Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-04-16
THE FARM.
Iron the southern Culiivator.i
oHK PoR TIE MONTH.

WOnK F0E THE MONTH";
In northern portions Of the cot
ton belt corn planting on uplands
should now be finished. Bottom
lands. iGplanted late in April, are
liable to be infested by the bud.
worm" it would be better, there.
fore, to defer planting the seed
until May-where it Is wet and
liable to overflow it is, perhaps,
best to defer it generally until that
time. For the worm, give the seed
a thin coating of coal tar (One.half.
pint tar to Il bushel Of corn and
dust afterwards with powdered
sulphur.
Cotton planting is the principal
work Of the present month. Upon
old land, with thin soil, deficient
in vegetable matter, it is often diff
iicult to get a good "stand." In
former years, before the general
Introduction of planters listing
on the seed with two burrows and
knocking off subsequently with q
board (just as the plant was ready
to come up) was regarded as the
surest plan to secure a stand. In
those days a plenty of seed were
sown, and if the ground did bake
after u heavy rain, the combined
strength Of many plants crowded
together could break through the
crust. Orlate years, high priced
improved seed have been in vogue,
and persons tempted to make
them Ego" as far as possible-the
consequence has been very general
complaints Of bad Stands" Com
pensations are, however, more
general in this world than we are
apt to think, and in. this case, q
good cotton planting machine
can distribute a small quantity
Of seed over Il large area and, ut the
same time, by placing them nc
curately in a nGrTOW drill, so
mass lhGm-to Use a military
phrase-as to enable them to force
their way through the crust. AS
full crops cannot be made without
a good stand, let the farmer.
therefore, see to it, that Il pleRty O
good seed are planted, so us to pu'
in, that, i fhard rains come, he car
either knock Off or run Owe
lightly with II harrow-or if a dry
spell follows planting, the seet
shall be deep enough to get sui
iciency Of moisture for germina
ting. From the 10th to the sou
is the proper time for planting, tn
time varying with latitude, ant
. elevation of different localities
The prospects of the cotton plan
ter are not rs bright as they wer
twelve months ago--the price {
. cotton is tending constantly down
ward, and with this, the chance
for making net profits from il
production constantly decreai
!. ing. When the price rules yer
high, and the margin for profit
large, anybody can make none
by planting cotton, but as IL
0 margin decreases, only those ca
who manage well-plant and Gu
y tivatc judiciously-use right kinC
y and quantities Of fertilizers, al
q make no false steps fro
planting to harvest time. Al
mistake made now-as failing
get a good stand for example
may eifcctually destroy all chance
Of Droit. That the first workiu
may be rapidly and well done, Il
young plants, when first up, shou
J stand upon a slightly elevate
ridgc-this should not be forge
ten when deciding upon the mo,
f.. of planting, etc. This workir
should be given as soon q pracI
cable after the plants are abo'
ground, and should be done eth
with the hoe or a scraper, the o
ject being simply to take off al
crust that may have formcd-th
opening the soil to the air-al
=" to kill the young grass and wee.
u. at the very start.
:. Thu present scarcity of lol
forage may, in part, be remedi
by setting aside Il few acres
good land, mdnuriRg IL nell al
, blowing it at intervals until, s
the 10th or 18th of May. T
|, blowing will destroy the wee
/, which come up early in the sprir
and leave it in good condition
I: the crop of May crab grass
!! which will take possession Of t
, land, and, if the season is favoI
: bic, make as much and as good h
* as any of the. cultivated grass,
! Our people, generally, do L
3 appreciate fully the value of II
grass for hay-we prefer it dec.
cdly to corn sOwed broadcast
0 soiling, rs practiced generally
the north.
. Sweet potatoes should now
% planted, where pieces of the re
8 are used-whcn "bcddcd GU
) and the slips Or drawers plant,
. the sooner they are set out I