The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-29
THE FARM AND THE GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO AGRI-
CULTURIST AND HOUSEWIFE.

~
ing the Hight Kind of seeds-other
Matters That Interest the InteIii-
gent Farmer and Gardener.
Week by week good weather for the
farmer and the gardener has been liber-
ally measured out to us, until here it is
the last Of January, and no very severe
weather yet The cold wave that every
one has been predicting and expecting for
several weeks has not put in an appear
ance yet and there is no indications Of a
( change from balmy to freezing weather.
The grain crops and those Of the gar
/ den have continued steady growth,
/ 1t is quite possible that the winter may
pass without a lower temperature than
81 or thereabouts from now on but it is
rather to be feared that something like
the weather of last year will occur be-
tween now and the last of February
Few of our readers but have a lasting
remembrance Of the winter of $3.50, when
/ it seemed that it's concentrated cold was
/ reserved for February and March. The
/ record Of last winter shows that jan
uary $50 was comparatively mild, the
lowest temperature in Middle Georgia
falling only a little below % degrees. The
early part of February was mild and
pl asant. But the 18th of that month
proved record breaker and the range of
lowest temperature throughout Middle
Georgia was from or degrees above, to
s or 10 degrees below zero Nothing in the
way Of growing vegetation could stand
against such cold. Again on March 7 a
cold wave swept over the South, and the
mercury fell TO 10 or 90 degrees below the
freezing point This is the most remarka-
bic weather on record. Up to the present
date this winters weather has some of
the characteristics of last winter, and the
chances are that we will have a lower
t'mpera ure next month than we have
had this, but as stated it is quite posi-
BILE that it may be otherwise, and the
present winter may be more like 'S1-'S2
than '9S-'99 IF we but knew"
1t is about time for the PLANTING of Irish
p7tatoes in Southern and Middle Georgia
Cur Florida friends will have planted his
crop, or great portion of it, while the
Georgia ga dener is only thinking about
his preparations for planting
This is crop when grown 10 the best
advantage is a profitable one, bur no doubt
there are many who do not find it very
profitable
To make such crop the soil should be
rich and good seed of good variety shoul7
be used. Fresh or green manure must
not be used. Plenty of soluble mineral foo
is essential and there must be liberal
supply of ammonia (nitrcgen), too. but it
mus NOT be applied in the form of fresh
stable manure or green cotton seed. Good
old compost in connection with some good
complete fertilizer should be the mate
rails
Discriminating buyers of potatoes Are
sure 10 demand a good sized. smooth DO
tato and when cooked, ''mealy" Such 20
tatoes are the result of high cultivation
with plenty of soluble mineral food. Even
cotton seed meal has a strong tendency to
make potatoes rough and waxy if applied
to the crop simultaneously with planting
it. If at all practicable 1t should be np-
piled to the soil sufficiently in advance 10
allow of its being thoroughly decomposed
before planting the crop.
The professional trucker OF nteIl-
/ gence and experience understands very
well that his potato soil should be ma
nured some time in advane of planting
where any organic manure, vegetable or
animal is used. Any decomposi lion going
on near the roots of a tuberous plant like
potatoes is likely to promote roughuess
and "waxiness' in the tuber. Sc where
the manuring is to be done at the time of
planting 1t is best to use commercial fer
tilizers or manure that is already thor
! oughly rolted.
In providing seed for planting no care
or expense should be begrudged in secur-
! ing the best. Smooth, crisp firm pota-
/ toes are the kind to be chosen
/ As rule even in the matter Of seeds,
/ like begets like, and if the seed potatoes
| are rough with occasional hollow places
in them the bulk of the crop is likely TO
be of the same quality, and good judges
! will not buy them.
/ This is a matter so generally neglected
: by our gardeners it is no wonder that the
/ WELD of potatoes is such low average in
/ this section of the country. Under the
( best system of culture for this profitable
! crop (when well grown, every acre that
now produces Is bushels or less should
easily be made to yield 1850 or 200 bushels.
We have found that 1T is far bette in
the end TO pay S. to Sc per barrel for
/ choice. selected seed potatoes than to give
| half that price for the ordinary run of po-
! tatoes sold for seed in grocery stores.
As with potatoes. SO it is with those 9th
! err important trucking crops. cabbage ana
onions one ought to learn how to buy
nroDerlv the seeds of these three crops
especially. Until he does he is not likely
10 make trucking the profitable business
that it might ana should be-