The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1895-05-08
Good Farming.


plant growth should never be bothered
about what work he should do every
day in the year.
1t is absolutely necessary to his sue
cess In crop raising that he should
know not by name merely, but thor
Oughly understand the work and infu-
ence of every one of these principles.
AS they are all necessary factors or
agents in the growth and maturity of
good crop of anything, it follows that
If one is absent and neglected there
will be failure, sometimes more and
sometimes less.
These principles are good seed, good
seed-bed, fertility of soil, moisture,
heat and sunshine. Ignorance of one
or more of these in farming makes
rote farming. This kind is frequently
successful, but sometimes not; and
when not, the rote farmer doesn't know
the reason why, and can not correct
his errors.
The object of this writing is to slim
ulate study of all of these principles,
because knowledge of them will be
a guide to the farmer, telling him
every morning what work he should
do that day, and how he should do it,
Good seed means a well-developed
and matured seed of it's kind free from
the seed of every other growth. The
largest is not always the best. It is
important that it should have grown
in crop that was as pure Of it's kind,
and as free from disease as possible.
ho fol- ;r 4
select seed corn. All through the
winter while feeding stock is next best
time. Just before planting is the worst
time.
Much good work in the making of a
good seed bed can be done in the fall,
even for the next spring planting.
January and February are generally
wet months in my latitude Southern
kentucky, no .profta BILE work can be
done in Or on ground when it is wet at
any season of the year. By good
seed bed | mean soil thoroughly pull
verified before or at the time of plant
ing and then packed if the ground is
dry. Some work in the making of a
poor soil richer can be done all the
year round. The only rule l wish to
advise at this time is that soluble
manures put on land when wet, is
more than one-half lost. Dry ground
has strong affinity for attracting and
preserving liquid manure, but if it is
already wet the fertility will pass off
with the surplus water.
The meaning of moisture as here
contemplated is that the soil in which |
the plant roots are feeding shall have |
just enough water in it to make the
plant food soluble and the soil fra BILE. |
but not sticky. Our crops don't wish |
to have their roots in either wet or dry
ground.
The meaning of heat is that the soil
shall have that degree of temperature
most favorable to the termination and
growth Of the desired crop. In some,
such as garden peas, Irish potatoes,
rye, wheat and some other grains, a
low temperature is best. But for beans.
sweet potatoes, corn, cotton, tobacco,
sorghum and southern stock pea the
soil can hardlY have too much warmth
in it,
BY sunshine is meant that every
plant shall receive it's share Of the di-
rect rays of the sun. Because it is
solar light pulsating its ETHEREAL waves
through soil and plants that creates
vegetable life and stimulates growth.
We may talk about artificial heat.
light and electricity; but there would
not be upon this globe either vegetable
or animal life if il were not for tho