Farmers' Gazette, And Cheraw Advertiser

From the South-Western Farmer

Messrs. Editors:--Having seen in a

former number of your valuable paper a

request that persons conceiving they possessed some improved method of culture

or other farm work, would let themselves

be heard through the medium of your paper,

and having a strong desire to see

how I would look in print, I am induced

in my plain way to suggest what I consider

of very great importance to the cotton

planter.

In a wet season, one of the greatest difficulties the cotton grower has to contend

with in old and rich soils is the spontaneous

and rapid growth of crab grass.

This is not only a serious evil to the growing crop, but it extends its malign presence and influence to and during the

picking season: rendering it infinitely

more unpleasant and unhealthy to the

hands by the heavy dews it retains, until

a late hour of the day--"An ounce of

prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Now, although I do not know how this

mathematical axiom was first introduced

or on what data the calculation was made

to arrive at such a rational conclusion, I

have as much faith in the assumption

as that "a stitch in time saves nine"

which I know to be demonstrable according

to "Pike," "Gough" and others of

ancient reverence: and if it cannot be

proved by those of the present degenerate

age, why I would not give a fig for the

whole of them. Now Messrs., for fear

you will be getting tired by such irrelevancy,

I will endeavour to approximate

as near as I can, to what I do want

to say.

You must know then that I have great

faith in a Pea crop; and in my limited

experience, I have, I think, arrived

at one fact which by being pursued in

the way of rotation as it should be. I have

no doubt will lessen the cotton planter's

labor in working his crop at least 25

per cent. Now it is not my intention to inundate you and your readers with a long article.

but if this is well received, no one may know.

for the future, what you may have to suffer.

I write this article now, that all may have

time to profit by it for the cotton crop of next

year.

Do not sow your Peas in your corn field

is a bad plan. Sow them in your rye or oat

stubble as soon after you get your crop off the

ground as possible--at least three pecks to an

acre of the greatest running peas, or one

bushel or more if of the black or others that run

but little. I prefer sowing from 6 to 8 inches

deep, dropping two or three

peas in a place, when the vines are to be

gathered; which should be done before the

frost catches them. Sown broadcast when

to be fed on the ground is fully as good a plan.

The best method of curing them, is to let

them get somewhat wilted, not particular how

much, so that the leaves are got dried enough

to drop: then throw them into moderate sized

cocks in the field and let them stand until sufficiently cured, which will require several

days--even if the weather should be fine--but

be not alarmed at rain falling on them. There

can be no superior food for the stock in any country, and is withal cheap one. When to be

tacked away, the most approved method is

to mix alternate layers of dry straw or some

discretion, and a liberal use of salt will not

be amiss. This renders the otherwise useless

straw nearly as valuable as the pea fodder,

and ensures the keeping of the latter.

But this all digression; I only wanted to

say, that I sowed last year in a very grassy

piece of ground about three pecks of the

"Crowder" peas to the acre, and that this

year there is not a spear of crab grass seen

They completely mulcted smothered out every

vesuge of the grass. No land could have

been in finer condition for a cotton crop this

spring in consequence. The pea crop was

worth to me at the rate of at least $50 per

acre, estimating corn to be worth 50 cents

per bushel. I do not think that the peas are

proportional to the increased quantity of

vine, but the hay that can be made from them

vastly counterbalances any deficiency in

that respect. The objection may be made

that no one would want to sow as many peas

as would prepare his entire cotton ground:

so sow all you can. But I wonder if it

would not be better to plant less cotton and

more peas and feed and keep well more good

cows, horses, mules, oxen and prepare more

rich land. Ned. Elra ds is particularly fond of a dish

of peas. New please just ask that ciphering

man who ciphered out the division Berkshire

pigs, whether he can't cipher out something

about the profits of the amplification of

quantity.

Well, I don't want to tire you, so farewell.