The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, May 06, 1908, Page PAGE SEVEN, Image 7
"UNCLE JOHN" AND
HIS FARMING IDEAS
A Mighty Pine Old (ientleman but Mis
Method of Raising Cotton is Far
Behind the Times.
One day last spring I called on Uncle
John and we went into the field to sec
his cotton and corn.
Uncle John is a tine, old, conservative
farmer, as good and true as men are
made, but he cannot help looking at
things just as he did when he was a
boy, and when he was a boy farming
was done with the plow and the hoe run
by hard muscle. No one ever thought
of attaching brains to them. As we
entered the field Uncle John remarked,
"You see my stand is not as good as I
wanted. I planted a full bushel of seed
and a little thrown in extra. It was
good cotton seed; I got it from the gin
and t'ne plants came up thick enough in
most places to raise the crust, but in
some places they did not come up at all.
A good many of the plants died, though
I gave the crop a good hoeing and kept
the grass out. 1 believe in clean culti
vation, and for this there is no imple
ment that (piite equals the hoe."
"My dear uncle," 1 replied, "you arc
worth your weight in gold and if you
would change some of your old methods
of raising cotton you would soon make
enough money to buy yourself and re
tire from business.
"In view of this unpromising crop I
want to tell you several things that will
be helpful. The world knows a lot
more about plant life than it did twen
ty-live years ago.
"Your first mistake was that you did
not thoroughly prepare this land for
planting. It should have been worked
until the soil was like an ash heap, 11 or
?1 inches deep. You did not drain the
rows so that there would be no wet
spots, even with a heavy rain. Look at
the long spaces where there are no
plants. If the soil is properly prepared
there is little danger that there will not
be moisture enough for the seeds to
germinate, but in most climates and
soils there is always danger of too much
water in the soil. Standing water is
death to cotton and corn.
"Your next mistake was in getting
gin-run seed and planting too many per
acre. If you wanted a clean, vigorous
anil thrifty family you would not go and
get a lot of gin-run boys and girls."
"What do you mean by 'gin-run boys
and girls?'" rather sharply interposed
Uncle .lohn.
"1 mean," I replied, "boys and girls
picked up in the homes of the orphans,
without any knowledge of their parent
age, and you would not get five times
as many as you intended to raise, judg
ing that enough of them would die of
natural weakness or consumption or
from other causes to leave the proper
family. Yet that is what you did with
your cotton; but we will talk more of
this another time.
"You planted too deep and there was
hardly strength enough in the little
plant to reach the air and itdied before
ii could draw support from the soil.
The plants were in the main too
crowded. They lacked food and air.
That crust on the soil should have been
broken. It shuts out the air essential
to germination and growth and aids
evaporation. Delay planting till the
weather is warm. Cotton is a tropical
plant. Prepare a line seed bed; plant
shallow not over 1 inch deep, if that
?depth reaches moisture and the plants
will be up in a few days.
"Run the smoothing harrow two or
three times diagonally across the rows
as soon as the seed is planted and again
when the plants are 2 or [i inches tall.
This should be repeated, removing a
tooth from the harrow and going astride
the rows, as in cultivation, till the
plants are 0' inches high. The harrow
prunes the roots a little, which tends to
give the plant a lower and Mimbier'
habit of growth; it opens the soil to re
ceive air; it promotes growth and de
stroys weeds.
"The hoe is the natural enemy of the
cotton planter. It kills aome weeds,
but it finally kills the planter financially,
and as generally used it does not prop
erly air the soil, which is the chief end
of cultivation.
"While the cotton plants are small,
Oioroughly work the spaces between
the rows two or three ?mes to a depth
<if at least 1 inches. '^|s leaves a fine
seed bed for the roots to occupy later
when they are racing about to find food
and water. All later cultivation of
plants and middles should be shadow
not overan inch and a half deep. This
keeps a dust mulch, which checks the
rising soil moisture and plant food just
at a depth where there are the most
rootlets to utilize them for plant growth.
"A plow in the poorest implement
with which to work a cotton crop that
could well be used."
"Tut! tut!" said Uncle John. "What
you said about the hoe was bad enough
and now you jump on to the plow. I
have used it all my life and it is a pretty
good tool."
"Yes, you have used it all your life
void you have not averaged a third of a
bale of cotton per acre in all that pe
riod, wlwm on such good land you should
have averaged a bale. At present
prices this is a yearly loss of $40 per
acre, lint and seed included. You have
200 acres in cotton; your loss is $H,o#0
per year. You have bcon repeating
this for forty years. Your losses, even
at the lower prices of cotton in former
years, have for that period exceeded
$200,000. What have you to show for
it? Some old plows and antiquated
hoes; if they have not kept you poor
they have prevented you from getting
ahead. There is nothing on a farm that
pays greater dividends than the best
teams and tools.
"Shallow cultivation should be con
tinued as late as practicable. On very
rich bottom lands after the plants are
thinned to a stand bar off on each side
if they show too rapid growth. This
root-prunes and checks a tendency to
make excessive stalk. It alsogivesthe
plant a hint that it must commence
fruiting.
"What I have said about, cotton is!
true of corn, only corn requires a deeper ]
seed bed than cotton and different
spacing for the plants. The cultivation
is practically the same, though local
conditions of soil and climate may re
quire considerable modification in the
treatment of the corn plant. The ex
perience of the best farmers must de
termine this."
