The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-05-25

lots OF money into the country, ana IL VIII
come, too, early.
also found a little time to spend
among the crops around Mobile. Here.
too, the crops are generally good and the
growers are now busy shipping beans,
cabbage and potatoeG The bean crop Is
very fine and Is now in its prime. The
average yield is about $50 bushels per
acre. Many gardeners have sold as much
as $500 worth of cabbage from single
acre. The cabbage season is now prac-
tically over and only a few scattered
crates are being shipped. Saturday the
crop was selling at $3,15 per barrel Of
eleven pecks. The tomato crop around
Mobile is also fine and promising, yet the
average is not so large as | had expected
to find. Down at Granu Bay, forty miles
below Mobile, they have 100 acres Of fine
watermeions as well as a good acreage OF
cantaioupes, beans and strawberries
Taking the whole situation, there GER
tainly will be very great abundance of
vegetables and melons this season. Then,
too, the fruit crop is very promising.
There will be a fine crop of peaches.
peas and grapes in nearly all sections
which l visited. I had the pleasure of
meeting our friend, Captain ]. M. Falk-
ner, at Mountain Creek on my return
home. He informed me that he had
very fine crop of grapes on his farm at
this place. This is true of nearly all the
places where the fruit trees and vines
have had the proper attention.
l wish to mention some turnips which
/ saw on the market at Evergreen. They
were the finest summer spring turnips
L ever saw anywhere. They were as
smooth as apples and so near of a size
that 1t looked as If they had been all run
in mould. Turnips are always In good
demand.
Sweet Potato Crop.
This crop, 1 fear will be short all over
the country. The seed potatoes rotted so
badly this seasce that plants were hard
to secure. On my trip was on the look
out for plants and was able to find a few
at Evergreen for sale and only few
thousand at that so that the shortage of
plants means a shortage In the crop.
There has been good rains all along the
line and these came none too soon, for
crops had begun to need rain badly. I
was surprised to find the cotton crop In so
promising a condition after such a cold,
wet backward spring. There seemed to
be good stand and many fields had been
thinned out and was well advanced in
growth. The corn crop also Is In good
condition generally. Johnson and Ber-
muda grasses are taking all the idle or
otherwise unoccupied lands all through
South Alabama. Nor do these grasses
stop at growing on unocupied lands but
they get in the crops and prove quite
troublesome. too at times The Bermuda
grass Is gradually working its way north.
There is great diversity of opinions
among farmers regarding the value OF
these two grasses. Some claim that they
both make fine pastures, others say they
are worthless either for pastures or for
nay. But one thing, l notice, is that they
are Doth line for holding the soil and for
preventing the lands from washing. I
noticed several fields sown to oats and
johnson grass for hay and 1t Is claimed
that .his combination makes a fine hay
l noticed that many stock peas are being
planted and many crops of these are up
and looking well. I was very much sur
prised at seeing so much land not yet
broken up, and the question Is what kind
OF a crop can be expected from these
lands. However there are many crops
that can yet be planted, provided that the
land can be gotten in condition fit for
seeding. Now that we are having nice
rains, these lands can be broken up and
some of the following named crops may
be planted yet: German millet and sor-
ghun may be sown for hay all through
June. Sweet potatoes can be planted,
provided the land can be made fine. Then,
too, late corn can be planted yet. Beans,
both garden and field can be planted and
If nothing else the stock peap should be
planted on every foot Of land These are
are always in order and In good demand
either for seed or for hay. Then, too,
lands can be plowed and made ready for
sowing fall rye. But rye should be made
to follow other crops, and 1t is poor farm
ing economy to not have the lands pro-
duce some sort of a crop before time to
sow rye. But this has been bad sea-
son for preparing lands for planting and
so we will have to make the most we
can out of the situation and there are
many ways by which the lands can yet
be made pay.
l noticed that very few hay crops are
growing and this is a great mistake. At
ter such a season of high prices for hay
1t would seem that farmers would make
an effort to grow more hay at home this
season.
Insect Enemies.
find these busy at work all along the
line following up the fruit grower and
gardener. The potato beetles are gradually
working their way south. At Greenyille
l found them in great abundance, while
at Evergreen they are scattering and not
doing any damage as yet. In fact, but
few gardeners seemed to know what they
were. My attention was called to them
several times to know or tell what they
were. They will know next season well
enough what they are, for there are
enough now at Evergreen to stock the
potato fields next season / failed to
find any of these bugs south of Evergreen
and potato growers at Mobile are not
yet troubled with them. But they are
spreading rapidly and will soon be all
over the country. One great trouble
about these bugs is that they get in a
neighborhood and get 1t stocked before
their presence is noticed. They are very
fond of the bull nettle and may be found
on this plant wherever the plant Is grow
ing. They can be readily detected for
there is no bug like them. They are large,
soft greasy looking bugs, that is the
growing ones which are to be found on
plants are so farmers all over the coun-
try should be on the lookout for them
and kill all that can be found on the
farm.
The small striped melon bug mentioned
several times in these papers has been
very troublesome to some of the melon
growers, and they have been very de-
structive in the Evergreen vicinity. Re-
member these can be driven from the
fields by the APPLICATION of a mixture of
air Stacked lime, tobacco dust and slug
shot. used as directed in last weeks pa
per. These should be kept on hand all
the time on every farm for there is no
telling when the bugs will GOMEZ but they
are sure to come or go wherever melons
or cucumbers are grown.
Tomato Worm,
Tomato growers are now having con-
its way into the young growing fruit.
This is a new worm to me, and so far 1
have no remedy to offer for their destruc-