The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-09


Compared to the hilly. rocky. waxy
land of other countries or more north
ern sections of this country, the lands
of the South are much more readily
prepared for planting and the expense
is trifing comparatively. Sometimes
our fallow lands are allowed to be
over-run with weeds of such size as to
interfere seriously with good blowing
at the first going over at any rate, and
sometimes Bermuda grass in its efforts
to take possession of a field renders it
difficult to do good work with the usual
one-horse plow. nevertheless, the great
bulk of our Southern soil is very fairly
prepared for our usual staple crops by
the initial blowing, together with such
disturbance of the soil as the act of
planting necessitates. Our ordinary
level sandy soil really requires no more
than this in the way of blowing If
the cultivation of the crop that follows
is what it should be. These thin sandy
soils are not benefited by fall plow-
ing like heavy clay soils would be,
when they are listed up for the good
effects of freezing. They make little or
no returns for any extra blowing.
There is rarely enough of vegetable
matter on their surface to warrant
blowing for the sake of turning it IN
der With much of this soil it would
be quite practicable to put in crop
of corn or cotton by simply opening
burrows and do all the work of plow
ing after planting the seeds. As we
have seen time and again, the crops
would be just as good as if the plowing
had been done in advance. With such
soils the great question is one of ma
nure, rather than of preparation or
mechanical treatment.
To a limited extent there are other
soils where good preparation, involv-
ing two or three plowings, perhaps,
would be worth more to the land ana
TO the crop than a considerable appH-
cation of manure or commercial fer
tilizer to the land. Unless there is
considerable vegetable matter to be
turned under there is little gained by
fall blowing, unless the land is ridged
up, fluted as it were so that the ice
can disintegrate the surface soil by re-
ducing to atoms all clods existing in it.
We repeat there is very little gained
by merely flushing the land in early
winter or fall. unless with the OBJECT
of covering vegetable matter so that
ii will become decomposed by spring.
Any clayey, waXy soil is wonderfully
benefited by the action of freezes on
the ridged up surface. Caro- must be
taken that such soil is not afterwards
plowed when in the least degree too
wet"
We are a strong believer in the value
of good preparation of the soil for any
crop and especially so for the more
valuable crops of the garden.
For some long growing crops, such
as cotton, sugar cane and several 9TH
ers that will continue to grow as long
as the season will permit it is possible
TO make some amends for the poor
preparation by superior cultivation
after the crop is started but for quick
ly maturing crops that complete their
growth in a few months, without re-
gard to the season-such crops as po-
tatoes, cabbage, onions, corn. beans or
peas, melons and some others For
such as these good preparation of the
soil is half the battle. barring insects
and casualties. 1t will pay every time
10 have the soil in perfect condition at
the time of planting. Then all that
will be necessary will be to keep the
weeds down by the shallowest of cult
walton and the crop will be all that
its condition of fertility will permit.
There is very little excuse, under even
the most adverse circumstances, for "A
Southern farmer or gardener to plant
any crop on inadequately prepared
soil. This soil is rarely hid away be-
meath blanket of snow or locked for
many days in the winter In the arms
of frost, so that it cannot be plowed
and manured through nearly the whole
season of winter. 1t is not the rush
with him that it is with the farmer of
the cold North when he starts to pre-
pare his soil. The Southern farmer
has months where his Northern broth
er has only weeks. II is an old saying
that a crop well put in is half made"
1t is well put in only when the soil
has been thoroughly prepared with
pillow and harrow and oftener than not
with the use of the roller too.