The Charlotte Democrat., 1891-01-30
AGRICULTURAL. L.
Sowing Oats.


At any time now, when the grouno u
in GOOD condition and the weather Iair'
the sowing of spring oats may oegln.
There is some risk OF the nrst so"!"g
being killed by cold, but there IL also O. rlSH p,
of tho late sowings being cut On ~
drought. There is some risk stIehotns
umost everything done on the 1arln' agIS
we must not be deferred theteDy' ~
that observeth the clouds shall not te"p..
saws the wise man. In the naI'oI m
risks. the farmer should initiate the prac
tico of insurance companies. Iney t.Ne
many risks, some entail loss, others Df.ns
profits, and by exercise OF prudence 'ue
latter offsets the former, and ieaVe .
balance on the credit side. To lllnstrate
in the matter of oats. Suppose one %
gins sowing early in January ana sows
two or three days each week unill tne
middle OF February or the tirst OF March
It is not probable that all OF these SOW
ings will be killed, nor is it probable that
ali will be seriously injured by drought.
Some of the sowings are almost sure 10
shit right" There are two things within
the farmers control that 60 long way
towards insuring success One is to SOW
only the rust proof variety, the other to
sow on good land. 1t is exceedingly poor
policy to SOW ordinary western oats, be.
cause they can be boug ght for few cents
less bushel. 1t is sound economy to
pay twice the price of ordinary oats TO
get a good article Of rustproof, that give
absolute insurance OF the crop against
rust Those farmers whose memories
20 back beyond the introduction OF the
rust proof variety, remember that spring
oats had almost to be abandoned from the
constant destruction of the crop by rust.
This trouble out of the way, the two re-
naming enemies are hard freezes and
drought. The first we may measurably
overcome by successive sowings. The
second is rarely disastrous to the early
sowings, and the injury from it may be
greatly diminished by sowing good and
we'll prepared land. When oats are sown
on thin, poor soil, and dry weather pre-
walls about the time of heading, the crop
will inevitably fail. Good land may
bring it through first, because it will
retain moisture longer and, therefore,
counteract the effect of drought; and,
second, because strong, we'll fed plants
will not succumb so quickly under ad-
verse circumstances. We regard the oat
as the most important grain crop On
cotton farm and deem it entitled TO the
best land to be had. 1t ought not to be
side tracked on the poorest. Don't re-
servo all the good land for corn-sow q
large part of it in oats-if the latter fail,
it may still be possible to raise q crop on
the same land. By using northern grown
seed, one can make very good crop OF
corn by starting it in June. 1t would not
be very poor policy either TO SOW oats on
~ ~
King cotton has held us in bondage long
enough. Let us strike for home rule and
independence.-WL L. j. in Atlanta Con-
stitution.
Farmers Farm Facts.
Two things are absolutely necessary if
the farmer would know his financial
standing at the close OF the year, says W.
F. Brown in Our Grange Homes. First
cash account be accurately kept, and
second, that at the close of the year he
take an inventory of all property, in
cluding cash on hand, stock, grain and
hay, tools, etc. This invoice could be
made in a short time and should be en-.
tered in the ledger and preserved from
year to year, so as to compare the differ
ent years together. ,.r.....
The best plan of keeping accounts l
believe to be to enter every dollar paid
out or received under the two headings of
expenses and receipts. Carry pocket
memorandum and pencil with you and
enter at the time every penny received or
paid, as you will never make your ac-
count balance if you depend on memory
till night, and then try to put down the
items. advise that the account be kept
. in day book, itemized and so show just
what the money was spent for as well as
when it was paid out. Paper is very
cheap, and it is not likely that on many
days of the year it will take more than
FIVE or ton minutes to put down the &C.
counts for the day, and it will pay to
itemize thoroughly. .....
Ifyou have an open account at the
store or grocery, all produce sold to them
should be included in receipts and all
goods bought as expense, but it will be
more accurate and less trouble to make
these entries when you settle. Now, if
at the end of the year you wish to find
out what your money has been paid out
for, take sheet of paper and put down
the different headings, such as groceries,
dry goods, stock, feed, repairs, labor, inn
plements, miscellaneous, etc., and with
some one to help you call off the items,
ana place Lnem unOef Lnolr appropriate
heads. Arrange headings also for re-
ceipts 80 as to show just what your in
come has been derived from. These
accounts, when thus condensed and
footed, should be transferred to your
ledger, and will occupy but little space,
several pages in the day. book making
Jess than half page in the ledger.
When you have hand hired by the
month it will be necessary to open o
separate account with him, and it will
save trouble to not enter his wages until
his time expires, even though you may
pay him part or all of his wages weekly
or monthly. If part of his wages is
paid in farm produce, that, of course, will
be entered on the receipts page and
credited to the farm.
1t is quite possible that there may be o
better way to keep accounts, but / have
never found one SO easy, simple and accu.
rate. prefer keeping the two accounts
on separate pages rather than on the
same page with double ruling-as there
10 less liability of error or the two ac-
counts getting mixed up.
An account kept in this way is memo.
randum, and by referring to it you will