The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-12-22

top prices if you can get them in
market in good condition, but they
are very tender and their bright gol-
den color is easily spotted and
specked either by bruising or damp.
ness, which spois their sale entirely.
Prepare yonr ground thoroughly by
breaking up aud then cross break it,
take bull tongue and lay off the
rows two and half or three feet
apart. scatter in the row your tertili-
ger and then run the bull tongue
along in the same furrow again, drop
your beans and cover lightly with the
bull tongue or board, the same as
you would cotton. usually drop
from three to four beans in hill
from a foot TO fifteen inches apart.
Let the after cultivation be as level
as possible, a small harrow or culti-
vator is preferable to plough, unless
it be the first working when you can
bar off The rows, throwing the dirt
in the center and then go through
with the cultiyator which will level
the dirt back to the row again. In
hoeing be careful to have the hired
help not pull much dirt up to the
bean, just little to smother weeds,
and grass You want the bean stalk
to stand up we'll so that the bean
will not lay on the ground, il there
comes wet spell and the end of the
bean touches the ground it is apt to
rot. Never work your beans while wet
with dew or rain it is apt TO make
them spot and rust. For tertiIizing,
most any kind of the standard fertili.
zers are good, l am inclined to think
that for beans, the cotton seed meal
is as good and economical as any !;
from 600 to 500 pounds per acre.
Pick when perfectly dry and spread
out in the shade and let them wilt
few hours before Grating them up,
AS you put them in the crate shake
them down two or three times while
| filing haaf lS,s-S ar.s5ai1les+ \
down and you have done all you can
to make your labor success, except
it be to follow your crates with your
prayers during transportation and
while in the hands OF the commission
men, and even then prayers will be
apt to turn TO curses, unless you are
very careful that out OF the abun-
dance OF the heart the mouth speak
eth not.
Cucum bers, or cukes as they are
called, come in next after beans. Not
being so delicate they are more easily
handled, and ii you have good cow
penned land 70 fertilizer can excel it
for your cukes We commence
planting in January and from that
on to the end OF February. Use
plenty of seed tor if there comes a
cold wet spell much of it will rot.
Halt an inch is deep enough to cover
Rows tour teet apart and hills two
feet in the lows, you will find about
right ; further apart would do when
the vines get grown, but you want
as many cukes as possible while the
vines are young and the price is good.
AS good way as any In planting, |
have found to be, is to throw two
furrows together in rows running
east and west; plant your seed on
the south side OF the ridge. If you
plant IN furrow or on level your
young plants are apt to Srt drowned
out or dirt and ~and washed over
them by some OF the hard spring
rains; and then your ridge is some
protection from The cold north and
northwest winds. If you have not
got COW w-penned land then get tertll
izers with plenty OF nitrogen and pot
ash in them. On our light sandy
pine land the cuke is apt TO be OF d
light green, almost yellow, color
whereas you want dark green to
make saleable one ; and don't stint
your fertilizers Tor this crop. 1t will
be time and labor thrown away to
halt do work with your cukes; but
with high fertilization and good cul-
tiyation the amount you can raise on
an acre Of ground will surprise you.
Be snre and keep the cukes picked
off as last as grown; one or two left
on vine viii stop its bearing, even
if the cukes will not do to ship, pull
it off and throw away in gathering.
! usually take sharp knife and cut
off the stem close up to the cuke al.
though sometimes use my fingers.