
- - cotton seed, at first only once per da
=, later three times per week; then on
:" twice, and then only once per week. |
- TO two years ago we fed corn-meal, b
% since then have fed nothing but the CT
20 ton seed, crab grass or millet hay al
u" oat straw.
Gu All stiff soils need and generally ha
a' porous subsoils or well-drained soils.
cultivated in or sown in spring crol
ut summer crops will, if the spring is W,
no catch their roots too near the ground
as stand the drought OF summer, and gi
an wav Just at the most critical time,
1u ! AZ ctallrS win