West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-04-19
AGRICULTURE.

On PLowING.-Always have your
pillow sharp. Never 20 TO the field with
an instrument which is not I'm condi-
tloh 10 DO good work. A good work.
man may be thwarted by bad tools, and
dull tools are good indication of a
lazy farmer. Remember that to plow
wei does not mean to turn over a clean
furrow; TO do that may be well. but
that is not all. Good plowIng is the
thorough pulverization of the soil, and
he who can dissolve an acre of ground
INTO the finest particles Is the best
plowman, for he exposes the most sur
face TO tue seed which shall be sown.
The ground cannot be too finely ground
up. Here lies the secret of fine crops.
so far as mechanical agency Is con-
cerned. Flow an inch or so deeper
each year, and thus deepen your seed
bed and bring the subsoil into contact
with light and air for chemical opera
tions. You can never 60 too deep pro-
yided you go slowly. Never be i'm n
hurry at this kind of work. III Won
have not the time to do your work
right, just make the time. One acre
wei plowed Is worth two acres half
way done. Look out for those hard
places where the instrument tries In
jump out. Stop; here Is an enemy
that must be conquered, you must not
neglect 1t. These spots determine the
real from the artificial workmen. Try
IL over again. If a rock, or a root. or
any other obstruction Is in your way.
stop and get rid of il entirely. lit il
rock, put it into a sink-hole. Never
let 1t bother you again. Dispose of IL
AT once. DO not ride on your plow
handles. Your team has draught
enough to overcome without your ia
illness adding fifty pounds. Riding on
me piow handles never does good work.
stand square between the pillow han
dies, arms so stiff that you must be
lifted off your feet before the plow can
Veer from Us course. Then lift little
on the handles, and you will do better
work and tighten the draught by TWEEN
ty-hye or fifty pounds. Keep your eve
ahead OF your team and turn every
Inch. A bad workman covers. and
grain is lost. When done, take vour
pillow and clean IL well and nut IL nm
der cover out of the way of wet moist
ure, which, like rot, soon DESTROYS
valuable implement.
CHECKING THE PoTATo DrsEAsr
An English farmer in an English Jour
nal Oh horticulture, who has given the
potato disease considerable attention.
says that 1t is owing TO the destructive
action of two kinds of mildew. and II
starts afresh every year from seeds. or
spores, as they are called, which have
rested during the previous autumn and
winter either in the ground or i'm the
potato tuoers or the manure heap. He
aisO oners the following suggestions,
with the full belief that if thew are
carefully followed results will be oh.
tanned which will far more than repav
the trouble. Burn the haulm and ali
waste potatoes, parings, etc., not in
lenued Tor the animals, soon as possible
AFTER the crop has been raised Unless /
thlS Is dene the decaying haulm and
waste potatoes nay fill the ground with
the seeds Of the DESTROYING mildews
DO not throw the haulm and waste no
tatoes upon the manure heap. because
the mlldcw seeds will gain i'm strength
by resting in the manure, and this
manure VIII help TO spread the potato
ulsease next season. Boil for n long
tllne ali diseased and even apparently
sound potatoes before you feed animals
with them. 1t is highly probable thai
the seeds of the potato mildews gain
strength by passing through the st0m- |
ach OF an animal-thc pig. for instance.
Inc manure Of animals fed on raw
diseased potatoes and potato parlngs
may, FOR the above reason become n
powerful means of spreading the pota-
10 disease. DO not grow potatoes OH !
ne same piece of land two years i'm sue !
cesslon. Any mildew seeds which may
rest in the ground from the years no |
tato crop will begin to grow about the !
middle of May, but they Will quickly |
perish If they cannot find potato plants |
at hand to nurse them. Be sure the
seeds are quite free from disease when
planted, a potato does not always |
show the disease upon the outside |
therefore 1t will be necessary to chi /
the sets, In order that the condition of |
each one may be seen. A few diseased |
plants will serve to infect acres of pota- |
toes In wet, warm season. Use chem |
lcaI manures In preference to any |
others for the potato crop. Ordinary |
Ihanures may, especially il brought |
from distance, contain the mildew /
seeds. A potato crop may generally be |
saved by pulling up the haulm through |
out the whole crop as completely as |
possible directly the disease spots an |
pear on the leaves OF any one of the |
plants. Of course the tubers will not /
grow any larger after the leaves and |
stalks have been removed. They will /
however, ripen In the ground, more or |
less, according to the season. and
though they may not be very good.
viii be fit for use. To insure success,
all the potato growers of a neighbor- |
hood should follow the above plan.
one plot Of diseased potatoes NAV fur |
nish seeds enough i'm July TO destroy |
the surrounding potato crop.
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