PREPARATION OF LAND AND PLANTING. 35 



2. Preparation of Land and Planting. 



Last night, I gave you tlie preparation and planting of the 

 cotton crop ; yet I could not, in the length of one article, 

 give more than a rapid survey. I prefer short articles, and 

 yet it is best to be particular, even minute though there is 

 even here an objection for a writer should leave something 

 for his readers to think of. When I plant oats land, land that 

 was the year previous to rest, or corn land, I invariably break 

 up into large beds, size according to width of rows to be planted, 

 so as to throw water-furrow of the flushing as a water-furrow 

 of the row. When four feet rows, I run off land thirty-two 

 feet, and keep farrows as straight as possible, on level land. 

 I then lay off rows, always with a shovel-plough, and then 

 two furrows as before. Sometimes I open out water-furrow 

 of old rows, as deep as two mules can draw a shovel-plough ; 

 bed up to this entire, then open out a new water-furrow deep, 

 and reverse two farrows with a one-horse plough. I am sat- 

 isfied that there is no land I plant but what is materially 

 benefited by breaking up with a two-horse plough, then bed 

 up with a one-horse plough thus all trash, grass, seed, &c., 

 is well buried below the one-horse plough furrow. I use a 

 piece of wood two to three feet long, running level on the 

 land, the front end shod with iron, for the purpose of opening 

 out furrows for planting seed. My object is to make a clean, 

 straight furrow, and impact the loose earth. This stick of 

 wood is rounded below, and fastened to a shovel-plough stock. 

 The straighter the row on level land, or the more regular on 

 rolling land, if circling be practised, the closer can the scraper 

 be run thus giving less labor to hoe hands. And if cotton 

 seed be scattered very regular, so as to give a stand, no stalks 

 touching, the hoe hand can thin out faster, and thus save time. 



