The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-04
THE FARM AND THE + GARDEN.
MATTERS or INTEREST TO AGRI-
CuLTTRIsT AND HOUSEWIFE.

WORK Tor the month or Junc-Inc
Value of High Cuiture-Potntocs
Paying Crop-The Cultivation of
Indian Corn-various Matters of
Useful Information.
The chief work this month consists in
keeping the growing crops clean. There Is
but little planting 10 be done. Various
vegetables OF the antings ale row
on the decline and some have been entire
~ removed. The English peas, the early
onions, lettuce, spinach and early b cts,
and perhaps several others, have Gisap-
peared from the market garden, If not in
the home garden; vacant rows and plats
are multiplying. To take the place Of ths
earlier crops the crops that can be planted
this month are beans, tomatoes. corn,
perhaps squashes and cucumbers, though
the latter Two will have TO run the gauntlet
of innumerable insects. AS a rule it does
not pay to plant these so late Ia the sea-
son. late crop of cucumbers Is very
desirable for pickles aud If it Is PCS iible
to grow them they should be started.
Next TO the very early crop late crop
of tomatoes is the most profitable 10 grow.
and the plants set out next month. Thee
is much greater demand for tomatoes in
October than there is in August. Green
tomatoes. COO, are much sought otter late
in the season for pickle purposes and they
command as much per bushel rs the ripe
ones. For several years now tomatoes
have bllghted badly in the South, and 1t
may be that 1t will be necessary 10 ssrsy
the vines with the Bordeaux mixture IA
many localities in order TO save the crop.
over half of our crop rotted last season
before any perfect fruit was obtained
Rather than let weeds take possession
of any part of the garden ii would be
much better to plant the vacant rows or
plats to sweet potatoes or even TO field
peas. A garden that is kept continuous
in cultivation will have its humus ex-
hausted TO such an extent that Il may
become poorer than 1t, should BE-. When
ever practicable part of 1t should be
planted TO peas, so as to get the vines 10
be turned under in the fall. Where stable
manure is freely used every year garden
soil is not apt to be short of huulus, but
where such manure il not applied 1t Will
be admirable 10 use pea vines az
an enricher. for humus is t7e
true foundation OF all. rich s,l.
1t should be the purpose of every farmer
in the South to bring his garden area 10
include at least five acres. making this
five acres so rich, that II will be worth to
him more than twenty acres of ordinary
soil in field cultuge. In this area he can
grow all the staple vegetables and in adj
dition grow upon it bis sweet potatoes, SUI
gar cane. sorghum, melons, ground peas
and most OF. his fruit, especially the plum
and grapes.
Five acres made as rich as 1t should be-
as it can be in the course of five or six
years. could easily be made to yield an
abundant support to small family IN
such crops as are just named.
There are thousands of farms in France
we are told that consist of no more than
five acres and upon which the farmers Sc
cure a good living and something to lay
up. 1t can be so. even in this country, II
we only make choice of the right crops TO
grow upon the land.
1t Is quite possible on first-class garden
soil to grow seven or eight, or even ten
hundred bushels of sweet potatoes on an
acre of land where ordinary field soil does
not produce as much as a hundred BUSH
els.
On such garden soil 1t Is not difficult to
make twenty thousand pounds of hard
head cabbage, and so of many other crops.
If we could only introduce the principles
of garden culture into cur field culture, We
would see a remarkable change In the re-
suit OF our farm work.
Give FIVE acres all the humus 1t can con-
tain and ii will pay to use commercial fer
tiizers when 1t will pay but little If any,
on our ordinary farm bands that have no
humus or but very little
Even If no faster, If we should only add
one acre yearly to the garden area, in a
few years we would have five or ten acres
producing better income more satisfac-
torily than forty acres are yielding now
1t can be easily demonstrated that half
of an acre of grapes properly established
and looked after will yield more money
than thousands of small farmers secure
from twenty-five acres In corn and cotton.
SO Of other fruit crops and very many
vegetable crops.