University of South Carolina Libraries
FARM DEMONSTRATION > Edited by T. ] Orchard Work for Early Fall. ! Have you a supply of fruit on your farm? If not, why not begin now to make arrangements for it? On almost every farm of the state there are a few trees, producing a small quantity of fruit. In most cases all the fruit ripens at once and is soon gone, giving a supply for only a short time and leaving none to put away . for winter \ise. No southern state - - * ? I is better adapted men ouuui vaiulina :o producing fruit for home^use, yet millions of dollars leave the state ever} year forv canned fruit. At this season of the year orchards are usually neglected. Farmers seem to think that there is nothing to be done then that will be of any material help. Nevertheless, now is the time to begin to prepare soil for the trees that are set out this fall and winter. Select the orchard site, break the itoil as deeply as possible and harrow thoroughly. This work will greatly reduce the later labor of setting the orchard. * * II you already nave an viuuuu, why not begin to improve it now? A cover crop sown now and turned next spring will help wonderfully, s Twenty pounds of crimson clover seed per acre, sown and disced, will make a good cover, provided the seed are inoculated. Three pecks of rye and 20 pounds of hairy vetch to the acre will also make a good cover for the orchard. If these are turned next spriig at the first cultivation they will add a lot of fertility to the soil and will also help to hold moisture. There are a good many mummy fruits hanging to the trees. These are full of spores and if left in the orchard will cause more rotten fruit' another year. Now is a good time " ?* a.M nnf nf tVlO WRV. Pull W |,V? *-uwv vu? V- ? - and burn them. Bc-rers may have been giving you trouble. You were advised to paint and mound the trees early in summer. The mounds should be pulled down on October 15 and the trees examined lor borers. The young "borers are. just entering the trees the middle of ', ' October and will be found going in just above the level of the hill of dirt you pull down. If you find any' of them, scrape the bark off with a knife and the little borers will be destroyed. The vork at this season consists largely in cleaning up and preparing for wint :r and spring. If done properly, the trees receive much benefit. This State Can Grow More Corn. In 1914 South Carolina planted 1,rtrte /rtrt 5ft . 111 Ily P&VUUVAII5 WV) 538,000 bushels, or 18.2 bushels per acre. Wisconsin, in the same year,/ planted 1,725,000 acres, producing I 69,802,000 bushels, or 40.5 bushels ( per acre. Although South Carolina planted 250,000 acres more than did Wiaconsin, the latter state made 33,324,000 bushels more corn?almost twice as much as this state. This is not as it should be. We 1 should be able to make as much corn 1 per acre as any state or county. The 1 question is, how are we to go about it? There are two principal ways : to increase our average and under i our conditions both are necessary. The first step lies in improving our land, by means of thorough preparation, increasing the supply of humus by winter cover crops, and using commercial fertilizers intelligently. The second step is the improvement of seed by careful field selection. It has already been demonstrated that our improved lands are capable of making from 40 to more than 100 bushels ? per acre. Just how much more can be grown on one acre with properly selected seed is yet to be seen, but we should certainly by all means give the seed question more serious thought. The livestock breeder is far more particular in selecting breeding stock ^than is the average' corn grower in getting seed corn. Yet the laws govei. nin& linstock improvement are the sa^? ^ tk?se governing corn improve?/ent- The man who raises' hogs keep *.only the best sows, which ffivo the largest and most vigorous 6**v ? ? litters of pig*. As some sows give j better litters tKart others^ so some t ears of corn will produce more corn c than other ears. Therefore, make an J effoi-t to select the best ear for seed. I After selecting them, test them to see which yield best. Seed selection 1 must begin in the field, in order to know what kinds of stalks the ears t come from and what kind of chance t they had. \ Before making selections, fix on the { type of stalk and ear desired and j Stick to this type. Keep it always i in mind so that the selection will be alike. Selections should always be made under uniform and normal conditions. Do not select from the best land. Always take an average spot < in the field. The stalk must be the first consideration. A large ear taken from a pile of corn will not necessarily be I AGENTS DEPARTMENT VI. Cathcart. a producer of large ears, since it i might have had a better chance than ! some others in the field, the stalk 1 might have been too tall and slender, | and the ear mught have been too high on the stalk. It is, therefore, neces-1 -- ... 