The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-07-10

applying half of il broadcast and the
remainder in the fGrrows. :, nood
cabbage fertilizer is made bv mixing
9oo pounds OF acid phosphate. 900
pounds OF cotton seed meal and 200
POUNDS OF m'nlate Of potash to make
. ton. In setting the plants make
the planters set them firmly in the
south side Of the ridges near the base.
so that when the soil il ieveled in the
snrlng the plants will be about the |
general level. Set them 50 as to en- |
t"elN cover the stem, which is the |
tender part, and set them so firmly |
that the plant cannot. be pulled up
by taking hold Of the edge Of Il leaf. |
The plants while setting should be |
kept in a bucket or tub of water and |
set with the roots dripping. They
Will then puddle their roots and need
no watering at that cool season. The
rows should be made about three
feet apart. and it is we'll to set the
plants thickly. say about nine inches
apart. as to allow for some win
ter killing. Then if too thick in the
sp-e>@. they can be pulled and sold
for green's. AboV the last of Feb
ruary work the ridges down level
and then cultivate the crops rapidly.
! \ dressing at that time of 50 pounds
! per acre OF nitrate OF soda alongside
| the rows will help to push them on.
! Of one thing YOU may be sure, and
! that is that the growing of good veg
etable crops means heavy manuring
every year. nc matter how much pOu
put on last year. and thorough pre-
! paration and cultivation Of the soil.
If YOU are not disposed or able to do
these. YOU had better let trucking
alone.
.As tosthe lettuce crop. there is no
doubt that it can be made one of
the most profitable Of crops here
from December to April. if you have
the nerve to spend money on 4 small
| area It viii! cost at least $1,000 to
| fit up an acre with frames and glass
for growing lettuce. and will cost 500
! per acre thereafter for manures and
attention. You can fit up an acre
: With cloth covered frames at cost
! OF about 500. out YOU VIII have to
! renew the cloth every second year.
and i'm the long run the glass will be
the cheaper. In a favorable season
YOU can. ii YOU grow first class let
tuce. depend on about $4,000 per acre
from ii. But to Go this you must have
the finest of lettuce. Poorly grown
stuff will hardly pay at all and some
who have gone INTO lettuce growing
in the southern part of the State. with
cloth frames. have been. IN favorable
. season. successful. One man near
Wilmington told me latelN that he put
down a few frames and they paid him
Well so that the next season he spent
about $500 more in frames. and that
season he lost money because the crop
was poor and the snow spoiled it 4
great deal. So he quit and now has
only abandoned frames. He simply
failed to realize the importance Of the
best of preparation and the heaviest
Of manuring. and he depended on
cloth which is Il very poor substitute
| fo,. glass When snow comes the cloth
bags down with its weight and must
be removed. Al,er the snow we al
WAYS have cold weather and then the
lettuce suffers under the cloth. II
; he had glass, when the snow comes
he has but to let it lie and it will
keep thep lants protected from the
clearing off cold wave that comes
after snow. In February. 1890. | had
: lettuce radishes and beets in my
frames when the great snow came
If | had had cloth there the grea'
: weight Of the two feet of snow that
fell. would have ruined the whole
But | had glass and everything was
secure under the snow bank. though
4 the thermometer went below zero fOl
: the first ,.me in Raleigh. \ crol
I that can be made to sell for $4,000 O.
e 1000 per acre Will warrant the eN
I penditure of $500 per acre in III,
I plant. for the sashes. il made OF cN
/. press and we'll cared for Will las
) twenty years or more. and the ann !
t al excess of crop over that in clOtf
D | viii in three ~
e all the cost of the glass. The c.otl
+ frames are troublesome and far more
r expensive than glass in the long run
If the soil where YOU make yo"7
/. frames is of a clayey nature i mus
:. he liohtened by heavy additions 10
+ sand and leaf mold from the forest
e and stable manure Will be better TO
q the crop on land OF that kind tha
st fertilizers If your land is sandy. ant
e sandy land is better suited to Lettuce
II than clay. You can make u al rlSn
e with commercial fertlliZers. ih
IT same mixture | advised for the cab
n baoe will do for the lettuce. l'u: n
l. if must be put on very heavily |
/ should be applied some time befor
e nl,ntin9 the lettuce. so that the pot
,e ash may get assimulated with tn
d, soil Otherwise it may cut the roots
;, Two tons per acre is none 700 mlIc
il for lettuce frames. usually Try I
,e oct two crops Of lettuce. one abou
-. Cbristmas or y little earlier. and an
- other in February and March. 70
. the first crop | SOW the seed the ;"s
# of August, using seed OF the Eail
Ia Boston Market, or dawson 10
IronSa Lettuce These are sci i
~ frames about six inches apart. but IN
80 oI,ss IS not used till the nights ae
10 frostv. This crop sells well but no
- so we'll as the spring crop. For tina
- non we sow seed Of the Big Bosto