St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-10-03
FARMER NDPLANTER.
INTENSIVE fAaMiNos

FANMEk ANDfLAV ] EN.
INTENSIVE FARMiN0s
4 Prise Essay - tbs Best systsiA q IL
essasa 3 tAs Preasstlea u OseDA
''Whatever u worth doing II worth
doing we'll, 10 the truth upon which
tho intensive system Of farming rests
for adoption. It consists in causing
land to produce tho largest crops thst
IL can probably produces and Ito
are thorough preparation.
heavy manuring and frequent cultivue
ton.
1t 10 important 20 the southern f1rti-
er, II no IL to receive fair price for his
product, that the acreage in cotton
shall DO reduced. Il i Of equal Inn
portance TO him. aud of more to the
consumer Of cotton, that the cost Of
shall be decreased. A
crop of 1000, 600 bales sold ut I cents,
with cost of production At cents,
would give tho farmer . greater net
profit by $50, OOO, 200 than . crop Of q.
000, 600 bales sold 1t ten cents, and pro-
duced at . cost of seven cents. provided
the amount and cost Of grain and hay
crops produced were the same In both
cases.
The Arst step In intensive farming II
the thorough preparation OF the
ground to receive the seed. The seed
should germinate and start ON its mis-
sion Of production At the earliest mo-
ment after planting. To secure this,
tho soil must be finely pulverixed and
brought into direct contact with the
seed on all sides, 20 that 1t may DO
to all possible influence to
terminate quickly. After the process
of termination begins, it II important
that 1t shall proceed rapidly; and
that whom the little roots or
feeders make their appearance the
soil shall DO In such mechanical con-
dition - to supply ready ut hand all
necessary plant food. without much
effort ON the part Of the feeders to
find It. Put . grain Of corn beside .
clod Of dirt, and it will not sprout; but
first pulverixe the clod, and then place
the grain In this pulverized earth, and
the soil will yield up tho plant food 1t
contains to tho necessities Of the corn.
For any plant to make it, best growth,
the soil must be In the best mechanical
condition to supply it promptly and
regularly with food. Farming IL feed
ing, whether IL be live stock or plants
that are fed. Narrowing, after break
ing land, is ~ effective to plant
growth as breaking 1t is but carry
ing out the process begun by the pillow
more finely pulverising the soil.
After planting small seeds like oats.
wheat, clover. ETC.. to insure quick
termination and growth, the soil must
be pressed about the seeds. This il &C
complished by rolling.
Plants take their food In liquid and
not in solid form. They drink instead
of eat Hence tho soil from which the
plant draws its food must be kept
moist No matter how much .plant
food the soil contains, II It il mot in
condition to DO available to the plant.
the plant starveA We can not regu-
late the rains, but We can make the
best possible fuse Of them by storing
up for future use - much Of their
moisture - possible. This II done by
subsoiling and deep blowing. Immedi-
ately following the two-horse pillow
which breaks the land, run . subsoil-
ing pillow In tho bottom Of tho open
furrow, loosening tho subsoil to Z
depth Of six inches, but taking care to
mix - little of IL - possible with the
top soil. This will cause the land t.
absorb and hold much Of the rain that
otherwise would run OF and be lost ia
the planta. BY subsoiling you are
placed In the best condition to resist
the siege Of . summer drought when
the water supply 10 cut on from above.
David Dickson. probably tho beat
farmer the south has produced, said in
. letter to the Cultivator In 1854, that
. cotton plant could stand four weeks
of drought II 1t had eight inches Of soil
and six inches Of broken subsoil-with
IN additional inch of soil, and same
subsoil, for every week Of dry weather
beyond four.
II subsoiling il continued year after
year the topsoil becomes deeper ~ the
elements convert the subsoil into soil,
and thus tho danger Of damage from
drought is lessensd. Deep blowing ID
m essential to good farming. Except
to do subsoiliDg. one-horse plow has
no place in the preparation Of soil for
planting. Tho effect Of everything
done afterward depends upon this
preparation. IT il ~ important - Il
the study Of addition before commenc.
ing long division. To neglect this ID
- foolish and fatal - it would DO for
= farmer to fail to sharpen q dull
reaper before cutting grain.
Subsoiling Is not only . benefit u
making . reservoir for moisture. but
it furnishes larger space from which
tho roots can draw food for the plant.
The deeper the loosening Of the earth,
the more food there Is available for
the plants, and hence the more plants
ner acre +.<s- n - go.
After the soil II put in the best me.
chanical condition, the next concern il
~ to its chemical compofition. It may
be in condition to yield up every parti.
Gle Of plant food, but IL Il holds none
to yield, then. unless this necessity ID
supplied, all previon4 breaking, sub.
soiling and narrowing il labor wasted.
Science has asoertaiued that there are
three principal elements Of plant food,
viz: Nitrogen. phosphoric acid and
potash. Other elements are necessary
to plant growth. but for al practical
purposes We need not speak Of them.
Each of these three must be contained
In the soil In sufficient quantities. &C
eording to the nature of the particular
plant grown, to secure good crops. II
either be wanting. II must be supplied
before best results can be expected.
Good crops require plenty Of available
plant food. Owing to the limited
amount Of stable manure an average
farm produces, this II supplied by com
mercial fertilisers and green manur-
ing. The quantity Of tho commercial
manure that can b probably used dc.
ponds largely upon the amount OF
vegetable matter in tho soil-the more
Of tho latter present. the more Of the
former can b used. Of course, there