Richland beacon., 1875-05-08
FARM GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
ICorrr>?ondcut Southrrn Cuiriva,or
Bermuda Grass-To Kill.

ICorrr>?ondeut Southrrn Culriva,or
Bermuda Grass-To Kill.
will give j. a. G.. an effective and
profitable plan for killing Bermuda
grass. Like a great many others,
once regarded this a. an impossibili,v.
but about two years ago | saw it
done. In 1873, one of my ncghbors
had lot of 4 or } acres Ihickiv set
in that grass He bcdicd it up and
planted it in cotton. The grass took
it before the cotton WAS large enough
to chop cut. He then rcbcddci the
land, and of course ploughcd up the
cotton, and planted in cotton again.
The land was cultivated rapidly, and
there was no grass to be seen the
next spring, except around the StumpS.
1t made very fine crop of cotton
Now my opinion, formed from the
above observation is. that Bermuda
grass can be ctlcctually killed out in
one year, and fine crop be made at
the same time, by the following pro-
cess bed and re-bcd, and continue
to do So from the time and before the
grass begins to grow until quite late
say lst TO 10th Mqv-then plant in
cotton, and cultivate rapidly until the
cotton thoroughly shades the land.
by planting late, every one knows
that the cotton grows off much more
rapidly. think th" crop should be
pIoughed erery ,ceek', and oflener if
wet weather prevails If wet use
sweeps-turning ploughS will not do
for cultivating in Bermuda-it only
sets it out. OF course mean to
break. bed and re-bcd the land with
good turn plough prefer the
Brinly plough
Now for theory: kill the leaf and
the root dies. We know this is true
with the tree, and think it would
hold good with the grass. At least
ii works. J III l..
Last Resort, Miss, March, 1873.
The great danger in the cultivation
Of this vine is the use Of too much
animal fertilizers On the one hand,
poverty stricken soil will yield
neither early nor handsome fruit, and
on the other hand, much stimulating
manure is almost sure to burn them
up. a compost Of muck and lime
will do this if there is not n particle
of animal manure in il. Ii will lot
answer to mix large mass-sav
three or four shovelfuls-in the hill,
however nicely you reduce it and in
corporate it with the soil. 1t should
be applied the year before it is wanted,
or at least SIX months beforehand
Broadcasting or cow-penning is
much safer than manuring in the hill.
1t will seem to many that TO broad
cast for such a crop as water melons,
that may be planted IN hills ten or
twelve feet apart each way, is great
waste. But if it is, the waste is not
so great as when applied in the hill,
and the whole crop is lost thereby.
Besides, the waste is not so great a.
it seems when we broadcast: the
feeding roots run far and wide, and it
is for the health of the plant it finds
its sustenance abroad and by degrees.
Animal manurcs and lime must be
used very sparingly any way, but
lea!.moud and fine ly-decompOscd
muck may be abundan,ly employed
Decayed vegetation. especially old
crab-grass turned under, will greatly
promote that mechanical condition of
the soil which water-melohS require.
A heavy rain is very liable to ruin
the crop, especially in its later stages.
We hear a good deal of "scalding,"
but the thing which certainly happens
with a great rain is the compacting of
the soil. The melon vine is very
sensitive 10 this. 1t is because new
land is so porous that wa,er-melons
succeed so admirably on them. Straw
or grass, mixed with the. soil, puts it
in something the same state as when
it is new and the sod is full of little
roots. To throw the land into beds
or ridges is ordinarily desirable and
often quite necessary, but even this
will not avail in our fine sand against
the compacting Of one of our heavy
showers. if the earth is not lightened
up with an abundance of strawy or
peaty mattcr.-BowEN BRoTmERs,
MANDARIN, Fla, in Florida Agricui-
tuTist