The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-23
GETTING READY
FOR SPRING
PREPARING LANDS TO PLANT.
ENGLISH PEAS HAVE ALREADY
BEEN SET OUT ON ONE FARM.

Fertilf1iuE Lands and VIII Begin to
Plant Hardy Vegetables Latter
Part of This MOnth-Strawberry
Plants Large, but no Evidences
as Yet of Any B1ossOms-COId
weather Has Not Injured Plants
That Were Already Out-Farmers
Anxious for an Early Yield in
Order 10 Replant Ground with
COttOn-Ccreals in Good Condition
and UninJured by Cold weather.
Active preparations are going on
among the truck farmers for the early
spring planting, and in some cases
planting has actually begun. The ma
Jority of the truck men, however, are
simply making the preliminary prepa-
rations, fertilizing the ground plough
ing and arranging beds for vegeta bles.
The winter has been universally re-
garded by all farmers as an unusually
cold one, and the plants which were
set out in the fall were for time en-
tirely despaired of. All indications
now however, point to a successful
crop, though it will probably be later
than usual. OF the cereals which were
put in in the fall there is little dan
ger but that they will survive the
cold. They have not yet reached any
considerable hight, and this fact is
what has saved them.
Grain Not Hurt.
Until the wheat and oats reach a
hight that exposes a joint above the
ground they can stand great cold, and
even a fairly hard freeze. AS soon
as joint is exposed however, a freeze
Injuries the grain, even if it is not of
sufficient strength to kill it. At pres
ent the grain is only a short distance
above the ground and lying we'll down
to protect the tenderer parts, which
have not yet appeared. If there is a
continued time of warm weather and
bright, sunshiny days, the farmers are
conhdent that the grain will shoot up
to a good strength and that there will
be a good harvest.
Little dependence is placed in wheat
and oats in Chatham county, and only
small quantities are raised Especial
ly is this so in the case of wheat, and
there is not very much attention paid
to oats raising. The general desire
seems to be to raise just enough to
furnish the stock with green fodder
and to raise sufficient quantities to
enter into extensive selling. For this
reason the majority of the truck farm
ers are caring little regarding their
cereals, and will loose little, even if
the entire harvest should be a failure.
Berries and Vegetables.
The greatest interest just at present
is being paid to the strawberry yield
The plants OF this luscious fruit are
showing up we'll in regard to size,
though there is little evidence of any
growth. The continued cold weather
has shut off the plants from blossom
ing, though the truckers who have had
the most experience in raising the
fruit do not seem to think that they
have been injured.
One prominent truck farmer stated
yesterday that he had planted only
5000 plants this year, and that he had
done this much more as an expert
ment, and for the use of his family
than for any other. He reports that
his plants appear we'll and hearty and
uninjured by the cold, but that they
did not appear to be growing. This
will probably be remedied by a few
weeks of continuous warm weather
and bright sunshine.
1t is still a little early for the plants
to blossom. and the fact that no bios
SONS have yet been reported is not
taken as a bad sign. The berries are
rot due for a month or more yet. and
unless there should be sudden
change to cold weather again the yield
will probably be as large as usual.
The harder plants which have been
out for some time are not injured,
and are being constantly put on the
market. The cabbage leaves have been
nirped by the frost but the heart is
uninjured. and the vegetable is in as
good condition for table use as though
it had not experienced the frosts and
freezings.
Preparing for Spring Planting.
On ali the truck farms near the city
rapid preparations are going on for the
spring planting, and on Monday the
work of planting on the farm of Mr..
w. H. Exley began. A force of men
were put to work setting out the Eng
lish peas. The English pea is one OF
the plants classed as semi-hardy, and
hence is among the first which are
set out, owing to the fact that 1t can
stand an unexpected spell of cold
weather fairly we'll and with little dam
ger of being killed.
Toward the close of the month the
potatoes will be planted and other
protected from cold by the ground The
other vegetables will not be set out un-
til the middle of February or the first
of March and the most delicate not UNI
til late in March. The latter class, be-
ing very susceptible to cold, are never
planted until there is little likelihood
of a return of frost and freezing wealth
er.
Getting Ground Ready.
The principal work now going on is
that OF fertilizing and preparing the
ground for spring planting. All man
ner of fertilizer, both chemical and
vegetable. is being scattered over the
ground to enrich the soil and thus hur-
ry the yield and at the same time make
the vegetables of a better quality
Especial attention is being paid to the
vegetable fertilizer, as this is consid-
cred one of the best for Chatham coun-
ty soil. Many farmers who do not
have access to vegetable-fertilizer
which those living in and near the city
have, are covering their lands with
leaves gathered in the woods and with
the moss which grows about ponds and
swampy sections near their farms.
Many farmers are anxious to have an
early yield this year i'm order that the
ground may be cleared for late cotton
next year. Mr.. M. l.. Exley last year
experimental with cotton raising and
found that cotton could be raised from
soil which had already yielded vege-
table and truck harvest.
This cotton was all sold before the
high prices now prevailing had been
reached, and yet the price received was
sufficient to indicate that late crop
will pay well. Many truckers will fol-