Tired nerves, with that "no ambi
tion" feeling that is commonly felt in
spring or early summer, can be easily
and quickly altered by taking what is
known to druggists everywhere as Dr. j
Shoop's Restorative. One will abso
lutely note a changed feeling within 48
hours after beginning to take the Re
storative. The bowels get sluggish in
the winter time, the circulation often j
slows up, the Kidneys and inactive, and 1
even the Heart in many cases grows
decidedly weaker. Dr. Shoop's Resto
rative is recognized everywhere a gen
uine tonic to these vital organs. It
builds up and strengthens the worn-out
weakened nerves; it sharpens the fail
ing appetite, and universally aids diges
tion, it always quickly brings renewed
strength, life, vigor and ambition. Try
it and be convinced. Sold by Palmetto
Drug Co.
Gaddy Graham, colored, aged about
fifty-five, was hanged at Darlington
Friday for the murder of Furman
Moody, white, manager of Plantation,
Darlington county, on November 15,
1907.
The Most Common Cause of Suffering.
Rheumatism causes more pain and
suffering than any other disease for the
reason that it is the most common of
all ills, and it is certainly gratifying
to sufferers to know that Chamberlain's
Pain Ralm will afford relief and make
rest and sleep possible. In many cases
the relief from pain, which is at first
temporary, has become permanent,
while in old people subject to chronic
rheumatism, often brought on by damp
ness or changes in the weather, a per
manent cure cannot be expected; the
relief from pain which this liniment af
fords is alone worth many times its
cost. 25 and 50 cent sizes for sale by
Laurens Drug Co.
Mr. R. S. Lipscomb, a prominent citi
zen of Gaffney, died last Saturday.
Bad Attack of Dysentery Cured.
"An honored citizen of this town was
suffering from a severe attack of dys
entery. He told a friend if he could
obtain a bottle of Chamberlain's Colic,
Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy he felt
confident of being cured, he having
used this remedy in the West. He was
told that I kept it in stock and lost no
time in obtaining it, and was promptly
cured, says M. ,1. Leach, druggist, of
Wolcott, Vt. For sale by Laurens
Drug Co.
Jos. W. Bailey, United States Sena
tor from Texas, has won out in his long
light by a good majority, lie was
elected delegate al large? to Denver last
Saturday.
There is a Pink Pain Tablet made by
Dr. Shoop that will positively stop any
pain, anywhere, in 20 minutes. Drug
gists everywhere sell them as Dr.
Shoop's Headache Tablets, but they
stop other pains as easily as headache.
Dr. Shoop's Pink Pain Tablets simply
coax blood pressure away from pain
centers?that is all. Pain comes from
blood pressure congestion. Stop that
pressure with Dr. Shoop's Headache
Tablets and pain is instantly gone. 20
Tablets 25c. Sold by Palmetto Drug
Co.
At a meeting of the trustees of the
Welsh Neck High School, held in Flor
ence April 29, 1!K>8, it was unanimously
agreed that, owing lo increased interest
and aid given by tho state to public
high schools, the furt her maintenance of
the institution under existing conditions,
might become burdensome, therefore,
with the full consent of the originator
and its chief benefactor, it was deter
mined lo convert tin* institution into a
college for women, to be known as
Coker College, under the auspices of
the Raptist denomination.
Weak women should read my "Rook
No. 4 For Women." It was written
expressly for women who are not well.
Tho Rook No. 4 tells of Dr. Shoop's
"Night Cure" and just how these sooth
ing, healing, antiseptic suppositories
can be successfully applied. The book
and strictly confidential medical advice
is entirely free. Write Dr. Shoop, Ra
cine, Wis. The Night ('uro is sold by
Palmetto Drug Co.
More than seventy cases of violation
of the dispensary law will be tried in
the Spring term of the Anderson court.
Best Healer in the World.
Rev. P. Starbird, of Fast Raymond,
Maine, says: "1 have used Bucklon'8
Arnica Salve for several years on my
old army wound and other obstinate
.sores and lind it the best healer in the
world. I use it too with great success
in my veterinary business." Price25e.
at Laurens Drug Co.'s and Palmetto
Drug Co.'s drug stores. '
9 Have You Been to the If
? Leap Year Proposal Sale|
? -AT
8
Davis-Roper
3 %
8
i
Is
If you haven't you should go
Hundreds and hundreds of sea
sonable values are being offered.
Goods that you are looking for.
Values that you will not pass
when you see them.
Clothing, Shoes, Dress Goods,
Millinery, etc., in many of the
choice things of the season are
being offered.
All goods sold will be for cash
during this sale. When charged
we add 10 percent over on some
of them. Get busy and come
see the values.
Davis-Roper Company
Outfitters for the whole family.
CROWD
Of eager shoppers that thronged The Hub on the opening days of the Great
Sale furnishes the most convincing proof of the quality of the values being of
fered. Hundreds of satisfied customers have visited our store, but there are
other hundreds who should secure some of the matchless values we are offering.
The Sale is now in Full Blast.
If you have not attended do not delay your visit longer. It will pay you
to come whether your needs be great or small. Prompt and courteous atten
tion, and your money refunded on all unsatisfactory purchases.
I Sale closes Saturday night May 9th.
Oi?ioTiii?iA ?T? *?<? it* it* ?T? it* it* it*??? it* it* it* Hf O
J THE HUB 1