The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-08

bacco l believe would do we'll here. hut
do not know any one who has tried 1t for
business. Oats are sometimes sown and
cut for feed, but that IL all, and sometimes
they do first rate; 1t depends. think, on
the seed you get. The earlier you can
plant as rule, the better success you get,
and the months OF June and July are the
most feared, but as for that, you can't
tell a thing about it. l have seen 1t so wet
in June that YOU could not get in the field
AS for fruit, like EN-, but don't know
much about them. Plums. peaches, pears
and grapes all grow here, but somehow they
don't seem to last long. These drouths are
bound to hurt them more or less | know
pears are selling for rs cents per bushel
This way some Of these land agents have OF
telling everything you can do Is very good
but people ought to have better sense than
TO suck 1t all in. because 1t costs money
and takes time to raise an orchard, and
can say that when your commission and ex-
press charges are paid the balance is small.
Those who are lucky and live near city
like Houston and can watch their chance
and bring in their own produce do first
rate, but you must remember even Hous-
ton can not stand to be the dumping ground
of the whole country, and everything for q
radius of fifty miles is often hauled IL by
wagons, and what comes by express | can
not tell. When the producers exceed the
consumers there Is bound to be low prices
Corn and cotton are worked in rows about
four feet apart. Corn is planted in the
water furrow and covered and then har-
rowed After 1t is up thin II out to stand,
every one to hts own taste; break out the
| mddles to the coon; harrow again, then
wait a little time and pillow 1t. throwing
two burrows from each side of the row,
| and II your land is good that is often all
| that is done. Cotton you plant on a ridge,
M i1nA a,,I nh. IA
to get its second and third new leaves or
| a little later bar it off by throwing two
burrows away from II, one on each side;
harrow the mindless then chop II out with
a hoe to a. stand; some leave a stalk every
six inches. some three or four stalks every
ten or twelve inches; then pillow 1t on with
little pillow or a sweep and Just keep
! blowing and working and hoeing until 1t
| is big enough to keep the grass down It.
| self. This is where your well fertiized
| land comes In. Better work one acre and
| get bale than three acres for the same
| AS for the depth to pillow and quantity OF
manure to put out, every one has his own
idea. and you cant change them, but a
Northern farmer does not need to be too
| proud to take advice, for the Southern
style is totally different from the Northern
! came from Illinois some nineteen years
| ago. and thought knew something about
| farming, and | was Just going to evange-
J
the deuce-farmed myself several hufNred
dollars in debt and quit 1t. Perhaps others
Will do the same. man in the Northern
States can work all his life and never own
! place of his own whereas here any one can
have a home and fair living IL he is hon
ent and wants to work. and a man don't
need to have his pockets lined with money
either. If farmers life is hard one, a
man that owns his own place is the most
independent man on Gods green earth, but
he pays for his independence. Crab grass
on rich lands makes fine hay, but many
farmers are opposed to cutting 1t. as they
think it ruins the lands. In good seasons
1t can be cut twice. Fodder. that is the
leaves stripped off the corn Just before they
turn yellow, and then dried and tied up
in bundles. makes good feed and sells
readily.
AS for butter, 7 only know one gentleman
out here, Mr. Dolen. on Big Cypress, about
one and ope-half miles south OF Cypress
Top, who keeps fine cows and ships butter
steady every day. AS his spirits are al
ways good. / suppose he comes along all
right.
As for poultry and eggs. there is money
in II. and I hope some day there will be
more.
AS for gardens. you can raise almost any
thing and have something green nearly al
ways. and a good garden Is worth several
sacks OF flour each year to its owenr. and
then it's healthy Have known cotton to
make over two bales TO an acre. You
/ manure cotton in the furrow and bed on
top of IT, 1t Is best to put cit manure for
cotton two or three months before plant
ing and throw two burrows on Il. The
reason why new land is not good for cot
ton is because the plant goes too much L
It stalk, but this VARIES and we don't gel
chance to experiment that way very
often. You will often find two or tire,
different soils in the same field, viz, pos
oak. myrtle hush and pond. this latte
makes good cotton. but gets very hard
! should prefer myrtle bush land myself
because II does not pack so bad. Now thi.
post oak land, II planted carly and shallow
and norther comes. 1t dries out on tor
and the seed don't come up; and ther
again II heavy rain comes Il forms o
sort OF crust, and | don't care II corn il
not one and one-half inches deep. It Will
not force its way out Cotton. being plant
ed thicker. will sometimes burst the ground
up in cakes, but that exposes the roots
and II rain does not come II invariably dies
out, 1t is impossible TO give any certain
| rules, etc. for farming. because what Is a
| success this year may not do next, and the
difference of week or two IN planting may
make or ruin a whole crop.
| George p. Oilard.
TOBACCO CULTURE.