The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-02-06

stahtIy better each year.
Every thing that grows taxes with
its growth some valuable fertilizing
element from the soil. Not only do
the various farm crops do this, but
weeds as well. With these last a
special loss is incurred if they are al
lowed to produce seed, since it is the
growth of the seed that takes the
most costly plant food from the
ground. Clean cultivation must be
given in order to prevent the planted
crop from being defrauded by the
crop that is ever ready to
spring up beside it.
The possibility of the range of
products which may be produced up
On the soil of the United States is
only beginning to be understood. For
instance, the writer has recently seen,
in the experimental garden of the
sanford orange grove, at Sanford,
Florida, both a camphOr tree and a
cinnamon tree. Their hardy aud lux
uriant growth, their evident content
and satisfaction with both soil and
climate, made us wonder how much
longer we shall look abroad for such
prOduets, instead of supplying our
selves.
Returns from the department OF
Agriculture show the corn crop of the
past year to have averaged only 199-
10 bushels per acre. This Is the
smallest yield ever reported, except
ing only that of 1881, which was
Is 6-I0 per acre. In 1887, the great
droutk year, it was 20 lilo. 1t was
only SO per cent, of the average crop
of the last 10 years, and only 70 per
cent, of last (lSS8) years crop. The
period of 10 years, just finished, has
included four unusually poor corn
crops. While these have been due to
some extent to unfavoFable meteor
illogical influences, we must admit
hat it is also partially due to decline
in the productive power OF the soil
and to slack methods of cultivation.
The increasing demand for ginseng,
it's high price, and the tact that the
.,ative wild supply is rapidly becom-
ing exhausted, lead to the suppositiOn
that this may soon become crop OF
profitable cultivation. The late Peter
Henderson, after some experiments
in this line, concluded that a crop
worth as much as $1,000 per acre
could be grown. The drawback is
y
which to arrive at maturity, and must
be shaded during het weather Ii
would probably succeed wherever it
has been found indigenous, but is
especially adapted to our cooler tenn
perate regions. If any of our readers
are sufficiently interested to desire to
experiment, we shall be glad to give
further information and directions
for cultivation.
The liquid manure is the most val
liable fertilizer that is produced upon
the farm, and it is usually the one re-
garding which the;least care in saving
is exercised. There is an impression
that it is very difficult to prevent this
going to waste, but the fact is that it
can be saved with less expense for
labor and handling than any other
homemade manure, prOportionately
to its value. Where there is no
water-tight gutter in the stalls it may
be done simply by placing behind the
cattle quantity of road dust, muck,
saw dust or other suitable material,
sufficient to act as complete absorb
ent. AS thrown out, let this be well
mixed with the heavier manure, and
it will give quick and rich fertilizer,
that will well repay in use all the la
Dor that it has cost.
If the farm of the future is to be
fenced, the farmer of to-day should
be growing fence posts. There is
even now great scarcity in many
regions (eVen where some kinds OF
timber are plentiful) of material suit
able for this purpose, and for wire
fences iron posts are already tried.
The yellow locust is the timber that
should be grown for posts, because it
is exceedingly durable, is easily pro-
pagated from seed, and is rapid
grower. A Seeding has been known
to grow seven feet the first season,
and under favorable conditions will
quarters of an inch in diameter each
year for the first 20 years, An acre of
locust timber, planted and well cared
for during that time, would at the
end be worth more than al ordinary
farm.
Where poultry and bees constitute
the minor industries of the farm, and
are given the attention that should
be theirs in order to ensure a profit, a
field of buckwheat might we'll be
sown for their especial use. The
bloom comes in q season when there
is little else for the bees to forage up
on, thus prolonging the season of
serviceable food for laying hens, en-
abling one to vary their grain ration
always a desirable thing-and being
valuable for fattenlng, especially be-
fore the weather has become cold
to warrant the sole use of
corn. Sown upon fair land, prepared
as far as any other grain crop, at the
rate of three-fourths bushels of seed
per acre, and from 40 bushels upward
SHOULD be harvested. Sowing should
lie done early in July, and the crop
harvested when frost is threatened.
Irrigation is another point in our
regarding which we are
but Learning the first lessons. In the
grove, already alluded to, ii
is utilized for forcing the lemon trees
into bearing at an earlier season of
the year than that at which they
would naturally fruit. BY this means
the crop may be put upon the market
in midsummer, instead OF October, |
when the fruit will command two or
three times the price of the later sea-
son. Irrigation may be prOfitably APP
piled to our agriculture and hOrticul- |
ture from our Northern to our South |
ern boundry. 1t increases product |
iveness, renders crops sure on soft
stimulates earlier growth and |
renders plant food in the soil |
applied with fertilizers more read |
lily available, aud in a vast number |
cases will prove the "missing link"
needed to complete the chain of
profitable work in tilling the soil.
Oats should be sown as early in the
spring as possible, and on a seed bed
that is comparatively hard. Two
inches on the surface should, how
ever, be made as light and fine as
working can make it.
Where the soil is not too compact,
and is free from any weed growth,
blowing may sometimes be dispensed
with and the upper surface put in
good condition for the seed simply by
careful work with cutting harrow.
This will often enable one to put the
crop in earlier than otherwise, and
have it out of the way before other
demands of spring work become
This is not good practice,
AZ