The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-05-21
FOR FARMERS ONLY.
SOME TIMELY SUGGESTIONS FROM
RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY.
How Farm Work May be Done PrthtapiS
at this Season--Ealuable Information on
Sunlry Points.

How Farm, Work May be Done PrthtaptS
at this Season-Valuable Information on
Sunlry Points.
Southern Cuttivatcr.
With this month tie cultivation OF
the main crops Of the farm comlnen-
ces III earnest. On ,nany fal1:ls corn
has already reoevrd its first working
and should now be IL & thrifty, grow
ing condition. The old rule CT plow-
ins over the crop every three weeks
should not be observed, further than
to be certain that the interval is ne7-
er so long. Three weeks, IS arlie,ls
too long an interval. # only three
complete plowings are to be gwen,
it were better to defer II" first pioW-
inc until the plants have i've or slN
leaves III the ground has not been
before neglected, or mas not been rrn
together by heavy 2;sins,, and Then
give theremaining two n.cw'liSs at
intervals of two weeks. 3uS we
have fornG Il s5ill better PLAZA to give
only a partial plowins at each gong
over, say two fu1rows with q sweep,
or other wide, surface cultl7ator, ana
go over the crop every week or ten
days IN this way. We have before
remarkedthat when twofulrows with
an ordinary sweep or smaller plow,
are run s;deby side. the secondfuTow
does butIttle over hall work. For gen
eral purposes OF cultivatins corn AN:
cotton we have found the Planet, Jr..
Cultirator d most satisfactory lE-
plement, leaving little to be desired.
The winged sweep or heel scrape IS
good, but an expanding, five OF SIX
toothed cultivator is much better.
We insist that four or FIVE foot, or
even SIX foot row. whethe: in corn or
other crop, should rarely have more
than one round: OF two burrows az
any one time. Better go oreT the
crop with two furrows to the row
every ten days than to give four fur
fows ev,..y three weeks.
Inc ,le@p-plowing, ROOT pruning
i. *. il ti,a cultivation OF com, NJ any
othcf crop, Which has been advocated
In certain quarters, cannot stand the
test OF Intelligent experiment. On
very heavy, rough soils, where shall
low, surface culture IS impractlcahle
and unsatisfactory, more or less deep
blowing and incidental root cutting
may be the lesser of evils. 1t Is bet
ter 10 cut AMI mangle the ROOFS
somewhat. than to let the weeds and
grass take the crop. AS general
rule s,rface cultivator. or other
shallow running implement may be
safely used whenever it will take the
soil and thoroughly d,sintegrate 1t to
the depth of one inch. The idea that
the essential object of cultivation OF
growing crop is to break the SOL
SO that the roots can penetrate 1t is
fallacnus- Such breaking IS one OF
the principal objects of the prepara-
tory plowing before planting or at
the latest, the first plowing. Slbse-
quent cultivation serves to break the
surface crust or preEent its for,ia-
ton. thereby permitting 8 free pcrco-
laiion of ar into the root layer of soil,
and preventing TOO rapid evaporation
of moisture from below. The de-
strucsion Of grass and weeds IS a
secondary and Incidental effect OF
surface culture, necessary, OF course
but Of 81 5or-c6aiirr,se7e Importance TO the
thorough accretion OF the soil.
OF course every farmer VIII plant
peas in his corn fields # for no other
purpose than to improve the land.
The value of the peas harvested,
either in the form Of hay, or ripe
seed, or pasturea by hogs, IS nearly
always greater than the entire expen-
ses of planting and cultivating the
peas. Indeed the value Of the plant
ing seed and the labor of dropping
and covering, comprise about all the
expense up to the time ofharvesti2g.
According TO our OWE experience, the
best way to plant peas in corn. n
May, is to open & furTow with a shov-
el IN the centre OF the corn middle,
drop eight or ten peas every step,
and cover with cultivator, set to
straddle the furrow with two for
ward teeth, permitting the other
teeth to stir the adjacent surface.
With this plan in view it is prefera-
bic, even when corn is planted IN
hills, to have the latter wider one
way than the other, so as to have the
corn hills and the pea hills to pretty
equally occupy the land. At the
final plowing Of the corn peas may be
sown broadcast for the purpose, first,
of providing pasturage or hay; and
secondly, to improve the land. But
next month viii be time enough to
discuss the policy of pasturing, OR
making hay Of the pea-vmes rather
than permitting them to rot on the
surface, OF turning them under.
COTTON.
AS soonas the cotton is well up,
and sometimes before it IS up, it is
good practice to broadcast harrow
the fields, using a harrow the teeth
standing backward. This breaks
the crust and destroys the weeds
more expeditiously than any other
plan. The harrow should be run
either along the rows, or diagonally
across, as the condition Of the land