Southern cultivator. (Augusta, Ga.) 1843-188?, December 01, 1870, Page 443, Image 33

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« Agri<R!tnre is the General Pursn'.t of Man: it is the Basis of all others, and therefore, the most Useful and Honorable.’’ lie gait to ATHENS, GA. VOL XXVIII. DECEMBER I, 18/0. NO. 12. / % P BY WM. & W. L. JONES. Editors and Proprietors. ADJUSTMENTS ON THE FARM. Some of our readers have taken exception to the adjustment of crops, proposed in our No vember No., because so much land is appropri ated to cotton. We have never thought it wise to take ground against planting cotton, except by advocating warmly the planting of an abun dant provision crop; and this, as our readers will bear us testimony, we have invariably done.— For even in the programme alluded to, where a maximum cotton crop is provided for, ample provision is still made for food, both for man and beast —23 acres of food crops against 10 acres of cotton. The cotton question we im agine is one, which supply and demand and the fluctuations in prices consequent on these, will regulate, and nothing else can. When cot ton brings good prices, nothing will prevent far mers from making as much of it as they possibly can—when the price falls below a remunerative point, no argument is needed to turn attention away from cotton to other crops. To come back to our adjustment. In order to establish a smooth working rotation, we find it convenient to reduce the numbei' of acres in cotton to seven—and our crops to each hand would then stand: SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. Cotton 7 acres. Corn 3 Wheat 1 “ Oats 9 Clover and grass, &c 10 “ 30 Thirty in all, instead of thirty-three. The ’rota tion proposed can be better presented in tabu lar form. Suppose the farm divided into three fields of 10, 23 or more acres each, &c. &e., ac cording to number of hands employed. Yr. No. 1. No. 2. No. 3. Ist. Corn & Cotton Wheat & Oats Clover. 2d. Wheat & Oats Clover Com & Cot’ll. 3d. Clover, &c. Corn <fc Cotton Whe’t& Oats. 4th. Corn & Cotton Wheat & Oats Clover. There is some doubt about the propriety of following clover with cotton, as both are broad leaved taprooted plants—experiment alone can test the question satisfactorily. Again it is diffi cult to get a cotton crop off the ground early enough to sow it in small grain—but inasmuch as highly manured lands mature their crops very early, wheat might without interference follow cotton during the first weeks of November. Oats would require to be sown earlier; fortunately the experience of the last two years 1 as shown that oats may be sown and covered at the last plow ing of the cotton and succeed admirably. See article on p. 295, current volume. We are in formed that the farmers of New ton county in this state, have adopted the plan with eminent success—and during a recent trip (October 20th) on the Georgia Rail Road we saw several fields of cotton in which the oats w r ere up and looked finely. Being covered with a sweep there was a strip of bare ground in the middle of each alley, but it is said that by spring the oats will so spread as to pretty well meet across the rows. Another point about which many of our read ers will doubtless have considerable difficulty, is the possibility of raising clover successfully in our climate. On stiff 1 red lauds or those with good clay subsoils and on valley lands, we don’t think there need be any doubt. On light sandy soils clover does not succeed; on such lands peas might be substituted in its place. See article p. 426 present number, showing how r easy it is to make a crop of this valuable plant—which can be converted either into hay like clover, fed to stock on the land or turned under as a fertilizer. Indeed after gathering a crop of peas, the vine and leaves wxuld furnish still a first rate dressing 443