University of South Carolina Libraries
KEP FALL PLOWING. IHK ADVANTAGE* OF THOROUGH PREPARATION OP LAND. Aa Important Bulletin Issued In Con emrtfcm With the Farm Detnonstra m*m% Wurfc of oho Agricultural De mm Ian ill In the Southern Statin. At the romemncement of the Farm? 's* Cooperative Demonstration Work i the Southern States It waa found try to outline the fundamental Inclples of good farming and to in I that the tillers of the soil should familiar with them and prac? tice them as a first step In the better eaont of farm life. We have pre? viously staled these first principles, but poavtMr they should be more ful tjr explained. of the Seed Bed. Prepare a deep and thoroughly pul wexta? seed hod. well drelned; break la the fail to a depth of t. 10. or 12 according to the soil, with Im lenta that will not bring too much of the subsoil to the surface. (The fWregToJag depths should be reached ertwdaaiir i * The presence of heat, air and moist ears is essential to chemical and germ action 1st the preparation of plant food aa the eoil. The depths t? which these ponetret? . the soil depend upon the depth oft eke plowing, provided the anal is well drelned. There Is no use aa plowing down into a subsoil full of oraler. It has beee proved beyond question the roots of plants penetrate the deeper and feed deeper In deeply lend. Thus, in general. It e# stated that when the soli Is auD*.?*d I Inches deep the plauts have 9 laches of food; when plowed t tarhee deep, they have I Inchea of and when plowed 10 Inches deep have 10 Inohen of food. The fact the bottom portions of the plow? ed land are eot ts rich In available eeant food aa the top portions shows Che necessity of getting more air and heat down to them by deeper tillage. The moat essential condition for fertile soil Is a constant supply of seetsture, so that a film of water can oaves lop the soil particles and absorb nutritive elements. The hair roots of plants drink this for nourishment. If is any more than enough to aa films for the soil particles capillary water, there Is too much id it should be dreiaed etL Thle a be determln. . by digaing a hole > Inches de??p If there ts standing in the bottom of the hole. Jt In sUrmtea to much water in the soil or ist capacity of a given ?oll to held and capillary moisture depends how finely It Is pulverised and the amount of humus In lt. Un? lands retain but little water, ?agely pulverised soll I Inches awp cannot store enough to make a euro p. 1? en Southern 8tates there are ev? ery year periods of drought, some etaeea serious, but generally sufficient? ly protracted to reduce the crop. The remedy for this Is Increased storage *tty for moisture. This can be ?mpltshed by deep and thorough and by filling the soil with hu? man (partly decajed vegetation.) The sunset of dwep tillage has been ex? plained. The eaToct of humus Is to ry Increase the storage capacity the soils far water and to reduce tporatton. A pound of humus will seven end one-half times as meletare as e pounl of sand, the sand will lose It* water by iporstlo? three and one-half times re rapidly then the humus. A assy soli will store only iboat one fourth ss much molstuie as humus, ami wM lose It by evaporation twice aa rapidly. Fiaats use an enormous quantity of Ae acre of good corn will ab 'b aad evapornt" during its growth arty It Inches of water. About ree-fenrths af thu amount will be ilrod durin? th* last seventy-five sums of Its growth, or at the rate of ? 2-fc leches of water a month. This ta In addition to evaporation from the anil, which, even with the retarding rafluftoce of s du t mulch, will amount in several Inches ? ich month in mid summer la ca?e the land is plowed only S or I Inches deep, though thor? oughly puller Ire) it will store un Mint of niols um- enthely Insuril int lo pjpply cr?'p i ??' i u I re men ts in protracted ilrought These xli I and g?-o? i i is po >rlv prepared id IhmIh nr.. th?- principal cauic ?.f 1 ?w corn y'elds In the >'< nth. u \ aff.-et the cotton ) hlils similarly, i, ,i at much, because cotton I* a ?I: ought reMlstlng plant than If planting is done at all. It is fJeSy ? i para a seed bed so shallow SM to brii'K about tin- alm??-?t total loss ?f the erep s?get rears aad a reduoed >p ev??ry year. ejaj > Bspeeers plea et tuHlva* corn neail\ a? iho-ply m lies their Und In preparing a seed Bed. Ihl* I'-mn'h no wp.n for rootH In ejse sta)vorlned und ulrrd soil. Roots mmcm>\ff n lerge space. If all the roots en? e single vigorous tersauaJsl were nla</J end to end th. y would reach more than a mile, and If allowed by the plowing they will fill the soil to a considerable depth and feed In a'.l 'portions of It The Hoot 8, stem of Corn. At the Wisconsin Agricultural Ex? periment Station It was found that when corn was 3 feet high the rots had penetrated the soil for 2 feet and thoroughly occupied It. At maturity the roots were 4 feet deep. At ths time the upper laterals were about 4 Inche; from the surface. At the Noith Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station the corn roots had penetrated 3 1?