The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-05-13
OF SOLID WORTH.
Review of the Busy Seems OH Busy
Far;u...What Should Now he Done.

FarH...What Sis0uIu NOW nc DOne.
Owing TO the excessive and continuous
| rains OF the first three months of the year,
| the prcpa ration OF The lana ana planI!nS corl
WAS greatly delayed.
IL was a most extraordinary period Of rainy
and cloudy weather. According to the
writer's rain gauge nT 1ne PrScp1atnn tTom o
twenty-five inches, or nearly onc.nall inc
| average total annual rainfall. On the first
day or April farmers were .artner nehlna
| with their work than we have known them
| to he in more than thirty years: TINS remark
| applies more particular To- Middle ana North
| Georgia.
| corn crop was planted from two 10 four weeks
| later than usual, and was closely followed
by cotton planting. Probably 1T has never
| before occurred that these two leading crops
| were planted so nearly at tile same time.
This Is itself an Inconvenience, ana which
will doubtless be aggravated by the necesSarl-
ly hurried and imperfect preparation or the
land. These unfayorable conditions will de-
| mand the exercise of unusual skill, JudS-
ment and industry on the part or the farmer,
as well as unusually favorable season hence
forward, to assure a good crop. Possibly the
area planted. or TO be planted, To- cotton Is
| less than usual. or less than 1t X1nld have
been under ordinary conditions of weather
during the months of preparation, ana thus
some good result from the evil. We are
afraid, however, that the area in corn and
other provision crops has been curtalled
| also.
These untoward conditions now demand.
first. that the very hest cutivating inple-
ments be used. In connection we suggest inc
eXpediency of using the harrow in cuitiVat-
! ing both corn and cotton while the plants are
still small. The Evans Triple harrow Is an
| excellent i'm plemcnt for this purpose, accord
| Ing to our own experience. There may DC
others lust as good, but we have not tried
| them The first narrowing should be just as,
| the corn or cotton is beginning 10 come up,
especially If crust has formed on the surface
'''I1 Nmother exnedIcnt TO save time and get
over crop rapidly Is TO run but few burrows
in Il corn or cotton row Mt one time. IN lhe
case of corn. run one furrow on each side OF
every row; If cotton, put one furrow on each
side of every alternate row.nsing the widest
cutting cutlvalor practicable. The advanta.
ges Of This plan will be manifest whenever u
| is desired to get over the crop as quickly as
May is usually the cotton chopping month.
generally the most tedious and expensive
| part of the work OF cultivation.
The plan of narrowing the field broadcast,
/ two or three times before hoeng at all. will
greatly lesson the labor and expense or noe
is usually called blocking out. or the first 60
Ing over with the hoes, that the plants may
| be reduced finally to a stand the first time the
hoes nre brought into use. =,
| The plan Of croSS-plowing the cotton IS
practiced by some of the most successful Tar.
mers I'm the country. and Is we'll worthy OF
| trial by every one. 1t consist In running Il
sweep or cultivatcr across the rows OF cotton
about the time it has been usual to put IL to
stand thus destroying all plants In the path
| of the implement used and leaving n bunch
Of two or three jnsL outside or the pain. rms
pretty thoroughly stirs the entire surface OF
i the SOIL while at the same time the stand is
i reduced to punches at uniform distance from
each other. 1t would seem that this method
can be employed with best effort only when
there Is q full stand OF plants, and the surface
Il is approximately level. 1t Is obvious that q
very large amount OF hoe-work may be saved
by It's adoption whenever practicable.
Under ordinary circumstances corn wOulU
receive second plowlng caily in this month.
and peas be planted In the middleS or In the
"step" between the hills of corn: The iact
that the crop Is late and small for the season
I is only stronger reason for rapid and lhor,
ough surface cultivation. 1t Is time TO odiscard
the old rule Of plOwing over the crop every
three weeks" The rule probably was baSeu
on the fact that the grass might be kept in
subjection By blowing once in three weeks.
