Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-08-07
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE MONTH OF JULY.
The HALFWAY House In the Farmer
- nh

The HALFWAY House In the Farmers
Effort to Make Crops.
July is the halfway house" in the
farmers toilsome annual way. On the
well-ordered farm the demands of the
crops for cultivation have possibly
slackened, corn being generally ''laid
by" and cotton sufficiently advanced to
be out of the way of the farmers tradi-
tional enemy-grass. Some farmers
make it point to lay by cotton by the
Fourth of july" 1t depends on the
seasons and the general condition Of the
crop whether cultivation should con-
tinue. Experience and observation
teach us that the crust that forms on the
surface of the soil after q good rain
should be destroyed within week or
less after the rainfall. 1t is important to
do this for two reasons: /. That the
air may have free access to the soil, and
| (2) that evaporation of the soil moisture
may be impeded as much as possible.
But these are believed to be effected by
breaking the crust and pulverizing the
soil to the depth of one inch. 1t is true
that this thin layer of soil soon dries
apparently quicker than If left un-
stirred, but, never theless, it serves as a
mulch to prevent the rapid evaporation
of the subjacent layers, and thus con-
serves the moisture just where it is
needed-down among the roots of the
crop.
Assuming that the cotton on we'll cul-
tivated and we'll fertilized fields is now
at an average height of "knee-high,"
or varying from one foot to three feet
the object of culture in relation
to the plant itself is to induce a
steady growth of weed while at the
sane time encourage the setting of
young bolls. Unnecessarily deep plow-
ing at this juncture will almost certain
ly cause the plant to cast or ''shed" its
young bolls, and even the forms. The
roots being cut and mangled, must be
renewed by fresh output and growth.
The balance between foliage and fruit
on the one hand, and the roots or feed
ers on the other being destroyed the
plant can no longer contain all of the
former. 1t, therefore, throws off por-
tion OF the immature fruit, and often
the leaves, and leisurely re-establishes
its root system, and then commences to
grow again. The final result will be a
larger development of stem and foliage
and belated crop of bolls. We
have no doubt that such treatment
of the plant (plowing deep in
july sometimes proves real
benefit when it is of dwarfed
and suspended growth, and has taken
on more fruit than the plant can m a.
ture, and yet continue at the same time
to grow and set more fruit We have
repeatedly tried the experiment of
stripping from number of plants every
boil and vestige of form as late as July
4, with the invariable result of greatly
increasing the size of the plants and
materially increasing their yield as
compared with those in adjacent rows
not so robbed of their fruit. In such
experiments the plants at once CON-
mence growing afresh, and generally
grow fifty to one hundred per cent.
taller. Of course, this was but an ex-
pertinent, and could not be practiced in
detail on large area, but we have lit
tie doubt pthat there are many cot
ton fields of which the final yield
would be materially increased II
every form and boil at the beginning Of
July on the stalks could be cheaply re.
moved, and the plants thereby be en-.
couraged to a better development Of
weed. Whether it would be safe to SO.
cure the preliminary object-the cast,
ing or shedding of the present fruit
by plowing deeply, in any case, we are
in doubt. 1t is matter of common OBJ
servation and frequent remark that Q
field of cotton overbears; or that the
plant is too small, although heavily
boiled, to make satisfactory yield
This is apt to be the case on old and
worn soils on which the planting wa;
too early. In such fields the plant de
velopment may have boon greatly 70
tarded by unfavorable weather, lice
neglect, etc., while the blooming an(
fruiting period was very little delayed
Hence, the plant is 'old enough" pu
not big enough" to go through thu
exhausting process of profitable repro
duction.
Topping" of the plants has not ye
been reduced to rule, and probabl.
will not, since experience shows tina
we can not know beforehand whethe
or not the operation will prove {
benefit 1t is a matter Of common OBJ
servation, however, that plant that |
accidentally topped by the bite of
. mule, or otherwise, early in the season
or before it is knee-high, is often aI
parently benefited. If topped at all W
are pretty confident that it should b
done before the first Of August
Before leaving the subject we sug
gest thar in plowing cotton from thi
time until laid by, as general rule
! tho work should be done with a cult
] vator or sweep that will yer
. nearly, If not quite, ''clean out
a middle at one furrow. The shap
g or contour of a cross section Of the row
4 should be preserved as nearly uniforl
as possible. The practice Of running
i small sweep or shovel and scrape twiC
I in each middle heaps the mellow so
e first on one side and then on the otht
of the middle, only to be reversed at tf
q next plowing, thus alternately shiftir
@ the mass of loose, mellow soil from OF
d side to the other, permitting 1t to r
d main at rest only long enough to
II filled with the rootlets of the plan
n from one row, to be then torn up ar
|. thrown TO the other side. Whatev
). the implement used the soil should
moved very little sidewise, but aft
i. being slightly lifted and stirred
d should drop into the same position
a, before, thus preserving the same gene
\. al contour of surface.
a. There are but few seeds that may
,e planted with advantage except in Il
n. way of succession of quick-growir
l o. y.