St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-02-23
FARMER AND PLANTER
NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS

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NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS
Appropriate For Midwintsr Contempiatio
by Southern Farmers.
1t is quite likely no country eve
made change in its methods and sys
TENS until absolutely forced to do S,
by calamitous conditions arising out o
previous practices. Il this be SO, tn,
south may he said to have arrived =
| that period when conditions demand ,
change, change Of some kind. Tha
change may not be specifically stated
by anyone. 1t can only be roughly de
fined as going out of special, extensiv,
culture into intensive, diversified cult
ure. Each man must make his owr
selection according to the bcs,
lights he may have and in !
measure according to his taste
1t will not do for everyone to do exact
~ the same way, to plant the same
crops. raise the same kind Of stock and
proportion the same alike. There mus,
be more or less originality displayed
by each man.
Well, one of the most appropriate
things to do this midwinter period i.
to think strongly, discuss the situation
with men of hard sense and make
such allotments Of the several crops as
best appear to fit the present situation.
1t is great pity more grain of one
kind or another was not sown in Octo.
Der. A large crop of oats next summer
would mean great saving in corn,
and ii appearances are worth any
thing. well preserved corn will com
mand good price next spring; will be
well worth saving.
Doubtless there is almost as much
clear profit in oats at thirty-five cents
q bushel as there is in cotton at five
cents o pound: that is, if q man knows
how to raise oats and goes at it in q
proper way.
Over large section of the country
oats when sown in December are not
subject to injury oftener than one wear
in three, if they are put in properly
with harrow and roller; but over the
greater portion this rule may be said to
apply if the sowing can not be made in
October and by the 10th Of November,
it is better to wait until February be-
fore putting IN the crop. In the inter
val. an extra blowing Of the land will
tend 70 increase the yield several bush
els. As rule our farmers bestow very
little care on the seeding of this crop.
In hundreds Of instances the seeds, .
bushel or SO, are broadcasted, more or
less unevenly on the unbroken soils
and turned under with plow, the soil
being left in as rough state rs that
kind OF an implement can leave it.
Not much of crop should be expected
from this manner of treatment II
the land should happen to be good, q
yield OF eighteen or twenty bushels
may be secured. but where, il more
care had been bestowed in the seeding,
the yield could easily have been
doubled. We think there is no exag-
geration in the statement that land
that yields three hundred pounds Of
lint cotton can be made to produce
forty bushels Of oats, this yield from =
sowing made early in February. in
middle Georgia; few bushels more, If
the sowing is made in October or Sep
tember.
1t may be that many will yet decide
to venture larger sowing Of spring
oats than they had originally intended,
and we have no doubt it will Be
wise conclusion. If sown properly in
February, in January in more south
erly section. and using an acclimated
variety-fairly rust-proof-anywhe
from Is to 60 bushels may be gathered
next June. 1t is quite likely the grain
will command price that will make
the result fairly remunerative to the
grower. If good land is used for this
purpose. and it should appear long
about June that there is = good pros
pect for cotton picking up in
prices. this land can be planted to
cotton with a very fair chance OF max
ing good crop as if it were planted in
May or earlier. Farmers who have
had much experience in planting the
staple in April and June are sure that
there is very little difference in the ap-
pearance of the stalk in September Of
two paintings made eight or nine
weeks apart: that is . planting made
April Is and another June Is. OF
course we would not advocate large
planting of cotton next year; still, as
we said, if the signs were good in June
for cotton advancing = cent or two,
crop of oats could be followed by one
of cotton if farmer so desired.
As rule peas should follow grain If
it is deemed advisable to turn the land
afresh in midsummer. When the prac-
tice Of sowing clover with spring grain
Of any kind has become more general
in the sonth, there will be very little
grain stnbble plowed in June, as the
clover will come on and take possession
Of the land without any plowipg. We
would like to see the day when such q
practice was q common one in our
The only rational and truly econom-
cal way of restoringsthe lost fertility
,f our long cultivated soils is
through the medium Of leguminious
.rops grown specially for manurial
purposes.
There are several clovers that our
southern farmers can use for restoring
he humus that has been almost en-
sirely burnt out in the past twenty-five
ve2rS.
We wish that we could persuade =
lew thousand farmers who read the
Southern Farm to make fair test OF
sowing clover with their grain. If
hey could Be persuaded to try it once
md make success Of it we would
oon see perfect tidal wave Of soil
Taking land that has been plowed,
~ once, in. January, harrow in the
wo and . half or three bushels Of ont |
eed early in February, and immedi-
Itely afterward sow ten or twelve
eight might dol pounds Of red or sap
ing clover, sowing it rs early rs pos
ible, then give the land = good roll |
ng. Very few of our farmers have |
uch IN implement rs > roller. we are
Cry to say.
II. . farmer hasn't one and can not |
ire or borrow one, Of course he will |
ave todo the best he can without the |
oller. A.drag is the next best resort |
o run over the land after sowing the
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