University of South Carolina Libraries
WM III Vli lllM s o\ b.XHM Importen?'? of Proper S4 * i\?I Mowing ?The Vital \ce<| of Crop Rotation ?Mft M(h1 and It- Itelntlon lo tin" llim?( m? of Co\er Cn?| ? Wll llMmmtn l'Im n. (A lecture deltv ered by I?. It. Cnk er of llartsvillc before llM students i and i.imlh ot ihe InLersity of South Carolina.) When the university authorities planned the course of agricultural le?turea which have been given here during the past year and n half, they were, 1 think, . edtng under the theory that stone knowledge of the haste principles of agriculture should bo a part of the equipment of every educated man. The general prosper? ity of our country is very largely baaed on the 'success of the farmer. None of us 1m independent of him. Merchant, manufacturer, professional man. salaried man. laborer?all pros? per In proportion to the money value of the crops, so every citizen has a direct interest in agriculture and should be i.i a position to use his Influence intelligently in its behalf. Another reaaon for giving this course of lectures Is that, whether you know It g| not, quite a number of you art going to become farmers. I presume that a fair proportion of you expect to follow agriculture as a profession, but some who do not now suspect It will some day derive their Incomes directly from the soil. A very large proportion of the young men who pass through tfcdlege ul? timately tuke up other professions thsn thtise they contemplated before graduation. This speaker was in his 27th year before he took anything more than a superficial Interest in ag? riculture. Without having statistics before me, 1 will venture the assertion that awry nearly as large a proportion of the graduates of the University of South Carolina during the p.. t? 20 years are actually conducting farms today as are the graduates of Clemson college for the same period. It is certainly beyond question that many of the most enlightened and useful farmers in the State today are graduates of this Instiutlon. So, gentlemen. I think it behooves you to improve every opportunity of gaining all the knowledge you can of our giyat base inoustry. agriculture. 1 have come to you today to tell you about a few of the agricultural problems which confront your farm? ers and to make suggestions as to their solution. 1 shull direct your at? tention to some of the more common mistakes now being made and give you some ideas as to how they may be avoided. The method of farming employed in this country ever since the general Introduction of cotton has been most' disastrous in its effect upon the soil. A very large proportion of our land* having been continuously devoted to this elenu> culture crop, the humus content ol the soil has become almost1 exhausted. Now humus is the most valuable 'and necessary constituent < < the soil.' It furnishes plant food, is the. host4 tif Innumerable bacteria which are beneficial to platn life; it takes In find stores the moisture, giv? ing it back in times of drought; It prevent* .the leeching of the available fertlllty of the soil and prevents washing from heavy rains. Without It a sol| Is poor?with it rich. our farmers, have been forced to resort to a large and gradually increasing use of fertilisers in order to in some measure1 offset the loss of humus caused Hf years of (lean culture, While tjiey have saved themselves from absolute ruin by this expedient, they haae not stopped their humus destro\itig method of farming, and it is only b\ steadily Increasing the annual fertilizer ration that the eot ton farnor is aid. p. maintain the average; size si his <Top. There is good rnSOfl for believing that the continuous grow, |ng ol I SI lain crops od the same land giadualU pro duces |q Increasing quantities a t o ? n substance, which interferes with the 1 welfare of that crop but which prompt!} disappears when the soil is transferred to another crop It is also n well known fact that the diseases and insert enemies of any ? mp become Worse afd worse where it is contin uo.mU finatSd on the same land. The dwr.tge sotteSJ farnor of OUF State is' fast approaching the point Where his in.Teasing fertilizer hill will entirelv ?\tinguish his average profit, snd I de not rtee how this tan long be avoidedrgt ept ?.\ a radical ? hange of method Involving crop rotation, deep plowing and eervef CfOBtS I WouUI not have It meierst.I that I urn an.opponent of the rational use of fertilisers ? in the rontrnry I be* lieve that the\ ens always be used with gr?s>t profit on properl) conduct* ed farm*, in tins >?