The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-27
Agricultural Department,
CONDUCTED BY FULTON s. WHITE.
seasonabIe Hlrts.

SedSonaDIe F1lELs.
 This is the season of the year wher
 farmers are most crowded with work or
 the farms. This is especially so this sea
 son. owing to the long continued rains
 which have lasted in many sections iron
 early winter until well into the summer
 These rains have greatly hindered al
 farm operations and so have made th'
 farm work, as we'll as all crops, very late But ordinarily the farm work comes II
 a rush in June
 When all crops need work the blows
 must be kept going early and late. The
 cotton needs chopping to a standi the
 weeds and grass are coming fast and the
 whole order of things on the farm IS push and rush, for If the victory Is won 1t has
 to be done now If such crops as corn and cotton are not kept well titled through June there is but little hope for success. But there are yet many other things pressing. The harvest is on and the grain must be cut just at the proper time, and then the hay crop Is ready, too. for mar vest, and the early potatoes are to be dug and marketed as well as the other early vegetables and fruits, and the land where these are grown should be cleared. - once. Then there are the berry fields that need to have all the weeds moved and the soil between the rows mulched, and then there are weeds growing up in every place where one Is not constantly cultivating. in the yards along the fence rows and along the drives. These all need looking after. as well as hundred other things on the farm. all of which tax the farmer s energies at this season.
 But one of the bigsquestions this season
 with the farmers Is. to get their crops planted or to get ali, their lands planted to crops of some kind before the season has passed. This season seed time has l lapped away over into harvest time and there is now all over the country hundreds
 of acres of fine land not yet-in the mid | dle of June planted to crops of any
 Kind. Much of this land is yet too wet to get on for blowing, and so if any crops are grown upon it all they will necessarily l be late and much will depend upon the
 weather and a favorable late fall One of l the greatest disadvantages Is that 1t is
 now so late and has rained so long and
 much that the soil will bake bad and | fast as soon as the rains cease; and this
 only increases the labors of the farmers. for if this now vacant land is used at all 1 1t will have to be broken and kept har-
 rowed right up with the blow, before il has time to run together and become so hard and cloddy that it will not produce crop. These are all problems for the farmer to decide, and 1t is big question to know how to manage so as to save the crops which have already been planted and at the same time to try to get in other crops In many sections .ne crops are getting so foul that the farmer can hardly let up cultivation for the prepara- ton of other land yet the feed problem is such that every acre of land should be used in producing some kind of feed crops, so as to reduce as far as possible the feed bill for next winter, for the indica- | tions now are that feed of all kinds will be high next winter.
 l All these demands upon the farmer s strength turns to the question of help, for | in many cases if the farmer was only able
 to pick mp a few good men and rush mat | ters for a few weeks of good weather, he might not only get his crops clean and in | fine condition, but might also get good part of the implanted land. But where is
 the help to come from? The cry for help we now hear in all parts of the country and there is none to be had. What has | become of all the farm help? Have they all left the farms for the towns and for the public works? This seems to be the case, for we see crowds in all the towns all through the country; but whether they all have employment or not is the ques- ton. But at any rate they all seem to be independent and do not seem to be seek ing employment
 To overcome this as far as possible the
 farmer vii be compelled to do more of his wsrk by the use of improved farm machinery than he has been doing. He must use more brain power instead of depending altogether on so much muscle. | h. A- + 4, think more, and shape his farm opera tions so as to get the most he can out of the means he has at hand.
 But as stated, the farmers are harder pressed this season with all these perplex- ing problems than ever before and now the question of what to plant is stAl an- other problem. Yet there are many crops which may yet be made provided the soil is properly prepared anN these crops planted right away, as soon as they can | be got in the ground The question of seed may also greatly delay the planting, for 1t seems that seed for many crops is also becoming scarce. Now 1 will men,
 ton a few crops, al of which may yet be planted with a reasonable chance for their yielding or maturing in ample time. Potatoes.
 | Good crops of both sweet and Irish po- tatoes can yet be produced and both should be planted largely and got in as soon as the soil can be prepared For the Irish potato crop I think 1t best to use old stock for seed. provided that good sound. unsprouted stock can be secured. I think 1t too early to secure or to risk the plant Ing of new potatoes for seed. Irish po- tatoes, both old and new, are bringing good prices everywhere, and they will keep mp. so that 1t will pay we'll to plant largely, and every bushe of good sound old stock should be saved or planted
 In the matter of sweet potatoes, these too, will bring a good price and are al- ways worth their growing, even for feed purposes. l have seen in my recent trav- els many thousands of sweet potato plants, all of which should be set. These can be safely set as late as the middle One of our associations who planted 400 acres of sweet potatoes for market re- ports clear loss of 200 acres by wash outs, and the damage to this as well as all other crops. is general. So I would ad- wise the planting of every plant that can be secured, and plantings may also be made largely from cuttings.
 Tomatoes.
 Every tomato plant that can be found should be planted for there is going to be, as has been for several years. a great shortage in this cr6p There are thou sands of good tomato plants all through the country, and they should all be set. The common idea that it is too late to set tomato plants is a mistaken one, for with anything like favorable weather they will rraa lra fair