The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1914-12-25
COMPOSITION ON PLANTING
AND GROWING OF GRAIN.
(By Cross Keys High School Pupil)

Owing to the very general interest,
as it seems at present, while we take
up the subject, planting and harvest
ing of grains.
Preparations are best to be made in
the fall of the year, for there is more
time for preparations in fall, than in
spring.
Sandy land, with red clay bottom,
is more adapted for grains than any
other kind of soil, and in preparing
the land it ihould be plowed with
two-horSe turn plow, or disk plow,
should be turned about ten or twelve
inches deep. for all grain except
wheat, which should not be but about
six or eight inches deep. To complete
the land for better grain growing,
sow your fertilizer broadcast and turn
it under with a disk harrow. The
plant then will have soft mellow
soil to grow in.
The fertilizer is used in proportion
to the kind of soil, and kind of land !;
the farmers will do best to use their
own Judgment about such as it is too
much to undertake to write.
1t generally pays here in our coun-
ty-Union, | think, about four or five
hundred pounds per acre. The farm
L,
the reason we do not make any more
grain at present.
The depth of seed should not be
over three inches or four deep, for if
'"v are, the seed will have trouble
reaching the top of the ground. If
they are about thre., inches your seed
will have good success in reaching the
ton, and Furthermore, always plant
| about one bushel of seed per acre. and
they will be about right, not too thick
or too thin.
large discussion now is up-how
to plant the seed. Some people sow
the seed broadcast, others, what we
call up-to-date farmers have learned
better by drillings them, the row
about twelve inches apart, running in
such a direction that they will hold
water when it rains, and the water
will keep plenty of fresh soil falling
down from the sides of the burrows
which helps them greatly in growth.
Always plant grain seed as near
inches as you can and you will see the
fruits of the seed peeping out of the
ground in about three or four days.
They will spring out in hurry, about
the month of December, with the fer
tiliZer you put on the land in prepar-
ing it, and then the plant will grow
until about June. When it begins to
ripen, which by that time farmers be-
gin to make preparations for gather
ing it in, so when it has been gather
ed in, large portion being gathered
at the mill for making of bread, and
other food products.
Taking up different subject, we
Southern people do not plant enough
grain. 1t is not very much trouble
Now if we had had plenty of gram
sowed this year, instead of so much
cotton, we, to my honest opinion
would have been a great deal better
off. Too we could raise grain to feed
cattle and horses on, where if we had
done so this year, it would have help
ed the poor farmer greatly, for there
is a great demand for cattle and
horses in Europe, where the great
war is now on. More Grain must be
made at no ne, for the great grai..
countries, especially Russia, is en-
gagged in war, where we suppose they
are not planting much grain for the
coming year.
AS | have stated there must be a
plenty raised to live on at home, es-
pecially wheat for flour, for if there
is not this county and State will have
a great many of suffering people to
ontend with the coming year, for the
need of something to eat