1 sary to know the stalk from wmcn an ear comes. Select from stalks which are strong and stocky, and gently tapering from the ground up. The ear should not be growing higher than ones shoulder, as this has an important bearing on the labor of gathering. The shank , should be just long enough to per-1 mit the ear to turn down at maturity.1 If earliness is desired, such stalksj can be kept separate. Do not gather | the corn until it is well . matured. Mark each desirable stalk with a tag or by some other method and leave it standing in the held. If the com * l is to be cut and snooted, me mantra co91 can be left and shocked separately. Field selection is of large importance, but there is work still to be done after the corn has been shocked and taken to the barn. Experiments have shown that an ear which is cylindrical, gently tapering, and has straight rows of deep, plump kernels will produce the highest percentage of grain. The cob should be medium to small, rather than large. Large cobs mean a smaller percentage of grain, as well as a possibility of causing the grain to mold on account of the cob's not drying out The grains should be long and full. A gently wedge-shaped and plump kernel will leave very little space between the rows. Sharply pointed grains are usually loose on the cob. The spacing and shape of the kernels will vary with the variety, but care should always be taken to select, only those ears that have well develop-1 ed kernels that are not loose on the cob. The careful study and selection J of the individual ears must be done after the corn has been brought to the barn and the farmer can do it in his spare time. As soon as the, corn has been carefully selected it should be stored in a well ventilated room out of reach of rats and mice. It should be inspected at intervals throughout winter to see that it is in good condition. Sweet Potatoes Must be Properly Handled. 1. When are potatoes ripe and j ready to harvest?? The sweet potato matures or ripens ! just as does a peach or apple. There is but one accurate method of tell- j ing when ripe. Dig about a dozen. hills around over the field, and break the potatoes in half. Don't cut. with ; knife! The knife will leave a dark ] stain and it will be impossible to determine if ripe. Break the potatoes and allow to stay in the sun for half hour or longer. If very little water ( runs out and the break heals over j white, the potatoes are ripe. If the break heals over dark color the poL-A "?**4- wiVa onrl clistnM nnt" ; ! liilOeS SIC IlUb ujjc, aim .... be dug. i 2. Is it necessary to harvest be- > fore frost kills the vines? The food taken up by plants is di- < jested in the leaves and then passes sack into the plant to form new cells?< ind fruit. If frost kills the leaves 11 ;his frozen plant food goes back in- 1 :o the potatoes and causes them to ; i ot. Never let frost kill the vines i s jefore han'esting. If it does, cut the J1 rines off at top of ground with a hoe.1 Potatoes dug after frost kills the vines ; 1 ran not be kept satisfactorily, no < natter how well handled or how good i ;he storage house. < 3. What method should be used in s larvesting sweet potatoes? Potatoes should be harvested as 1 ;oon as ripe. Use a rolling coulter,] ind cut the vines on each side of thei"< o\v, leaving a ridge of about 10 inch-,: >s. By cutting the vines and barring j 1 >ff this way you cover most of the ] ,'ines in the middle of the row. Take i two horse-plow and plow the po- ] atoes out. Plow deep to avoid cut- 1 ing and bruising the potatoes. Let 1 ie in row until soil dries on the po- < atoes, then pick up and lay across n the next row. Don't throw potaoes into piles or two or three rows listant, for you will bruise them, and *Jo. 1 potatoes must not be bruised. J fandle like eggs. I 4. What methods be used in han- * ing sweet potatoes? < A lug crate that will hold about j wo bushels is a good thing to bring j he potatoes to the grading table in. j rhis should be lined with sacks to i >revent bruising the potatoes. Make , i grading table of the following di- | nensions: < ? * .. ? o? 4W I 4 legs '?. X. H