Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-04-11
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!. APRIL ON THE FARM. i
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Progressive Farmer.)

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| Progressive Farmer.)
| April is planting month--a season
when seeds OF our most important
/ field crops are being put In the
ground. And just as well begun is
half DONE" so it IS that getting the
seed planted in the best possible
way, is good long step toward the
goal OF every business farmer--a pay
| ing crop at harvest time.
While early planting may be i'm
portant, let us not forget that there
are other factors still more import
ant. One Of these is well-prepared
seed bed. We must not let the warm
April sunshine rush us to planting
before our land is ready. This means
that all clods must be pulverized, the
soil settled by one or two good rains,
! and then gone over with a harrow
! just ahead Of the planter. This lat
! ter is important and quite necessary
! to remove any trash in the way,
! crush any remaining clods, and fine
| the surface soil.
On the sandy or loan soils that
are we'll drained we prefer as rule
to plant corn somewhat below
/ level. Water-furrow planting makes
cultivation easier, enables us better
to hold grass and weeds in check,
helps in time of drouth, and makes
it possible to lay-by the corn practi-
cally on level. The experienced,
observing farmer knows that when
any crop is planted on ridge, the
| tendency Of each cultivation is to
! make this ridge little higher, so
t that in the end we have the crop on
a bed that is entirely too high.
In the lower half OF the South
April .olar;cd corn, particularly on
stiff, heavy soils, is liable to damage
from budworms. or "spikers." March
and May paintings are much less sub
ject to the depredations Of this pest,
and OH lands where damage may or
dinarily be expected April planting
should he avoided. In the northern
half OF the cotton belt, paintings dur
ing the early part Of April are ordi-
narily safe, while paintings from
about the middle Of April through
the first week in May should be
avoided In so far as possible, corn
should not be planted on lands
known to be infested with worms.
Generally, we would aim to plant
, the cotton on slight ridge or bed.
! Beds warm up quicker in the spring
and thus termination is quickened
and eraly growth hastened-both
highly important in boil weevil ter
ritory. But don't make the beds too
high; a good plan will be to run over
them with a harrow ahead Of the
planter, so as to drag them down, at
the same time pulling into the mid
dies any trash and clods
In making profitable cotton crops,
a good stand Is highly important, and
to get this plenty OF seed must be
used. Nothing less than bushel per
acre can be depended upon.
! Let us not forget that according to
! most experiment station evidence the
average farmer leaves too little cot
ton on the ground. On ordinary up
: land capable of making a stalk two
to three feet high and one-half to
; two-thirds of a bale per acre, the
best evidence we have indicates that
rows three and one-half feet apart
! and cotton eight to ten inches apart
in the drill will give the biggest
yields. This looks close, but we are
only stating the facts as proved by
! our experiment stations, from Geor-
| gia to Texas. 1t seems, too, that this
! spacing is best in or out Of boil wee
vii territory.
On rich lands. capable OF making
stalk four or five feet high and
| bale per acre. somewhat wider spac-
ing, say rows four feet wide and the
| plants fifteen to eighteen inches in