> ' lion I do believe, howe\ci\ that where the farmer eon Mnues tu plant the hull, of his a<i. age in (ptton, breaking his land -dial low and'depending ext lushelv on in tlllier ts> restore Boll foftlllty, be will sooner or aalSf I.me bankiupt We had I > < ? <r t il lllumlns ting IsctSJfog on the suhje. t of rovel t reps by Mr. A. (I. Smith. Mr. Smith aids ad\f? ates the use of crimson i lover .uiil hairy vetch M a means of rOBtortng soil fertility, and I ? 111 i t * - agree with hhrt hs to their value un? der conditions which Bill! them. They de ext eilenth en cla\ <>r limestone noils and 1 have occasionally seen them growing BU< < vssfully on rich lands In eastern Carolina. I must say, however, that most of those who base tried to grow these crops in our gray, sandy loam cotton tlebls have failed ?I among them. A serious objection to them in that they do not make a good eOVef for the Boll in time to allow of their being plowed down during the winter. Kealizing the need of discovering and inducing the farmers to use crops which would produce an abund? ance of grazing und hay and at the same time restore fertility, I be? gan experimenting a good many years ago with the clovers, vetches, and va? rious grains, Including Chinese sor? ghum. It was through the courtesy of Mr. W. A. Orton of the department of agriculture, however, that 1 llnally discovered a crop which 1 think is Ideal for grazing and winter cover. This is a species of rye introduecd by our government from the province of Abruzzl in Italy. After several years of testing I find that this r>e makes a growth of from two to four times as much during the winter months as our native ryes. Planted in the cotton during Septem? ber or October at the rate of one bushel per acre, and covered with cul? tivator or wide sweep, it makes a inii-k and thrifty growth, and we have , already plowed in on our plantations hundreds of acres of this rye, which had reached a height of 12 to 18 Inches. The rapid growth of this rye Is almost unbelievable and it would interest you very much to see grow? ing side by side on our experimental farm test plots of this Abrutzi rye and several Southern varieties, as the contrast is most striking. Early last March we clipped by hand several short rows of Abruzzl rye and rows of equal length of Vir? ginia and home-raised rye, all of which were planted late in November, and found by weighing that the Ital? ian rye had made more than three and one-half times as much growth as the other vurieties during the win? ter. We are repeating this test again this year, and at the first cutting made, about three weeks ago, the Ital? ian rye produced from two to three times as much as the other varieties. Last year we planted Abruzzl rye up..ii a piece of land on which we had never raised more than one bale of cotton per acre. We used no ferti? liser, the seed being sown after a crop of peavine hay and then harrow ? ed in with double cutaway harrow. About one-half of the field was left to make seed and produced 24 1-2 bushels per acre, which is a much greater yield than 1 have ever heard of ordinary rye making under nor mal conditions. The other half of this Held of rye was mowed In March and the stubble turned under. Our variety test of cotton was planted on a part of this land and fertilized and worked exactly like our main crop, but produced about 1,900 pounds of seed cotton per acre as against a much smaller yield in our other fields. I am disposed to believe, from the ?lata I have thus far accumulated, that Abruzzl rye ,s the most import? ant agricultural plant introduced in the South in recent years. One >f the strongest Indictments which can be drawn against the ag? riculture of our State lies in the fact that we import millions of dollars worth of Western grain. hay and meat each year ami 1 do not think that we can claim a high degree of efficiency for our farming until these imports have ceased. On the farms which I managed I find it pays to raise a surplus of hay, grains, oats, rye and hogs. It also pays us to feed oattle ami apply the manure to the land. Hesides more than paying their own way, these plants and ani? mal crops exert a great collateral In? fluence on th- production of our prin? cipal money orop?cotton. I thin*: you will And it an Invari? able rule throughout the South that where large numbers of animals are f?d on any farm, that farm is rich and produces profitable crops of all kinds We can not rotate our lands rapidly unless we s. ? <i R large pro? portion of the acreage to ha) and grain crops im,i this renders neces? sary the keeping ol mure live stock to consume the surplus A t|ulck ro? tation also allows ihe frequent use of cow pea. that Splendid gutherei nl nitrogen and humus i m me two farms which we work with wage bands we have alieadv ml out rot ton acreage