The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1899-02-22

will certainly stand shipment, so will
pine board, but for eating-well, the
less said the better. 1t may be good
for razorbacks but it is hardly palata-
BILE to a human being. The Triumph.
is good melon but is too large to
bring best prices. The market wants
average size melons, not whales. The
market for these extra large melons is
limited one and a car of medium size
melons will bring better price than
extra large or extra small.
Almost the entire South suffered
during the early part of last summer
with severe drouth. We cannot con-
troll the amount of rainfall nor can we
order showers to suit our convenience
but we can reduce the effects of
drouth to a minimum by proper cul-
tivation of the soil. The soil is vast
reservoir of moisture, and enough rain
falls every year in most parts OF our
country to furnish plenty of water to
grow the crops with. The trouble is
that the rainfall does not come when
we want it. If the clouds refuse to
furnish our needs from above it is the
business of the farmer to draw from
the vast supply of moisture in the
soil, down far below the effect of any
ordinary drouth. This process is
known as conserving the moisture"
The process is by deep blowing and
thorough narrowing and constant cul-
tivation when the drOuthy conditions
are present. Most of us know the val
lie of mulch of leaves or grass in re-
tanning moisture. You can make just
as effective a mulch of dry soil or dust
mulch as it has been called by some
writer's 1t will be we'll to remember
this fact and apply it the next time
drOuth strikes you.
+
If you are contemplating bean plant
ing for southern markets such as At
lanta, Macon, Birmingham, ETC., plant
only green pOdded varieties. There is
a prejudice against the wax bean in
these markets and it is your business
to cater to their wants, not to educate
them into eating wax varieties. There
is no good foundation for this preju
dice but it exists and it is an eXpen
sve job to educate the buyers. Send
them what they want, not what you
think they ought to eat.
There are three things that every
farmer should arrange to plant this
coming year; chufas, Spanish peanuts
and rice. The latter will require rath-
er moist land but there is no crop more
profitable. If you are a stranger TO
the crop get a pound or so of seeu rice,
preferably the Japanese Upland and
give it a trial this year.
y
The secret of success in growing
crops is thoroughness from the time
the plow first strikes the soil until the
crop is harvested. Thorough blowing
followed by thorough narrowing to re-
move all trash and break up all clods
and put the soil in the best possible
condition to receive the seed. The crop
is half made when you get the ground
thoroughly prepared. Plant thorough
ly by using plenty of good seed and
| then firming the soil after covering
the seed. After this cultivate thor
oughly and often. Every weed that
grows, every bunch of grass that gets
start in your growing crop robs that
crop of both plant food and moisture
that your crop needs to get the best
results Best results are not obtaint d
by a joint growth of weed and crops
Oh the same ground at the same time.
Everyone knows this to be true but
comparatively few farmers or garden
erS go on the basis of believing it in
their crop operations.
| Il Io-,r 10 Y11S1 tNR