The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-06-11

about the June" 81
The corn speak about grows from
twelve to fifteen feet high, and makes
one small nubbin to the stalk. The
nubbin sometimes has few small,
round grains on it which, if seen apart
from the cob, might be mistaken for
white flint pebbles, they are SO pre-
cious hard. This corn may do for the
GreaseIs" down in Mexico, but it is
no use in a white mems coul try My
notion of corn for Texas is jeff Wei
born's Coincidence" corn. The ears
are larger and the grain softer.
CoRNDoDGER.
CROPS.
The prospect varies with varying
localities and are extremely bright or
dolefully dismal within very narrow
limits. Certain sections of Travis
county promises better crops than for
many years, while others are far be
low an average, if not nearly failure
Corn and oats are generally fair to ex
ira good, but he must be gifted with
the spirit of prophecy who can now
tell, within several thousand bales,
what the cotton crop of the country
will be this year.
This variable condition of the cotton
crop is due to local causes. Owing to
late opening of spring all cotton is
from two to three weeks later than
usual. Cold nights, till quite re
Gently, retarded plant growth, but
where the excessive rains, winds and
hail did not strike the crop it has now
got good start on the road to ma
turity. Farmers living on line drawn
from Round Rock to Manor and a lit
tie north and south of such line
got the full force of the hail storm
of the 18th of May and suffered great
damage. Fully so per cent of the cot
ton above ground at that date had to
be replanted. 1t is now we'll up, but
the web worm is working hard to EN-
ulate the hail storm in destructiveness
and the prospect is that much cottor
will have to be again replanted. Sucl
is my case. Nearly all my crop ha
been planted three times and / an
only waiting dry weather to plan
1again. This is cotton raising under
difficulties and the yield must be large
and the price good to give me rea
sonable return.
The work and expense already ex.
pended on the crop was enough t.
have made an average crop in an aver
Iage year. Now, that expense must be
added to the nextattempt, which ever
if successful is likely to be Improbable
But then it's no use whining about
I"bad luck" and misfortune. If there
were no drawbacks in farming We
would raise too much and the number
of farmers would be increased indefi
nitely. He is q poor spirited and
poverty stricken farmer who canno,
stand a reverse of fortune on
la small scale once in a decade,
1t happens this time that
the most energetic and forehanded
| farmers are the greatest sufferers.
They had planted early, worked dill
/ gently and got their cotton chopped
out and clean just in time for the
destroying hail. This may be con-
, strued as reason for procrastiDation
4 in farm work, but it is in reality the
proverbial exception which proves the
rule, that it is best to plant early and
push work all the time.
Once in a while the f0rehanded
farmer will come out worse than his
lazy, shiftless neighbor, but in series
OF years he will have q large balance in
his favor.
Some experienced planters contend
| well prepared and clean, will, as g.
who planted very early. don't be-
lieve that good enough for rule. but
l know aease in point. About four
years ago a neighbor had his cotton
eaten out three times by worms; he
planted the fourth time in the middle
OF June, and made one bale to the
acre, while any early planted and
thoroughly cultivated crop made little
more than half bale. Motto: Nil
! Desperandum.
MELILoTUs OR WHITE CLOVER OF
CHILL.
The climate of Texas is not adapted
for the successful cultivation of most
OF the clovers found to be SO profitable
in other statee. and the owner of poor,
or worn out soil, has not been able to
avail himself OF that great restorer OF
fertility. But description of the
Melilotus. given by Eli Shepherd in
Home and Farm, suggests its adap-
liability to many sections of Texas.
Mr.. Shepperd in describing a model
plantation In Alabama, and the crops
grown on it says: Nor will we leave
the subject of forage plants until
mention is made of that miracle work.
ing plant, that also fourishes here
the Melilotus, the sweet, white clover
of Chill.
This plant. lover of lime soil, is the
wonder plant of the world as forage
growth. II there is, on any prairie
place, knoll of milk white lime rock