The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-02-27

Ga~t0n county farmer writes, II am
making manure | make one layer OF
COW and sheep manure pretty tim, 50
thar II does not heat The cows and Ipe
sheep tramp it firm. ! want 10 keep IT
for cotton Can i grow cotton " .tnout
fertilizer? Good farmers here say ! can
not grow cotton without eolnnercial Ter
tllLcro / want 10 preak the lana, 1ur-
row it out, scatter the manure III the fur-
row and then run a bull tongue III thaf
IN mix il well with the soil. Will that
Ilth4. 4 Iair crop u cotton! Do you ad-
yis,, breaking land crossWise the second
time with Il two mculd brad uloW:
have no help but boy and iLnught
would do this year II you sad so.
nave tried Your plan of saving seed corn.
| had some stalks this year that had five
cars on the stalk, three large ones and
Two small ones Ny friends ara wanting
II for seed ! have also saved some big
Lou cotton seed. Is the Iruitt Big Boil
cotton Il good cotton? l saw some in
| Rutherford county that looked as though
\ il would make two and 8 half ba!,S per
/ acrr Craig IL Wilson, Of GastOnla,
suad, last year two bales per acre ana |
believe this would beat thrirs. Will
4ubsoiling do in the spring: What oats
are best to SOW in the spring? Should |
drill or broadcast them? What varue
have pine leaves as manure lots and
stables: IS there any machine made 70
plUW and crop out cotton! a Rlalimond
firm offers such a machine. " II they
d0f Do YOU plov bottom land deep like
uplaudI " hat is the best moving ma
chine to buy. | will have to buy one
this spring | have seven acres to NOV
ana expect TO get 25 loads Of hay at each
I
mule- two cows and nine sheep and
some hogs and chickens and ! hope yoi;
viii hep lie al you can.
Our friend has evidently taken ME at
my word and has put the questions IN
thichIy. But we do not object 10 this.
Ne want To encourage the Touring
spirit among our farmers, for l. shows
that a man IS thinking about his business
when hc axis for help. We are daily
meeting with much that encourages It's
80 keep on IN the work We have been
irving 10 DO for the FARMERS for the last
h e. OF mere years In the first place
then, the man who tells You that YOU
cannot grow cotton without commercial
fertilizers I, when you have staple manure
70 put on il, is rather idiotic IN his ideas
i Is true that in some soils heavy aD-
p!icHti0n of stable manure alone would
ma 81 L'tp Tullh Il grow III Ol ll1c RitiAt 81
tho expense Of fruitfulness. But your
land. | assume. has a red clay bottom
and hence does not need heavy applica-
tons of potash. 1t might help 10 add
4 dressing of acid phosphate TO the ma
nure after putting it in the furrCw, but
We believe that YOU will make q fair crop
If cotton with the manure alont. II
would he better, if you had manure
enough to put it broadcast all over the
land, for the cotton roots run - ana
wide and will get away from the ma
Lure III the furroW by fruitsn.. time. As
fo the second ploWing of the land 1t de
ponds on what crop YOU intend 10 plant
If the land was plowed in the fall and
has lecolne compact from tie winter
rains, il will be Well to reploW. b7lt the
blowing need not be SO deep. Ihr
double mould board plow will - very
well. | am glad to know thai the true
method Of saving seed corn is shown g
~uch good effects already, Keep on at
l. and YOU will soon have people offer
!,u big prices for your corn for seed, for
mere are few farmers who will take the
trouble To breed up their cora or cotton
themselves. The fact that cotton has a
rig boil Is not Of itself an eyiderce that
u IS u productive cotton any more than
big ear Of corn is evidence OF product
lYtncSs. A ] said in adv sing how to
1rtpd corn, We must not bree,i for a
single character in th*. plant. If the
""tJcn has 4 biz boil and plenty of them
II VIII Of course he q productive sort
But look 10 general f3-uitfulneSS and
tWn boIls rather than big single ones.
l nave seen the 1ruitt cotton growing
this past season and it seems to be 4
Very good kind. But all these varieties
9th
brought about by study aud care in The
selection Of seed. Why not d. his your
self: Start with Il good variety tni
then select fer seed the plants tha'
come IL Arrest what Your ideal Of Il good
cotton plant should b,s. Ntt 4 ioilG
hhbcd. biG-bolIed >or1, though ~ | have
>3ld the big boil Is not in itsaf an OBJ
l't'tion. hut plant that is compact .ipc
productive Of bolls. \ smaller boil ma,
eve you more cotton per acre than a big
toll, but Il big bell cotton tnar make
plenty Of }Nlls il. the ont. to f}ok att>r
Now to sub,soiling III the spring. Ict
VIII seldom find the soil in proper tonEl
Lon for the sub-soiling IN th+, spring. Il
the s,lIbsoii IS wet. do not attenlut tt
~ubsoiI, for it will fall back and sett!t
As before If il is dry, the sllhsollin-
may do good i'll the spring. Whether !
pItTc OF land will be benefited b. >uh
ootllng will depend on its nature in'
condition y piece Of land that is watr,
~dSgcd and low will not be helped by
.ubsoiling till it is we'll underdrained. \
Nlrcc of light sandy land will not b
Aslped- but may be injured by subsoiling
R't 4 piece of upland, no matter. whether
ne Surface Is sandy or not if the rec
''aF IS within reach Of u good piow vii
n" helped by Il good loosening of the
-t] gla i,nI.1
fh'S Is in the fall when the soil is dry
Just before sowing winter grain. Sprn1
"atS rule are worthless in this eli
mate. Ii cnnl1lela Led 10 COW, nnts in thi