A o 1 2 sides 1*' x 3" x 5' 2 ends I"x3"x2'8"* j Fasten together and then stretch a , cotton sheet across the top and fasten j securely. Pour the potatoes on this < table and grade the potatoes putting i nothing but No. 1 potatoes in one crate and all other potatoes in an- < other crate. Fill the crates full, and g haul diiect to storage house. Don't 1 nail the tops on the crates as the c potatoes will have to be gone over \i again before shipping to take out any e rotten ones. ti 5. What should a No. 1 potato be? g A No. 1 sweet potato should be not f less than 1 3-4 inches nor more than a 3 1-2 inches in diameter. Not less f than 4 inches long nor over 10 inches a long. They must be of the best qual- t ity and true to type. They must be o free from cuts, bruises, scars, dis- t ease and blemishes. This can be ac- t complished by using big plows in p harvesting. , o , ; r Cover Crops Make Live Soils. b t Cover crops plowed under in the * spring, make live soils, and it is al- * ways live soils that give the best ? crops, no matter what is planted on s them. d A live soil is a fertile soil. It ^ breathes, eats, drinks, and teems with bacterial life. By chemical reaction * and physical forces, the plant food of * the soil is made available for plant ^ use. A live soil is mellow, friable and porous. It warms and drains easily. It consists of granules, which b in turn are composed of particles of 0 rock held together by humus. This r granular, porous structure gives space 8 in which air, with its life giving oxy- * gen may circulate, and allows plant * roots to penetrate. It also increases ? the moisture holding capacity of the " soil. A soil in good condition has about 50 percent of air space. Not only must a soil have sufficient plant food, bat it must be in good physical condition before it can produce good crops. With continued cropping, the futility and humus of the soil is exTI.A /wwannlaftAn on/1 fVtllO uaustcu* a nc ^loiiuiavivii) aiivi vkwo the pore space, is destroyed. The ? soil is left an inert mass unable to support life. Much humus is lost by fashing, at it is the lightest and finest part of the soil and is the first to be carried away where the surface drainage is poor. When exposed to air, humus also deteriorates in value. Therefore it is most important that the supply of humus in th soil be maintained and increased. Don't foVget that planting cover corps is the best way to keep up this all important part of the soil. o . TAKE CARE OF THE CALF IF YOU'D HAVE A GOOD COW. If Mother's Milk is Taken Away, Care Must be Given to Youngster's Diet ?Good Sanitation Highly Essential. If we are ready to admit that a onw1" rviiilr ic ton ornrwl frtr a rnw's calf and that it is economically'profitable to rob the future sow for the sake of present gains, then it is quite necessary to know how to raise calves on separator milk or other artificial and unnatural foods. 1 The usual practice is to pour separator milk,. sometimes cold, into a large trough which is never cleaned, and allow the calves to drink until & they are satisfied. This method 1 means pot-bellied, runty calves that 9. never make the growth that they " should, even though they fortunately escape the ravages of indigestion. " Calves should not be'given quite enough milk to satisfy their appetites. , /.olO cliniilH Ka fori cBTMrntplv. I uavil vaii. OKVUIU MV ?VU 9 :arefully regulating the amount of milk by the size of the calf. The fat that has been removed If the separator may in a way be supplied by idding a handful of corn meal, or laxseed meal to each bucket of milk. (Vfter drinking the milk, the calf will ae kept busy eating the meal instead )f sucking another calf's ears. The milk should always be warm but nevjr given to the calf directly from the separator, when it is frothy. The milk buckets should be taken :o the milkhouse or kitchen and sterIized at least once a day. Calves vill soon begin to eat a little hay, ind grain, like ground oats, should ;hereafter constitute part of the food ation. If it pays to raise calves at all it navs to feed and care for them from ;he day they are bbrn. Farm sanita;ion is tly all important thing in the :are of livestock on the farm. One Kind of Strike Passing. In an address at the Pressman's iome, Mr. Gompers said that all this ^alk about abolition of the strike is 'absolute rot." But is it? The Unitid States goverment has proved that, icting under the Constitution, it is strong enough to carry the country - 1 * ? * - ?a.? away irom tne cnaracier 01 sume that has