St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-12-30
FARMERAND PLANTER.
THE DAT cRoP.

An Alabama correspondent writes
Us that for several years he has made
. failure in oats, but still he believes
that it is . crop that ought toae valu
able to southern farmers.
From what our correspondent wife.
We are confident he has failed to real
ize the full value of this crop. and fo'
several reasons lie has sOwn too lat<
rs q general rule. He has sown to-
little seed, and he has sown on tor
poor land.
II our farmers would SOW two and
one-haf or three bushels of good oes
seed on an acre Of good land-land
that will make 500 to 200 pounds OF
seed cotton to the acre and will put the
seed in right any time during the
month Of October there will be very
few Of them who will be disappointed
| in the results.
Nothing can come ont Of nothing.
Oats will not grow on wornOut land.
Poverty weed may, but OF what value
is poverty weed? 1t is one Of the lowest
forms of vegetable life. This weed,
along with the linchens and other in
nutritious forms of vegetation, first
began to supply the lifeless matter OF
the disintegrated rock with the power
to produce something of value later on,
but it was at a period before there were
any animals to feed upon the earth.
The oat is the best or poorest form.
That it exists is a product of mans
careful labor and the earth's advanced
forril;Er CD,rpnr oN a., .sv>ovor< - xvoes1.'
is like comparing the race horse OF to-
day with the little equine representa-
tive of the Australian plains
II has been our observation that very
many farmers expect oats to grow
where they would not expect any cot
ton. At any rate they seem to expect
a very good crop of them from land
that they would not think of planting
in cotton. This idea is q wrong one.
Land that will not grow q profitable
crop of cotton is not likely to grow .
profitable crop of oats.
While the fattening power of q bushel
(56 pounds) of corn is much greater
than bushel Of oats (S2 pounds) the
latter will produce almost Is much
strength muscle force) as the former.
Except for fsttening hogs and other
animals we should prefer 100 pounds
of oats to 100 pounds of corn. As .
food for human beings and race horses
we should prefer the 100 pounds of
oats to the 100 pounds Of corn.
Thirty-five bushels of oats weigh
theesame as twenty bushels Of corn
does, and farmers of experience under
stand very well that the land that will
produce twenty bushels of corn as the
result Of cultivation will. under good
management. produce thirty-five or
more bushels of oats-and without the
expense of cultivation.
Considering the relative value in
money of the two grains il is useless
to expect q valuable crop of oats from
land that will not produce five or six
bushels of corn, and yet many times we
have seen farmers sowing land in oats
that they would not think of plant
ing in corn. And again farmers will
60 to a great deal of trouble to pre-
pare land for corn and refuse to take
the necessary pains in preparing
it for oats. They expect oats to do
well even when sown at an improper
time or with an inadequate quantity
of seed per acre. It is only rarely that
they will undertake to fertilize oat
land with the same care that they
would give to corn land.
II our correspondent will take land
that yields him fifteen to twenty BUSH
els ff,ss7e without manure, or with
hat k0kAlaia&e use of ii, and will pillow
this land properly in October and then
arrow in typ apf half or three BUSH
els of good plump oats and then roll
{ he land he will find, as rule, that the
npt crop is about as valuable as any
that6e gs6t6Ai 1t will be but rarely
thestx6o 6lla2 . few dollars worth Of
gOcdsfeTli6eS viii be out of place.
As q. rude the manuring of an oat crop
means the manuring of the crop that |
follows the oats The more stubble
hat is made means that much vegeta-
BILE matter to be turned under for the |
next crop. Not one acre in fifty of our |
southern soils has adequate supply of |
humus to render them fertile and the |
more vegetable matters given them it |
S that much permanent fertility added |
20 1t. fertility that will make its |
mark" for several years.
Our southern farmers, as q class.
nave not vet come to a full understand
ng of the value of the harrow and the
'oller. We see very few crops Of grain
nut in with these implements, and vet
{ is impossible to make the highest
success of grass. clover and grain grow
ng without them.
We do not hesitate to assert that il
very acre that is sown in grain wheat,
We, oats and barley. were put in with
he harrow and the roller Gust as il
hou'd be done), the aggregate product
would be IS per cent greater. and quite
likely more.
The highest civilization in agricul-
ure is exhibited by the use Of these
Implements. Farming can not be car
led on in the most intelligent way
Without them.
We are confident that all who have
ONE to understand the value of the
arrow and the roller. from q several
ears use of them. will sustain this as
ertion.
Let us take half the pains with our
at Tor rye. or wheat, or barley crop
hat we do with our cotton, or corn, or
ohacco. and we will find il the surest
nd most satisfactory crop that is
rown on the farm.-Southern Farmer.
Maauriae Land o. Crop
As the country grows older there is
ways increasing tendency to apply
occial manures for each crop. rather {
IAN to fertilize the soil for all pur-
oses and allow each crop to take what
needs Tia A>ndane,, In x>r,, .A.o.~l