The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-07-05
ARP ON THE RAINS.
We Have too Much Rain and too
Many Fools. as solomon Said.


Many Fools, AS Solomon Said
This IL the first bright, genial sunny
morning that wo have had in three
weeks-for twcnty"onc days 1t has
rained every day save one. The crops
are in bad fix; the corn and cotton
are hidden by grass and weeds, and
labor Is scarce, for the negroes are
wanted In the mines. Most OF the
wheat has been cut, but how much of
IT will be saved cannot yet be told
Within my recollection OF fifty years |
do not recall SO much rain in harvest
time. According to Scripture, it seems
to be the same old story, for Solomon
says, " AS rain in harvest SO is honor
much rain and too many fools then Just
as we do now. Maybe Providence sends
the rain to try the farmerS--to make
them diligent and shifty. | travelled
on the East and West railroad last
week for sixty miles and | noted
some farms that were clean and nice
the corn and cotton chopped out and
the wheat shocked in the field one Of
these belonged to widow, and she and
her three girls and one boy were just
finishing The cotton. Markham dident
write anything about the woman with
the hoe, nor the girls, but one of those
girls was merry enough to waive her
bonnet at somebody on the train besides
me. Some farmers sit down and wait
for tomorrow's sun to dry OF the
ground ;Abut tOmorrOw's sun dident
shine, and 80 they wait till next day.
Others alap in at every chance and do
something. | know one who began to
cut his wheat Monday morning Just as
soon as Sunday WAS gone-fOr sunday
was the day it did not rain. He cut
half that night and all day Monday and
got through with his thirty acres, and
he says he will make 700 bushels. An
other dlllgent farmer made 100 bushels
last year on twenty acres, and sowed it
right away to cOwpeas and sold his pea
vine hay for moro per acre than he got
for his wheat. That is business-and
Solomon says, "Seest thou q man dill
gent In his business; he shall stand be-
fore kings" | am no braggart but let
me say that If l had waited for the
rain to quit | would be singing that
old song. " A man OF words but not Of
deeds is like a garden full OF weeds" l
worked between showers, and some
times when Mrs. Arp called and called
me to come in out OF tho rain pre-.
tended dident hear her, and struck Il
few moro licks for Mr.. Markham.
wish you could SOC my bean arb0r-not
butter beans, but the best and most
pIOilhC pChh llaFo oNSI llhu
them last year on my corn patch, but
they do better on poles or over q cane
arb0r. Plant two rows Of beans five
feet apart, and when they arc we'll up
stick them with canes. Lap the smail
ends OF the canes together on the
ground and get your wife or daughters
to tie them in three or four places-all
OF uniform length--then arch them over
the beans, and nature will do tho rest
! never saw half ~ many beans as hang
from my vines. or course, the rains
thing, and its lucky that vegetables
grow upward instead Of outward. |
planted my potatoes In u trench that
Was shOvclcd out and manurcd with
ashes wood and coal mixed thon Gov
cred with pine straw and some earth
on that. They are tho finest | ever
grow, and come out of the straw almost
clean enough to cook without washing
Pine straw il very valuable in garden
and Is cheap, costing only 30 cents for
good load. IT is q good mulch Tor
strawberries, and am experimenting
with 1t under few tomato plants; most
OF them have trained up to stakes,
but saw q market garden near Mem
phis and all the tomato vines had tum-
bled over on wheat straw, and made
moro fruit, though not so large, and
fine ns when staked. A garden is small
experimental Farm, and Is as much
consequence and moro pleasure, espo-
cially II you mix ilowers with It. Don't
throw away your coal ashes; mixed
with wood ashes, they arc fine ferti'
lizer. MIR. Berckman says that ashes
produce fruit, while stable manure
produces vine and foliage. Ashes will
double the quantity OF strawberries
Beets generally come up too thick
Thin them out and transplant; cut on
part OF the tops, and the transplant'
will make the best bccts. Just 80 will
celory. But | don't propose to teacf
old gardeners, for some OF them car
teach me--my ncighbor, Mrs. Fields
is the best gardener know Of, and
am satisfied II can keep up with her
have some OF my wonderful beans
planted to poles. The poles are from
eight to ten feet high, and it interest
me to see tho bean vines reaching NJ
to find something higher to cling to
The tendrils are now two or three fec
higher than the poles, and still reach