The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-16
June Work on the Farm.


word alone may be used to designate the
vast amount of physical force expended
mon the well started crops of corn, cotton,
potatoes, sugar cane and the like that now
sdorn the multitudious fields of the south
arm farmer. The hand hoe and the horse
boa is the royal implement that radiates the
mise Of human muscle to the point of prac-
teal use and purpose. The operation Of
boeing has its only object in stirring the
surface soil, to break Its crust and keep in
check the useless weed that fills the soil and
&c ever ready to grow and share it with the
valuable crop. This is effected by plow
hoes or hand hoes-one more expeditiously
work. A combination of the two is the
most economical. The Chinese cultivator
with his small farm relies almost exclusively
m his hand hoe to cultivate his crops. The
American farmer does as little cultivation
with it as he can possibly avoid. Four
6ftbs. or three-fifths of it he does with his
horse hoe, let him call it sweep, or shovel, or
harrow or what not. Its operation and pur-
nose is the same-to stir the soil and hasten
the maturity of his valuable crop. The
slogan of the emigrant Westward no !"
becomes now westward hoe, and eastwood
hoe. and southwark hoe, and northward
noe, Just whichever way the row runs let
MIN hoe and hoe increasingly until his corn
and cotton and potatoes and cane are be-
yond the possibility of damage from their
ever-persistent foe, that asks no careful tend
ing to enable them to outgrow the valuable
crop, but only ask to be let alone. 1t is
very discouraging to a farmer to see much
of his cotton choked with even young grass
the last Of May, and consider what the
showers of June are likely to do for him in
providing extra and heavier work in the
determination of it. A farmer who is not
even overcropped cannot we'll lose a day
during the months of May and June Every
hour almost, of that period is required for
proper subjugation of all extraneous
growth that will detract from his crop if
left any length of time. This growth,
whatever it may be, we designate as weeds.
Anything that is not wanted on the land for
the time is, properly speaking, weed. A
surplus of plants beyond what are appro-
pirate for making the best crop are as much
weeds as so much crabgrass, or pursley, or
nettles are dock, are Maypop or anything
else
If three plants of cotton have been left
where only one should have been the effect
of the two extra ones is just the same as if
crabgrass or pursley were in their stead.
The farmer who recognizes the force of
the old proverb that tie best time to kill
weeds is just before they come up is the
farmer who is most likely to have the
c!eanes5 fields in June and the best crops in
October. Where this rule is observed it is
twice as easy to keep crops clean as it is
where the weeds are allowed to spring up
and form roots before the work of exter-
minating begins.
1t may not always be practicable to keep
ahead of the weeds over the whole extent
Of the crop, but what cannot be killed
while merely in the act of termination may
be killed shortly after they appear, while
very small, and with but little root to sup
ply SUBSTANCE 1t is almost as easy to
smother them then as it was when they
were only in, the "sprout."
Georgia farmers have perhaps never ex-
perienced a more favorable season for
establishing their staple crops-corn and
cotton and potatoes-than they have had
this year, and the large majority of them
have never had more cause for hopefulness
at the opening Of June than has been
afforded this year.
Good farmers have found it as easy as
heart could desire TO secure promptly good
stands Of all their crops and weather gen.
orally in the highest degree favorable for
keeping ahead of the weeds. Scarcity of
labor in some localities has retarded the
proper establishment in May of the crops of
corn and cotton, ETC., and it has been fire.
quent occurrence for individual farmers
here and there to have sacrificed some val
liable days, that should have been given to
the crops, to festivities that are common to
spring, and consequently are behind their
more steady-working neighbors in getting
their crops in satisfactory condition. Those
who have taken full advantage OF their op-
portunities this season are congratulating
themselves on better start than they have
made before in a number of years-a won
derful contrast to what it was at the same
time last year.
1t never pays to neglect crop already
Sprouted for the purpose of planting an
other, but it does appear that the large
mass of farmers without in any way neg
Letting their other crops will be so favorably
situated this month and next that it will be
al easy matter TO give that attention to the
pea crop that they have been forced to
deny itssfor several years past. This crop,
owing to increased appreciation of the
value of the peas as food, and the conse-
qUent greater demand for them, is far more
valuable than it was few years ago, when
a limited market forced the farmer to sell
at 90 cents to 20 cents bushel in the fall or
keep the crop over until spring. One dollar
per bushel is readily obtained for them now,
instead of so cents to 20 cents, and this
should certainly encourage our farmers to
give more attention to the crop. 1t is an
amellorating crop to the soil besides. While
1t takes away some mineral matter and
little nitrogen from the soil it gives back Of
the latter and of humus a very fair return
Tor the matter extracted. if the stems and
roots can be preserved to the soil without
waste. IL the vines are not returned di-
rectly the manure made from them from be-