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Y-N~v 4.A BiSTABLISHED 1865. NEWBERRY. S. Ct TUESDAY W.L-- - -~- SDY, DEC EMBIER 21, SHALL WE FARM OR PLANT? A farmer diversifies his crops and plAns to produce, as far as practicable, all supplies necessary for maintaining his family- and his stock, and utilizes spare moments in repairing and improv ing his property. At the same time he plans for a surplus production of all pro ducts of the farm and to have some pro duct ready for market every month in the year. His plain is to produce for market not only much of a few things, but some of many things. He sturounds his home with the small industries, such as the dairy, piggery, orchard, vineyard, gardei, poultry yard and apiary, and if he lis the water fa cilities, raises a head of water on some convenient stream, the lake supplying his table with fish in ,eason and the water drives a ram which pumps the water to a tank near his house. From this it is distributed to the bath room and kitchen, to the mule lot, the garden and the flower yard. If no convenient steam supplies the water, a windmill pumps it to the tank. His house is in reality a home, supplied with comforts and conveniences for liv,ing. \1hen a purchase is to be made from the neigh boring store there is something to be sold to cover the cost. But there is lit tle to be bought besides coffee, sugar, salt and clothing. The farm is in the broadest sense self-sustaining. On this farm the waving grain, the well filled crib and smoke-house, the green pastures, the lowing herd, the bleating of the skipping lambs, the whicker of the prancing colt, the yelp of the turkey, the quack-quack of the goose and duck, the cackling of the prolific hen and the hum of the busy bee all fur nish a blending of beauty and music which charms tle eye an1d delights tile car of the true huisbandinan. 'The farmer keeps accounts w'itlh his crops-can tell how much they :_ost and how much they pay over cost of prodhu tion. He buys and sells for cash. lie farms in the. ground and neither in the moon nor on paper. IIe knows that figures will lie about farming. I Ie (loes not prove on paper that since he can sell a greater value in cotton from an acre than lie can of corn or wheat it is true policy, t,o plant all cotton, but proves by results that diversification and rotation of crops-is the true road to succes-. Ile buys and sells for cash, keeps account of receipts and expenditures and knows whether he is making or losing money. Ile, having cash always on hand, and having no bills to pay, is not forced to sell at a disadlvantage. le buys in the cheapest and sells in the dearest mar kets. Such is the life of t he farmer ; how is it with Tf liePdoesEnot If h doe notat first farm on a credit basis, he is soon driven to it, for the r'eason that, having but one mioney crop, wvhich is sold in bulk at the end of the year, and havi ng large pu rchases of sup plies to make at intervals through the year to make the next crop, he ''ar ranges"' withI some merchant to "'run him,"' and instead of gel ting his suippl ies at the lowest cash prices, payts from ten to twenty per cent, more. IIlaying uin limited credlit at the store, heL and( each member of his family buys freely andl( often extrav ~agant ly. IIy thle first ofI November an account muclh greater in amount than he rea lized confronts himi, and the merchant having his own ills t&'ngeet, prse his creditors ini turni. To'meet thlese.linbilities, the plainter muist force his cot ton upon01 a dIepressed market, and loses teln to fifteen per cent. of its value, iIe pays amt thle lowest est i mate tell per cent, too much for his sup plies, wvhich lie could grow twvent y-five per cenlt. cheaper than lie can buy, and sells his crop lit a dhiscountIl of ten per -cent. He thus sacrifices thle profits, which of right should lbe his. More thain this, all of the smnal1 i nd rust ries of thle farm are n'eglected. Ie "c''has 110 t ime to bother with t hese smnall mattcrs."' All of his time is occu pied wvith the money crop)s. "T'1here is 1no mone1Ly iln thlese lit - tie things.'' No mionley in t hem ? Is not a - ",'llar saved a dlollaIr miadle ?" 