The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-07-28
farm and Garden.
Work for the Season.

.Fnlloaoasg for e0heot should be com
menced now, if not already begun, where
the ground is in order-in many sections
it is too dry.
Buckt0heat may be seeded from August
LIST to 18th. In the western part of the
State it is raised for the grain-in middle
and tidewater it is only raised for fallow-
ing as green crop, as destroyer of wire
grass, for fowls and for bees, though it
makes a good green food for COWS. 1t
makes good fertilizer for wheat, if the
growth is good. If seeded near the house,
and be permitted to fall on the ground,
fowls will feed on it half the winter, or
indeed as long as it will last, depending
on the number of fowls, and the Quantity
seeded, and it is an excellent food for
them. 1t will grow on thin land, but
where it is expected to smother wire
grass the ground should be of good fer
tility, or some manure of some kind should
be used. Two pecks per acre is sufficient
to be dragged in after good preparation
of the land
Fodder-co17s may still be raised and if
it has not been done, the farmers should
sow some at once, as provender will be
very scarce.
"ENsILAGE" AGAIN.
A late number of the Country Gentle
man contains an article on the building
of the Siles, or pits with concrete walls,
which are very durable and cheap. The
cement is made of water-lime, or what we
call Cement" with one part of this ce-
ment with four of sand, and into this
should be worked FIVE or six parts of
gravel before it us laid, but in place of
gravel rocks or cobble stones may be
worked in as the wall is being built. 1t
is directed to erect double plank wall
to receive the cement, gradually raising
the plank as the cement hardens, but we
see no reason why the cement may not
be put between the wall of earth and a
wall of plank to hold it in place until
dry, and then be removed We lay brick
against the earth, and a cement wall may
be made In the same manner The walls
should be about IA inches at the sides,
and II inches at the ends. The writer
estimates that at 81 per barrel for the CO.
ment, the cost of this article will be $22,
to which is to be added the labor, the
nails and the temporary use of plank, and
the building of the roof in which the plank
referred to may be used 1t is safer, he
says to cement the bottom. This esti-
mate, we should say, is for oslo" 20
feet long, II feet deep, and IL feet wide
though he says IA feet deep would be
better to allow room for settling. The
roof must be erected feet above the silo,
to allow room for filling the silo full
this roof to be put on plates put on the
wall, which should be done while the &C.
ment is wet. We think, as we said be-
fore, roof might be made to come nearly
to the ground, resting on rollers to move
on when the silo is filled, and when we
wish to use the forage for feeding.
An article In the late number of the
Southern Planter, by Prof McBryde,
University of Tennessee, states that 100
tons Of todder-corn can, in the opinion of
many American farmers, be grown with
care and skill and this would support
eight bullocks weighing 1000 pounds for
twelve months-also that Mr.. Gofart of
France, who first perfected ensilage, aver
aged 40 tons per acre, his minimum being
80, and maximum 1876 tons, which seems
almost Incredible. Prof McBryde states
that he at the College farm, dug silo
g feet deep, put the fodder-corn in it, I'M
cut up, the pit being neither bricked up
or cemented, put on it feet of red clay,
and the corn was perfectly preserved, be-
ing fed.
Now is the time for cultivating tobacco
and worming carefully. 1t is a crop at
tended with much labor, and interfering
with proper attention to other crops, but
if attempted, it must be closely watched
and industriously worked, or it will not
pay The ground has to be kept mellow
and clean Of grass topping and printing
and suckering and worming and reworm-
ing all to be attended to-and withal we
are afraid the crop will not pay this year