The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-15
THE FARM AND THE GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST To AGRI-
CULTURALIsT AND HOUSEWIFE


Talk About Rich Land-Pear Blight
About Keeping SheeP-FloOd Lands
for Pecaus-Why We Husk Corn
The Pineapple Remedy-An Acre
Under High Culture.
Call il "a garden" if you VIII, but
we have no hesitation in saying that
such an acre If made as rich IS II
shculd be ought TO be worth $500 10 any
average family. We assume that the
average family is fairly vegetarian II
its taste for food. We have known a
good many people here and there 70
have a complete distaste for vegeta bic
food of any kind but doubtless the to-
tai OF these are not very numerous
The Z aJority Of people no douh; are
partial to some vegetable food If not
% ali kinds. Some may be very partial
to celery and tomatoes and not care
f.. turnips and squashes and then
there are others Who reverse this pref
erence.
We have found it the case in every
community that frst-class vegeta bles
Of nearly every kind are always in fair
demand and at prices that pay a good
profit 10 the grower. Not reckoning the
fashionable world at all the average
family outside Of ii should almost be
able 70 live, so far as mere food is con-
cerned. off the products of one acre,
kept constantly cultivated and grow
ing one thing or another in reasona BILE
variety from January to December.
This has been a matter of practical
demonstration with US and embracing
a number of years.
Near the large cities and towns there
are thousands of single acres that pay
the cultivators several times 500 dol
lars and here in the South, poor as we
are, there are very many acres here
and there that net the cultivators
thereof more than 500 dollars. These
acres are devoted to such crops as cell
cry asparagus. cauliflower, cabbage.
strawberries. tomatoes. onions, plums,
pears, etc. Many OF them grow three
or four crops during the year. The
acre that pays 500 dollars must of
course be a rich acre. There are many
farmers in the South who have never
seen an acre of really rich land. There
are just as many who do not compre-
bend at all the capacity of such an
acre. An acre Of land that will pro-
duce a bale Of cotton is their idea of
rich soil. They are incredulous OF the
statement that the real capacity of a
rich acre is anywhere from four to ten
bales of cotton-using cotton as the
unit of comparison
T. c. Nye Of Laredo, Tex. this year
marketed 250 COO pounds of onions from
seven acres OF land-rich land, such as
we are now talking about. The onions
brought him cents per pound. alto
gether 5000. which was something
more than 800 per acre.
II one only has the mar
ket for any particular food
crop there is every inducement
10 have rich acre and then to add
as many more as possible
really rich acre of Bermuda grass
win easily make SIS to 800 worth OF
beef in on years time. OF course. il
requires time. some labor and money.
TO bring up an acre having the capacity
of bale or a half bale of cotton, up
TO the capacity of producing or 6
bales. Still. IL can be done in the course
Of few years. FIJI il TO the brim with
vegetable matter from peas. clover
yetch or beggar weed and stable ma
nure. and then one can well afford to
buy the necessary potash and phos-
phorous to i'll the measure of rich
less to oyerfiowing. What a delight 1t
is to cultivate rich land, There is
pleasure and hopefulness involved in
the blowing of it.: in putting the seed
into it: in the gathering of the crop
from Il. 1t is an investment equal to
the best. 1t is money in bank
1t should be every farmer and gar
dener's ambition TO so increase the
yearly capacity of his soil that in a
few years more he will have a brag
acre or two or more that will produce
for him what now requires from to
20 acres 10 produce.
II is quite practical to do this thing.
But TO do ii he must work the farm o.
garden on the same principle that the
merchant works his business-keeo
daily and everlastingly at it from early
morn TO deWy eve.