The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-04
AGRICULTURE.
Some VARIABLE Hints for Southern
Far nners and Cattle Raisers.
Tho Food Value Of Eouthern Grasses
IN Few Words Regarding Sheep.
Corn and Cotton Seed Cake
How Deep to Plow. Etc.

TREE PLANTING AND OTHER QUESTIONS.
TO the Editor III tho Democrat
Dear Perhaps some good may RESULT
by giving my expn ienos and by asking attas-
lions, inducing people who arc not soientists
TO give replies.
In your useful hints, page7. Den. 20. You re-
fer To the philadelphia Commonwealth on tree
pnntlng fall or spring planting. We are IN
Tho South; may IL not be probable that ono
time mny De best Mt the North and not the
heat MT the South Did any Ut Your readers,
who had maiden trees IN nursery rows ana
desired to uso the land have To remove the
Young trees by emily frost, before leaves had
fallen aud hseied them in. when planting ~
January, February or March, did they not
find roots III few Inches showing grown
after heslng In When ordering trees IN inc
were not the young roots IN tho packing well
dome with ths moss Epygnumf hava seen
box OF Concord vines we'll pneked, misdifeeted
and lay In n warehouse In New Orleans three
months these were 20 thoroughly matted ~
to be troublesome to eepatate-yet probably
BOO out of 1000 grow, ! have seen 3no peaeh
trees that were hauled ~ on open wagon
twenty-five miles act out Ia October, heore
growth Htopped by FROST the balance of pur-
ahnae was hauled and art out In March, the
frat lot In two years had growth and fruit.
Early In November ] eent 10 q lady irienh
white cape myrtle 40 snorulrht thnt " enniu
TO kesp tho roots muist IT. WINS sent 900 miles
South with ono change ~ railroad. two weeks
after II wua iiDurishing.
Another matter From ihtituoe, say 90
down South have the country fnlk not seen
on ii pleasant, rather warm evening after
frost. about shutdown. tho cotton moth Hitting
about gin house, or even rni isnee fnt-
hepa In weighing cotton ny 'hnpl'sn,i. W
moths were IN such numbers ma to attract
attention. ! would nsk n9ain. u The moth
I haA not been seen even ~ tho evening" oi "
warm spell In January When some years
ynutiNrt thaAs things claimed my attention.
fnunad. Il father. reared npnr tho Potomac,
pave mo some warm lessons To induce ine 10
pay attention to passing events.
/ think am correct In thcas matters. and
only nst OF your observing plain farmers to
give them knowledge.
Yours. with all respect. IhThRa'
euRT ron uusr IN COTTON
A correspondent Of tho Democrat Orange.
burg. \. g., gives some experiments which
are worthy Of repetition, md we present them
To our ronders with tho hope that They Will
try them aud give results.
He Gays. lin 1879 applied fifty bushels %
nnIeached ashes to The acre OF land that had
been rusting cotton badly. The cotton re-.
manned green until froat and matured trni'
10 tho top when adi lining cotton failed v
mature any top crop. some of IL dying with
rt,Ht tho frat of September. That strip 81
land has not rusted cotton since.
THE following year ono OF my hanus pht
sack Of kalnit or German potash ~ one acre
through the middle IF a sevati-Rtre patch u
cotton. The land had been In cultivation foul
years. light sandy oak lana and rustai cot
ton badly. In the fall II was . pleasure Y
show this aero strip TO my friends. While tbs
Gotten on both sides Of Il was denuded q
leaves and oil tho top bolls dead before hal
grown, this acre remained green until frost
and matured its fruit 10 the TOP.
"This last experiment itselr was evidence
conclusive 10 my MUD that potash was th'
remedy for rust In cotton. | have ainoe no
ttced the same res,,ts In similar experiments
believe on lands thoroughly drained land NJ
other should be planted In COttaDl, ana no
entirely destitute of vegetable matter, potasl
In every instance will correct tho tendency IL
rust I'm cotton.
4" by rest and rotation tho tendency 10 rust
can be corrected In II great measure, bu
when lands are planted every year, aud clay
IA not near the surface, potash must be sup
piled either In unlimited amounts OF trasl
and litter from the woods, stable manure
ashes, or some of tho commercial prepare
tions OF potash"
ADVICE TO SHEEP GROWERS
Mr.. Campbell Brown. OF Tennessce. who Il
competent to advise on the subject, In re
apoDse to q correspondent AZ 10 what breet
of sheep he would select 10 begin with
makes the following suggestions. Premisin,
that much will depend upon location. soil au'
climate ha says.
Tho three leading caaaes of sheep are nc
kuUwIrnEeu DIV Ill lhlF-HlHueH pTNHRIH U
have three distinctive excelenoies and thre
distinctive defects. and these characteristic
should be carefully weighed by tho heHinne
against the peoularltiea Of hia locality befor
making choice Of the breed to be tested
|. The merinos are small, hardy. actlv
sheep, yielding good weights Of fine Woo
and thriving better IN largo locks tina
English breeds. They are not 10 prolific a
the latter, and arc npt to be careless mothers
They arrive slowly nj maturity. but max
good mutton when grown
a. The Southdown IL below either the Cots
void or merino In weight OF wool. "A mu
ton sheep he In uneaualed and Ia much MOI
hardy than the Cutawold and more proli
~ than the mcrino. Flpcks OF several hundrs
do welt together. They mature early, an
" the lambs are much sought after by butcher
o. The Cotswold may he taken IA the rep'
sentative of the long wool type the Leice'
ter being nearly or quite identical and LII
coins aH yet little known. They are lat9
quiet sheep. with heavy feeoes of long, loos
wool, which do not protect the body from RAJ
and cold quite ~ well the shorter m
closer iieeces Of the two preceding breeds
this latitude they seem only moderately PR
lltlc and the lambs ara rather tender. Fro
their size they require rich pastures. III
same cause. however makes them excel Il
other breeds In tho yield per head.
Ii the beginner la on a railroad or with
reach OF city he will find early lambs yer
profitable. Otherwise, he will probably tur
his atte9ation chiefly to wool.
In either case IL would Toe inJuiieious to bu
pure-hlood lock 10 begin with. Let ht
select good, large native ewes, well oovert
with wool. Above all they must be youn
An old sheep Ia dear MT any price. Then f
every forty ewes, lot him buy thorouRhhrt
male of the breed that u consideration of n
the circumstances tells him would be be
suited to his wants III he goes into the bus
meas on scale large enough to need sever
males, II might be well 10 get them Of say "
different strains the strains best adapted
his conditions and requirements will
for crossing.
GEESE.
Geese are moro profitable to raise than
generally supposed. owing to the fact tn
they are grass eaters and require less gra
than most other fowls. flock OF gee
turned loose upon Bermuda pasture
which there is plenty OF water. will keep
good order and require but very little ate
ton. About laying and setting time Ia 3