The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-07-16
FARMER AND PLANTER.
ON HORTICULTURE.

/ weather, and the utmost exertion will
be needed to overtake the backward
work. Crops already sown and grow
ing rapidly, will need the cultivator be-
ing run through them occasionally to
keep the soil in nice friable condition
and for the destruction of weeds. Crops
just peeping out of the ground will be
greatly benefited If the surface of the
bed is gone over lightly with the rake;
this will break the crust formed by the
rains and destroy the growing weeds
while in the seed leaf. All large
weeds that occur among crops in
which the cultivator can not be used
should be pulled by hand. Litter and
other rubbish should be put in some
corner where it can rot, and so become
converted into valuable fertilizing mat
ter, and not be allowed to remain ly-
ing around the field. Elephants may
now be safely planted out. The
ground should have good dressing of
manure previous to setting out the
plants. The plants should stand three
feet apart all ways, and during hot
weather should have plentiful supplies
of water Peppers, too, can be put
out. They should stand two feet apart
each way and be treated like egg
plants. Lima beans should be
planted. Dwarf varieties are, in
my opinion, much preferable to
the running kinds, as they are capable
of yielding as large crop with consid-
erably much less labor. Tomatoes will
now claim large amount of attention
They should be set three feet apart each
way and tied to stakes or trellises, or
brush may be laid close under the plants
just before they become top-heavy. The
cultivator may run through them as
often as required, but it should not be
allowed to penetrate the ground to
greater depth than two inches, other
wise the roots are much 'mutilated and
the plants, consequently, are rendered
unable to withstand drought When
the plants are tied to stakes it be-
comes possible to hasten the ripening
of tie fruit by removing few of the
leaves so as to expose it little more to
the SUMS rays. If the fruit is required
for shipping, it should be gathered as
soon as it begins to turn color, and
carefully packed.
Sowing of sweet corn should still be
made to succeed the crop sown earlier
Okra may be sown, and the dwarf va
riety will be found much better than
the tall-growing kind. A succession
crop of cucumbers should be sown in
the open, and the plants may stand
three in a hill, with the hills three feet
apart. Cucumbers need a rich soil and
liberal supply of water
Squashes, musk and watermelons can
be sown and may succeed MANY of the
earlier sown crops and gaps should be
made good in those sown the previous
month. successional sowing of beets
and carrots can be made, and those
sown earlier should be thinned in the
drills to four or five inches apart.
Sweet potato slips can be set out
when the weather is favorable, and
preparations should be made for OBJ
tanning sets for the general crop. Irish
potatoes should have a little mold
thrown up to the stems when thew are
about four inches high. The ridges are
generally made much too high and
steep for this crop, and the showers SO
needful for their welfare are carried off
in the burrows. The error of such cul-
tivation was long ago pointed out, but
cultivators have failed to benefit by the
experience of old writer's.
AS the ground becomes cleared of
one crop, another should be got in. or
the land, If not urgently required, can
with advantage be sown to COW peas.
The orchard and vineyard should be
kept clear of weeds and the ground
turned with the pillow at least once a
month. The shoots of the vines should |
be tied before they begin to get con-
fused The peach trees should be ex-
amined and all borers killed, and all |
grass-growing shoots removed. Black |
berries should be kept tied to their
stakes to prevent the berries being |
knocked off by the swaying caused bv
the wind, and to avoid the berries be-
coming dirty owing to the fruit branches
trailing on the ground.
Strawberries should have all large
weeds removed by pulling with the
hands or cutting with the hoe. The
crop is now in a critical condition and
the cultivator can not be safely run
through them, as by such proceeding
the fruit would be soiled by the dirt and
rendered unfit for sale.
The flower garden should be kent
neat, and the lawn moved once a week
Flower beds and borders should be FREE
quently gone over with the rake. The
seeds OF ANIMALS may still be sown. and
as many of them will not stand trans
planting, they should be sown where
they are required to bloom, and their
beauty will be much prolonged if thew
are given good watering now and
then, and not allowed to perfect seed
House and window plants may now
be stood on the veranda. They should
Oesprinkled overhead early,in the morn
ing, and looked over at noon to see If
any OF them are in need of water
Plants in pots should never be watered
ndiscriminately.-H. w. S., in South
ern Cultivator.
THE FARM HORSE.