The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-11-26
FARMER AND PLANTER.
NEEDED CHANGES
Which will Bring Permsnent Benefit Z
the Southern Farmer.

Which will Bring Permanent Benefit to
the Southern Farmer.
1t Is to be hoped that the crisis
though which we are passing will
have permanent beneficial effect on
the future of the south. The first and
main lesson taught is that every south
ern farmer as matter of individual
duty and interest should raise all food
crops his land will produce necessary
to the sustenance of man and beast on
his farm. This policy universally pur-
sued would soon make the south the
mistress, not the slave, of the commercial
and manufacturing world;would enable
her to get as much or more for small
crop of cotton as she now gets for
very large one; would enable her to
draw from the world for internal use
and investment at home all the money
she could desire, and would soon bring
her people to a condition of true indie
pendence. We are to blame for our
present condition. Nothing Injuries us
SO much as our unwisc policy of max
ing our cotton crop on credit, and hence
making an overproduction from the
voluntary strain we place upon our
selves. '"Tis not in our stars but in
ourselves that we are underlings."
AS necessary element in reform we
must abandon all Instantaneous
farming methods. What we want is
broad, rapid, yet sure system of prepa-
ration of land, and culture afterward,
suitable with slight notifications for
all crops and all classes of land The
first essential is the disusc of the ridge
planting and culture of corn and cot
ton. Provided the land can be so
plowed asto carry off the surplus water,
there is no reason for planting either
corn or cotton on high, narrow
ridge. OF course, no land can be con-
sidered tillable unless the surplus wa
ter is carried off by surface or under
drainage or proper blowing The final
suggestion / wish to arrive at is the lay
ing off and blowing of farms and
plantations in broad twelve or fifteen
foot lands always taking the inclina-
ton that will give drainage. After n
farm is laid off in this way it can be
turned over by large turn-plows and
subsoiled at the same time cheaper and
superficial beds now thrown up for corn
and cotton, besides all manure and litter
are completely buried to the benefit of
the land and subsequent culture, and the
broad water burrows between the lands
can be further deepened by subsoil
plows until in most cases perfect drain
age and prevention of washing are Sc
cured. Land thus plowed, say from
eight to twelve inches deep any time
after the lst of January, will, If prop
erly cultivated, afterward make all the
crop it is capable of producing. BY
keeping one or two inches of the surface
pulverized and stirred the roots of plants
will permcate all the earth that has
been turned over by the pillow, and go
down to the very hard pan without any
further breaking. OF course, all addi-
tional pulverization is desirable provid-
ed it is done before planting or before
the roots reach out to the middles. At
planting time / would run across these
lands with such an implement as ORA
der's spade harrow. or the Acme har-
row, or some other kind. However
heavy the rains which may have fallen
this implement, or one like it, will
chop the earth to pieces and make it a
splendid seed bed. Then iun your corn
and cotton planters across the lands.
planting the corn and cotton on level
except as the planters may throw slight
ridge over them in covering. In the
early stages of growth harrows can be
run across the rows parallal with the
water burrows, thus avoiding great
deal of hoe labor in cultivating both
corn and cotton. Afterwards the Dixon
sweep and other fat culture nipple.
ments can be put in with their rapid
and effective work, cultivating without
breaking or exposing roots giving the
full strength of the land to the plants
and enabling them to defy drought
have carried out the above ideas in my
crop this year with the greatest satisfac
ton and encouragement, using nothing
but the Dickson sweep in cultivation
have corn not excelled in the neigh
borhood planted as above, by following
the Drader harrow with my corn plant
crs and giving afterwards two work
ings with the Dickson sweep. The
above broken ideas, already too tedious
fear, can only give a glimpse of &
large and comprehensive system which
we must adopt in some form in order t.
become an Independent people. Oscar
+. Bledsoe, in Southern Cultivator.
FARM ACCOUNTS.