The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-24
current Topics-Fau Paintings.

IN This hot climate there are very Ae"
.-,,s that can be started off satisfactorily
5,rng the month of August, and it fact
80 are not many more that can be sat
isfsctorily started even in September.
Four years out of five out autumns are
~, and even if we are blessed periodi-
,su,- with good rains during the three
r,or+bs. August, September and October,
If usually happens that the dry. hot spells
that follow are severe enough to kill out
the tender young plants that are germi-
nated under varying conditions of excess
s,ve moisture and burning heat We have
so lirtle soil now that is abundantly sup
7fad with humus, il is nothing like as easy
now to secure prompt termination and
growth Of those crops appropriately plant
ed in the fall as it was some years ago,
when our soils were comparatively fresh
and fairly rich in humus. In the older
sections of the south there has been COM
paratively little land of good quality open
ed I'D to cultivation. There is no need to
tell any intelligent observer that for one
acre that has "A suffciency of the indls-
pensable humus there are ten that are SO
destitute of it as to render their cultVa-
ton a very uncertain undertaking wher-
ever the season proves to be dry and not.
OF course, seeds Of any and all kinds OF
plants can be made TO terminate, come
IN in nothing but sand.if sufficient mois-
lure is afforded, but the question is to pro
duce growth promptly after termination
Soil destitute of humus loses its moisture
so promptly after a rain as 70 render such
Inadequate condition for growth that
young and tender plant must of necessity
succumb If it cannot grow it must die
il cannot remain dormant or at a stand
etil but a few days in the dry, hot wealth
er of autumn. 1t is difficult in the early
spring when the suns rays are mild and
evaporation slow. In September an inch
of rain dries out very promptly from the
surface of soil that has little humus in It,
Far more than it did thirty or forty
years age, does it require nice management
to get a crop established on our worn
soils in the autumn months. Other than
turnips, how many crops do you suppose
you could establish from sowing the seeds
during the first week in September If,
Besides your experience as a farmer, you
have had a long experience as a market
gardener or trucker, you will readily ac-
cept the statement that for one success
you will experience perhaps as many as
a half dozen failures. Take the
seasons as they come, and during
the first week in September SOW
the seeds of such plants as beet, carrot,
parsnip, cabbage, satisfy, onion, clover.
English peas, spinach, are hardy or half
hardy plants. You will find that there will
be many a failure to establish a crop. A
second, perhaps a third, sowing will be
necessary before the crop is established
II is so even with turnips in thousands of
instances every season. The very best Of
truckers are frequently forced to make re-
sOWings or fail to have a crop.
If one could irrigate, the difficulty would
be removed. Even If mulching could be re-
sorted to the difficulty might be met, but
how many truckers or farmers can you
find that can probably apply mulch to
two acres, or even one? About the extent
Of the average utilization of these practices
-irrgating and mulching is to apply them
10 the seed beds where plants are raised,
and later on, transferred to the open
ground where irrigation and mulching
cannot be continued.
In long experience in starting fall, as
well as other crops, we have found 1t ad-
visable to have the soil we'll prepared by
the roller and harrow Cor rake on a small
area and always sow Just after a rain;
Just as soon as the water has been thor
oughy absorbed, so that there is no Dog
giness," then covering by raking back the
soil thrown out in making the shallow seed
furrow, and finally run a roller along the
seed beds to press the soil firmly about
the seeds termination will follow very
promptly, if the seeds are good. Usually
me next consideration is to protect the
delicate plants from the insects that are
almost always present in any southern
soil that has been cultivated even two or
three years. Unless a very hot wave should
occur the rolling of the soil will usually
protect the plants from being killed by
mere heat so for the first two or three
weeks after termination the first care is
10 prevent the attack of insects. For this
purpose nothing is cheaper and more effec-
tive than to dust along the row of plants
WIN air-slaked lime that has been tainted
with the odor of carboIic acid or kero-
sene oil. This busting should be given as
soon as the plants are up,and in the early
morning while the dew is on. How much
damage the little fiea-beetle does this
country In the aggregate is a mere specu-
iatlon, but it is certain it runs up into
the millions. The true cause of the loss is
unsupported in thousands of instances, and
ottener than not, the damage is charged
70 the heat or with more injustice involv-
Cd to the seeds. 1t is fact that crops
are frequently destroyed in a night by
unese vivacious little insects. For instance
seeds that terminate during the day are
destroyed the ensuing night, when it is
possible for one insect to consume or poi
son a thousand tender little plants 1t re-
cures the greatest of vigilance during our
oIy autumns to ward off these destructive
insects. One should be prepared for them.
JUST a little care and a little expense will
save the crop.
nus far in 1896 in Middle Georgia the
oAy months that have afforded more rain
.Hah the normal have been July and Feb
e-5ty. January gave US 1884; February,
~ March, 300; April, II; May, Isl; June,
- July, 1859; August to 10Th, 2.0S, or in
Stsat months. lacking ten days, a total of
90 inches. Such rainfall on soils album
cdAty supplied with humus. and when
5'V crops are well cultivated, should pro-
'.e maximum crops of our ordinary sta
crops at any rate, but over very
tetse section Of the south where the rain
t-H mas Appropriated these figures we
af complaint after complaint: Crops
, on one-third;" Crops cut off one
Late corn almost failure" "Po-
4-oes turning yellow and will not make
-l4H crop Cotton badly damaged. not
10 man two-thirds a crop" The truth
as we nave stated before. Our uplands
.'gglally rolling lands, must have rain
.r,,g week or every ten days 20 keep the
In