| feet deep and ful y occupied the ground ninety days af? ter planting. At the Minnesota Agricultural Ex? periment Station the corn roots had penetrated 12 Inches deep and had spread laterally 18 Inches eighteen days after planting. In most por-1 tlons of the South nothing less than an 8-lnch seed bed will Insure even a fair corn crop, and 10 Inches Is I safer. Some soils may require more. From I to 8 Inches of preparation for cotton corresponds to 8 snd 10 Inches for corn, so far as the requirements of the plant are concerned. What la Deep Plowing? Plowing 3. 4. 6 or 6 incnes deep In only common plowing. In our In? structions nothing less than 8 Inches Is considered "deep" plowing. We are not advocating a single plowing of 8 Inches In depth once in two of three years, but the preparation of an 8-lnch seed bed thoroughly pulverised and filled with humus. It should be plowed and crom plowed to a depth, or If cross plowing cannot be safely done on account of hills, then It should be 'plowed twice In the same direction and disked thoroughly or ths smoothing harrow repeatedly used. When Shook! This) Plowing Be Done? Always plow in the fall before the winter rains set in; the earlier after the first of October the better. Al? ways use a cover crop of oats, barley, wheat or rye, If possible. Every ob? servant farmer has noted that seeds germinate more quickly and .that plants grow more rapidly on fall breaking than on spring breaking. Fall plowing renders more plant food ready for use. while the preparation of the land in the fall saves work In the spring, when everything on the farm is crowding. A cover crop Is a net gain. It keeps the soil from wash? ing, it utilises the plant food that oth? erwise might escape Into the air. and It adds humus. The soil Is improved by the crop and more grazing is pro? vided. In plowed land the loss of plant food Is less than In unplowed land; more plant food may be produc? ed and more can be stored. In case a cover crop is used the loss of plant food is slight. An objection is sometimes urged that fall-plowed soil becomes saturat? ed with water during the winter and remains wetter and colder later in the spring than land left unbroken In the fall. This is true only upon land not sufficiently drained and where the breaking la shallow. Water passes through deep breaking readily, and with reasonable drainage it is ready for planting earlier than lands broken In the spring. When land Is nearly level and drainage poor, the soil should not be fiat-broken, but left In ridges or nar? row lands about 6 or ? feet wide, suitable for planting, with a dead fur? row between. This provides winter drainage and keeps the pulverised soil out of the water, whleh is Important even if unbroken. Deepening the Soli. The advice to go down gradually Is given solely because the inexperienced farmer r..ay try to plow too deeply the first time and bring to ths surface too much of the subsoil. The best plan Is to double plow; that is, to follow the breaking plow In the same furrow with a narrower plow or a scooter (with tides removed) and go down as deeply as deshed. Generally the disk plow may be sent down 8 or 10 Inches with Impunity in the plow? ing Is done in the fall, and especially If the land Is plowed twice or more. There It no question ubout break? ing an I pulverizing to a depth of 8 to 10 or Iii inch 's is economical. The aost of breaking 10 Incres deep when done wltht a disk plow should not be more than 50 c?-nts an aero In execs* "f break tag* I to* bei deep. Whether ? plant has plenty of food all the tiim or only part ef the time makee Ihe difference between a good crop and i it crop, is ii AdvU ihie to i?iow Dcppet Than k. in or laches? The depth of plowing must be de? li rmlned I > the farmer hlmw if, n knows th?> conditions and hi ths best Judge "f th.- towt. In many sections, if done in th. f ii it undoubtedly peyi to tubsoll || or |0 lachen This has bt ea proved by some of tin- best t ? rm< 11 end i gperlmenters In th world, Some sueeotla in humid c;i ms??-? have !?? i n made ho close and eompacl by Ihe abundant rainfall that air does not penetrate them I ? aid In preparing plant food. Such fields, therefore may not show any benefits of subsoillng until after two or more >ears. ( | E?cCO ED 1867 LOCATED IN THE HEART OF-; MOND, VA* ?Tir PROMPT SHIPMENTS. 