11lis orcharo is planted in cotton and p)lowed to death-the trees are root p)runmed and1( so stairvedl that they N' ar 110 fruit. There is mio vineyard ; thIeI scupj pernong vines trail uponl thle ground, ex cept where they chamber over mu plum11 ticket. A few seedlimr poeh tree supped by etuborer produce inferior, wotniy peaches, the gardIen fence has blown down-all too busy with the cot ton 'to mend it--and grass and weeds supply a pasture for the cow where veg etables should be growing for the family -strawberries have no place on the cot ton farm, but are purchased fron town. 'I'turkeys and chickens eat too much corn -it is cheaper to buy them than to grow them on bought corn. A scrub cow or two we find tied in the fence corner or running in the pasture ( ?) which con sists of an alder swanp and some gullied hill sies. White, tallowy butter adorns the table, and milk is too scarce to be served. WN"ife and daughter have dug over a bed in' the yard and planted the seed of a few annuals bought at tie store, anld this constitutes the flower yard. Neither paint nor white-wash or.. naient tile houses and fences-desola tion marks the track of the "'cottontot." 11is sons, disgusted, have sought clerk ships in stores-his daughters are teach ing to become independent and to get a way from the mockery of home. Per liaps the farmer has employed one and she writes to her mother how charming is tle home of tiv farmer, tle house paint ed, the fences wlite-waslied, the garden filled with fresh and tender vegetables, the orchard, vineyard and strawberry are yielding delicious fruits for the table -everything so cheerful and attractive. Another daughter is perhaps teaching in the famlily of the merchant to help papa pay a balance on his account. She is contented to escal .t the depressing influ ences of the desolate plantation. THE VINEYARD. Collect Is many blones as possible for use under grape vines already planted or to be planted. Select standard varieties, such as D)elaware, Concord, Ives, Per kins and Niagara for buinch grapes and scupperiong, Memory, lish lamnes and Thomas of the Southern fox-grape type or rotundifolia. If you try others, use them only on an experimental scale until they establish their claims for recognition by their be havior. The standard varieties men tionld have 1)'0'Cd their v,alu: and passed the experimental stage. Prepare and fertilize the land ,ery thor-ouIghly for grapes, prne them judi ciously 1111d spray thetn with fungicides, commencing when the buds begin to swell, and tinual crop of grapes is far more certain than is a crop of cotton. When the iew-' vine is transphanted, cut back the new wvood to two eves or buds. After these are well established in gtrowthi ini the spinmg, aind ar-e one fo.ot long, remove the weaker after ticing 'the stronger to a sttake. Next winter- cut this back to withitn two feet of' the groundl and allow two'( canes to growv. Putt up a trellis of two wir-es upon01 str-ong posts 16 feet atpart . Train the two shoots in opp)osite directions on the bot tom wire. If the shoots are especially vigoriouts allow t henm to beat' one butnch of gritpes each. At thle end( of the second year- cut thlese shoots back, leav' ing t wo feet of' each. The thitrd year, tmrain all shoots to the secondl wirec, and1( allowv each to betar frutiit. At thle end of lie th ird'( year cut b)ack all shoots to one eye eaich, e'xcep)t the two near mest the base of' thle canes. Train thlese ini oppo site dimrectionis onl the to1) wire atnd cut bauck to wvithini t wo feet of the lpoint at which tL.ey treacht the wirec. Future bacek eauch shoot (cutrrent year's gi-owthi) a within one eve of its base. Yout cani ca lc:tite the n umb ler of bunttches of griapes t.he vine will bear' eac:h year by muilt iplying thle numbletr of eyes lef'l by three. Each eye left und(etr thIiis, thle spu system, wvhich we have foutnd most sat isf'act ory, will produtce a strtong shoot and each shoot wvill bear thbree bunmchies of graupes. If t wo shoots st art from thle base of a spur,.trutb oIf thle weaketr earlyI ini sprig biefore it hals conisumtted inuich of lhe enetrgy of thle vine. F'ert ilize the vineyard eatc h year by sowing 3(x> pounids aid ( p)ihophte