The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-11-18
The GINNING OF COTTON.
SOLID SENSE ON A MATTER OF VITAL
IMPORTANCE TIC PLANTERS.
The Whole Farm Is Surveyed, and
Everything from Potatoes to Ter
racing ~ Discussed.
Southern Cultivator.

The month of September was as re-
markably favorable to The rapid open
ing of the bolls and the harvesting of
the cotton crop that it is probable as
large, if not larger, proportion of the
entire crop has been gathered up to
this date as was picked of last years
crop at the same date, Notwithstanding
the general lateness of the crop. A
large part of the gathered product is
vet to be ginned and baled for market.
It is not yet too late to offer what we
intended to offer in last months
"Thoughts," a suggestion or two about
ginning and packing. The greater
part Of the cotton cropis nowadays pre-
pared for market at public ginneries.
This is as it should be. Immediately
after the war we abandoned the use of
our old ginhouse and its mule-killiDg
appliances, and gladly patronized
a newly erected ginnery within one
mile Of home. The ginning of cotton
il really the first step in its manufact.
ure and while it is apparently a simple
operation its proper performance re.
quires an amount of capitol, skill and
trained operatives not generally avail
able on the average cotton farms. The
point we wish to make is now, that
farmers, as a rule do not require of the
ginnery man that care and skillful
manipulation which they have a right
TO demand. The difference between
the market value of samples of the
same cotton ginned at different gimme
ries is often equal to the charges for the
services rendered. The great aim of
the glnnery is to gin as much cotton as
possible during the season. The
makers of gins advertise the merits of
their gins, laying stress upon the "a
pidity of their work. The %ginneries,
generally operated by steam, and
having usually a surplus of power, are
too often tempted to overtaX the capac-
ity of their gins to do good work,
by running them too fast. Every far:
mer who sends his cotton to be ginned
should insist upon the work being done
in the best manner. Quality, not
quantity, of work should be the test OF
merit. The ginnery should operate
q sufficient number of gin stands to do
promptly without running too fast. 1t
should also be insisted that the bales be
neatly put up, using the best bagging,
ties and Irvine, and completely cover
ing and protecting the lint from expos
ure to trash and dirt. We 60 further
and say that romething should be done
(why not by Alliance effort?) to prevent
the barbrouS treatment the cotton bales
receive at the hands of the sampling
knife, or ginlet, and the ripping, tear
ing hooks-to say nothing of the enor-
NOUS samples that are frequently
taken, and afterward repressed into
bales as somebody's perquisites.
The gathering of the cotton being a.
bout over, the cotton farmer may now
turn his attention to other matters,
long neglected, perhaps. Corn yet in
the field should be at once put into the
barn and now Is the time to
DIG POTATOES.
We hardly need to repeat that it is
worse than foolish to make a crop of
potatoes, and then lose them for want
of the small amount of care and skill
required to keep them through the
winter-under ordinary conditions.
According to our experience and obser-
walton potatoes will sometimes rot re-
gardless of ordinary precautions, not
outstanding the occasional detailed
description Of a plan that "never fails"
We think potatoes should be dug, as
a rule, before the vines have been more
than nipped by the first frost. For
many years our practice was to dig pc-
tatoes the last week inlOctober--if the
ground was not wet. Use a turned
blow to bar off the ridges: then a mar
row-winged sweep, set rather dig
os~~ ~ on1 n1l1o2 hxy q ofrnn0 Qn6 will
ling mule will expose nearly all the
potatoes that are big enough to save.
Use no hoe to mangle and cut the tu-
bers. Let them dry in small heaps
until the afternoon. Then hall to the
place selected for banking, witch should,
if possible, be slightly elevated, we'll
drained, gravely or sandy spot. Drive
d,wn a stout stake, and saw off three
aud one half or four feet high. Lay
dry pine straw around the stake, so as
to make a bed two inches thick when
pressed nown by the weight of the po-
tatoes. Put twenty or thirty bushels
of potatoes around the stake, piling
them up as steep as thew will lie.
Cover with plenty of pine straw, OF
dry cornstalk thatehing. Then cover
with soil taken from the base of the
Hill all around, so as to form a drain
ditch. Cover lightly at first but in.
crease the depth of soil as the weather
grows colder until it reaches O depth OF
ten or twelve inches. Leave ~ open
ing at the top, lightly covered with 8
board or a few pieces Of pine bark to
keep out the rain. This simple plan
is followed by thousands OF farmers
and is usually successful.
SOWING WHEAT.
The writer is not an old mar, but we
can remember when nearly every far
mer in the country produced wheat
enough for home use. On nearly
every farm large enough TO require
a Clubhouse and the old fashioned 'giT
gear" there was also q thresher anC
fan for cleaning the wheat, oats and rye
Then came the travelling thresher; first
those run with horse power, then the
steam engine. Now, very few farmers
grow wheat, and the days of travelling
threshers and "one-tenth" tolls have
well-nigh pasted. We bid good
bye to some of these old practices and
customs with sincere regret, as if VI
were almost parting from the mem
cries of boyhOod. Sometimes farmers
as we'll as other folks, revolve back
ward-doing away with old ways tina
were good, and adopting new ways
that are not so good. But generally
speaking, the changes are for the bet
ter.
1t is a prevailing impression that ou'