to neurl) one half ihe total crop area and expo t In . hi ill it st ill furt her. I expe< t. how ? \ i t 'o continue lo raise full) a much otton us formerly because nl ihe mpld Improvement of the soil caused by rapid rotation, the frequent use ul the cow pea, Ihe plowing in of covei mps ihe uns of Ihe mannte from Uv* stock, deep plowing, and the tsreedtng of 0H*re prolific varieties of seeda our gieat Darlington county agri? culturist, ??:. Mclver Williamson, hau shown the smith how to raise corn, ami while rtli method is being need to meat advantage by thousands, the fact that our state continues to im i" M corn proves that his advice has tmt been heeded by a great number of our farmers, Mr. Williamson's revolutionary dis? coveries were at first bitterly attacked by many of the agricultural author? ities of the South and while the re? sults so widely obtained in this state have silenced some of them, there lie still, I think, unite a number who gre unconvinced. The year after Mr. Williamson an? nounced his method 1 planned a se? ries of experiments to test its efficien? cy. After discussing my plane with several of the authorities of the na? tional department of agriculture, J decided to make my test of the Wil? liamson method against a method identical with his except that the i stunting feature should be left out This involved level planting, rapid cul? ture and the early application of fer? tilizers to one plot while the William? son plot was, of course, planted and cultivated Btrlctly according to his methods. Both plots were well pre? pared, seeded lo the same variety and to the same distances in drill and row. These tests were not intended to show the benefit of the Williamson method '.is against the old method formerly employed, but were meant solely to answer socalled scientific critics who had so earnestly inveighed ugainst it. These experiments have now ex? tended over a period of five years. An accident happened to one of the 1911 plots and I will not mention that just here. During the other four years the experiments were carefully car? ried to completion without accident, all work, except the ordinary cultiva? tion, being done by young men of edu? cation and experience. The average of these four years shows a gain for the Williamson method of 7:0& bushels per acre. Every year the Williamson method plots were stunt? ed severely, and In some instances we had to bar them off with turn plows cutting roots by the wholesale in or? der to get the proper effect. (I might mention just here that some years ago I plowed up and set out a whoh row of corn after It was a foot or more high, and that row made con? siderable more than an adjoining row which was planted a few* days before the dher row was set out.) In my 1911 experiments we failed to get a stand on the early manured plot, owing, 1 think to the killing of the seed by the fertilizer? This plot was planted again two week* Inter and was cultivated exactly like the Williamson method plot with the ex? ception that no effort was made to stunt it. Fertilizer was applied at the time of the application to the Wil? liamson plot and to the same amount; thus this plot received double, the fer? tilizer of the other. Xotwithsatnding this tremendous advantage, the Wil? liamson method plot made seven and one-half bushels per acre more. Before leaving the subject of corn I must not fall to speak of one of the worst practices now generally em? ployed on Southern farms. 1 reter to the stripping of the fodder. The leaf of the plant makes and stores in the grain its Starch, oil and protein. This process is continuous in tho < orn plant as long as the blades have any life. Consequently when the leaves are Stripped from the plant, before they are completely dead, or when the i plant is cut down before maturity, the Com ll not allowed to fully mature and thus the crop Is shortened and the vitality of the seed Injured. I have carried on numerous experi? ments to show the loss to the crop from fodder pulling. I have always made these tests rather later than the average dnte of fodder pulling in our section, but not withstanding, the re? duction in yield has been most strik? ing. In 1912 1 mad*' two tests which I showed an average reduction of seven and one-half bushels per acre. In 19 11 four tests showed an average re? duction Of 6-6 bushels per acre. In 1910 this experiment was overlooked until the blades were about two-thirds j dry and even then the loss was about four bushels per acre. In every case we have figured that the loss in corn was fully as much as the value of the fodder, which would leave the ex penee ol gathering as a loss. Uesides, the Immaturity ?d* the seed taken