andl( '2x) pounds(l kainiit per acre atid lalnt peats- bet ween the rows. PLANT TREES. The season fotr trtansplantitig itll trees excepjt ever-gr-eens is no0w at han td. Do niot p)ostp)one t his ditty untti Il)preparation anid planting in thie fatrm demiand attten tion. The earlier the tt,-e- w,eth.. cf.. shade or fruit, are transplanted in our Southern latitude the better, if the ground is not frozen. Take themi up with as little injury to the fibrous roots as possible. Do not let the roots freeze nor be dried in the sun. Prepitre the soil well before transplanting, placing bones, well rotted manure and rich earth beneath and around the roots, Pack the soil firmly around the roots and leave the surface immediately around the col lar of the tree a little lower than the general surface of the ground. This to secure a supply of moisture. Before planting cleanse the roots thoroughly destroy any insects that are found upon them and cut off all bruised and broken roots. No one should decline to plant trees because there may be somc doubt of his living to enjoy the fruit or shade from them. The rate at which ou.r forests are being destroyed emphasizes the impor tance of renewing them. When our lands were cleared little thought was given to the possibility of a scarcity of timber in the near future, and yet in some sections even of the sparsely settled South timber is already scarce. On nearly every farm there are portions which should never have been cleared. It will show wvisdom on the part of the o.wners of lands all over our country if they wil go systematically to work planting the seed of our most valuable timber trees on portions oi their lands specially prepared and set apart for that purpose. Plant the acorn of white oak and post oak. Plant hickorynuts andt pecans. Plant walnuts and seed of black locust. Land owners, plant for your sons. FARM CALENDAR. Seedt sowing should now be suspended until an open spell in January, when sowing oats may be resumed. Those sown in jinuary should he of the rust proof variety-sow at the rate of two C bushels per acre. There are not more than half as many seed of this variety in a bushel as of the winter grazing or other ,Jc-an grained varisties, and there fore ' ice as many l)ushels of the rust proof are required tX sow a given area. After the middle of February an early variety, such as the Burt, should be used. These sown in March will ripen with the rust-proof sown in the fall. If the fall sown are partially winter r killed or a poor stand is occasioned by any other cause, replant with the Burt as follows : Sow enough seed to fill out the stand and harrow them in with any implement that will stir the surface enough to cover them. This stirring will not only not injure those growing, but will benefit them. Speed the plow upon all stubble land which has any covering of vegetable matter excep)t that of pea vines-leave the pea stubble for the last. The roots and vines of peas contain so much nitro gen that they dlecay very promptly, and hence need niot b)e turnedl early. Crab and crow-foot grass decompose slowly, andl hence should be turned early. Leavec the land that is turned early, enough so that it wvill receive the maximun beinefit from freezing. Insect enemies which aire hyherniating in the soil will be exposed aind destroyed in lands plowed in the early winter, the soil will be pulverized by frosts. and1( hence a bettecr seed oed can be gotten in spring. Many spores (f fungous dis eases of plants will thus be destroyed. D)eepen the soil by bringing up an inch of the subsoil to be pullverizedl and incorporated with the soil. T1his can be satfely and p)rofitably (lone now, but will4 lhe inj urious if turned u p in sp)ring.4 Implrove the farm (luring the wvinter by filling, plowing and1( scraping dlown the banks of gullies and planting Bermu da grass over them. Clear up swamps and1( ditch t hem. Putt in piine poles or rock and1( co)ver them , making und(er (rains inlstead of openI (ditchies. Repair roads, bridges and fences. Build more of the latter and keep muore stock. Use some one of the wire cable fences, wvhich stop all kinds of stock wit hout risk of injury. G;ather* wood, while