The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1899-02-09

ever fertilizer is used for the corn should
De srrewn along the planting furrow-
no fear but that the corn roots will find
it. In planting ground peas in the corn
middles, advise the use of the whole
ground pea, dropping one every 10 to 10
/ inches. Planted with the hull IN.
broken they will take longer to come
up, but IN my experience you get a bet
ter stand. They should be planted in
this way Immediately after planting
corn. Many, however, prefer Smelling
the peas. and in that case the planting
should be done two to three weeks later
Some good farmers will doubtless
differ with me in regard to such early
planting OF the above mentioned crops,
but from long observation of results ]
am satisfied that early planting of any
crop gives the heaviest yield. Great
care should be used in the selection OF
seed corn, as there is such largo
amount of damaged corn this season,
much OF which is hard to detect with
out careful examination. Many nerfeot
looking ears have rotten cob, with
the germ of the grain discolored and
dead. You cannot be too careful in
this matter of selecting seed, as the en-.
tire success of your crop depends on it.
In the middle and upper portions of tho
state the same general directions for
planting will apply, save that the time
for planting gets later and later as we
go up the country, until there is fully q
months difference between the two ex-
tremes of the state. When the noun
tain section is reached ground peas
would hardly be profitable crop, and
field peas should be substituted for
them. The advice as to z feet rows for
corn, of course. applies only to uplands.
The river and creek bottoms will bear
much closer planting.
Sugar cane should also be planted the
last OF this month. The ground should
be deeply broken and we'll fortified for
this crop. If the stalks are long cut
them in several pieces, and in planting
let the pieces or the whole stalks lap,
for one-third of their length. By this
plan you will get better stand.
Commercial fertilizers are best for
sugar cane, as stable manure heavily
applied gives the syrup dark color and
an unpleasant taste. There is very lit
tie profit in making syrup to sell
at Is to Is cents q gallon. as at
present; but If greater care were used,
resulting in fine article OF syrup, and
the same should be put up in half-gal-
lon and gallon cans, attractively la
beled, l believe cane growing could be
made very profitable. The maple syrup
from the north is put up in this way,
and readily sells for high prices, though
not whit better than our best cane
syrup. There is great room for i'm
provement here. Irish potatoes should
be planted this month, also all hardy
garden vegetables. Should cold snap
threaten after they are up, cover lightly
with straw or leaves, which will afford
ample protection Don't fail to make
every effort to have good garden, for
no other ground on the farm will pay
one-fourth as much on the investment as
will fertile and we'll cultivated garden
1t is to be hoped that you have given
ample care to your stock of various
kinds during the severe weather through
which we have passed. A good thick
bed of straw or leaves, under shelter, is
as much appreciated by your stock dur
own comfortable bed is by yourself. "a
merciful man is merciful to his beast"
and will provide for its wants, but many
of our improvident farmers will permit
their cows to stand all night in wet lot,
drawn up in fence corners, shivering
with cold and hunger, while their hogs
run around squealing for warmth and
shelter, which they perhaps finally find
in the dust under some old outhotse.
This picture is not overdrawn, but can
be seen in every neighborhood in the
state. There is no profit in such treat
ment of stock, and if you can take no
better care Of your animals, you had
best sell them to some neighbor who
will care for them. This miStreatment
of stock is only one of the many curses
brought upon us by the all cotton craze,
and will quickly disappear, when our
people learn that there are many farm
products that pay better than cotton.
The excessive amount of wet weather
that we have had daring the past three
months has very much delayed the
work of the pillow, but we must not on
that account become impatient and
pillow our lands when too wet. This
would be almost certainly fatal to the
crop that follows and might diminish
the productiveness of such land for sew
eral years. The energetic farmer will
always find plenty of work ON his place
! requiring his attention, whether it be
wet or dry, and nothing is gained by
blowing the land when not in proper
| condition.
This applies not only to the top soil.
but the subsoil as we'll. The passage Of
the pillow through either, when wet,
will simply puddle the clay and render
1t, when dry, impervious to the roots of
! the growing crop. o. B. STEVENS,
I Commissioner of Agriculture.