from plants from which the fodder has been Stripped almost surely affects, tin- void of the succeeding crop. < W< have planned a test this year to see What this loss is. > The average farmer does not plow deeply enough, Year after year he scratches Ihe soil In a depth of ?! to I in? los with ii one-horse plow, or possibly he turns front R lo *> Inches of sod with it Iwo h?use Implement and ihe roots ot the crop are prne lleal> confined Ihls plowed depth for their plant !.i und moisture, i doubl it deep plowing is very benefl ial on buious depleted Ian.Is. espe? cially it done in Ihe Spring, bill I am sure that out farms ran not be broUghl In high productive rapaclt> wlllmul deep plowing coupled willi (be employment ol crops which pro I nee a large amount of humus. Thin i-s h pari of the gospel <>t the Wil? liamson plan. Good preparation of the land la ex penaive. Done with $300 mulea and $1 a day laborers, it costs approxi? mately $:{ per acre for cutting the Italks, plowing the land with two horse plows and harrowing with cut away harrow. We have recently bought a traction engine With which We are plowing down the uncut cot? ton stalks, breaking the sod 10 to 12 inches deep and at the same time harrowing it thoroughly. Figuring 6 inches a.s the depth usually plowed by two-horse teams and 10 inches as the depth Of the preparation with the traction engine, each inch of the mule broken land costs SO cents per acre to prepare against JO cants pel inch per acre for that prepared by the traction engine. The actual cost of running our! traction engine is less than $1 per acre for fuel and labor. Call this ex? pense $1 and add another dollar for interest and depreciation and you have the figure upon which the pre? ceding estimate is made. The main value of the power propelled plow, however, is not in the saving in cost Of preparation, but is in getting the plowing done at the right time and done right. The smaller farmers can obtain the advantages of the traction engine by combining and several together pur? chasing an outfit. Or possibly plow outfits may some day go from farm to farm (just as threshers do now) and break the land for so much per acre. One of the most important dis? coveries we have made in our experi mental work Is that a very much , smaller amount of oat seed than Is usually used by the average farmer seems to produce maximum results. For three years in succession we test ?d in our experimental blocks seed inps at the rate of :i, G and 12 pecks per acre, and invariably had gotten heaviest yield;} with three pecks. 1 would not, however, advise as light a rate of seeding as this unless the grain drill is used, for, seed planted broadcast are frequently thinned out badly by heavy freezes. The limits of this paper forbid my telling you about my experiments with sorghum, which we have found to be a most valuable hay crop and which (the general impression to the '-?ontrary notwithstanding) seems to exert a beneficial effect on subsequent crops. Nor can I speak at length about the use of lime and its effect on cro.j production, but will only say that F'belleve practically all the land in eastern Carolina needs an applica? tion of one-half to one ton of lime or twice the quantity of ? ground lime? stone about once every five years. I would like to warn you never to 1 judge crop results on the farm by the eye and tell you how often train I ed observers make mistakes when they trust the eye rather than the scale?1 would like to urge you to do all agricultural experimental work under absolutely normal conditions, and never presume that any seed Is of superior value until you have test ? (1 it along side of other varieties upon average lands with average fer? tilizer and culture. 1 would like to urge upon you the supreme irr.port I ance of good seed, which are bred to pedigree and increased only after being tested against numerous other strains, hut if I should go fully into j all these subjects 1 would keep you here several hours. 