The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-13
The Autumn Drought and Dat Sowing
Clover Available.

Again has autumn drought interfered
with the sowing of small grain over a
very large territory in the south. Had
our farmers taken advantage of the rains
in the early part of September and had
plowed the land, even if they had not
sowed just at that time, they could very
readily have obtained stand
through the influence of the very good
rain which occurred early in October, but
only a few did so. In fact, the majority
of our farmers rely chiefly on their cotton
land to furnish the place for sowing their
fall oats, and as the cotton holds the land
until November, it has become almost a
common practice to defer sowing grain I'M
til that month, however favorable the
season may prove any time in October
Below the latitude of Atlanta this is a
common practice. 1t will do very well
in Florida and the extreme southern part
of Georgia, but in Middle Georgia even,
this is a very unwise arrangement In three
or perhaps four out of five years it will be
found that oats sOwn in November do
not make growth enough by Christmas
TO enable the plants to keep a hold upon
the soil should severe freeze occur late in
December, or early in January. Allow
ing for the dry spell and the cold ones,
very little growth need be expected of
oats between the middle of November
and Christmas. ..-..
Our farmers will never make of the oat
crop the valuable one that it really is,
until, they come to the conclusion "a
proper One,) that unless providentially
hindered, they will hereafter have their
oats up and ready to grow off by Oct Is.
TO do this it needs that the sowing be
made late in Septem Der or early in Oc-
tober If possible utilize any rain during
the last days of August or first half OF
September to plow the land preparatory
to seeding Oats put in with harrow,
and roller at the period named will
rarely fail to give satisfaction, assuming
that the soil is rich enough to make the
crop. Oats will not grow on worn soil
any more than corn will
AS we have stated heretofore in these
columns. it is a wise arrangement to allot
a certain proportion of the land to grow
ing the two crops-peas and oats. Plant
ing the peas in May or June. save the
SEED in the summer and turn under the
vines in August or early in September as
a fertilizer for the oats
Oats following peas in this manner
should be put in with the aid Of 4 roller
Everyone horse farm should allot ten acres
TO this double crop, peas and oats, vary
ing 1t now and then by sowing clover
with the oats or on the growing oats in
February. The time is coming when
clover will be extensively used in the
south as fallow and pasture crop. For
tallow purposes Melilotus will also be
widely used. We know exactly what we
are talking about when we advise the use
Of clover, We can grow several varieties
Of it almost as easily as we can peas.
For many years we have opposed the
practice of turning up our soils afresh to
the injurious effects of sun and rains Just
at the beginning of summer 1t can be
avoided by the use of clover, and the two
or three varieties of peas, the seed of
which will lie in the ground all winter
without sprOuting or rotting until the ar
rival of warm weather in the spring AS
rule the average farmer has as much
blowing in May and June as he can keep
up with, in cultivating the crops without
having to plow long in those months, for
the sake OF starting a pea crop chiefly for
manural, or fallow purposes. AS re-
marked, this can be avoided, when we
come to look at the matter in it's true
aspect. We have recklessly wasted pretty
much all the humus in our soils, and it is
urgent that we pursue a practice that
Will restore it s speedily az possible.
Let US discuss this vtrJ imp,r 1t mat
ter.