But the main object Of plowins crop OF corn
Cor cotton) is. not to Kill the grass, but to
keep the surface soil dislntegrated aud mel;
low, so that the air may easily penetrate ana
circulate In the SOIL The air is the great
storehouse OF plant 1ood, SUPPLYING ggroo,n,, the
with oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. But the
nilrogin of the air must first enter the soil
and circulate freely there before IT can form a
combination that Is available as plant food.
In the case Of ofleguminous plants such as clio,
/ yer, peas, vetches, etc.. IL Is now asserted
! that these may secure their entire quota OF
nitrogen from the atmoSPheric air, oy pro. o..
certain microbes, or very low forms OF llic,
which are intimately connected with the
warty eXcreScences (tubercles) that we see on
the roofs of such plants. To facilitate these
changes; as well as give the roots freedom TO
penetrate the soil In every direction, tie sur
face soil must be stirred often. Flowing or
narrowing the soil Is not, then, simply
grass-killing operation; II is also fertiliZing
process, because 1t encourages those chemical
changes which result in supplying the grow
ing demands of the crop for suitable food.
The more thoroughly and the oftener the sur.
face is stirred the greater will be the beneficial
effects. OF course there Is limit In the Ire,
quency OF blowing beyond which II would
not be profitable. But we have no doubt any
daily light raking or narrowing. with our
own hands we, one spring, rak ed over q bed
of growing cabbages with fine steel hand
rake every morning before breakfast for ten
mornings in succession (omitting Sunday,
with gratifying results. or course, we do not
claim that il would be profitable to plow
! limit cannot be easily fixed but we are con-
! fuent that one Of the most serious defects In
our methods OF culture Is permitting too long
T. lapse between plowings. Three weeks is
certainly too long period as rule, especial
! ~ If Il good season of rain has occurred short
! ~ after the last plowing.
! This month is the time to put In the main
! crop OF sweet potatoes slips planted in April
rarely doing any better than those set in May
and June, while costing considerably more
labor in the cultivation. The later planted
!
although possibly smaIler-smoother outline,
and of better keeping qualities,
Most farmers lave too narrow rows, and
plant the slips too close in the row. Our eX.
| perience favor rows four feet wide and the
| plants TWO feet apart. The results at the EX.
pertinent Station last year indicate that the
| potatoes planted four by two gave better
yield than any closer distance.
The plants should be set In freshly plowed
| land. We would prefer to throw up fresh
beds and plant without waiting for O rain,
| rather than wait an indefinite time, and then
| plant in the overwet soil.
| Forage crops OF various kinds may still be
planted, remembering that the later such
! crops are planted the better should be the
preparation and the more liberal the fertlliz
| ing. AS fast as carly barley and rye grazing
| or soilins lots are ready for the plow again
| they may he sown 10 advantage either in Ger
man millet or some other quick gro wing hay
or green forage plant. but crop Of pea vines
should occupy the ground after the early sum.
mer crops are of.
| The COW pea Is one OF those plants that Will
yield large and valuable crop, and yet leave
tho land richer than it was before.
Pea vines cut when blooming freely, and
well cured, make hay that Is equal TO clover
hay. II comes nearer being both corn and
fodder than any other one product of our
farms Now is the time to commence plant
ing them, and they may be planted up 10 July
u, but with rapidly diminishing results III
deferred later than July |. The COW pea Is
the one plant on which we can safely rely
among those known aS nitrogen Catherers.
1t can get the nitrogen out of the mir and
through its roots store 1t up In stems, leaves
and roots iou may conyerI @ al, that a;a Is above
subble and fallen leaves will supply nitroge.
nous pabulum TAR Il succeeding crop of small
grain, corn, tobacco or cotton.
May il the main campaigning month In
the warfare against grass and weeds. If a
farmer has clean fields, and II good stand of
cotton on the first day o. June having fcrti-
lizcd well, he Is pretty certain 10 realize hir
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