The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-03-20
FARMERS
UNION NEWS
Practical Thoughts for Practical
Farmers.
Conducted by K. w. Dabbs. Pres
ident .. c.. Farmers Union.)
Some Random Thoughts.

i am glad to see that Mr.. David
Coker and Mr.. Manning have warned
our farmers about plowing when the
land is too wet. 1t would be we'll for
us to remember that II is too late to
plow deep. BY shallow plowing,
thoroughly breaking three or four
inches and narrowing 1T we'll, much
more land can be prepared and it can
be done earlier than If we plow deep.
We have done so much deep winter
breaking during the past three sea-
sons that to miss one year will not
make any difference. In fact this
year 1t is like cutting the fertilizer
bills: both will be positively for our
financial good. Three or four inches
OF fine seed bed plowed and har-
rowed soon after. when the land is
dry enough to work WELL will be far
preferable to deep plowing that will
expose to the sun and winds wet sub
soil to dry into cIods.
All up the country last week there
were gloomy forebodings. Once in
awhile Ii would be a relief to meet
some farmer who remembered that
he had seen just such weather, and
did not run a furrow until the first
week in April. and still made a fair
crop. The worst feature Of the pres
ent outlook Is the small area In oats.
Too much cotton prevented sowing
oats last fall. and too much rain
since.
All sorts of early forage crops and
early maturing corn will be planted to
secure feed. A serious condition con-
fronts the farmer who has no oats
coming on and is already buying feed.
1 found at Greenwood that the
Bank Of Greenwood did not use all
OF the five hundred thousand dollars
Ii secured for holding cotton, and that
Ii did not change it's rate from per
cent when ii made renewals. In
many sections the banks raised the
rate Of renewals to per cent.
Greenwood. as our Baptist friends
know. is the home OF Connie Maxwell
Orphanage. 1t was my pleasure to
meet the Superintendent Rev. A. #.
Jamison and take "birde-eye view"
Of the institution. The prettiest
fields of green and the trimmest or
chards that I saw in the up-country
are at Connie Maxwell. DR.. Jamison
Informed me they have four kinds Of
fresh vegetables all through the win
ter. and that their gardens and dairy
are indispensable sources Of the table
supply. He said they could not buy
these necessary supplies anything like
as cheap "a they produce them.
i mention this to commend to some
other institutions of learning his ex.
ample. When l can spare a day off,
| will look carefully into his farming
operations for II looks like there are
some practical lessons in better farm
'ng to be learned at Connie Maxwell.
The great Baptist denomination in
this state ought to support this in
stitution most literally.
Dr. Mitchell OF the South Carolina
University Is in hearty sympathy with
the effort to teach scientific market
Ing. and has asked me to name n
day In the near future when can
present the needs OF such teaching to
the faculty and student body. Like
everything else, 1t grows. and by an
other season perhaps every education
al institute In the State will be help
Ing the Farmers Union To solve some
Of Its great problems.
Miss Marie Cromer. the tomato