The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-07


If the growing of ginseng for the
Chinese market is so immensely pro-
fitable, why is it that the men who are
engaged in growing it are so anxious
to sell young roots and seed for plant
ing, to others? If the tales OF thou
sands of dollars per acre to be made IN
the cultivation and sale of the matur-
ed crop are true one would think that
those who have plantations would
keep mum, and try to keep other peo-
pie from reaping the great profits in
stead of selling their precious roots
and seeds to be planted elsewhere.
Hardly a day passes but some one
writes us "a letter asking about the
culture ginseng and whether it will
pay him to go into it. Many of these
live in sections where the climate is
entirely unsuted to the plant but
they have caught the fever from the
rosy tales in the papers, and want to
rush into an untried crop. The men
who always go wild over new crop
that is talked about are, as rule, the
ones who do not grow the ordinary
crops with the success that they
should, and they are the very men
who will not succeed with a crop
like ginseng that takes years of pa
tient cultivation, and perfect local
conditions to make a crop. To all in
quirers we say, go exceedingly slow
with ginseng. 1t is our deliberate
opinion that the men who are selling
seeds and roots will make more money
out of the plant than those who buy
from them.
Elberta, Etc.
The Georgia Elberta peaches are OH
the market and while it is one OF the
most snowy peaches and most Iroduc-
tive it is really of rather inferior
quality. The alberta is the Ben Davis
of the peach family, and it is to oe
hoped that the efforts of breeders 81
fruits will be directed towards getting
a peach as pretty and large and Of bet
ter quality than the liberia. But II
seems that nature puts bar TO lht
getting of every good quality III one
fruit. The Japan plums are large anu
snowy and immense bearers, ana fa)
more resistant to the curculo than
the European sorts, and while fairy
good they are greatly inferior II
quality to the DomeStica group. Nh"i
we increase the size of fruits the IN
crease is usually accompanied by
smaller number on the plant. Gut
Elberta peach and Ben Davis app,
are both of good size and yet heaV.
bearers. But when we come to our
garden vegetables the rule is very evil
dent. The Ponderosa and the Enor-
nous tomatoes give us a moderate
crop of immense tomatoes, while The
little pear-shaped and cherry tpE'atoes
will produce fifty to- one of the big
ones and are little affected by The
rot and other diseases that are so
troublesome with the big tomatoes.
Then we have varieties of tomatoes
that are of medium size and very ear
ly. They are productive, but seldom
so smooth and solid as the kids
larger and smaller than they are. 1t
is very evident then, that we are not
to look for perfection in amy product
we may grow. We way get a little
closer to our ideal in one respect and
at the same time seem to set further
away from it in some other character
istic. But the greatest pleasure IN
gardening is in trying to overcome
these difficulties and we get sorne re-
markedly good things if we never
reach perfection in all respects.
Growing Protein.
AS the readers of The Practical
Farmer we'll know, we have insisted
that dairyman> can grow his protein
in the shape of COW peas and otter
legumes more profitably than he IAN
buy it on the market in bran and 9TH
er feed. We are glad, therefore, to
call attention to Bulletin No. ia OF the
New Jersey Station, which gives the
result of their feeding tests with al
falfa, COW pea hay and soy bean silaSe
as substitutes for purchased feed. The
experiments showed:
1. cit is profitable for the dairym1n
to produce such crops as COW pea hay
alfalfa hay and soy bean silage, and to
utilize the main rations rather than to
depend entirely on purchased feeds to
supply the element protein. (a).
homegrown ration composed of II
pounds of COW pea hay and SO pounds
of corn silage, producing milk for 2O.7
cents less per hundred, and butter fol
3.7S cents less per pound than ration
IL which two-thirds of the protein was
supplied in the form of purchased
feeds. (b). When milk is selling for
81 per 100 pounds, the gain from feed
Ing the homegrown ration to thirty
COWS one month would amount to
1920 more than the feed ration. (c)
Cow pea hay was worth $11.75 per
ton when fine feeds were used in the
proportion, and selling at the prices
quoted in the experiments (nearly
uoubie). 8. A ration (Which can rea-
Oily be grown on most farms), COM
posed of SO pounds of soy bean Silage.
pounds of alfalfa hay and 6 pounds
of corn meal, produced more milk, and
at a cost of S5 cents less per 100.
pounds than a ration in which the
protein was largely supplied by wheat
bran, dried grains and cotton seed
meal. 4. (a). A ration supplying pro-
TEN in the form of cotton seed meal
produced milk for 11.9 cents less per
hundred, and butter for 3.3 cents per
pound less than when protein was
supplied in the form of wheat bran
and dried grains. OBJ. On the basis of
the results obtained, the gain from
feeding cotton seed meal in the place
of bran and grains would amount to
$42.60 for thirty-siX cows 60 days. Co.
Cotton seed meal is worth $42 a ton
when bran and grain can be purchas-
ed for $21 and $40 respectively"
l will be noted that the gain by
frn 40
month to 80 cows would be 1920
more than the purchased feed ration,
and that even with the cotton seed
meal it took sixty days to make the
difference of $42.60. Hence the differ
ence is largely in favor of the COW pea
hay, alfalfa hay or soy bean silage.
And yet there are dairymen all over
the land who are buying grain feed
when they could save money in
growing their protein We feel that
We cannot too often urge this fact
upon the attention of dairymen and
etd no Iarf