The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-06-02

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are first in seed beds and then trans
planted after attaining some size is
much easier than it is with the first
mentioned. Still it is not desirable to
allow the weeds any foot-hold among
these by leaving the soil undisturbed
for even a week or two. protracted
rainy spell might occur and favor the
weeds getting too strong IL hold that
would require much unnecessary la Dor
to break. The old adage says. the best
time to kill weeds is before they come
up.
:. It will always be found to pay to
leave the soil after sowing level and
free from trash and stones, SO that the
young plants can be rapidly and easily
cultivated with the hoe soon as the
plants are up, and without danger of
covering them With loose stones or soil.
For this reason it is we'll to run a roller
of some kind along the seed rows after
covering lightly with a rake. This
leaves the soil perfectly level, and rem
ders rapid cultivation more easily done
than when the soil is left rough and
cloddy.
The old time scuffle hoe has not yet
been improved on the very best i'm
plement for rapidly scarifying the soil
close to the young plants. merely run
ming around them with it, and leaving |
the plow to clean the middle between |
the hoe burrows. A light garden pillow !
(hand), with little sweep on it, is an |
other good implement for the purpose,
? but of the two, a rule, we would pre- |
= fer the scuff1e hoe. These are merely
for the first and most important cult
walton. Afterwards heavier hand inn
plements and the horse pillow can be
resUrIeu carry the crop to com
pletion. For garden crops, a heavy
drag rake with sharp teeth and
pronged hoes are implements to econo-
mize work also Still hoes of various
widths for ''chopping OUT the differ
3D. h.
In rich soil the wee DIS and grass often
times spring up before the vegetables
make their appearance, and this rem
ders the first cultivation tedious. Beets,
carrots, satisfy, parsnips, onions, pars-
ley, an some few others when sovvn
in January or February usually require
often and sometimes even more than
twenty days to germinate; and several
weeds of a hardy character will fire.
quent1y spring up and cover the soil
before vegetable plant appears: In
such foul soil it is excellent
plan to SOW a few radsh seed
(Which are prompt to germinate}
along in the rows with the seed of
plants, like these above mentioned,
which are slower in terminating. The
radish-plants soon make a show and
locate the home of the seed, and the
rows can be easily cultivated, if any
weeds appear, and with no danger of
destroying the other vegetab les that
are just TO
having a radish-plant every two or
three inches, the place OF the other
seeds will be perfectly marked, and
allow Of as good determination of the
weeds if all the plants were up.
Later the radishes can be drawn out,
after accomplishing their helpful Of
flee. Even in clean soil this method can
be observed to advantage, and all the
:: radishes needed can thus be grown
without devoting plot specially to
them.
In the growing Of Irish potatoes, and
especially when planted late, it is a
good plan to ridge on the seed burrows.
and fifteen or twenty days after plant
ing bring the soil to a level by good
narrowing. This will effectually dis
pose of the first crop of weeds. and give
the potatoes a send off. in perfectly
cream soil. In small garden plots this
can be done with the drag rake.
On light, porous soils-these abound
ing in humus, and especially in unde
composed vegetable matter-shallow
cultivation is called for. for it is quite
possible to have soil too loose for the
good of the crops A certain compact
ness of this soil is as essential to the
proper growth of the lateral roots o.
plants in dry weather on some soils a.
a certain looseness of the same is i'm
portant, or stiff soils that have a tend
ency to run together.
Clayey soils of the latter character
ter, admit of and require deeper cul
@stnres usual y than these light soils tina
contain much vegetable matter.
=-s-z-- After the crop has made a good star
off it is not wise to disturb the latera
roots by close, deep culture.
Corn sometimes proves an exception
2 10 4his rule, and root pruning quit,
late in its growth has been known t.
improve the yield of grain But, a
rule, soil pruning is not to be tol
:. .erated Ito any considerable exten
With any of the plants that we grow
on our average soils and il our burn
ing suns. =
Deep and thorough preparation 70
- planting and frequent shallow cultiva
ton is the true method in our latitud
and on our average soils.-Souther1
Farm.
The Sweet Potato.
Sweet potatoes require rich, light
warm soil. The climate farther soutl
oil 81