Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-10-06
PRACTICAL FARMING HINTS.
western Farmer Finds Oconee Land
as Good as Any.

Editor KeOwee Courier. [ do not
cia1m to know all about farming, for
farming is business in which one
never gets through learning, and we
farmers, when we learn something
new, should be glad to tell our bro
ther farmers what we have learned.
"A good way to learn is to take good
farm paper, such as the Practical
Farmer or The Ruralist.
| have travelled over several States,
Doth North and South, and in the old
country, and | am sorry to say that
some of the poorest farmers | have
ever seen are right here in South
Carolina. 1t is not the fault of the
land, either, that they do not raise
good crops, but the fault lies with
&4he farmers themselves, as | have
eproved to good many here this
summer. l came here through the
instrumentality of Dr.. r. G. G.
Fahnestock, who wrote to me
through the Practical Farmer, and
am not sorry | came, for | believe
this is the healthiest country | ever
visited. My wife and | have had the
bcst of health since we moved here.
and we have come to stay.
L did not like the looks Of the
country when | first came, because
the cotton stalks were small and the
corn the same way, and | could see
no horse feed except fodder. But as
had come | thought | could stand
1t ohe year and would give the land
a trial; and, indeed, | was surprised,
after planting some corn, to see how
Strong 1t came up, for | looked for
1t to come up spindling. | did not
expect to make over 10 or Is bushels
40 hitt In, NJ
about So, and if ! had taken pains
like we do in the North, and had had
the right kind Of implements to work
with, believe it would have made at
least 100 bushels.
Another thing | see done wrong is
the sowing of oats or wheat with
the same drill used to plant cot
ton. In place Of having two or
three drills in one row, there ought
to be five, and sowed with a wheat
drill and fertilized with the right
Kind of fertilizer, made especially for
wheat. This fertilizer will make the
straw stiff and the grain plump and
viii save your stable manure for the
corn field, where it ought to go.
Corn should be the main crop here.
for all Southerners like corn bread,
and | don't see why they raise cot
Ton IN this setcion, for corn can be
raised here as good as in the North
and West, and it can be raised for
80 or 80 cents a bushel. Yet when
we buy corn | find it costs from 81
to $1.1O bushel. | think every far
mer should raise his own feed and
his own bread and meat and every
thing else he can; then If he has a
nice piece of land he can spare, plant
that in cotton and try to make a big
crop or 1t on as few acres as possible.
Ihen 1T VIII be a pleasure to nick
the cotton, for you will not have to
Dreak your back to pick it, and you
can hold your cotton for good
price for you have your living ahead.
In place of running in debt for everv-
thing to eat and feed your horses and
mules, paying about 40 per cent. as
well as three prices when you nav
caSh, you can go where you please to
buy, and when you give mortgage
you must buy of the man who holds
IL, and II he sees or hears that YOU
are going to have poor crop he
LOOKS out to not let you get in his
uept 100 much, and when you come
60 sell your cotton you have got to
take Just what they will pay you.
the more cotton you raise the poorer
your land will get, and you get as
poor as the land. My advice is, raise
plenty to eat and plenty to feed; save
lots OF manure and apply it to the
land with plenty Of elbow grease If
any farmer will follow this advice
Tor year or two he will be glad that
he did 1T, and he will see where It is
poor policy to raise so much cotton.
Don't raise cotton, but raise corn and
hay,
Plow your land deep, so 1t won't
wash away;
Be careful about seed, and get the
best;
You will save lots of time, and then
you can rest.
There's no rest for the farmer, YOU
hear people say,
For when they're not plowing they're
out in the hay;
But the farmer who farms right rests
all the time,
For the sweetest of rest Is rest Of the
mlnd. w. II. w.