The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-12-14

Another year has rolled around, and
brought with it its joys and its sor-
.ows, its successes and it's failures, and
,nce again demonstrated the truth Of
he promise that 'seed time and har-
sest shall not fail" For the SoutherS
farmer it may be said that on the
whole it's successes have outnumbered
IS failures, and though the crops have
aOt on the whole been quite so large
as those of last year, they are sub
sIantially in excess of the average for
he past five years and the much high
II average prices for all the products
IF the farm will make the financial
esults considerably in excess Of the
lyerage. Had it not been for the
most exceptional drouth which has
more less affected the yield over
he State and especially in the Valley,
Piedmont and northern sections dur
.ng the later summer and fall months,
he weld would have been largely in
excess of the greatest yields we have
ever recorded for this State. Such a
irouth as We have had for the past
four months has not been known IN
the State for more than twenty-five
years, and yet it has not been to COM
pare with the droEths that more fire.
quently strike the middle and western
States. Accustomed as we are on this
Eastern Coastal plain to SeaSOnable
rains All through the growing season,
farmers do not take those precautions
30 avoid injury from a dry season tDat
are common practices where drOuthS
are frequent. The absence Ofsdeep fall
and winter plowing is one of these
precautions which our farmers do not
sufficiently practice. Whilst there has
been much Improvement in this re-
spect during the last few years and
this improvement still progresses yet
there are still far too many little Dixie
plOWs and single mule teams used to
allow Of good deep plowing being done.
With three mule teams and the Disc
or oliver and Syracuse plOWS used in
the place of the little Dixie the land
can be so deeply broken in the fall and
winter that only an exceptionally long
drouth will seriously curtail the yield
of crops as our winter and spring rains
can then be all absorbed into the soil
and be held there in reserve for the
needs of the crops in the dry summer
and early fall months. We have had
reports from numbers of our Subscri-
bers who have followed our advice as
to deep plOwing for several years who
say that they have suffered very little
injury from the drOuth this year. Deep
blowing III the fall and winter months
with level, shallow, frequent cultiva-
ton during the growth of the crops
so as to keep the surface covered with
soil mulch will in this Eastern sec
ton almost always protect it from in
jury WrOm such drOuthS as we may
have even though like the one we still
have with us they may be except
ionally long and severe. Take a les
son from this season and as soon as
you can get the plow into the land
go down deep into it and wherever the
subsOi1 is hardpan stiff retentiVe
clay follow the plow with a subsoiler
or a narrow plow with the mouldboard
taken off or with a bul nosed coulter
l. I,0 Of p f.
as deeply as you can with good
team. The winter and spring rains
will then get into it and washing will
be stopped and reserve Of moisture
be secured which will carry the crops
a long way through the next summer.
If the winter and spring rains should
be exceptionally heavy the Overplus
Of water will sink deep into the land
and not cause any injury.
The total yields OF most of the staple
crops OF the country are now ascrlbed
AS nearly as may be. OF these wheat
makes a showing of 724, ,T68, 900 bush
els. of which Virginia produced S,758,-
600 bushels, an average Of a little over
II bushels per acre. North Carolina
produced 6.444, 900, an average of a
little over bushels per acre. South
CAROLINA produced 3,810,0OO bushels,
an average OF 18 bushels per acre and
Maryland produced II ,034, 200 bushels.
an average. Of q little over IA bushels
ger acre. These yields are much below
what we should produce per acre and
can produce as we have reports OF
tf'ps goiug as high as 40 bushels
peg acre. ami many Of our best farm
4rs make regularly from 25 to 30
bushels per acge ard nearly all could
40 as we'll if they would do their duty
:" the land in preparing for the crop.
10 grow only 20 or II bushels per
'Cfe IN simply to waste time and
money. There car f.e no profit IN such
ar1nl"s' 5rG the sooner it is QUIT and