2 ?alt. $4.50 4 50 4.50 4.50 4.60 3 $6.60 6.50 6.60 6.60 6.60 HOLWNT GIN?Br^t Gin ?old ?rtM?*ow Dr?ol?W' ono?, than always .... 2.60 APPLE BRANSY-Thls y."? crep, but 7t'i PURE* BRANnv2 60 PEACH BRANDV-NU?. ~m?n,tonl?uSJ^W. -" 2 2 Z ' |gg to- _ . ^#m* ** ?? nalhPlnta of Any Above Brand* In Plain Care* S7J50. We prepay express Cur*? at these prices -d guaran^ safe delivery. WV * for complete price list, as these are only a few brands. Send Money (hier or Registered Letter with order. y Drauoa. A. HATKE & COMPANY, 800-802-804-800 E. CARY STM BOX 3T1, $9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 It rarely pays to subsoil in the spring, and it is never advisable to use the subsoil plow when the subsoil is fully saturated with water, even though the surface be fairly dry. Un? der such conditions of plowing the clay subsoil is pressed and packed, when the object Is to pulverize it and allow the air to act upon It. Experieni'e Agrees With Theory. No principle in agriculture has been more thoroughly demonstrated than the value of a deep, thoroughly pulverised seed bed. The Romans plowed on An average 9 Inches deep?always three times for a crop, and in stiff lands nine times. They did not call 3 inches "plowing;" it was only "scarifying." The Flemish farmers were the first to follow the better lines of agricul? ture after the Dark Ages. They de? voted their efforts to three main points: (1) The frequent and deep pulverization of the soil, (2) the ac? cumulation of manure, and (3) the destruction of weeds. A deeper and more thoroughly pul? verised seed bed was the foundation upon Which England built an improv? ed agriculture, and this principle has been generally accepted there for more than one hundred and sixty years, until the average production has increased nearly five fold. A late letter from Hon. William Saunders, direceor of the Central Ex? periment Farm, Ottawa, Canada, states that farmers usually plow shal lowly Immediately after harvest (Au? gust) "to preserve moisture and de? stroy weeds.* ? ? In October they commonly plow 8 Inches deep. Any plowing done in the spring months Is usually shallaw not more than 6 Inches deep." Eight Inches of break? ing in October in Canada, where frosts penetrate 3 to 4 inches deep, is better for moisture storage than plowing to a depth of 15 inches in the Southern States. The writer has vlsted a number of Southern agricultural colleges this year. In every case the directors of their experiment stations favored a deep and thoroughly prepared seed bed. The Georgia Experiment Station bulletins repeatedly urge a deep, mel? low, and rich seed bed foa> corn, and they insist that if the soil is not nat? urally such it should be made so by deep tillage and the addition of hu? mus. Bulletin No. 63 of the Georgia Ex? periment Station, on "Cotton," states that "'fourteen years of experimenta? tion have Justified certain conclusions that may be accepted as practically final." The following Is one of them: "Thorough breaking and commingling of the upper soil, gradually Increasing the depth to 8 or 10 Inches, using plow and harrow, is more effective than deeper but less thoroagh pulver? izing. On the sugar plantations of Louis? iana the tillage for cano averages 12 to 15 Inccs In depth. On the Eva plantation, In the Ha? waiian islands, the average depth of plowing Ii Inches, This plantation produces tin- largest crops of sugar ' ane to the acre In th world. in tin- Farmers' Cooperative Dem? onstration \\'<?ru the Importance of : deep and throughly p epared seed bed like .i garden has been most widely demonstrated, Thousands of tests have been made each year i?> exact and painstaking farmers to an extenl tii.?t leaves n>> possible room for doubt as to the great value of u deep and thoroughly prepared seed bed. Concretely stated, :i deep, thorough? ly pulverised seed bed tiii<<i with hu? mus has tin- following advantages: (i > it provides more food, because It Increases chemical action and mul? tiplies bacterial life In a larger body of soil. I (2) It stores more moisture and Jt loses its moisture less rapidly on ac- I count of the cooler lower strata and the presence of more humus. ? (3) It Increases the number of! roots that a plant will throw out. (4) It allows plants to root deeper and find permanent moisture. (5) It largely obviates the necessi ty of terracing, because it holds so ' much water in suspension that heavy rainfalls will go to the bottom and be held by the drier earth above until they can be absorbed by the soil. (6) Humus enables the soil to store more moisture, Increases its tempera? ture, makes It more porous, furnishes plant food stimulates chemical ac? tion, and fosters bacterial