other work is now pressing, in suf1icient qjuantity to last untii the crops are gathered next fall. More pastures mre neededl. Read the editoriall in this issue onl woodland1 pas-. tures, andl go to work p)reparing themlf to be ready for sowing in Fe). uary or INTELLIGENT DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS, &C. ''he .bill introduced into Congress by Ilon. A. C. Latimer, "Relating to the distribution of seeds, bulbs. &c.," should it become law, will secure a less waste ful and much more intelligent and judi cious expenditure of the money appro priated for that purpose than will be possible un,.er the present system. We do not believe that an indiscrimi nate distribution of miscellaneous seeds was ever intended by the framers of the )aw. We believe that the (listribution was intended to be confined to the introduc tion of new seeds, plants, bulbs, &c., which promise to prove valuable addi tions to the list already in cultivation. By this means the production of the country could be materially increased, but we do not see the propriety or ad vantage of lie Government entering into competition with vendors of com non seed to be sent out by congressmen 'or electioneering purposes. Under the prcsent system, no intelli Kent discrimination is made in selecting ;ecds to be sent to different parts of our treat country. Spring wheat is sent to 3eorgia and okra to Minnesota. Last ;pring sugar beet seed were sent out for ,xpe -iment two months after they should iave been planted. Thosc in charge of :he experiment stations in the different states are supposed to know w%hat plants tre adapted, or likely to be adapted, to he different sections and soils of their es)cctive States, and thus the indis riminatc distribution of seed andN waste >f money would be avoided. They would know, also, the farmers i each section of the State wvho wvould ake sufficient interest in the improve nent of the agriculture of his section to nake a careful and accurate test of eeds; plants or bulbs sent to them. Many of the newt and costly seeds, >1ants or bulbs would be carefully tested in the station grounds to ascert-ain their nerits before making a general distribu ion of them. The bill will be improved by leaving he matter of reports of testi8 made by lie recipients of the scc,is, &c., to the tations rather than requiring blanks for eports to be furnished by the Secretary >f Agriculture. The station oflicers, who have the im nediate distribution of the seed, would mow better how to get the reports. r'he stations would publish the results of he tests and thus not only the Secretary >f Agriculture, but the general public, vill receive information of the results. f these results p)roved to be ot special 'alue the Secretary of Agriculture could tse his department machinery for a more reneral dissemination of the informna ton. 'While sonie good has beeni accomn >lishied by the distribution of seedl by lie D)epartment of Agriculture of the Jeneral Gov'ernment, vast sums have >een wasted and wilhl continue to he ,vasted under the present system. It is not contemplated by the [Latimher )ill to convert the ex[perimient stations nto seedI farms, but to make them most raluable auxiliaries to thle Departmnett f Agriculture in p)romtot ing the interests >f agriculture ini the several St ates brough the distribuit ion of new and vahI table seeds, &c. WOODLAND PASTURES. TIhe enactment of the stock iw wats ust and right, but land owner*s make at eriouts mistake in dispensing withI fenc s on their farms. TIhe waste products >f the farm cannot lbe economnically uti izedl withiout a reasoniable aimonunt of *encimg. If one thtirdl of every far m in thle ,oth was, kept Iuder fence eithier in )ermtanent pastures' or. for the cult Ivia ion of crops5 to be entirely ha rvest ed b)y toek and esp)ecialhly by swine, fatrminitg v~ouild lbe more profitable. WVe have bieen v'ery successful ini mauk ng pastures in the woods, b)y simpily hlinniing outt thle trees, clearing atway he underbrush and butrn ing off the eaves and trash and1( t hen stirrinmg thle turface enoutghi to cover the grass seed. l'here are millions of acres of land in the Souttherni States, niow dead( capfitail, which