The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-10-25
OATS.


Ed. TINES. "A bout now is the time
that the shrewd. practical farmer be.
gins to think about planting him some
oats. Some oats that will be ready tc
cut just at the nick of time when they
are the most valua BILE for food for his
work team. And they will very likely
yield as much to the acre us three
times those sown in the early spring,
and are also three times less liable to
be injured by rust. And they will
come off in plenty of time to permit
the planting of another crop, either of
corn, cotton or sweet potatoes. Or it
may be followed by mixed crop of
corn and peas sowed broad cast, say
two and one-half bushels of peas,
to three pecks of corn. This can east
ly be cut by mower, after the peas
ripen. Of course the speckled pea
would require more to the land than
the late, but it makes great stock
feed and lots of it to the acreage. But
oAC pea 0Ad bdg OuoAuCsS SOAhCo hVAb
spring. SO beg pardon for the digres-
sion and return to the oats. They
should be planted on land with good
drainage, and the stronger the land,
the better oats you will have. 1t would
pay well though If The land is not so
good, to broadcast say, fifty bushels of
cotton seed on each acre and plow them
under as deep as possible, and then
sow the oats 1.-TWO bushels is the aver
age) and harrow them in we'll. Every
one does not have a Thomas harrow,
so will say that q cheap substitute
can be made by almost any one in a
very short time, and in this way. Take
three poles or pieces of tim Der, and cut
them SO as to fit them together in the
form of triangle. The poles (lf they
be poles) should be about inches in
diameter. Bolt them together with &
or q bolts, and with two inch auger
bore holes and insert teeth of green
hickory or white oak, so that the teeth
WI oS q w ~ ihSuCS 1OuS Dec LudJ L
the teeth are put in SO as not to track
each other. Hitch two mules or a yoke
of oxen to one corner of this triangle
harrow. and run it sufficiently often
over the land after the oats are sown
To pulverize the clods and cover the
seed. If there are no stumps, this har-
row will pull through all right without
but careful hand can watch
and lift it over small stumps. Now
then don't want to be pr"sy, but will
say that have made such harrow.
assisted by one of my boys, in about
hours, and the work 1t did was admir-
ible to say the least, and without any
:are it lasted two years and did some
work on two crops. 1t leaves the
ground in good smooth condition, ia
the cutting of the oats and |,
he blowing in of the next crop. The
'otton seed is desideratum not only
the greatly increased yield of grain.
out in the next succeeding CROP, be it
whatever it may. When say two L
bushels is the average, l mean for fall y
and on medium good land !
With those fifty bushels of cotton seed.
following in the spring or early sum-
ner with peas and corn mixed. will =,
trike your fancy nicely. especially if k|
'ou do 90 Immediately after taking off =
he oats and then you will have suffi-
lent time to allow the crop to come to I
ull maturity and have all the hay of
he best quality that you may wish q
or. Mind you, the leaves of the pea
ine are scarcely worth baubee as a
eed stuff and if they fall off let them
%. They still remain as a fertilizer Ell
n the land, and you have the vine and La
he peas The corn will be a support -
Or the vines and enable them to keen
ut of the dirt, more than without.
tut l see that ! am back again like an
Id fogy in rut. so will hold up. lest I'll
e agricultural editor chuck this in his
'aste basket. 4
OLD SLEDGE. II