Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-10-27

good rights be an experiment station.
One thing Is certain, that expert
! mentg on ones farm are entertaining
| and help make work seem Ike play.
This past summer ! experimental in a
/ row OF Eclipse beets in the use OF
wood ashes one-half the row and
commercial phosphate on the other.
or course, the phosphate is much the
more expensive article, and ! put on
the wood ashes more freely for TINS
reason. The part OF the row where
the wood ashes were put developed
more slowly, but in the end very near
ly as satisfactorily as did the part
where was put the phosphate, and
in my experience, the effects OF the
wood ashes are more permanent on
the land than are most OF the COM
mercial uhosphates, even though one
buy the most choice and high-priced
article. They seem stimIlants rather
than food.
Potatoes
And speaking Of Prof Roberts re-
calls his very extraordinary expert
ment in the summer Of 81 in the cul-
tiyation OF potatoes On land in
fairly good condition, he succeeded in
raising crop of potatoes OF from 275
TO 300 bushels to the acre, notwith-
standing the fact that it was an ex-
tremely bad year for the potato crop.
He said 10 me In talking about it.
". e secret OF the whole business was
simply that constantly and freely
used my cultiyator. / cultivated be-
fore the potatoes were out of the
ground and / cultivated when they
were only a few days out Of the
ground and constantly after. The
magic OF thorough and frequent cul-
tgatlon is something that every
farmer can demonstrate for himself
not simply In the cultivation of po-
tatoes, but in the cultivation of any
thing and everything" Recalling this
remark OF his, ] made It a point, dur
ing the month Of June, to cultivate
two or three times every week a
row of tomato plants. BY the side
Of these was a row set out with equal
care, but cultivated only twice in the
course Of the month. The two rows
OF plants did not indicate any marked
difference, even IS late as the 4th Of
July so ! stopped my extra work. But
ultimately the cultivated row was
fully twice as luXurIant in foliage and
prolific in fruit. In the cultivation
of lettuce, it is simply wonderful
what the free use of the hoe will do,
especially If one desires good head
lettuce, in fact, as Prof. Roberts
says II pays we'll to cultivate any
thing and everything, whether in the
line Of vegetables, flowers or trees
70 make this easier neXt summer
clear of those obstreperous stones
now
Peas.
Speaking OF new varieties OF seed,
let me say good word for the com
parahycly new Motifs Excelsior green
pea. Most OF the wrinlSled varieties
o. pea, which are by far the sweetest,
are in danger of rotting If put very
early into the ground |, this year,
planted Motifs Excelsior, however,
just as soon as the frost was out of
the ground. They first peeped above
the surface in the midst OF a storm of
mixed rain and snow, so cold that
thought they would proceed to blight
and die In sheer Encouragement. by
no means' They brayely kept right
on growing. They not only matured
in advance Of any other peas planted,
but were so prolific in yield. and so
delicious in flavor, | shall hereafter
give them the preference among
an the earlier varieties. And | hope
TO have the land for them ali ready
before snow flies, by good rights,
in fact an fertilizers should be work
ed into the soil the fall previous to
the spring save alone the commercial
pu0sphltes OF these | cannot SPEAK
from experience.