The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-02-26

wonder that the poor are gettini
poorer" while the rich are waxIn
richest Rusticus' remedy would b
excellent, but for the little word If.
He says, ''if officers and juries will
do their duty everybody would pa!
taxes not only on their real estate anC
personal property. but also on thei
money in hand. But there's he rub
Our officers and grand jurors will
have to be built OF different timber tC
those now performing these function.
before we can hope to see the wealthy
and "pious perjurers" indicted for any
( infractIon of the law. The remedy
must be sought elsewhere, and its APP
plication must not be optional with
either officers or grand jurles, but
mandatory. At least such is the
opinion of one who may be considered
by somea RUSTY CUss.
CORN PLANTING.
Before this appears in print corn
planting will be general throughout
Central Texas. The season has been
exceptionally favorable for the prepa-
ration of the land, and unless some
unforeseen calamity befalls, the pros
pect for a crop is the brightest for
many years.
gap in my white corn and be sure of
a fully developed ear on the grated
stalk, even when the first planting
may not fully mature crop. This
may seem impossible but is capable of
demonstration. Two main conditions
are necessary to success. l, The re-
| planting must be done within four
teen or sixteen days of the original.
2. An earlier vare y of corn must be
used for replanting.
This eau be found in almost any OF
| the yellow varieties or IN my rain
bow" corn which is fully two weeks
earlier than any white Il have no
seed for sale.) If the replanting is
longer delayed the seed should be-
STEPPED for twenty -four hours before
being planted. This will hast ge
imitation and and the rep auI" will
bloom at the same time as the other;
and, as the colured corn will make u
crop with less pain than white, it will
be seen how the latest planted may
come out ahead. When an early cor,
cannot be had for replanting, it is
waste of time to replaut, u4less the
missed hills are contiguous, as corn il
seldom self-fertiIizng but depends o.
the fructlying influences of neighbor
ing plants
WEEDS.
The dictionaries define weed as
IAN herb noxious or useless" and nox-
ious as, harmful or baleful," but the
farmer is more comprehensive in his
definition and calls every species of
vegetation foreign to his crop, weed
In this he is logical and practical, for
any plant that interfeies with the best
development of his crop, no matter
how valuable in its own place, is to
the farmer a weed because it is harm
full to his crop. For example, oats
johnson grass and sorghum are excel
lent in themselves, unmlxed with
other crops, but when they appear IN
the corn and cotton field they become
all unmitigated pest, aud are but
weeds that must be removed But
when weeds are spoken of, the wild
spontaneous aud so called worthless
forms of plant Lille are meant, though
most of them are considered worth
less. because a profitable use has not
Yet been found for them.
1t is common belief that weeds i'm
poverish land and that the prevention
OF their growth tends to preserve the
! native fertility OF the soil. This is a
popular error that calls Tor correction
| " eeds increase the fertility of the SOIL
and the greater the growth OF weeds
on a field the richer it is III the ele
lnents of plant life. This may appear
inconsistent with the fact that
weeds are injurious to grow
ing crops. but both statements
are capable of explanation and recon
ciliaUiOn.
Weeds require the same food for
their growth as small grain, corn, cot
ton or any other farm crop, and a con-
siderable portion of that food is drawn
from the atmosphere, the amount
varying with the different species of
weeds. There ore, when a deuse
growth of weeds has covered the land
and has been allowed to decay, not
only has all the fertility drawn from
the soil been returned, but that
drawn from the atmosphere in addi-
ton. When the weeds are plowed un
der While in green stale their ferti-
lizing power is greatest, as they then
contain most nitrogen, which becomes
incorporated in the soil and held for
the next growth of vegetation. Thus
it will be seen how weeds enrich LAM.
But on the other hand they hinder the
growth of crops if allowed to grow
herewith. This they do by absorb
ing moisture and available plant food
that would otherwise 60 to sustain the
desired crop. The cleaner the cult
walton the more quickly will the soil
be impoverished, yet clean cultivation
is necessary to iull crops. Here then
is a serious problem for the farmer.
How are full crops to be made with
least injury to the land2 There are
Ways, if the farmer will only follow
them, and he can find them out if he
will observe, read and think. And the
greatest of these three is think.