muight be rendered p)rofitabhle by icing con verted into woodhlanId pats ures. It c)ur clirrmate tnock, ns well as the Cultivated grasses. niced slade to pro. ( tect them from our. sIlller stius. Now is tle time to do the work of prepariig for thle grass which may be sown in February or MIarch. cut out tle ina ture trees an1d the uiderlbrsi and leav e the votng liealthy ones of species most valubable tor tiber. Ile trinlililr ,and cultivation will Cause those that are left to grow more vigorously. It there ale parts of the grove in whlich the shade is not very dense, lermuda grass Iia- he planted wvith the seeds of the cultivated grasses. Orehard grass, tall Nleadow oat g iss, Perennial R ye grass, clover and vetch will do well in the woodland pastir-cs. Suich pastures are especially suited to slicep. I'he Ih>w price of' cotton emphla sizes Ihe liecessity of growing nure tock. IN THE ORCHARD. Reiove "'suckers" from t le base of, trees and examini ie the bark for evidlences of borers. It is said that tlle apple boreri li,.- in the 1.u.va tte three years and then bores iinto ile heart of t le tree to p1paute . Scrape olf tihe rough bark and sel re I I thei out. "Suckers" are cor reetly 1i1ined Since they literally stick lie life of tlie mainl stei. They shoiuld have been rubbedl off as soon as they appe.ared last spring. CUt tIlem now alid rub off all iew comers next spring. Remlove w%ithl sha1,1r) knife, chisel, shears or saw all interfering limbs and all dead wood, as well as all srtilplus bralcihes in the interior of the head. Rub the en trails of tlle rabbit oni tle hodies of SillIl trees, or if tlese are not available the fresh blood or enrails of lany oilier amilil will anslwer. .!0 there are limbs of a -.pple or pear trees killed by blight, Ct tlheml oT down to iealtliv tissue :n.1 burn iilh. isinl fect the saw, knife or shears used on tilie blighted trees before ising thei on healthy specimens. It ilas been showl the heilhy trees may be inoculated inl this way. Colleet. all t wigs I hat hav e beei cut off by the tree-girdier :md burn ithiem. They contain tlie larva of (he destroyer. ,Top graft seedling trees or others which hear inferior fruit, wit h scions taklen from the upper limbs of i rees,bave been kno wn to yield good fruit. Never cut down or dig up a fruit tree because it bears inlfe rior frulit, nor because it is uni fruitful. Simply change tlie kind of frit by top grafting. Give tle apple and pear. a liberal dressilig of m1anire, acid phosphate and kainit, and thet peach with i the last two and plow themi ill two iniIces(deepl. STAWBERRY CULTURE. [Te Strmawberry Specialist. whieb elaims~ t<4 he thle onily journal int lie U.n ited States de volted exc lu si vely to thle strla wbe rry. recon411niend IiCIery s1tronigly t he lIlr:mdlyvwine vai riet y for pol)1lenizig the pistilhite varieties. It says: ting reailly potentI simnllites to pl)Ilenize thlei r b)looms. Thie Ihirand~ vineC hats noi c<phiail as a poleni. ft remintls in heavy bloom for a 'ry long period. Its bloomns a re Iheaivilyv hale (IwiithI e xceedI in'gly po4tenlt pollenC."' Il n lihe smneit jouirnial we liilI ibe fol lowving, whlichl, according to our experi eneie ill thie South, is not orthlodCox lieit will force a hieavy phlnt-growlth here at the0 e'xpense5C of fruitag< .. 'niless stable manureiil' hlas been thIoroughIly rollted,I we prefe!r niotI itue it upon)1 striawherry beds, It is less lia le to injure I lie plant s used as sulggested thaun if wo)rkedC into thle soil, but1 we haveC hadC onlyv :iverse exp)erienlce an 111 b)lservatio upon11))1 its effects it used'( unfiermenhted: "MNix well andi appjly e'venIly ov'er the evely(ve thte whle fiel ten to) t wen'1t v I w\o-hor)Se. lomb; st a b1~le i manire nure14 ts very hea vy, it i.