The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-12

,.,tioa, brt as an evidence of good faith
,.ov Work end Improved Imple-
ments.
Nav is a busy month on southern farms,
nd il often happens that farmer is put to
b,s very best to accomplish even half the
orl, that he would like to do during the
month. 1t depends as much upon the
,roother whether he will be able to keep up
9TH each crop SO that it may not DO al
lowed to receive any backset. such as may
accrue from being left too long in crowded
condition, or become grassy to such an ex-
to,t IS to render the work of hoeing twice
as hard.
Nowadays when extra labor in many Sec
tioos is so difficult to command just at the
time it is most needed, it becomes very
necessary for farmer to lay his plans so
carefully that the dangers that beset over
cropping, or even full cropping can be
Guarded against with the best success posi-
BE. The less of the hap-hazzard there is
about it the more likely will he be able to
keep on time with each special line of work
Tie farmer has certainly got to have we'll
defined plans as to the work he proposes to
do. providing for certain alternatives in
case of failure in the special direction he
had marked out.
For instance, if he finds in April that the
promise of his oat crop, owing to drouth
or rust, falls far below what he expected
from it for the purpose of affording suf-
fcient forage for the working year he must
exhibit the greater promptness IN seeding
to some other crop to make good the deficit.
With full crop of oats it may have been
his intention to allow the old land to grow
up in crop of weeds for the purpose of
accumulating a good supply of humus to
that portion of the farm. In view of the
failure of the oats to make perhaps even
half crop, he may find it essential toward
securing enough forage to pillow up much if
not all Of this same land and plant to corn
for grain or fodder, or peas or millet. A
good supply of manure may have been ap-
piled to this land when the oats were sown
lin October or january, and little of this
manure has been used by the oats. It is,
therefore, in fair condition for second crop
to be renewed upon it.
Ball worms, cut worms or rain may cause
the failure of certain areas of corn that
may render it advisable in May to replant
the land to cotton to get anything like
proper return for the labor and fertilizer
already expended upon the soil. These al
ternatives are frequently forced upon a
farmer, and the sooner always he recognizes
the necessity of conforming to the changed
conditions brought about by insects or
weather the better chance will he have to
neutralize the failure in any one direction.
Every year now it becomes more neces-
sary for the farmer to call to his aid i'm
proved machinery for doing his work rapid
y and with as little human muscle as posi-
Die. An improved implement may
need a little repair, but it
never gets sick in the spring, it never gets
sulky" or wants to frolic like the average
,arm laborer does.
Farming is getting more and more to be
machine work, almost identical with the
work in a cotton mill or other manufacture
ing establishment. Improved implements
that do work rapidly and yet perfectly must
be more generally resorted to by our farm
ers if they would attain the most satsfac-
tory results. Every year these implements
are made somewhat better, and get little
cheaper.
The very small farmer cannot of course
provide himself with as good implements as
his more fortunate neighbor who is blessed
with more capital, still there are implements
suited to his work ard purse that will ena-
bic him to do twice as much work as he
could do without them, and these he must
make stepping stones of toprovide still bet
ture will have little to do with bull tongue
or scooter" plows. and the hand hoe of the
money making farmer of the future will
have little work to do compared with what
it has been made to do in the past.
Sulky plows. horse hoes. improved Guilt
vator harrows must of necessity take the
place of much human muscle.
The farmer of this section is certainly
fervent in his desire for dry weather in
May. One good soaking rain in the early
part of the month he wants of course, if
rains did not occur late in the
previous month.
With normal stand of cotton as result
of the usual April seeding that crop de-
mands being brought to stand as early in
the month as it can be secured, and nearly
~<l, Al
give way to this most important business.
A year with average seasons finds the corn
crop by May 1 thinned to a stand, run
round and fairly started toward its au-
tumnal goal
If the April work has been promptly and
properly done the corn can now stand aside
for some weeks, and allow of the same
preparatory work being given to its raj
ment-turnishing brother. If hard rains
followed the cotton planting and packed
the soil, the common practice now, as has
been for many years, is to run round the
crop with scooter and then follow with
the hoes, chopping out nearly to perfect
stand
If the soil is naturally light a double
scooter Tor shovel does the work with lit
Tie more advantage to the crop. as it will
consume more moisture by filling up the
nrst furrow with loose earth at once.
here no hard rain has fallen since plant
ing and the soil still remains light and mel