The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-07-06
FARM TALK In JULY.
THE VALUE OF IMPROVED MACHINERY.


THE VALUE OF IMPROVED MACHINERY
All Sorts of Practical Suggestion
About Farm Work, Which POin
the Way TO Fortune and Success.
Southern Cultivator.
The time tor laying by is near at hand. Th
old cuStoM-n "befOre the war; times-wa
to strain every effort 10 get the cotton clean q
grass and in vigorous rapidly growing condl
tlon by the Fourth OF July and thus ala.
by" But our experience satisfies US that IT. Il
very important to continue rapid surface
| plowing at least az late as August. Nor doe
| it involve much labor If the proper imple
ments be used. Lay aside the sweep and tn
scooter and scrape, and use wide expanding
cultivator or harrow. We were talking will
farmer the other day while watching a dar
key and one mule operating Planet, Jr., Cul
tUator. The crop was corn about three fee
high, the rows six feet wide. One round trip
or two furrows to the row, put the corn in fin'
condition. The following colloquy occurred
We: How do you like the work OF tina
implement, my iriend?"
The Farmer: "Oh. like IL first rate. Tha
is just as good work as / would want TO have
In my corn field"
We: "WeIl, why don't you use the same
implement. or a better one. on your farm?"
The Farmer: We'll, the truth Is we farm
sive cultirators. reckon that thing must
have cost ten or twelve dollars, didn't lt?"
We: 30. no, only eight dollars. Now, let's
make a little calculation, and see II you Gun
not save enough In one week TO pay for one
You admit that the work II is doing is perfect
lust as good as you could ask?"
The Farmer: "Yes, that's so.''
We: Nov. how many !urrows would you
have to run In one Of these rows TO put II In
the same fix-using your little sixteen-inch
scrape?"
The Farmer: "About four times, and some
We: Very we'll Say you would require
an average of four furrows Ia liberal esti
mate); each man and horse would plow about
three.acres day, and II would require two
men and two horses to get over field of thir
ty-six acres in six days, by your method ?'
The Farmer: Yes, two good men each
with good mule, would plow thlrty.sia
acres in six days"
We: "Now, then: With a Planet. Jr., Cul
tivator. such as that boy there Is using, ol
something similar. one man and one mule
would get over the thirty-siX acres in SIX
days, the same time required by your two
handsand two mules. This amounts toa saw
ing of the Gbor of one hand and mule for tho
six days. Now what is the cost Of running {
one horse team one day? say about one dol
lar and Il quarter, and SIX times one dollar
and q quarter are eight dollars-or just The
that by using such an implement you cnr
save enough In labor to pay for IL I'm one week
and then have the implement for the mex
three or four years for the cost OF repairs?'
The Farmer: "Well, IL does seem So"
We: Now, my friend, / have conyincet
you Will you buy one as you 90 through
town, and carry 1t home with you"
The FARMER: Yes. ! believe wilr'-tha
ended the discussion but we have been curl
Gus to know whether he did buy one.
Now the above coloquy actually occurred
lust Il week ago. The probability Is that tha
farmer went home without the cultivation ant
mules. laying by that field Of thirty-sX acres
while If he had used two cultivatOrs he won Il
have finished the corn in three days, and EN-
ployed The other three days in going ovel
about forty acres OF cotton.
The argument has infinite applicaiion--tt
every kind Of farm labor. farmer will uS'
a dull, found cOrnered wedding hoe, the re
mains Of two or three seasons work. WIFI
such tool one acre day hoeing young cot
ton would be Il full days work. A new hoe
costing forty cents, would be able To hoe on
and one half acres per day, and thus save thu
cost OF the new hoe about twice week.
or course all the corn has been laid by ex
cepting late fields or low grounds, and sowI
in COW peas. II not the latter. we think l
would be well to give II tanother shallow pillow
| ing for no other reason than TO sow 1t in peas
AS we intlmated, it Is desirable to keep th
plows going to the extent of putting in on
furrow To each cotton row about two or thre
times during July. Deep plowing now Is al
Outrage on the philosophy of plant growth
and fruitage. To cut roofs now would be a
foolish as TO hamstring your cattle and turl
| them out to Craze. The effect OF deep plowini
and root cutting Is 10 check the growth of tn
plant by curlailinS lis daily supply OF food
stop the irulting, and causing 1t to "throv
! Off" its 50 uares, and after awhile 10 start Int
new and vigorous growth, but too late. !
| light surface stirring. mere scratching Is al
that is required, and 1t sho.ld be done withil
Il few days after good rain tall.
| July Is the best month lin middle cottol
halt ~ IN III
any approach 10 maximum results. Bu: the
may be Sown throughout the month, eSpecia
ly If IL little hel , be given in the way OF ferti
| iZing, and the ground be put in somewhat bel
| ter condition than when SOwn earlier. Sow
ing peas Is mans "amendment" 10 Nature
processes. A field left TO itself will soon b
covered with summer grasses, then weeds
briars, and finally brOomsedge-all more o
on the soil. We call it "resting" the lane
But whether Mature abhors vacuum "a
the old philosophers taughU or not the sol
seems to abhor idleness. and at once com
mences TO grow crops on It's own account, Us
Ing such plant seeds as may be In her posse!
sion. 1t seems suggestive to man that Il
should supply the soil with seed OF plant
that are better adapted TO renewing the ferti
ity and productiveness OF the SOIL.
| Now Is the time to sow seeds OF Burr Glove
on fields intended for permanent, or sewers
years pasture. 1t is vain to expect Il fu
Stand OF Burr clover the following winter, III
less plenty OF seed be sOwn. and sown early
How much is enough? We would say six q
eight bushels OF burrs per acre. They may b
s0wn at the last plowing Of corn or cottor
and powed in lightly. But perhaps the hes
place to SOW Burr clover Is In q Bermuda so
any time before the first Of August.
We believe vetch will prove even more va
nable as an ingredient OF Il Bermuda paStur
provided the right variety of vetch seed
snwn. The spring velch is not worth Sowin,
The winter vetch, having small black poe
and round seeds OF the size OF radish seeds,
think Is the kind. September Is the best tin
To SOW, but the seed may be put In the groun
earlier If desired, or If more convenien
They will not come up until they get read.
and may not get ready until November or ID
crmber, If moi sown in September.
\ We commence In time 10 talk about oat
Don't put Off until spring. Spring oats are
snare and Il dclusion. We have sown bot
fall and spring for three years past, sowing
Spring more as an object lesson to prove Thu
Ial Is the time. Those sown In the fall ha'
escaped winter killing three years In succe
sion and the yield was from thirty to SeSe
ty-ive bushels per acre. while the sprir
Sown hayc made from Ten to fifteen bushe
per acre.
Plow up the land in good time even in y
gust, and commence sowing In September.
| The cotton field Is an excellent place
which to SOW oats. Get ready and get II
seed, and resolve TO SOW IN time. or varietl
the Appler out, recently disseminated by Il
Georgia Experiment Station, is among Il
best, 1t being II selection OF pure strain fro
the Texas rust proof 0at, anda little earli
and somewhat more productive, while rqu,
ly resisting ruSl. While too early by w
months to SOW oats, yet ii Is well 10 cOmmen
talking about ii, and to advise farmers TO $
cure seed before the supply Is exhausted. al
10 be ready when the time comes. II
could by our voice and pen induce the lari
erS OF the South 10 sow at least one acre
oats for every acre Of corn, and sow I'm the la