Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-08-30
VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS.
Successful Farmer Gives Ex-
: perience and Valuable Sug-
gestions on Preparing
Soil For Grain.

I
will soon be upon us and the fact
that the corn crop in our county has
been cut short by the continued dry
weather, makes it. all the more I'M
portant to prepare for the shortage
by sowing largely to small grain,
and the work of preparing the soil
should begin at the earliest day pos
sible.
l would suggest Gu tting the corn
off the fields to be seeded to grain,
then spread on all the compost to be
had from every source, then harrow
this compost in the soil before plow-
ing the field. This narrowing before
blowing will accomplish two valua-
BILE points, both of which are indis-
pensible in modern agriculture.
First, It Incorporates the COM
post with the soil more perfectly
than is possible with the plow alone.
Second, it pulverizes the top soil
down to the line which hardens by
the action of the rain and sun in the
summer and thereby prevents the
formation of clods by the work of
the plow. After the fields are thus
treated the soil is then ready for the
plow. Almost any style of plow
will do good work, provided it will
take the soil to a depth not less than
eight inches which will require from
two to four mules, this will be de-
termined by the character of the
soil.
Harrow after each half days plow
ing, allow the harrow to cut half
its width which is decidedly better
than to harrow twice with full cut
of the harrow.
When the field is prepared as
above directed it is then ready for
the grain, which may be sown
broadcast or in drills as may be
suitable to the owner and the tools
for the work. If sown broadcast,
put one and one half to two bush
els per acre, the amount can be
regulated in pro5ortion to the fer
tifiJy of The so3 This applies to
oats. Wheat shanld be about one
half the amount of oats.
Oats that are intended for feed
ing should have "Sativa Valossa"
sown with them at the rate of one
bushel per acre, but must be sown
separately and after the oats are in
and should be narrowed in lightly
with drag tooth harrow which
may be done in the same day of
sowing the oats. This Sativa is a
legume, and good soil builder. 1t
will run up with and attach itself to
the oat straw by its little tendrils
and can be easily harvested, and
adds materially to the feeding value
of the oat hay.
The proper time to SOW oats ac-
cording to my knowledge is about
the first of October. Mr.. James
Sheppard (the father of the two
distinguished gentlemen of Edge
ield) was said to be one of the most
successful small grain growers of
his day in this county, and he, it is
said, made it a rule to SOW oats in
September, and wheat in latter
part of October. The writer has
cenformed to these dates as near as
weather conditions would admit,
and the results have been highly
satisfactory. From about two and
one half acres we harvested this
spring fourteen large two horse
loads of extra fine oats and Sativa.
We attribute this good yield large
ly to the application of nitrate of
soda, of this which we applied two
hundred pounds per acre. There is
no specific date governing the ap-
plication of concentrated nitrates to
crops; neither is there any reasonable
amount which would over step the
limits of economy up to six or sew
en- hundred pounds per acre, where
the soil is well prepared and wealth
er conditions are favorable. Nitrate
of soda should be applied to oats or
wheat when it first starts to stem or
run up"
We have learned by years of .ex-
perience and repeated experim ents
that the greatest feeding value OBJ
tainable from oats is by cutting
them with simple mower, just as
any other hay when they show the
first signs of yellow in the heads.
Allow them to sun one, or one and
one half days, rake up in the usual
way and house or bale them. The
fiber Of the stems and blades
cure with the sap in them,
and the whole is eaten with
relish by the stock. The grain is
very little if any decreased in feed
ing value. Whereas in the old way
the stems are allowed to become
hard dry and woody, there is loss
of grain in the process of harvest
ing, the stock refuse to eat the dry
straw and of this there is almost a
total loss
There is another matter of very
| rroo+ inportanca to the farmer. II