disrupted its buisness in recent years and has set up machinery by which all strikes, other than those af a lawful kind and conducted under j lawful measures, may be suppressed. Industrial peace can be established in the United States on a basis acceptable alike to labor and capital and we are making headway in that direction, though yet a little behind Canada, which government, so Mr.' Floyd Parsons claims in the current. edition of The World's Work, has r J* rone a long way toward the estabishment of industrial peace in its ountry. The law there provides that 1 rhere a strike or lockout is threat- < ned in the industries conducting < ransportation, communication by teleT t rraph and telephone, and mining, be- j ore such lockout or strike can leg.Uy take place, the parties must re- < er their differences to a board of i rbitration for settlement. Each par y to the dispute appoints a member f the board of arbitration, and if hese two can agree upon a chairman, ( hey appoint him; if not, he is ap ointed by the Minister of Labor. Mr. Parsons says that during a peiod of nine years, 182 disputes were rought before a board of arbitraion, and in only two instances was ( here a failure to settle the dispute, lere in the United States, in recent J ears, we have from 2.000 to 3.500 I trikes annually. Perhaps th?' Canaian scheme is not altogether perfect, ut who can say, Mr. Parsons asks, that is it not a better plan than he hands-off policy this country has ollowed with such futility for so >ng?"?Charlotte Observer. o A unique device has just been rought out that registers the amount f air pressure in each tire on sepaate dials mounted on the dash of n automobile. This allows the moorist to know the correct pressure rhether the car is running or standng still. t\ A close shave f ^ IMENTHOLAIUM 1 Vcomfbrts and heak^r CYPRESS . SASH , . DOORS , j BLINDS ; | C ^ I % 1 % I MOULDINGS J AND 2 MILLWORK < TRESPASS NOTICE. J Fox hunters are strictly forbidden J > enter or let dogs enter upon n;y J ind. 1 W. J. LOWRIMORE. 3 14-3tp. j 666 aires Bilious Fever. ' Valui of "Cha New owned end mennfa B. F. Ave & Sons Pitman Connection to En ? l* J ! 1L.1 . a sen-adjusting device uiai t takes up wear?one of the e improvements ever made 01 * Outer End of Pitman C ! dosed and an oil chamber that holds enough oil for a cutting. \ Coupling Yoke that\jta< ter bar to the frame is ufci KING . Kingstree, f. NOTICE. The County Board of Commissionin of Williamsburg County will revive bids at their office in Kingstree 5. Con Tuesday, September 6th, and m the first Tueaday in each month hereafter, for groceries in buli lots 'or the chaingang for one month at a tea. S. J. SINGLETARY, bounty Supervisor Williamsburg Co. 1-18-21-tf. DR. FRANK 0. LENTZ DENTIST )ffice Over Baggett'a Jewelry Store. Main Street OFFICE HOURS: 9 a. m. to 1 p. m. and 2 to 5 p. m. j COT I We Wil I (bale value) I Reasoifable I bank inten I No Selling < I J.F.MAYB, | S. H. Til ? KINGSTREE, - J 10-6-tf __ Chickens Before you s< | and Eggs, come t< i every Chicken am | buy and will giv< price. J. H. Propj The Palac ' i : Kingstree, able Feat mpion" P c lured by ? pry Ife Head has This gives it , lutomatically the cutter bf aost valuable even in the h( i a mower. Ue mechac "rank Box is is simple, stroi is provided everal hours' Champion s Chammon side , . naming mates ihes the cut* 3 Come in nod RE COMP, ================== NOTICE All claims against the county to receive attention of the County Board of Commissioners must be filed in the / ? office, properly verified and itemized, not later than Saturday before the regular meeting on the first Tuesday in each month. S. J. SINGLETABY, n County Supervisor Williamsburg Co.?* 8-18-21-tt FUNERAL DIRECTOR AND EMl BALMER KINGSTREE HARDWARE CO, Day Phone 35 Night Phone 126 ====== innnnnnnnninnn] TrrmTiTt-nTiTrrmTiTiTn TON! I 11 Lend 75% ,M on Cottons. J $ storage and f J pfiarorpH S i. VXIUJI^VMI W J V> Commissions! S A.NK&GO. 1 1 fT, Agent j - - - - SO. CAR. | JTED I : and Eg'g's ij 1 ell your Chickens jj :> see me. I want ? ? ' {f l p . 1 . T ? ? J'-l ] tgg tnat i can ;; i the top market ;; | EPPS ! I;'| rietor 9-28-tfc ;; :e Mar Ret || I South Carolina :: | iiiiiiihiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim' ' === :ures lowers I * great leverage so it holds ir securely in alignment aviest cutting. tism that drives the^ knife . ag and smooth running. teel self dump rakes and i delivery rakes are worthy for Champion Mowers* look these machines over* ^ ANY . - South Carolina. t . 1 v | - , M