The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1900-01-12
IUSH THE PLOUGH"
NttllaEc IL Manuro"-ENcpllCnt hdyiccp or
GrorEin Farmer which hua been
Taken, with Proiitnblo and Surpris-
Ing Results, by Some York Coun-
ty Farmers.
Especial to Nows and Courior.)

ton OF. "Push tho Plough" appeared
i'll tho December number Of tho
Southern Cultivator and has boon
called to tho attention Of your cor
respondent rs being calculated to
help tho falmcrs Of South Carolina
solve Of tho greatest problems that
has confronted them, in that they
are practically at tho mercy of
trusts Of all kinds and arc paying
higher prices for everything they
buy than for several years, but arc
receiving no highor average prices
for their products. Tho article is
short, clear and pointed and will DO
worth millions in tho farmers Of tho
State if they will observe it's tcacl
ings. 1t is as follows:
"Wo again call attention to tho
great help you may get from good
fall and winter ploughing "Tillago
is manure" Thus said tho great
English farmer, and cxpcricnce
shows that this is truo hcro in tho
Southern country. If you expect to
spend ono hundred dollars for chcm-
ical preparation to help your noxt
crop you will get better results by
spending half or all Of that amount
IN deep ploughing and narrowing.
The Same elements of plant food you
buy arc alroady in your soil. But
they arc not soluble because your
soil is too hard. Crush or pulverize
tho soil and thoy become soluble.
Wheat grains aro slow to dissolve
but flour dissolves very casily. This
is moro true Of mineral than vege-
tablo matter. Clods do not givo up
their plant food, but dust Goes"
"Use your brains and muscles and
save tho guano bills. Tho great
trust is trying to squeeze out of tho
farmers several millions Of extra
profits by raising the prico Of guanos.
There is no reason why this should
DO done. Tho minerals in the earth
which form tho basis Of all these
preparations is just the samo. Now
tho only method left to tho farmor is
self protection. Tho whole commer
cial fertilizer business is artificial, as
far as the farmer is concerned. 1t is
luxury and not necessity. It is n
question Of profit and loss. If tho
price is too high we cannot mako
anything by using thom'"
The article is evidently from the
pen of levol headed, practical and
successful farmer. It will be noted
that he urges tho farmers to "uso
your brains and muscles" The aver
ago farmor in South Carolina does
not uso his brains any moro than tho
mulo which draws his plough. His
methods today arc practically the
same as those Of his great grand.
father. Ho rarely ever pretends to
commence to "prepare" his lands for
tho crop he expects to plant about
tho middle Of each April until about
the middlo Of March, and he rarely
ever ploughs his ground to the depth
Of moro than two or three inches and
not one in the hundred either uses
or has harrow of any description.
There arc few farmers, however,
in York County who have learned by
experience that all that tho Georgia
writer has SO we'll and plainly said is
true, and they are ploughing thcir
lands from five to seven inches deop,
with two-horso ploughs, and arc
making crops that surprise them
solves and noighbors by reason OF
tho groat Increase in yield over the
old plan. Thoro is not a shadow of
doubt but that an aero of land of
average quality that has been
ploughed from five to seven inches
deep and thoroughly pulyorized with
harrow will produce moro corn or
cotton wit ont mn oupoo of ,on,n,o.
cial fertilizer than tho samo quality
and quantity of land ploughcd from
two to three inches docp and not
narrowed will produce moro corn or
cotton without an ounce of common.