The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1905-05-16

THOUGHTS FOR FARMERS.
Sowing Oats i'm the Open Furrow.

Sowing Oats I'm the Open FurrOw.
Mr.. J. o. Green, Franklinton, N. c., makes the
following inquiry:
"I am a reader of The Progressive Farmer
and enjoy your letters. Will you please describe
fully how oats are sown in the open furrow?
What kind of plow is used? I wish to try it
next fal.'
Now, Mr. Green lives in the northern part of
the State. Winters must be pretty cold, with
SHOWS and heavy freezes. But he will find no
difficulty in carrying the Red Rust Proof oats or
the Appler, which is an Improvement on the Red,
through the severest winters. These are the
oats to plant if heavy yield is desired Prepare
the land in October, or better in September, if
there Is growing crop it. Subsol and har-
row. Now in subsoiling do not break more than
two three inches of the clay at one time. In
this country the CAN'T oat drill and fertilizer dis
tributor is used It is made like a guano dis
tributor, except that the hopper has division in
the middle The fertilizer is placed in the front
hopper and the oats in the other. There are two
slots with two levers to regulate the output OF
fertilizer and oats. l generally use small shovel
plow, inches wide, because have been planting
thin land to improve it. The rows are u to II
inches apart. With six-inch shovel the rows
would be wider. Always the rows SO that
the dirt from the plow will not fill up the preced-
ing furrow. First the fertilizer drops immediate
ly behind the plow and the dirt falling back
covers it about an inch. Then the oats drop down
and the two little iron covers follow and throw
an inch or two of dirt the oats. A lively
as soon as he learns how to manipulate the
machine, which is not difficult than a cot
ton planter. Oats should be planted in October
if possible. If not they will come on all right
planted in November Many of our farmers had
given up the Red Rust Proof oats because they
are tender and easily killed There in
tensly dry cold spell January 25 to 20. That
changed the color of the oats somewhat, but did
not kill them. Then came the snow and ice OF
February when the ground was frozen two
weeks. They came out of that all right looking
green and luxuriant. Not single lot planted N
the open furrow has been killed.
While the revival spirit is working amongst
the cotton farmers, they need wise missionaries
to get them in the right way and keep them
there Many of them have an idea that IT by
some sort of conventions resolutions and threats,
cotton can be brought up to 10 cents this fall
they will be all right That is building on the
sand with probable storms any year. Let US all
get right, as the preachers say, before we start.
There should be well laid plan with these
objects in view. The deepening and improve
should be- the first aim. Best implements suited
to the land and crops should be bought. After
this the chief aim should be to raise all home
supplies possible. One of these days thrifty,
wise farmers in the Piedmont belt will buy moth
ing but sugar, coffee, salt and such condiments
and luxuries as they cannot raise. Here comes
the necessity for a judicious rotation of crops
This suggestion is made for a rotation that
will improve land: Corn and peas, followed by
small grain and that followed by peas sown or
planted Then plant in cotton the third year.
After the cotton begin with the corn and peas pes
again. This is a good three years plan Ihe