The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-10-29
DEi.. ~ BS0IL!N;,:.
\ Pc" Coy Intensive Farming In :.lc
South.
riuf..a Constitution

IL ;l:e .istor? Of agriculture, as l,auji-
c' down iram legends, when oar fallen
race had heci elected from the delight
so:nc garden, anu the unai!erable fiat
had been issued, 10 earn bread by the
sweat of the face, then the cultivation Of
tl.c soil commenced.
The fra. known implements for break.
ing !ila ground, Tor the planting Of seeds
were crude plows fashioned from sharp
ered prongs Of wood, and later on a' the
art advanced. more effective plows were
made by the addition of pointed pieces
of iron attached TO the wood,
Nos, in this advanced nineteenth cen.
tury we have great varieties Of sharely
steel r!owsharea with cnnningly formed
points and moullbOa!ds to turn up aud
subsoi he fields and where horse power
has failed the necessary draught, steam
machinery has been introduced to effect
the purpose.
After q lapse Of G .oO0 years, the average
farmer scarcely reaches The depth Of six
inches, and he deepcat subsoiling rarely
exceeds twelve inches, and in no case
more than eighteen inches is accomplish
ed, except by an expensive mode Of
trcnchiug, which has been adopted profit
ally by iew enterprising gardeners.
I. is generally admitted that the deep.
er the subscil is broken tie greater the
absorption Of rainfals, and the more
moisture will be retained and held in re-
serve for the supply Of the crois when the
summer drouHhts are on, and also, the
greater the absorption Of these rainfalls
the less the soil is liable to escape to the
wa;cr courses, and every intelligent and
practical farmer must admit that the deep
breaking Of the grounds, especially in
our stiff ard arid clay lands, il the great
desideratum.
Every practical tiler Of the soil will
admit that if constant moisture can be
secured through the dry seasons that q
corresponding quantity Of fertilizers can
be supplied prolitabIy to the growing
crops, and The greater The range and
amount Of nutrment consumed by the
searching rootlets the more powerful and
perfect the plant will mature, and con.
sequently the greater the production of
crops.
We make the unqualified assertion
upon sure and scientific principles, that
an acre fiand may be persuaded, under
favorable circumstances, to produce ten:
twenty and even thirty. fold more of val
uabe crops than the same grounds would
under favorable circumstances, and .hat
such lands under favorable cultivation
and circumstances will continue to in.
crease in value from year to year. instead
of wearing ard wasting away by the
ordinary cheap and destructive poor cu!'
ture
We claim that by the intensive sys.
tenn we can correct snd change this waste.
ful and ruinous drain upon the lands
and The pockets Of tie farmer and start
him on the sure road to success and pros
perity, that b. this change increase will
take the place of decrease, that by the
adoption Of the intensive system the
farmer will soon find himself on the sure
road to prosperity.
In the earlier history Of CUR country,
esp .cial!y in the Southern States, it was
the custom TO fell the timber from the
virgin forests, lightly scratch the soil,
after burning the debris on the grounds,
and when the soil has become exhausted
to repeat this same destructive operation
over and over again on the new forests,
to be again washed sway to the creeks.
Since the Har we have had but little
left, save these old worn -out fields, which
the farmer has attempted to cultivate,
upon the same old plans with the aid OF
cummercia! fertilizers, and the inevi able
has been l!!at both fertilizer and soil
have travelled together 10 the wate: cour.
ses, o. that the fertilizers that remained
on the fields aided the droughts 10 burn
ont The crop
These oil cheap and squanderirg plans
hgre to he abandoned, they have been
weighed il the balances and found want
;nr. they have already wrought ruin and
bankruptcy to :hc dellled farmer.
The true and really economical inlcn-
siye system Of crop culture now looms
TO Tie front as he great psnaces 70 the
tiier of the soil, and will lead him from
absolute ruin to prosperity.
NIr. David Dixon used TO say th"! he
ca 4 always tell in the spring OF the year
where The dry -treaks were going tc he
from the depth ofthe plowing.
Did Mr. Worlhen make five bales oil
cotton from nne acre"
Did one 5 uih Gsroina man make
~ bushels Of corn from one acre?
[fso cant it be done again. Why
can't il be made a business to make
these sort ofcrops upon every acre plant
ed. II it has been done, it can
be done esain, with the same or
better preparation. How sre all the
s:rea: crops made we have seen and
heard nl a'id Ivy what process: are nub-
bins made and wherefore bundle bee
cotton
Wha. does farmer waHt with Loco
acrcs o. pJor IaH,!. aIl covered with old
ciI pines, briars aad Euliies, except tor
the biac,;h"rrit- ! il not an establish.
Cd iac, :ha, tiily acres well cared Tor will
yield norc profit ,ha,. such sthousand
iadi!,trtn'iy iiI!e.
Among the arts aud >cieuces, agricul
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