life. Exceptions Due to Conditions of Soil' and Subsoil. (1) Never plow below the line of standing water in the soil, because the subsoil cannot be pulverized In wa? ter. The water level must first be loered by drainage. (2) Do no deep fall plowing on light sandy land on dry, semiarid plains, and this especially applies to elevated sandy table-lands. Such lands can be helped by adding humus and using a winter cover crop of du? rum wheat. (3) Do not plow deeply or subsoil in the spring. The subsoil is gener? ally too full of water, and it Is too late for much effective action of the air upon the soil and for winter rains to firm the subsoil before planting for cotton. (4) Thin gray soils underlaid with yellow or stiff clay near the surface, most of the post oak flats, and the comparatively level coast lands should be broken In ridges (buck-furrowed) 5, 6, or 7 feet wide, according to the crop to be planted. Cotton and corn may be left thicker in the row to off? set the wider space between the rows. The dead furrow between the rows should be double-plowed and made as deep as practicable, with a good out? let for the water. This method will gradually deepen the soil, increase drainage, reduce washing, and give a larger and deeper body of loose, aired earth for the roots. This plan Is ex? cellent when surface drainage Is nec? essary. Soil to be live and friable must be kept out of standing water winter and summer. The sugar planters of Louisiana all use the ridge method ( generally 7 feet wide) both for sugar cane and corn. The dead furrow is as deep as a plow drawn by 4 or 6 mules can penetrate at the last breaking. This gives an average depth of tillage of 12 or 16 inches. The adoption of the ridge method on demonstration fields in the Yazoo Delta in 1H06 increased the yield of corn from 14 bushels per acre to 70 bushels. No fertilizer was used. Winter Management. In case no winter cover is used the soil should be disked or harrowed two or three times during the winter, pro? vided it is dry enough. Qlve good drainage to all parts of the field. Any cultivation done after the deep fall breaking should be shallow?not more than or 1 Inches deep. s. .\. Knapp, Special Agent in Charge. A pproved: B. T. Galloway, Chief "f Bureau. BepU mber l '<, 11108. Woman Interrupts political Speaker. *A well dressed woman Interrupted n i?<tiitie;"i speaker recently by contin? ually coughing, if sh<? had taken Fo ley's Honey and Tar it would have cured her cough <iui< kly ami expell? ed the cold from her system. The genuine Foley's Honey and Tar con tains no ophites and is in a yelh package. Refuse substitutes. W. Sibert AM Cecil's Business School, Sumter, S. C. A Practical Course in Penmanship, Letter Writing, "Short Cuts" in Mathematics, Bookkeeping, Shorthand and Typewriting. * The famous ''Budget System" (Sadler Rowe) is the course in Bookkeeping, and Barnes' Brief Course in Pitman is the text on Shorthand. This School is thoroughly equipped and up-to-date in ever respect, Write for further information. Cecil's Business School. Over Folsom's Jewelry Store. emmrnsv I Tl THREE FINE PRIZES. THE Carolina Furniture Go. has one of the best selected stocks of Furniture ever seen in Sumter, and is making prices that cannot be du? plicated here. In addition to the close prices, THREE PRIZES are given to customers. Every Saturday Night Viz: 1st.?$5 Picture; 2nd.?$3.50 Lamp; 3rd?$1.50 Lady's Brooch, Eierycusto tomer has a chance. Gall and learn particulars if you are in the market for Furniture and House Furnishings. HORSES: AND : MULES Another Car Just Arrived WAQQN8? We are still selling Wagons at Cost. BUILDING MATERIAL? Our usual Complete Stock. SEED OATS? Appier and Red Rust Proof Seed Oats. Booth-Harby Live Stock Co. Consolidation of ant1 Successors to Booth Live Stock Co, and A. D. Harby. I'MtaiJjY wounds his sisti.il nu 1.. prevent him from coming tmt land v" doing she was shot. Joint 11 ii-Iof Liberty I m*s Pistol j Hughes was arre w ith IVrhapg Fmu? 1trM.lt* on Mr-. - .1. \. Hunter. Married Man in Trouhir. Liberty, Oct 23.?.l.-lin lluclus. :? .A nisnrj,.,i m who permits any white man, shot ami iat;ill> \\<?unih*<l | nicmhor of the family t>> take nny his stater Mr. j \ Hunter, this thing except Foley's Honey and Tar, J ' , . ? I for roughs eolda and lung trouble is ' v. nlng, the, ball striking lo r in tln? ^ neRiect. The genuin? Pole*! f rehead, hmgiug upward through Honoy anj Tar contains no opiate* h^rir brain. and Is in a yellow package, W. WT. Hughes was int--sir it. ,1 an.l had I Sibort. _ gone iU his hr-.tln r- n-law's house to . - - " ftt . ptm.il ... Kill .1,- n,.,r*1 S.v.,.-> th???nd A?? omt Jhrter with ?..mo was try-ifMted ... Canada In IKOb