The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-24
THE FARM AND THE GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO HOUSE
WIFE AND AGRICULTURIST.

n soil ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Etc.
Suggestion as 10 Winter work.
We have had a clear and glorious
autumn. and up to the goth Of No
vember have barely had breath OF
winter. 1t is not likely to continue
bright and open much longer. Neither
is II likely that we will have many
DAYS of severe weather between now
and Christmas. The Southern farmer
and gardener has certainly great ad-
vantage over those Of the North and
West. where the soil is well locked
with ice all through November and
December and nearly all outdoor
work put a stop to.
Unless on account of rain here in the
South there are not many days in the
last two months of the year that farm
work cannot proceed steadily. While
there is not much in the way of seed
sowing to be done in either month,
there is so much other work of pro-
fitabe kind that can be done, it con-
stitutes this period as one of the bus
lest of the whole year.
The Jealous farmer and trucker, the
younger ones especially, should early
learn the effect of a well-kept sched-
ule of winter work on the ensuing
years outcome. But the beginning of
this winter work must not be deferred
until January. 1t should begin prompt
~ on Nov. l.
1t may be that all the crops of the
year have not been gathered in on that
Ir- he far
has made good crops has still some
cotton to pick, peas to pick. potatoes
to dig, sugar cane TO cut and manu-
facture or to bed; ground peas to dig
and even late corn to gather etc 1t
may require the whole of November
to complete the harvesting and hous-
ing Of the years crops on most farms
with the scarcity of labor that exists
nowadays. In that case little thought
can be given to the starting of an
other years work.
Be this as it may there are few
farmers who do not reach "the period
of leisure" by the close of November
by Thanksgiving day the last finger
post on the years journey of work.
BY the way Thanksgiving Day
comes very close to Christmas, and it
is unavoidably so from the very ma
ture of the case. 1t is not adapted
either to spring or summer. 1t is rath-
er pity that this very legitimate fes-
tival day could not be observed a
month or so earlier than it is: say ear
ly in October or even the last of Sep
TENDER. 1t would thus separate it bet
ter from the festival of Christmas, and
there is no good reason why it should
be unsatisfactory to any part of our
country.
We need not wait to see exactly the
outcome of the years work. For bad
as the outcome may be we should OBJ
serve Thanksgiving Day just the same.
However bad it may be we will always
have cause to be grateful for some
thing
OF course the only object in changing
the day would be to lengthen the per-
Tod between the two festivals. This
may not appeal to many. for no doubt
there are many who would vote to
have holiday or festival day every
month in the year. There could be no
serious objection to 1t to be sure.
7 1t is getting to be an esta blished
rule most everywhere, we believe, not
TO do any or much work on Saturday
afternoons. Many farmers and labor
ers observe 1t very faithfully. On the
other hand the practice is growing of
schools not giving holidays on Satur-
days but observing Monday as the
school holiday. There are good rea-
sons for making this change.
To come back more closely to our set
topic we can only wish that we had
planted large crop of late Irish po-
tatoes this season. If only half of our
Southern gardeners and truckers had
done the same the South could have
easily have grown all the potatoes
NEEDED for home use. Never before
have we seen so favorable a season for
the making of this second crop-that
is crop grown from seed made this
year.
In a plat where the spring crop of
potatoes grew turnips were sown aft
er harvest in July. Some potatoes left
in the ground terminated even after
the turnips were laid by in September.
These volunteers have yielded far more
per hill than the early crop did. As
late as Nov 20 the vines were tender
and growing right along, as they
would in May
Generally our autumn weather is not
favorable to this late crop of potatoes,
and many have long ago become dis
gusted and ceased to attempt to grow
it.
The Triumph is an excellent potato
for the late crop. The seed should be
about the size of a hen-egg, with a
little piece clipped from the seed end
before planting.
Nov. 20.-Tomatoes, butter-beans.
okra and other tender vegetables still
bearing even in Middle Georgia, the
very slight frosts having no percepti-
bic effect. What a glorious country for
the VeRetariantt
The advantage gained in doing as
much work as possible during the
winter and before Christmas consists
in the delibera teness or lack of haste
with which it is done. Such work is
always good work A man not hurried
will do much better blowing. fertiliz-
ing and the like than when he is push
ed for time by the rapidly advancing
season.
We have seen small farmers here
In Middle Georgia putting off the
starting of the piows until we'll along
IN January or even later. From the
time they start until the last acre of
cotton is planted it is one unintermit-
tent rush-poor blowing, poor ferti-
liZlng, almost inhuman rushing OF
workstock. A poor thing altogether for
man and beast.
Good farmers have learned long ago
that 1t is most excellent thing TO
nave their light soil bedded up well in
ADVANCE of corn or cotton planting.
so that ii may become well settled or
nrmed by planting Few make use OF
a proper roller to do this necessary
work in the absence of rain. In our
not, frequently dry climate we have
70 consider this important require
ment of good farming. In the matter
OF implements our farmers are behind