Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-03
FARM AND GARDEN.
SPRING AT LAST.

With the advent of April we are blest
with spring-like weather; peaches are in
blossom; farmers and gardeners are as busy
as bees; aud few sessonable hints may
not come amiss to rural readers.
Ii is a common mistake to cover small
garden seeds with too much earth, es-
peciAlly when the soil is little wet. 1t is
an old rule TO bury them only to twice the
thickness of the seed. This is very shall
low covering. But when nature scatters
seed with a liberal hand, who covers them
with pillow, harrow, hoe or rake? A very
little clay close about any seed will exclude
atmospheric moisture and prevent germina-
ton. Ladies sowing flower seed, should
beware Of wet ground, which may
soon dry and bake hard.
1t is very desirable 20 have the moisture
and temperature of the soil just right when
any seed is planted, whether in the garden
or fields. At too low a temperature both
corn and cotton viii rot in the earth with
out being able TO grow. On the other hand,
It is wise to place these seeds into the well
TILED ground as soon as the warmth will
Justify planting 1t is noe yet too late to
plant Irish potatoes for an early crop, and
we have seen clover seed and grass seed do
well sown in April. At the North, wheat,
oats and barley are sown often in May; and
corn Is planted late in the same month.
We have never seen crop of spring wheat
raised in the South, nor but one crop of fax.
Spring wheat however we have been told
is sometimes grown in Tennessee. If one
had good seed this crop might perhaps do
well on our strong Line soils.
Now is the time to lcok sharply eve ~
where on the farm for fertilisers to help all
spring and summer crops. II you have a
bank of ashes as old as the food, and about
as full of water, no matter, they will pay if
applied to land for corn, oats, peas or bar
ley. Chip manure is worth hauling; and
old bones had better be placed in heap OF
no. frmenting stable manure torot. There
are farmers in England who buy tons of
bones and use them in this way, to save
the cost of oil of vitriol to dissolve them.
NJ. j. B. Lawes (high English authority
mixes recently slaked lime and ashes,
equal parts, with superphosphate of lime,
apply ing Is bushels Of the compound to an
acre of spring wheat. From one to two
hundred pounds of nitrate Of soda forms a
part Cf the fertilizer for one acre. His ex-
perimerts on several acres last year proved
the efficiency of this compound.
Coal ashes are worth saving to place
over the roots of orchards, raspberries,
blackberries, strawberries, and On ground
planted with potatoes. Persons burning
wood should be more careful to save all
ashes leached or uDleached, for fertilizing
purposes.
Let the garden have proper attention.
Perhaps the water does not drain off freely;
perhaps the blowing or msnuring is defect
i've. Many garden is nearly ruined for a
year By stirring and working the soil when
it is too wet. One needs well rotted ma
nure for garden use; and it should be thor
oughly incorporated with the loan, sand or
clay, 50 that the soil may be deep, uniform
and rich, and very fine. Very much de-
ponds on getting the earth in the right con-
dition for seeding. These remarks apply
as well to field crops as to those cultivated
in . garden.