The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1894-04-12

In well formed full ears of grain.
On rough land as mentioned. pillow out
the beds close and deep, aud as soon as
the plants have attained sufficient size.
AS a rule, if the ground is clean, moth
ing IS gained by blowing corn too early,
and care should be exercised in not
throwing, too much dirt to the young
plants, End by all means do not practice
the old mistaken method of chilling up
the corn" If the blowing is properly
conducted the hoe can be entirely dis
carded in the cultivation of the corn
crop. Corn, unlike cotton, is a rapidly
maturing crop. We have just SO much
time, and that not any too long to do
the necessary cultivation-which should
be frequent and thoroughbred more
than two weeks being allowed to inter-
vene between each working. When the
cultivator can be used it greatly facili-
tates the work and can be so managed
that two trips to each corn row and one
in four foot cotton row will be suffi-
cient.
FORAGE CROPS.
Cattail millet is an excellent crop for
early use and very easy of growth.
Planted on rich or we'll MANFRED land,
~"UASo 4opAoAJ dAo WAIl0 lOb 81 nu-
trltlous as sorghum, is valuable because
it comes easily and quickly.
can also be planted for syrup or feed. II
for syrup it IS advisable to select late
maturing variety, orange or red top,
that the work of gathering, grinding
etc., may not conflict with other press
ing work of the busy season. If for
feed, the early amber northern grown
seed are best. This will come on in
July and mixed with some dry feed is
excellent for mules. 1t is much relished
by all stock, which will readily eat
stem, leaves and seed, and it will give
the hogs a fine start. 1t is hardy, does
not require very rich land, though it
should not be planted on the poorest, as
II wlthstands drought in remarkable
degree, is considered almost certain
crop. The evaporators have improved
the syrup SO markedly that it has be.
come quite an addition to our farm sup
Plies. and many farm laborers prefer it
to the best quality of refined golden
drlp-sorgbum.
MILO MAIZE, KAFFIR AND FORAGE CORN
Can all be planted on the same plan.
That is, lay off the rows three or four
feet apart and drop from four to six
grains to the foot. Or they can be
drilled and afterwards chopped out.
Kaffir corn, if planted early, will ma
ture one crop of gram, and develop an
other from the shorts that spring out at
the joints. Milo maize natures only
from early paintings, and therefore
should be sown as soon as practicable.
When properly managed, furnishes a
trifI
food. 1t comes next to oats in value.
1t should be cut just after it has passed
the bloom and cured well. The latter
part Of April or first of May is the
proper, time to sow. The land should
be we'll prepared. Sow too or three
pecks per acre, harrow or brush in and
then roll.
POTATOES.
For early potatoes set out few slips
this month, but the main crop should be
planted in May or June, because the
early paintings make no more potatoes
and require more work. The land
should De thoroughly prepared and
worked fine. Barnyard manure has been
found best suited to potatoes; but il
| commercial fertilizers are used select
that on which phosphoric acid and pot
ash predominant. Though some grow
ers still prefer the hills in the various
experiments with potatoes, fiat cultur,
has been found most profitable. A
farmer can scarcely have too many DO
tatoes, for if he does not care to dig anC
bank them all, he has,only to turn the
hogs in, and they will not only gather
the crop, but thoroughly work over tt
land. The number of bushels which
! can be raised on an acre has scarcely
yet been tested, but l know a man wi
has just sold 800 bushels, the product OF
four acres, at $1.00 bushel, and he
says the pnfavorable seasons a1ast year
considerably cut off the yield.
He plants no cotton, and every year
his potatoes command the top of the
market. They are carefully selected
and handled, beautifully preserved, and
without speck or blamish. AS a gen.
eral thing the great drawback to keep
ing this crop through the winter is care.
less handling and insufficient or mista-
ken methods of Of housing or protect.
ing. Most farmers can make potatoes
but comparatively few save them in
gooo order.
GROUND PEAS.
<Ap4H . is perhaps the DeSC month IN
which to plant the ground pea crop. AS
rule land which will produce well in
potatoes will also bring ground peas.
They require, however, calcarious soil
to produce best results. If this condi-
ton is lacking apply so bushels of lime
or $50 bushels of mari with whatever
fertilizer is used. The Spanish variety
is very productive and easily handled,
can be planted after wheat or oats, and
as late as July. All these forage
crops as we'll as potatoes and ground
peas will add that much to the
bacon and lard productive power of the
south. Our southern farmers should
appropriate the privilege of raising food
for our section to themselves, and not
allow one pound of either to be bought
outside our own boundaries. On the
question of
SELECTING SEED
there has been too general indifference,
To keep up this solution each farmer
should himself pick out the best bolls
from the most desirable stalks
of cotton, and the largest, heaviest
ears. from the most prolific. and
best developed stalks of corn. This will