The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-11-23
Raise More Wheat.
4 tIdnfN Journal.

Commissioner of Agriculture o. b.
Stevens is heartily in favor of II large
wheat crop, and he is urging the farm
ers TO get to work early and make the
wheat yield as great as possible. In
regard to this Mr.. Stevens said to-day:
"BcfOre it gets too late l wish to
urge upon the farmers of Georgia, par
ticularly those i'll the middle and upper
sections of the State, the Importance
of planting large wheat crop.
"The conditions are such that there
ls little or no hope for any material I'D
vance i'll the price of cotton for the
present crop, and even should there be
deci' cd reduction in the acreage of
c0tto, next year, SO large will be the
surplus carried over from the accllmu-
lation of two heavy crops in succession
that prices will inyll probability be
very low for the crop that will be
grown in 1893. With such II prospect
ahead, the thoughtful farmer will seek
Tor some other crop than cotton, from
which he may hope for ~ least IL mod
crate reward for his labor. For the
the growing Of wheat seems to offer
relief from the thralldom of cotton.
Even i'll the section south of Macon
good crops Of wheat can be grown on
the stiff red lands that are to be found
lii greater or less amounts, in every
county of south Georgia. As IL money
crop, wheat is just ls available lis cot
ton, for there are buyers rcady,o take
1T at its market value in every town in
Georgia.
"My advice, therefore. il. to plant rs
soon as possible a large acreage in
wheat Select your best land; !.reai. It
deeply Ghough do not bring the sub
soil clay to The slrlace); harrow, and if
necessary rc-llarrow until you get all
Jumps and clotls broken up: then either
drill or broadcast the seed, covering
lightly. For fertilizing apply either
stable or COW manure, or If without
these, use 200 pounds of good acid
phosphate and 100 pounds of KANT per
acre; and when the wheat starts to
growing Oft in the spring broadcast
from 80 to - pounds of subnitratr of
soda to the acre.
"For seed, get either blucstcm OF the
fullcistcr wheat, as these varieties
have been found to succeed best in the
State. Both Of these varieties can be
bought here ut about IL dollar bushcl.
"By following the advice given you
will not only make crop of wheat,
but can follow that with peas sown
broadcast, aud gather heavy crop Of
peuvine hay, than which there is none
better.
"ln addition to planting largely of
wheat, from which our farmers may
reasonably expect to realize a profit,
earnestly advise q liberal sowing of
oats to supplement the short corn crop
In middle and north Georgia. Do not
delay the planting of this important
crop, for one acre of NOvember-s0wn
oats will, as Il rule, yield at least twice
as much as the same acreage sown in
the spring. Of course you must take
the fisk of wintcr-killins: but there is
no crop that Il farmer plants that is not
subject to loss and even total dcstruc-
ton, from the forces Of nature, and the
dread Of such calamitics should deter
no farmer from planting his crops at
the proper time. Should your oats be
killed by cold weather, SOW again as
soon as possible.
''For fall sowing the Texas rustproof
or the winter grazing oats are both
good varieties; the latter will best
stand cold weather, but the former will
produce the heavier crop if not killed
by the cold, Next year, by reason Of
the low price of cotton, will be partic-
ularly hard on those farmers who have
made short corn crops, and every
Leans should be used by them to help
out their scant supply. Much can be
done OH this line by sowing rye, or IL
mixture Oh rye, oats ana barley, which
will furnish good pastoragc through
the spring months and can then be
turned under preparatory to planting
some other crop on the land. The time
has come when our farmers must aban-
don the all-cott0n business, and right
now they should make beginning in
this direction. Let each one for him
self resolve that he will henccforth
raise all supplies Of every kind that can
be produced OH his farm, buying moth
ing that he can grow or make, and
prosperity and c0ntentncnt Will ere
long replace the gloom and lcspOndcncy
which now Ovcrshadows Our State.''
Congressman William Alden
Smith, OF Michigan, was once, as