The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-02-10
Agriculture.

Ashes is valuable fertilizer for fruit
bearing lands because potash is essen
tial to them. Use it alone, for it has a
wonderful power of liberating some of
the valuable elements in heterogeneous
fertilizers. Farmers do not make
enough of wood ashes; they should pro-
cure them, even if they must be paid
for. Glover and all leguminous plants
supply nitrogen, but they can not grow
without a supply of potash. tits cheap
er to furnish the potash, that the clover
may bring the nitrogen.
The tillers of the soil are the one
great class among whom want and star
vatiOu are not known. There Is work
for all who would have it, and there is
no question as to the reward, even
though at times there be but little sur
plus.
we are sure that if in addition to the
use of fertilizers the prolific promises
of the future will give us an absolute
the resultant crops will be something
to amaze us. The wonderful crops
raised where they irrigate warrant this
belief.
AS rule, we miss it when we hold
our products upon uncertainties. If we
laid away our onions last fall, when
prices were fair for rise, importations
have brought down the price. Shrink
age in corn and wheat offset the gain of
a few cents increase which have come
a little later. We can not ignore the
losses from rats, weevil and fire.
For some reason corn which has been
stored in the crib will not sprOut so
soon, and if it should be taken directly
from the husk it will show yet slower
vitality. Not only carefully select
your seed, but have it now hanging in
the garrett to dry.
The pasture is always a good place to
put the manure, if no other place needs
it more. When the ground il too much
frozen to pillow, it is good time to
clean out the harnyard, and there may
be scores of dollars in yours.
The length of weed roots about equals
the height of the stalks. If you pillow
or grub the tall ones from the potato
fields this spring you must disturb the
potato roots and lessen the crop.
If you are provident enough to save
ice for the summer, you can easily and
cheaply make your own ice chest by
placing one store box inside another
and filling in the space with sawdust,
Have tube to carry off water. Pro
vide zinc tray if you wish, and such
shelving as your ingenuity can suggest.
Practically all this will be just as good
as the fancy chest from the furniture
dealers.
| If there is no better way on your farm
to procure ice, place old sugar barrels in
an clubhouse and fill them by degrees
with water on some bitter cold day;
cover them with sawdust. When sum
mer comes you will have the finest of
ice at hand, and the slaves can be
knocked away as you want to get at
| the contents of barrel.
A soil containing high percentage
of humus will soak up more water and
will hold it longer than soil deficient
| in organic matter. 1T changes the
physical condition and the fineness and
| filth so characteristic of a rich sell, and
makes it less susceptible to abrupt
changes of temperature, absorbing and
radiating heat more slowly. II takes
up inorganic plant foods, retarding the
| loss of soluble compounds by teaching.
There is more life in field of turned
and rotted turf than in an equal area OF
| long cropped soil which has been alum
dainty supplied with the best of COM
mercial fertilizers.