The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-18

The first half of the month afforded
a liberal number of outdoor working
days. No doubt farmers and truckers
took advantage OF them to do what
ever blowing and manuring they pos
sibly could.
1t is a number of weeks yet before
the two great staple crops of the
South-corn and cotton-can be plant
ed.
Before time to plant these there are
several other crops that can be given
TO the soil if by any possibility there
are those that appreciate their
value. to wit, rye, oats, bar
ley lucerne, which can be put
in anywhere below Macon the
latter part of this month. At any rate,
the work of preparing the soil for
them should proceed now. The sowing
of the seeds can be very properly left
until next month.
However anxious one may be to do
all the blowing possible in January
none of it should be done when the
ground is too wet. Every year there
is more or less of this done, and usu
allv il is the best land that suffers.
This is an error that every intelligent
farmer will guard against. The ten
ant farmer doesn't seem to care. once
he manages to make a start at ploW-
ing he thinks he must complete the
Job regardless of the weather and the
effects upon the crop. One of the
main causes of the impOverishment
of our soils is to be found in their
being plowed and pastured when en-
trely too wet.
Next to sowing in october the last
of January or through the next month
is the best time for sowing oats. If
the land is good and is prepared prop
erly and a rust-proof variety used
there is no reason why spring" oats
should not be a successful crop at
least four out of five years.
But it is a waste of seed and time
to attempt the crop on poor land, such
land as requires four or five acres to
make a bale of cotton. 1t is crop
that is not likely to succeed when put
in with a turn pillow.
The soil should be deeply and care
fully plowed in advance of sowing.
The seed should be narrowed in when
the soil is fairly dry and then the land
should be well rolled.
Unfortunately the harrow and the
roller are rare implements of farm
ing anywhere in the South yet, and
It is almost impossible to SOW grain
properly without making use of them.
Good soil properly prepared and
sown to oats not later than Feb. Is
should yield anywhere from twenty to
fifty bushels of grain. AS an inter-
mediate crop for forage purposes it
comes in very nicely between the old
and new corn crop. BY May the corn
crib of Southern farmers has run pretty
low, if not before that time. and
crop of oats comes in opportunely to
supply any DEFICIENCIES of both grain
and fodder until a new crop of corn
comes in.
Oats are a much safer food for work
stock than corn. and If they were
more generally used for the purpose
there would be a great saving of horses
and mules in the South. Thousands
of these are killed every year as the
result of a steady corn diet all through
the winter and spring, half the time,
perhaps. without hay or fodder
Where oats are raised for forage
there is no need to thrash the crop
1t is much more desirable to cut the
crop early, just as soon as the dough
state is reached. Cure and put away
in the sheaf. OF course, in feeding
It there is great saving in running it
through a cutter first. But where 1t
the stems show some green, stock will
not be. likely to reject the straw if
they are not given other fodder 1t
makes a great difference in the pal
liability of the straw when the crop
is cut when just in the dough" state
When properly cut and cured the
grain does not shatter out from the
straw and there is therefore little
waste. No Southern farm should be
fD Of l.
is mystery why so valuable a crop
is so neglected. 1t should appeal even
to the tenant farmer. The same land
that grows crop of oats can make
a crop of sweet potatoes or peas.
Wheat as Spring Crop.
II non-rusting variety of whea.
could be discovered or bred UP there
would be no reason why Southern
farmers should not grow their own
wheat just as readily as they do their
corn, and certainly to much greater
proht. AS corn Is grown in the South
there is no crop grown anywhere i'm
the civilized world perhaps with quite
so little profit The average value of
this grain on the Southern farm year
in and year out is less than so cents
per hushel The average production
per acre is less than ten Bushels How
much does it cost per acre to grow ft9
soils are not to be judged by statisti-
cal averages. But if good farmers
with better soil than the average
make twenty-five and even fifty bush
els OF corn per acre on much of their
soil how many must fall below ten
bushels, below even seven, TO allow
OF a general average of ten or less
fortunately 1t happens, as a rule. that
the same farmer produces TWENTY-FIVE
pushels or more on some of his land
and seven bushels or less on other
nelds. It is evident, however. that
there are large number of poor farm
ers who make very little profit Gull
tivating corn
The same care and expense given
10 wheat would produce a crop three
times more valuable than that of corn
10 do this it is necessary that the
wheat be sowed in rows and cultivat-
cd the same number of times that
corn Is cultivated. 1t is Just as easy
10 make twenty bushels of wheat as
II Is 10 make twenty bushels of corn.
Under good culture, land that will
make that much corn can be made
10 produce the same number of BUSH
els OF wheat 1t is only a question of
variety of wheat that will not rust
Whatever the weather may be. II we
had such a variety all the wheat
needed for home use could easily he
grown from sowings made in the
spring, as in the case of other crons
we nave varieties of wheat much less
susceptible to rust than other kinds.
ana 1t may be that science will in