The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-03-13
fFrom the Southern Planter.

the weather was mild ana spring like ana
there every indication OF an early
season. February, however has not be-
lied its reputation. In the Old Country
it is common saying that February fills
the dyke either with black Or wlita:"
that is TO say, it will either be wet or
there VIII be snow. Whilst in these 1t-
spects February this year has not come
near the record mark which it made a
year ago. it has yet been a much more
severe month than January. The fall of
snow has been considerable over a large
part OF the South, whilst in the North and
West it has been very heavy The :rCsts
have been severe and have extended with
damaging severity in Florida where the
early truck crops and strawberries have
been badly cut down. Here and IN ;he
adjoining States whilst the frost has been
severe-the thermometer in several places
in this State having been down nearly
TO zero on two or three days-we do not
hear of any damage done even to fruit
buds; indeed, several good authorities
assure us that the only effect will be to
ensure a good crop of fruit by checking
the abnormal activity of the sap brought
about by the mild weather of January
We trust this may be so. The effect Of
the cold on such crops as are in the
ground Will. we believe, be only beneficial
in checking the too Succulent and forward
growth and making more certain a ro-
bust and hardy plant, We have noticed
for years that an abnormally early and
genial spring is rarely followed by a
good crop year. Upon arabic land not in
crop, the effect of the cold weather can
only be good, and especially SO where
| our advice as to fall and winter plowing
has been followed. A hard freeze on
such land is worth many harrowings in
| fitting the soil to become a good seed
| bed. 1t is also beneficial in that it de-
| stroys much insect life just awakening
| into perniciOus activity. The heavy
| snowfall and rain will have helped much
| towards making good the deficiency in
| moisture in the land adverted to in our
| February issue; but there is still every
| reason to do all possible to conserve the
| moisture in the land and to make it cap
| able Of holding still more. Should the
| spring be dry one. shall go into sum-
| mer with deficiency in rainfall and in
| stored moisture in the land, which will
| render deficient crops a very proba bic
| contingency. There is, therefore, still
| very reason for us to urge the impor-
| tance of deep breaking Of the land by
/ means of the subsoil plOw. At this sea-
! son Of the year it is not advisable to plow
| deeply into the Subsoil and turn it on TO
| the top, as the soil turned up cannot
/ be sufficiently aerated and acted upon
| by the elements to make available the
| inert plant food in it to render it
| available for the crops of the present
| year little of this subsoil may be
| brought up to the surface with advan-
| tage if it is afterwards Well mixed with
the surface soil. but the bulk should be
| left in the bottom of the furrow and
| there be broken to pieces with the sub
soil plow or if such plow is not avail
| able. then with a coulter. single tooth
or bull-nose cultivator. The doing OF
| this work should be pressed forward
| whenever the land is fit to plow, but it
| is equally as important for the success
| OF the crop not to plOW when the land is
| wet. Land plowed wet never be
| made into good seed bed. March winds
| are proverbially drying ones, and the sun
here in the South has much power in this
month. The combined effects of these
| two factors make the urgency of losing
no opportunity of pushing the break
ing of the land great if good seet'-peda
| are to be secured.
Whilst we are thus urgent on the ne
cessity for attention At once 10 the 1lOw-
ing of the lane intended TO be cropped
Importance of not Glowing e., acre orc
land than can be properly cultivated an6
fertilized after it is plowed. Too many
Southern farmers will persist in plow-
| ing and seeding land long after they have
plowed every acre that they can 5erti)i:.'
effectually or cultivate properly. The re
suit is crops which 60 not begin to pay
the cost of their production anu a tnrtrcl
depletion of the crop producing capaclty
| of the land "A little farm we'll fllled'
| has been from time almost immemOrld
the standard Of agricultural prosperity
| 1t is so today unless the owner of The
| farm has large capital and business IKE
capacity enabling him to operate on {
large scale If the great majority .
{ Southern farmers would cultivate !:5lf t!,,
: | land they now cultivate, and do this ii
| the same thorough manner that thu
| Dutchman the Frenchman. the Scotch
man and the Englishman do in their Owl
| countries the degree of success a:.G pros
| perity would be Sensibly raised in th'
, | South. The average yield CT ali Ou
> staple crops is far below what it Oug!s
| to be and what it easily Ee made t
, be. Without holding up for limitation
, such abnormal yields of corn as trcs
, produced by our friend. Mr.. H. L. Hood
of Fluvanna county, Va, who last yea,
made 1S3 bushels of corn an acre o
land we can point to Mr.. Woods success
on % acres of land as reported in Gu
| last issue as being clearly and e;lsii
within the competency of very larg
| proportion Of farmers. On those
, ! acres Mr.. Wood made 1,175 bushels
| corn or average of nearly 50 bushel
to the acre. We know many other :G1
mers who are doing equally as we'll Y
know, also of scores of others who ar
D not making 20 bushels to the acre VII
have land equally as good much OF TIA
q cultivated by Mr.. Wood. Why shonl
there be this disparity? 1t is largel
e the fault Of the man and not of the Ian.
He will attempt to cover too large a
! area and thus fails to do justice TO an