The national leader., 1889-05-18
FARM NOTES.


the strawberry. Some fruit-growers
object to cultivating the crop in the
spring, as they claim that stirring the
ground Injuries the roots; but expert
ments show that where plants have
been grown in single stools (the runners
kept down the previous spring. and the
soil kept clean and loose, better berries
and stronger plants have resulted.
Where the plants are grown under the
matted-row system the ground can only
be cultivated between the rows, and to
remove the grass and weeds from among
the plants requires hand work, which
is very laborious. To partially avoid
this the rows may be thinned down on
the sides, by removing the surplus
plants, until they are very narrow. The
result will be more plant-food for the
plants that remain, and more moisture
if the season is dry. Instead of being
injured by cultivation the loose soil pro-
tectS the plants and assists them to Sc
cure more moisture, and for every root
that may be cut off dozen rootlets will
grow. AS the roots feed near the sur
face, only light stirring Of the surface
soil is necessary, but it should be often
enough to keep the soil loose and to pre-
vent grass and weeds from appearing,
as they rob the plants of moisture.
Another objection is that the plants are
liable to become dirty if the soil is kept
loose, but the rains will harden the soil,
and light covering of chopped salt hay
or pine leaves will prevent all difficulty
in that respect if applied after the fruit
approaches ripening.
GREEN MANUREs.-Green manur-
ing is simply the growing of some crop
to be turned under. AS such a crop
derives its nutriment from the soil it.
self it is difficult for some to account
for the benefit conferred, as there is ap-
parently nothing added to the soil. Ex-
perimentS, however, show that green
manuring greatly improves the soil, and
is capable of converting barren wastes
into fertile fields. That the growing
plants take from the soil the greater
portion of their food is true, but there
is also large amount of fertiliZing ma
terial brought down by rains in the
shape of ammonia and nitric acid,
which is taken up by the roots and
exert a mechanical and chemical action
on the soil itself by reducing its inert
elements to plant food, while the de-
composition of the green food assists in
the formation of humus The shading
Of the soil by the plants is also bene-
fetal, and it may be possible that GER
taiG proportions of free atmospheric
nitrogen is also absorbed in some man
1sr.
THE CROPS TO GROW.
The first crop to be plowed under
should be rye which had been SOwed in
the fall. AS green manurial crops can
be plowed under at any stage of growth,
the work of turning under the plants
can be done conveniently. AS soon as
the rye is plowed under run heavy
roller over the field, and when danger
of frost is over SOW the field to millet,
turning the millet under as soon as it
begins to shoot out the seed heads. The
millet will kill every weed or intruder
that attempts to grow, and provides
large amount of green food. Later in
the season sow to rye again, and the
next spring turn under the rye and
plant to corn. The above refers to
lands upon which clover will not thrive.
Of the many kinds of plants that may
be grown for green manurial purposes
may be mentioned not only rye and mil
let, but also oats, peas, sorghum, Hun
garian grass, cow peas, buckwheat,
corn, and even turnips. The object
should be to use quick-growing crops,
and to turn under as much green ma
terial as possible.