Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-08-29
Observation-Disclosures .s'.s.s..s+s..s..s..s..s.
i. A COMPARISON OF FARM =.
!. METHODS. =.


Editor Keowee Courier: A trip
through the valley of Virginia has
impressed me so forcibly with the
methods of farming practiced here
and the financial results obtained.
that l am taking the liberty of writ
ing to you about them, hoping that
1t Will be of some help to the farmer
boys OF Oconee.
The system of farming is in such
contrast to that generally practiced
in the cotton bolt that comparison
Of soils, variety Of crops that can be
grown, and results obtained, Is not
very hattering to the ability of the
men who depend upon the one-crop
(cotton) principle.
This section has the lightest rain
fall east Of the Mississippi river,
only about 40 inches. The growing
season is about two months shorter
than in the Piedmont section-two
big advantages imfavor of the latter.
Then there are only very few
things that can be grown here prof
1tably. Corn, wheat and hay (tim-
othy and clover) are the principal
crops, though Irish potatoes, apples
and chickens do we'll. 1t is too
high (about 1000 feet) for cotton,
sorghum cane, sweet potatoes and
peas.
1t may seem to the reader that
ho
and not subject to erosion to the
same extent that hill land would be.
but valley, In the sense here used.
means all the cultivated land as dis
tingnishcd from the mountains.
Much Of tnc laud cultivated here is
as rolling or Irregular as that found
III Ocon"r's best sections. It is,
then, almost amazing to the visitor
from the cotton fields to note the
absence Of gu.lies. In thousands and
thousands Of closely examined acres,
not one single piece of aban doned
land has been found, and only two
small lots where a wash could be
seen, Even on hillsides that would
have a half dozen terraces in South
Carolina there Is not even a poor
place. 1t Is certainly section where
every foot of land produces some
thing besides briars and broomsedge
Terraces and bitches are an unknown
quantity. Why the land doesn't
wash will be discussed later.
The Corn Crop,
now in it's earring stage, is certainly
very promising. Fields that will
make frrN co to 70 bushels per
acre are ,onImon, and an average of
so bushels Is low estimate for hun
dreds Of square miles. Three thin gs
are nj once noticeable about these
corn fields. OF course, the extra fine
crop is the first thing to attract at
tention. Then the plan OF running
all rows straight-the corn is plant
ed In Cheeks" making it necessary
for one set of rows to run up and
down hill. Regardless Of the Steep
ness of the hill or the length of the
rows. they are planted this way. The
almost perfect stand adds very much
to the appearance Of the fields and
will increase the yield materially
over that obtained where missing
hills are only more frequent than
"skips," and the two combining to
ruin appearances, cut yields and de-
stroy profits.
What Is 1t that makes it possible
to obtain these perfect stands, that
prevents destructive washing and
furnishes the immense amount Of
motitur", nitrogen, etc., necessary to
prodAce 4 Dig crop of corn? It is not
the natural fertility Of the soil, which
Is a gray, sandy top soil, with very
light subsoil-the least drought-re-
sisting and hardest to maintain in a
high state of cultivation of any Of
the Southern soils. 1t is not the
large amount Of commercial or barn
yard fertilizers used. Lime is about
the only commercial fertilizer ap-
piled to the land here, and the
amount produced on the farm covers
small per cent of the total area
cultivated. The answer Is very plain:
1t is zone in fiye''-corn one year,
wheat two years, clover and timothy
two, or a cultivated crop one year In
five. The results of this SYSTEM are
these: The work Is distribu ted
through. the whole year; most of 1t
can be done by teams and machin-
arv. Tho land bocOmeS richer each