- best to) defer ginsIC t freeze4 htard. llr of it sholdC also4 be c(rawn oviT41 before phits st at growth in f sprin1g. and14 leftl ini miidles.f flut at leaust teni lartge' Ilads, if I ot hunpyI, cani be safe1ly used aft er Oc)tobit' r st, po videdI it is eenle diStribIteCI" VI J" -ALU JL , 1.oJN. u .A. .. .ALJ.A..LIL ;ORN SILAGE VS. CURED CORN FOD DER. The New Jersey Experinent Station Ina(le aI very accurate comparative test )f the value of equld quantities of corn, he whole plait, cut when the grain was ,vell gh1.ed as silage and dried at'd cut >!fore ! eing feld. The sts were both -hemiical and by practicnl'eediig exper llents inl prodie!'ol of Imlilk. The fol owVing colnclusions at (IaIwi from tle results. I. That tile cost of harvesting, stor ing mid preparig tilie dry matter con tained inl corn was greater in tle foriml of silig tham il tie form of dried fod ier. 2. That the changes that occur in tile coinposition of silage were not such as to decrease its feediing value in a greater degree thanl those which occur ila the process of curing con fod(ler, and that the losses due to spoiling in tle silo aollinted to .1 per cent. of tle totall ainoluit stored. j. That for milk and butter produc tion the feeding valtue of tle dry matter of the silage was greater thanl that of the dIried Ifodder corn1. The yield of Iilk was 1 2.8 per cent. greater, an tihe yieldI of fit 1o..l per cent. greater. .1. 'Applying Ile results inl a practi eali way, that is, to the actual tilount of corn i (t into the silo, 1nMIe, I.: Ions, it is shown that what did cost $i 4.6.j to ilore and prepare il the form of si lage would have Cost inl tlie formi1 of (ried fodder $I23.72, 0 $l0.92 less. Deducting from the ImlounIt Put into tle silo the .1 per Cent. loss, it is found (atI there remlwined for feeding 73.120 pollids of dry matter, sufficient for one cow for 6,617 lays, of for 30 cows 222 days. This, or its equivaleit, was practicaly what was (lolne with the si ige, anid w\ith an actual average yield (luring the Period of 17 pounds per cow Iper thly, we haIVe It total Of 113,999 )oundl(ls of milk. ,If, as the experiment inidied, this yield . milk was 1-2.8 per cenl(. greater t1n1n couild - have been ouce(d froi tlie same dry matter in tie ftor of (ried fodder, there w s at gain of i .822 pouinds of milk, whic at I j cents per pound, which was the ice which could have been received fo the milk at whole.sile-the milk was d at retail-would have amounted to $f 2-33 Assuing that only one cent per nd coulli have been secured, whiel is p , > tbINy nearer the actual price receiv' from November to April ini districts dis-7 tant from the city, the inlcrease Would lhve amounted to $128.2.3; deducting from this the $10.92 representing the greater cost of stonrig thle si lage, and we havye a di flerence on the basis of i A cents~ per- pound1( of $ [8r.41 , anid on the basis oh I cenit per' pouind, $1 L -30,;I wichi:I shiows thle incereaisedl value of the corn crop ont t welve acres ( nearly $zo per acre on the balsis 0f 3 cent perI poundil) , w heni ted itn the formIf of si lage, rathe thanIli in thle formn of' dried fodder. VARIETIES OF CITRUS FRUIT. W\e hav ~e oftI(Ilenerd it saidl t hat a fir beiOtIts a cityv. It seems from the fo .. lowinig I lit ihe Ireezinig out oft' oranige groves ihi Floridai will r great unprovemenii(~it . fin thle first. ac miany w ho hadto ohld groves of seedli oran tges uol nii11rot tanke thle risk nior ii euri the( temporar)iiIy loss of fruit involvi ini buddinig impr)Iovedl fruiit uplonl the 0 seed'lintgs, but sin)ce t hese were cut (101 by he f'reez,e and suckers have gro' lip a roiund ( th ld stum31ps (aclh ownier siuoh gr'ov~es haIs sought thle miost de aile variiietie wC ith wi~hiich to bud1( t I scions5. In (ourt last issue we spoke ot fact thaut Mr. 10. II . I Iart, of' Fed P'oinit, exibitedl at thle Ocala Exp)osV 36 aretle of or~ianges. In ai let ter ir received'( fromi im hi le says: oiu searcel d'o' 1 1 just ice iin ci'o. me wit h 36 v'ariietiles of oranges v O)a'a iiixpN osi t ion1, seeing t hat I sli abtoult 8o sorts oh citrus. Sine(i5 freezeA I lave so 5 fa ii'coll ecte ( r( thiis ineOt kind(s, which are' no0w gi'ow iboi my~ placeo he(re, andio I amar cont - aiddiing to the nuimber. Sonme onn's are hiner' than any 11'we formier'ly bIwa whtenl Flondaott regaiis,ber oldpo(; c'itrnicttnie her r'eputtaltioni forhihe aniges and1( leumonis wdiil be highijgh ever. r us Ottor Labor Contracts Shoiuhu lhe very1, careI'ly1 ma .?&~' next year ini view,' ol the low pricre oL fairm products, epcayofthe great So nt her i rrion er CFOI c - toi