Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1908-03-06
HOW 10 PREpARE THE SOIL.

tF0W ~ - ~ ~ M = IT'S 49, 50
To parties who have had no ex-
pesience, a.d who propose to farm
on cutover lands in this country, I
would say, go to some of the old set
| tiers here and ask them for informa-
ton. Don't conclude that they are old
fogies because you know some things
that they don't know, for while this
| is true, you will find that they know
some things that you don't. Again,
don't conclude that method is good
here because 1t was good in Michigan
or New York. If you do, and depend
upon such methods to make a living
here, you win wish you were back in
Michigan or elsewhere. You will soon
spend all the money you have and
find nothing left in the place of it.
When you are ready to begin the
cultivation of your new land, take a
one-horse turn-plow and run 1t as
shallow as you can, to turn the turf
under. Don't make the mistake of
p,owing it deep. If you do, the turf
will not decompose, and when you TRY
to pillow it the second time your pillow
will not turn it. The chances are you
will say bad words and conclude that
this is poor country, anyway. On the
other hand, If you will plow barely
deep enough the first time to turn over
the turf in thin layers, when you go
to pillow your land the second time, by
going a little deeper than at first, youl
pillow will catch in the unbroken soil
beneath not reached by the first
blowing, and instead of catching and
dragging and bouncing, it will turn the
turf over, and If acid phosphate has
been scattered lightly over the land
before il was first broken, as 1t should
have been. you will very soon find
your ground in good condition for any
crop that can be grown the first year.
Sweet potatoes, peas or melons may
be planted, but don't plant corn0
After the land has been cultivated
one year. it is ready for any kind OF
crop tina. can be grown in this coun-
try. If the soil has clay near the sur
face it should be plowed deep, not
with turn-plow. The best method |
have ever tried is to go first with a
turn pillow lightly and follow with a
shovel in the same furrow. This last
plow should go as deep as good
mule will pull it. BY this method the
soil will retain moisture in drought
and at the same time utilize to much
better advantage greater quantity OF
fertilizer. / have seen small quaint
ties of land built up by the above meth
cd to a standard where it grew two
bales of cotton to the acre.
For corn and cotton the land should
he deeply and carefully broken and
cultivation should be constant and
thorough. Crops may be grown two
or even three in succession the same
year, but corn and crab-grass can not
be grown successfully at the same
time. / very often pass by fields where
the experiment is being made, but
there can never be but one result, and
that is failure.
Diversity your crops. have re
Gently noticed in the papers some
speeches from leaders in the Farmers
Union, in which they urge the farm
ers all over the country to diversity
their crops, and to be sure to produce
their food supplies at home. No bet
ter advice was ever given to any class
e of men. There can be no success
D without it. The man who does this
a can raise surplus crop of cotton OF
: truck or both or whatever he pleases
4 He is independent, but II he has his
s provisions to buy, he will have to pay
5 the price made by other people, ani
9 these people will be sure to make i
d enough.
Neither cotton nor truck farming
:, will pay the man who has to realize
I from these the money necessary II
J. buy his bread and meat If anyone
I who may read this has any idea o
trying 1t, to him would say, stop
Il poor sinner, stop and think before 20,
s further CO." The man who has hi
u corn and oats in the barn and hi
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