The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-28
THE FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO AGRI-
CULTURIsT AND HOUSEWIFE.

Notes From southern Garden.
Rapid RotatiOn-NOtes on Pecan
Growing A Question About
Oranges and Peaches-sorghum
Killing CattIe-An Old Millet-TO
Clean Gravel Walks-Rhubarb
From Seed.
In the Southern garden three valu-
able crops are frequently started with
in the year on the same plat. Irish
potatoes are usally planted either or
or Just before st. Valentines Day
Feb. a. Early sorts are planted and
mature fully by June l. Sweet potato
plants are in readiness and are set out
on this land by the 5th, not later than
the 10th.
OF course, the soil is in very fine
and friable condition, and very little
cultivation is required to make a max
imum crop of sweet potatoes. 1t is
really wonderful how rapid the growth
is. In a little while the vines cover
the soil. BY Oct. Is the potatoes are
ready for market. The soil is easily
put in shape for the third crop, and
this is usally spinach or onion-some
times cabbage. If, perchance, the frost
to kill the vines is delayed as late as
Nov. 10 or Is, the land is reserved for
English peas. These are sown about
the last of November. or as late as
Dec. 10. This makes two crops ma
tured and a third one started in the
course of ten months.
Whatever of stable or lot manure is
used is applied to the third of win
ter-growing crops is applied freely
broadcast after the crop is planted.
The winter rains wash out into the
soil such elements of fertility as be-
come soluble and the manure loses it's
rankness by spring, SO that there is no
danger to the ensuing crop.
Only the dwarf varieties of English
peas are used for this early planting
and usually two or three kinds are
mixed together. The rows need not be
wider than eighteen inches for the
dwarfs. The seeds are drilled along as
evenly as possible, twenty-five or thir-
ty to the running foot. Before sowing
the seeds are washed so as to throw
out all defective ones. The sowing is
made thickly, as stated, to allow for
the cut-worms and the cold thinning
out some of the plans during the win
ter and spring.
1t is wonderful the quantity of peas
that can be made from the dwarf
kinds when thus sown in the winter
there is an abundance of water in the
soil If iS infanfhd fn cultivate
the peas until growing weather sets in
about early March. If any hardy weeds
should spring up in the winter they
should be destroyed with the hoe, dis
turbing the soil as little as possible
while there is any likelihood of freeze
or heavy frost. If the peas were to
bloom too early-before frosts were
over-they might be killed.
To produce large crops of these peas
1t is essential to have the soil very
rich in mineral matter, lime, potash
| and phosphoric acid. OF course, there
must be enough nitrogen there also
| enough to make good vines to bear
| the pods. But we lay stress upon the
necessity of plenty of potash and
| phosphoric acid. We have seen 300
! bushel baskets of pods per acre gath
cred from "downup" garden in days
gone by. This is practicable anywhere
| on suitable soil.
What crop should follow the English
| pea? Generally at D. tomatoes sue
ceeded. When the peas were through
bearing in May it required very little
blowing to start the tomatoes. Rows
were laid off in every other pea-row
and listed upon. After the plants We're
set out the middles were thoroughly
plowed out with a scooter-the vines
being plowed up with the last furrow
| We could go on and describe the rota-
tions, closely fitting in to the number
of a dozen or more but we had better
| dispose of them in seriatim. In this
| case the crop after tomatoes was
"cowpeas" as humus crop. The rule
at Downup was one humus crop to -four
! taken from the land.