1 could talk alone on the technique of seed breed? ing and its importance to our agricul , (ure, for hours, but that subject has* already been admirably handled by other lecturers. But above all I would like to give you an insight into the attractiveness and usefulness of plant breeding and all other work requiring a close study of nature. No work possesses greater possibilities of usefulness or pleas? ure than plant breeding. None keeps ! you in closer touch with the great I directing Intelligence of the Uni? verse. The plant breeder is in fact partner with nature. If any of you voting men are in? terested in the seed breeding ami experimental work we are doing at Hartsvllle, 1 shall be Igad to have Vou come over at any time and will afford you every facility for*looking over our entire plant. How the Trouble Starts. Constipation is the cause of many ailments and disorders that make life miserable. Take Chamberlain's Tab? lets, keep your bowels regular and you will avoid these diseases. vor sab; by all dealers.?Advt. The Governor of Georgia appeals to the press to aid him in carrying out needed reforms. The Governor In South Carolina tells the pies-; to go to, or words to that effect. Wilmington Star. Minister Praises this Laxative. Rev. H. Ptubenvoll of Allison, la, in praising l>r. King's New Life Pills for constipation, writes "Dr. King's N.w Life I'ills are such perfect pills no home should be without them." N?i better regulator for tin* liver and bowels Kvery Pill guaranteed. Tr> ihem. Price 26c at your druggist.? Advt CURRENCY FIGHT ON. Probability la That Contest Will Drag on Through Next Week and Go Into llonae. Washington, Aug. 1",. After thre;? hours of lively discussion between the administration forces and the cur? rency "insurgents" the house Dem? ocratic caucus late today adjourned until Monday. The light tor amend? ments to the bill had been bitter and tonight prospects were that the cau? cus might run through all next week, with a final contest on the door of the house inevitable. Attacks on the bill began in the caucus soon after Representative Bor? land of Missouri entered upon an analytical defense of the measure. He and Mr. Underwood, majority leader, were frequently interrupted. Representative Hardwick of Geor- j j gia attacked the bill as creating a great monopoly in money, establish? ing "a gigantic* political and financial machine conferring greater power ' than any man or set of men should have." Representative Wingo of Arkansas, disclaiming any connection between his amendments and those proposed by others who are lighting for changes, said he proposed to protect the farmers' notes annually held in the Southern and Western banks. Representative Henry of Texas, ad 1 locating amendments against inter? locking directorates and for what be called "corn tassel and cotton bale cash," asserted that the refunding of the 2 per cent circulation bonds by the 3 per cent non-circulating bonds Would permit a "big grab and steal by big banks." SMALL BOY LEAVES JAIL. Small Bail Given Freedom tu Joo Vincent?Shot and Killed His Fath? er. Augusta, Ga., Aug. 14.?Twelvo year-old Lee Vincent, the bjy who Monday night of last week shot and killed his father, Joe Vincent, at Mi! ledgeville, a little station in Aiken . county, to protect his mother Jrom i harm, the elder Vincent having threatened to kill the whole family i when he came home drunk, and did whip the boy's mother, was this , morning released on $500 bond?the lowest bond ever granted anyone .charged with murder in Aiken coun? ty. Solicitor Gunter agreed to this small amount because of the circum? stances. Dave Gaston, Jr., who recently , graduated from the law department of the University of South Carolina, has volunteered to defend young Vincent. When he went to the Aiken jail to tell the boy that his father I>. W. Gaston, president of the First National Bank of Aiken, had agreed voluntarily to go on the bond, the little prisoner said: "I'm mighty glad I'm going to get out of here; my fodder needs pulling." It develops that little I^ee Vincent has been his mother's main support. Together the mother and littb son have been farming, the father and husband contributing nothing to the crop. He spent little of his time at home, and, neighbors say, seldom went there except when drunk. Sheriff Howard of Aiken coun.y went out to the Vincent's *ii)me a few days ago and found in the barn an illicit still, tilled with mash, indicating , that the dead man had been practic? ing his trade in Aiken county. He was , wanted in Walhalla for the same of fenae. Good Reason for Ills Enthusiasm. When a man has suffered for sev? eral days with colic, diarrhoea or other form of bowel complaint and is then cured sound and well by one or two doses of Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy, as ; 1? often the case, it is but natural that I he should be enthusiastic in his praise of the remedy, and especially Is this the case of a severe attack when ife is thteatened. Try it when in need of buch a remedy. It never fails. Sold by all dealers.?Advt. -- There w*ere 4,014 pupils in the Spartanburg city schools last year. Remarkable Cure of Dysentery. "I was attacked with dysentery about July 15th, and used the doctor's medicine and other remedies with no relief, only getting worse all the time. I was unable to do anything and my weight dropped from 146 to 125 pounds. I suffered for about two months when 1 was advised to use Chamberlain's Colic. Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy. I uaed two bot? tles of u and it gave me permanent relief/' writes B. W. Hill of Snow Hill. N. C. for sale by all dealers. Advt. bile i.pie have glib tongues.? Wil? mington Star. Costly Treatment. "I was troubled with constipation and Indigi stion ami spent hundreds ot dollars tor medicine and treatment." writes c. H Hines, of Whitlow. Ark "I went to a St Louis hospital, also to a hospital in New Orleans, but no cure was effected, * In returning home I began taking Chamberlain's Tab? lets, ind worked right along. I used them lot some time and am now all riaht.' lor sale b> all dealers. NF.W (Di.i OFFICE. Conner Got*. Howard A uuouiicc* Olli??- of Internal ReteSMM Will Upen Stc|>cmboi- l. Washington, Aug. 14.?Former Gov. 1K C. Heyward, who was recently nominated by the president to be col* lector ??! internal revenue for South Carolina, came to Washington yester? day in order to perfect himself in Iii? duties with officials of the treasury department Practically all of yesterday and today were spent by Mr. Hey. rd in conference with treasury officials re? garding the work that the former will undertake when his office is opened at Columbia on September 1. "An examination will be held in Columbia on August 1G ror the pur? pose of examining candidates for Po? sitions in the internal revenue service in South Carolina," said Mr. Hey ward, "and from an eligible list my perma? nent force will be chosen. Between the time the office i? opened, namely, I on September 1, and the time that the ^ civil service commission reports on , those who have been selected for permanent positions, of course there will have to be a few temporary em? ployes, but it should be distinctly un? derstood that the latter are tempo? rary only and that the permanent men must necessarily be chosen by means of the civil service examina? tion. I would like to have this clear? ly understood, so there may be no misunderstanding regarding the mat? ter. "1 have been in consultation with Commissioner Galloway and other members of the civil service commis? sion, and they have promised to make known the result of the examination just referred to at the earliest time. 1 will leave for South Carolina tomor? row and, as stated, will open my of? fice in Columbia on September 1." J. W. ASHLEY ILL. Well Known Member of House of Itepresentatlvcs From Anderson County is Stricken. Anderson, Aug. 15.?Joshua W. Ashley, member of the house of rep? resentatives from Anderson county, , suffered a stroke of paralysis at his home near Honea Path this morning and all throuph the day his condi? tion has been grave. Tonight the at? tending physicians hold out a little ; more hope for his recovery than they did at noon. Mr. Ashley attended the Ack *r family reunion yesterday at William Ston and appeared in his usual good health and spirits. This morning he ate a hearty breakfast and then pro? ceeded to direct some mechanics in repairing his cotton gin. One of the men called for some nails and Mr. Ashley started to a nearby house for them and while on his way the at I tack came upon him. He stumbled , and fell, and when help reached him he was lying on the ground in an un? conscious condition. Mr. Ashley was carried to the house and doctors were quickly summoned. After a thorough examination they announced that he had suffered a stroke of paralysis in the right side. The left side was not harmed, ?*e spondinb to en injection of opiate. Late this afternoon it was noted that he could move his right foot, slight? ly, but he has not been able to speak. He seems to be semi-conscious but he has no way of communicating any wish he may have to members of his family. The doctors say that a blood vessel in Mr. Ashley's head burst and in their opinion it depends on whether the blood clotted will b* absorbed in due time or whether the blood is still spreading through the brain. If the latter condition exists they declare that the end is near. J. W. Ashley is the political "boss" of Anderson county, having become personally interested in politics more than 22 years ago. He has served It years in the legislature, all of his aer vlces having been continuous with the exception of one term when he dropped out, having run and bee t defeated for State senator. He is in his Gf>th year. W E L L Is all MWCtlM with >our teeth? Don't make the fa? tal mistake of thinking your teeth ran wait to be taken care of until 'lut?!." Ha\e them attended to Now. while there 1? time to snve them. THE SUMTER DENTAL PARLORS, Dr. C. H. Courtney, Prop. Over SHAW & McCOLLUM ?????????????