The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1910-01-13

L
section lose nothing by practicing accord
inggy:
i Fall and Winter Plozuing.
/ 1t is interesting to ride through the
country and see that some farmers,at least,
are beginning to awaken to the necessity
of blowing under all the humus-making
material they can in the fall and winter.
| Organic matter in our soils is the ele-
ment most needed now. A very large
majority of the lands, especially in the
south, have been continuously cropped,
and all vegetation either removed or burn
| ed, until lands are so packed that with the
least drought the crop planted on them
burns up; when, if there was an abun-
dance of organic matter plowed in every
year, the lands would respond as they did
when in virgin state. 1t is not because
lands are worn out that they refuse to
| respond to the efforts of the husband
man; for if land ever was good IT can
| be restored to its former state by ju-
dicious system of rotation of crops, though
it may take several years with the best
of management to arrive at that point.
Now fall and winter blowing burying
all cotton stalks and corn stalks, with
every other kind of trash, will greatly
help and start lands back to their origi-
nal fertility. Another thing our farmers
ought to do, and that is to always sow
some sort of grain when they are blowing
their lands in the fall, even if they lever
expect to harvest the grain; for it will not
only furnish green grazing for the stock
in the winter when it is so much needed,
but will conserve the nitrogen in the soil,
which always escapes more or less with
out cover crop. This is a large majority
of our farmers who have been blowing
this fall and winter have neglected to do
Another good sign of awakening among our
farmers is the 2-horse steel pillow, doing
better, deeper and more thorough work.
The work done in tn efall and early win
I ter will lessen the work in the spring when
every farmer seems to have more than
he can do And again, the turned up
earth will expose thousands of insects and
destroy them, besides exposing the soil
to the action of frost so beneficial, as
every farmer knows. This has been an ex-
ceedingly fine winter for out door work
of every kind, especially blowing; and,
while the fall was dry and the ground
too dry for long time, the winter rains
have softened it, and there have been
very few days for the last six weeks that
Flows could not run. Those who have
not taken advantage of the good weather
thus far this winter, might still do some
good work in January and February and
get good crop organic matter plowed un-
der, and have the satisfaction of putting
their lands in better order, and earlier
in the spring And while on the sub
| ject of blowing and farming in general,
| would insist on, one and all, our farmers
to make preparation to plant some early
corn to supplement their supply of feed
stuff; for the prospects now is that feed
of all kinds will be higher and scarcer
| than ever known; and it behooves the
farmer to prepare in time to meet it."
Now, Mr.. Editor, what one good brother
has said in the above is strictly good ag-
ricultural gospel, and fine advice. But
this correspondent would suggest in adj
dition, that bedded up in the fall and ear
lily winter need not be reversed in the
spring by planting time. This is the noted
! Jeff Welborn idea Bedding up in the
fall causes a ripening of the soil for
sustaining and growing the crop pitched
in it. At planting time it is neither too
loose nor too hard; it is just right. The
work of bedding up in the fall is lighter
on both man and mule. The animal that
pulls the bedding plow in the fall has
had rest since "laying by" in the early
summer The ground is not packed by
November or December. The plow cuts
easier, the stubble is buried under to
rot, make humous and fertilizer. The
man who waits till late February and
March to break up is confronted with a
tough rain-packed, cattle-treadded soil and
a push-to-ge t-bedded-up feeling. But man
and mule are about tagged out by the
time the seed is to be put in, no time to
rest-getting late-must hurry and worry
to get along, or lose crop. On the other
hand the man who has bedded up his
land in the fall, can sit on. his gallery
and smoke his pipe in comfort, waiting
till the proper time to drop the seed rolls
up, and what then7 He and his faithful
steed have had rest--a welcome resi-