The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-06-01
THE ONE-HORSE FARM.


Clemson College, May 24.-The
Clemson College Experiment Station
has issued o new bulletin, copies of
vhich may be had for the asking It
is No. 81, and is entitled "The One
Horse Farm" Prof. J., S. Newman
is the author. 1t is given here in
substance
The chief enemy to progressive
farming in the South is the one-horse
farm, equipped generally with cheap
mule, poorly fed, ''a boy Dixie" and
$ scooter plough. This, in the hands
Of one ignorant Of the very fundamen-
tai principles underlying successf' :
agriculture, is guarantee of failure
and Of soil deterioration. The history
Of Southern agriculture illustrates and
substantiates these statements. What
is the remedy? The landowner has
the matter largely in his own hands.
Self.preseryasion demands that he
stop the present practice Of superficial
preparation, ignorant and wasteful use
of fertilizers, and cultivation destEuc-
tive, rather than conducive to plant
growth and production. The average
landowner tenants his land to any ir.
responsible person who can secure
supplies from a merchant only by
mortgaging crops not yet planted, and
buy on credit broken down mule,
also blanketed with o mortgage. This
is suicidal policy and practice on the
part OF tho landlord who aoknovl-
edges that the xeturns will not pay fog
the land deterioration. The tendency
Of the age 10 toward concentrated ef-
forts combined with advanced and
economic machinery. Farming must
keep up with the procession. We
find no one-horse cotton mills, or oil
mills, or railroads. we never hear
any more OF the whip saw Of fifty
years ago, but the one-horse plough is
still in evidence. Landowners can
protect their land, increase their pro.
ducts and benefit their tenants by re-
quiring union in preparation, eto.
The writer did 80 thir.y-five years
ago, and tenants complained in spring
but thanked him in the fall. The
best investment one-horse farm
er can make is the purchase Of another
mule. Land cannot be prepared prop
erly by q single team, or can the most
economical implements be utilized
With less than two-horse po Eer. With
improved implements, euoh as the
Chattanooga reversible disc plough,
the Mallory plough, the disc harrow
and cultivator, the mower, etc., better
sDa cheaper crops can be grown.
improved preparation will reduce
the fertilizer bill andlinorease the ef-
ieotiveness iof that used by enabling
1.-The soil to absorb and retain more
moisture, and render droughts less in
furious. Again, more work can be
done at tho proper time. Two mules
will be able to cultivate crops more
promptly after rains, and thus dis
pense with much hoe work. More
than twice the load can be carried on
. two-horue wagon, than on Q one-horse
Wagon.
One man with two mules can. do
more and better preparation than two
men with two oneshorae spioughs,
4 One man ON mower is worth Eve
jnen with soythes. By using @ double
team, without increasing the ceres
twice as much soil is made available,
3its moisture capacity iss quadruplsd.
sand injury BY excessive rains o.
thoughts greatly lescened, thereby in.
Ihuring lager and cheaper crops. .ss..ss.
4 Thorough and deep preparation, to,
asether with judioious rotatien, in
sseasss annually the produotivepega
f soils. A shree.year rotation ii
psse suggested for profit aud coil rem,
oRation. & 3s Vi s. IA
8 First year: Field a, 30 acres cot.
Field B, 20 acrss corn and peas;
Field @, 10 acres small grain, follow.
fd BY peas. 5 acres sorghum, 5 acrel
aog crops. & ss
"a secopd gear: Field a, corn and
peas: Field B, small grain, followed
% peas. sorghum and hog crops; Field
81, cotton. 4: \ IS 4ss
h Third year: Field a, small grain,
EplloWed By peas, sorghum and hoe
rOps;s Field B, cotton; Field @, corr
nd peas. s 13sgi ;S.s NJ Z,
ltwill be- observed that Ia this 70.
tion two.thifds 81 the cultivated
+ md has humus supplying and reno.
ating props every year, s5l