The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-21
THE FARM AND THE GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO AGRI-
CULTURALIST AND HOUSEWIFE.

planting during July and August eth
err in the garden or in the field. The
field crops planted prior TO May should
be laid by by this time. There may be
some work yet for the hoe and sweep
or harrow in the early planted crops
for the purpose of keeping down the
later crop of weeds, but so far as they
are necessary purely for the sake of
cultivation to increase the crops of
cotton or corn there will not be much
need for them If the fields are clean
of weeds on the last Of July no further
cultivation of these two crops will be
found necessary. Late sown peas and
potatoes may require one more Guilt
walton before being turned loose 10
make the journey. 1t depends mostly
upon the character of the soil, wheth-
er very poor or very rich, whether an
extra cultivation or so will be neces-
sary after the middle of July. On good
soil it is never necessary to give po-
tatoes or peas more than two plow-
ings. Bunch potatoes and peas as a
rule require one more sweeping or har-
rowing than the running sorts.
In the we'll managed garden of
course a steady use of the hoe and
pillow is called for all during July and
August and still later. The late crops
of cabbage, tomatoes, beans, squashes,
potatoes. collards, will require the
constant use of hoe and cultivators
And, besides, there are the crops of
turnips, spinach, kale, onions, soon to
i -
in apple pie condition for them. 1t
may be necessary to pillow over the
ground at least two times before plant
ing time. The weeds and grass must
be kept in subsection so that the seed
beds will be clean as clean can be.
There is a great pleasure in starting
a crop on perfectly clean, well pulVer-
lied soil. Whatever extra blowing the
soil gets in the way of preparation is
we'll paid for in the end. We are re-
Miss generally in the matter of prep
aration. Most of us seem'to begrudge
any extra work in that direction. Just
so the soil is prepared enough to re-
ceiVe the seed is all sufficient to many
farmers. They calculate that the aft
er blowing of cultivation will fit the
land properly for the making of full
crop. They do not take much stock
in the old aphorism that "a crop well
put in is half made" 1t is impossible
to put any ordinary soil in good shape
for crop by just one blowing. Poor,
sandy soil may be put into fair shape
for some crops-those that are soWn
broadcast-by one blowing, but as a
rule the poorer the soil the easier
it is to get in shape to receive the
seeds. Such soils, however are not the
ones that show up right on the bal
ance sheet. Good soil requires and
justifies the very best preparation of
the soil.
In one sense "tillage is manure"
that is good preparation and good Gull
tiVation can take the place of a GER
tain amount of manure, but this old
saying should not be construed to mean
that it is wise policy to rely alone only
on tillage or good preparation. If till
age is relied on exclusively to make
large crops the land is bound to suf-
fer ultimately.
But good tillage and good manuring
together constitute intensive culture. /"
the only kind that promises any rea-
sonable return now that our old soils
have been robbed entirely OF their
humus.
Several times in the past two or three
years we have referred to the Next
can boil weevil and its probable march
eastward from Texas. AS it is a very
interesting matter to the cotton farm
err everywhere we have kept on the
lookout for any information concern
ing it's spread throughout the cotton
country
In the Mobile Register of July u we
find the first allusion to this destruc-
tive foe to cotton this season. 1t says:
For the first time the Mexican Wee
vii is reported in the state of Misss-
sippi, having made his appearance in
large numbers in Holmes county, on
the plantation of DIR. G.. w Farr. The
insects attacked small tract of cot
ton, twenty-five acres, and in about
ten days had it looking as if it had
been swept by fire. The pests are also
reported on other farms in that county,
but nowhere else so far as has been
seen. This Mexican weevil is a small
fellow, a black bug little larger than
a flea, which multiplies very rapidly,
and nothing has been discovered that
win stop them in their work of de-
struction, except soaking rain, and
that it something devoutly desired in
the afflicted district just now. The in
sects have eaten all the leaves and
squares off the cotton plant, leaving
the bare stem and limbs as reminders
general over the delta the Mississippi
crop reports for the present month
will show very decided losses.
AS we have told our readers a num-
ber of times this is by far the most
fatal enemy to cotton that has as yet
made itself known.
Wherever it takes up its permanent
abode cotton culture is doomed. 1t will
simply be a waste of time to plant
the seed. We would not alarm any
cotton grower unnecessarily. but we
must believe it is proper to warn them
that the time may be near at hand
when farming in the South must be
carried on with this long time staple
eliminated entirely from the list of
farm crops. We must believe that this
Is now more than probable. Consider
ing what is threatened and what may
be easily realized it does behoove our
intelligent farmers to study how to
farm without cotton, We are quite sure
not many will do much towards solv-
ing this problem until they have had
at least one crop entirely destroyed by
the insidious weevil. 1t may require
two failures to convince some that the
foe has come to stay-that is when it
has come. May it not come until it is
for the good of our people that it
should come. Some think that it would
be good thing in the end if some
thing would put stop to cotton grow
ing in this section of the country and
force the farmers to turn to some