The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-11-20

cotton until the boil weevll mas eaten
up crop or two for them and forced
them to diversity" That is rather
a slander on the farmers of this Sec
ton, in the opinion of the writer, Tor
from conversation with many farm
ers one draws the conclusion that
our folks want to substitute other
crops for cotton. in part at least.
What most farmers want to kno"
now is, what crop to plant in place OF
cotton. Probably we can draw some
helpful conclusions from other Sec
tons that have passed through the
same conditions that confront us.
Experience has taught the Alabama
farmer that the following plan for the
average farm is most profitable.
On a one horse farm five or six
acres is planted in cotton. Ten acres
is planted in corn, with velvet beans
and peanuts planted in alternate
corn middles. The balance of the
acreage is planted in peanuts, to be
harvested as a money crop.
Taking up each of these crops in
detail may be of interest. showing
the exact method followed in Ala
bama.
First. Cotton. The land that is to
be planted in cotton is>broken with a
two horse plow as early in winter as
possible. All of the fertilizer is put
under the cotton, and none used as
top dresser. There were some varla-
tions of opinions about top DRESSING
but the concensus of opinion was that
the plant must be rushed to frultion
as rapidly as possible. The seed are
planted as early in March as seas
enable conditions permit. The crop
ia plowed every week or as often as
it may be done without injury to the
plants. With only five or six acres
of cotton it is not difficult to ploW
frequently.
Under weevil conditions the most
important feature of cotton growing,
presupposing the early planting OF the
seed, is to pick up and burn every
cotton square and form that falls
to the ground. This should be done
mt least once each week, until it be-
comes a physically impossible task
to pick up all Of the squares and
forms that fall. This will be in July
, some time. The reason why it is i'm
portant and necessary to burn the
fallen squares and forms Is because
each one contains a grub, which Will
hatch out a boil weevil in week or
two, if not destroyed. Each weevll
lays hundreds of eggs, and it is easl-
" conceivable that single pair OF
them may be the progenitors OF sew
eral thousand weevils. 1t seems like
wise important to turn under the cot
ton stalks as soon as the crop is gath
cred, for by so doing the food supply
of the weevil is destroyed, and winter
quarters also. All fence rows, ditch
banks and hedges should be cleared
ND and burned early in the fall, thus
destroying winter quarters for the
weevils.
Using this method a farmer may
get two-thirds to three-quarters OF a
normal crop of cotton; not using it,
he may get one-quarter to one-halr
but he may not get any at all.
Second, Corn. The farmers Of low
er South Carolina are probably as
familiar with planting corn with
velvet beans and peanuts in al
ternate middles, as are the far
mers of other sections, so we will
omit a detailed description Of the
handling of this crop, pausing only
to say that the corn acreage should
be determined by the number of hogs
it is desired to fatten on the peanuts
and beans in the corn middles. It may
be we'll to mention that the Ala
bama farmer does not pull fodder, as
the hay from his peanut crop gives
him a uperabundance of palpable,
nutritious forage.
Third, Peanuts. Some details of
the Alabama method Of handling the
peanut crop will be given, as it has
not been generally grown in this
State as a crop to be harvested and
sold. A few of our farmers in this