Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-05-05
OUR FARMERS.
Condensed Items of Interest to
Our Land TilIerS.

Our Land TillerS.
An S7,00O-acre farm is one of the
big things of big America. In fact,
it is the largest farm in the world.
Stretching along the southern border
of Kansas, near Winfield, and ex-
tending across the line into Oklaho.
ma, more than one hundred and City
miles of fencing are required to sur
round its fertile acres. Nearly five
hundred farm hands are required to
till the $4,000 acres under cultiva.
ton. Fifty cowboys look after the
$4,000 cattle and 5000 hogs that
roam it's rs, 900 acres of pasture land.
There are 800 work horses, 500 mules
and an immense Tot of farming ma
chinery on the place. It's largest cul-
tivated field contains 1000 acres. A
telephone system connects all parts
of the farm. Operating expenses
exceed 100000 annually. aud a
rental of $4,000 is paid for part of
the tract. Net profits of over $780,
600 are banked each year. In addi-
tion 20 its other features, the farm
contains the largest and finest herd
of full-blooded buffalo in existence.
Several bulletins have recently
been issued by the Experiment Sta
tion and will be distributed free of
cost to all farmers in the State who
apply for them. One of these bull
letins deals with "Apple Production
in Virginia" The center of the ap-
pie industry is in the Valley, next
comes Piedmont and then middle
Virginia. The smallest number of
apples are naturally produced in the
'Tidewater region. The report shows
that the apple crop of 1908 amounted
to 327,4SS barrels, of which the
Valley furnished 2eO,597 barrels.
Another publication treats of sex
periments with Caustic Soda and
Some Patent Washes Against the
San Jose Scale" This is very i'm
portant publication because it shows
how the most dreaded pest Of the
orchardist may be successfully held
in check. 1t is interesting to know
that the lime-sulphur wash proved
more effective than any of the So
called patent washes, and it can be
manufactured at home at a much
smaller cost than any Of the others.
HOW TO INCREASE CORN CROP.
Fredericksburg Free Lance.)
There is no more important crop
to the farmer than the corn crop. As
a money crop it is not considered
profitable, but for the purpose of
feeding work animals, and when con-
verted into beef and pork, it is the
most important and most essential
crop the farmer can raise. The idea
is not to cultivate a large area of
ground and secure q small average
yield per acre, but to get from every
acre cultivated the largest possible
yield of which that acre is capable.
In this connection it seems that few
farmers realize the importance of
planting the best seed. The Mary.
land Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton has formulated an Interesting
plan for teaching farmers of that
State not only the Importance of
selecting good seed, but how to do it.
A special train has been placed at
the disposal of lecturers, who will be
sent out by the experiment station,
by the Maryland aud Pennsylvania
Railroad and frequent stops will be
made, all along the route, of from
so to 45,minutes, where the farmers
are expected to meet the lecturers.
1t is claimed that the increase in
yield of corn, if the advice as to
selecting seed corn is generally fol.
lowed in the State, will reach from
ten to twenty bushels per acre, with.
out any change in the manner of
cultivation or fertilization.
1t is claimed that similar lectures
to those Maryland proposes to con-
duct, held in Iowa last year, increased
the yield of corn in that State, where
there was no increase in the acreage,
"a, 100000 bushels. Like expert.
ments in the great corn States of
the Middle West have been equally
successful. Our neighbor across the
Potomac is always in the front rank
in agricultural advancement, and we
recommend some such plan to the
Agricultural Department of Virginia.
Surely knowledge, which is worth 50
much to the farming interests, should
be generally disseminated, especially
where the cost is so trivial.
SOME FACTS ABOUT LIME.
Lime has a great affinity for water.
A bushel Of unslaked lime in-
creases by one-half when thoroughly
slaked. Lime should therefore be
purchased in the caustic form for
there is no use paying freight on
water. Air slaked lime is not active,
and of little use except on soils def
cient in this element. Caustic or
biting lime is very active, binding
the fine particles of clay soils together
and making them porous and break
ing down vegetable matter. CaustC
lime tends to form hardpan in sandy
soils and so prevents teaching, and il
sets free potash and other elements
in the.soil which are held in un-
available forms, and therefore not
useful as plant food. Lime correcls
acidity and renders possible the
growth of certain crops and enables
many useful forms of bacteria to
perform their functions.
Lime is not fertilizer AZ many
suppose. but rather a corrective Of
certain undesirable conditions in the
soil and plant stimulant. Applied
In moderate amounts, at the rate Of
from 90 to so bushels per acre once
in 8 to 5 years, it will prove useful
on most of our farms. Place the
| lima 10 kaano of A or x huahalo al