Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-03-24
in the fall, which is the best time,
should be got in this month.

peas and Virginia gray winter oats
in the Tidewater and eastern section
of this State. Sow Rust proof or the
Burt Ninety Day oat. Whilst we
have never been in favor of sowing
spring oats in the South, as they
rarely make profitable crop, yet it
is sometimes almost necessity to
plant them in order to occupy land
not fitted for other crops or for
which time cannot be found to be in
season with some other crop.
A safe plan for keeping eggs twelve
months is to put them when fresh
laid in a solution of Water glass
(Silicate of soda) You can buy the
Water glass at drug stores.
For Irish potatoes and other quick
growing crops some nitrate of soda
may be used at planting, but we
would reserve the larger part for top
dressing after the growth has fairly
started.
Plant now field in artichokes for
winter feed for the hogs. This crop
should be planted in rows three feet
apart, and about twenty inches or
two feet apart in the rows. The
subers may be cut like Irish potatoes,
if large. About five bushels should
plant an acre. They will usually
make fair crop on land only
moderately fertile, but on good land
will make yield up to GOD bushels
to the acre. They make excellent
hog feed during the winter-the
hogs harvesting them for themselves.
It is we'll, however, always to dig a
few hundred bushels and put them
in pile or heap covered with straw
or soil to feed to the hogs when the
ground is too hard frozen for them
to root them out. They may also be
fed to cattle with advantage.
The question of soil inoculation
for the production of various le-
guminous crops is now prominently
before the public. Realizing the
importance of this subject to Vir-
ginia farmers, the Virginia Exper-
iment Station, Blacksburg, Va
has undertaken the preparation of
inoculating material for alfalfa,
vetches, cowpeas and soya (soja)
beans. They are ready for distri-
button in ample time for inoculat-
ing soil for any of the above crops
this spring. Enough of the particu-
lar bacteria applied for to iuoculate
five acres of land will be sent to any
farmer residing in the State on the
following conditions: Twenty. five
cents will be charged for sufficient
material to inoculate one acre of land.
This charge is not made for the SER
vice of our bacteriologist, but simply
to cover the cost Of a container for
the solution that can be transmitted
with safety through the mails, and
also to pay postage. All the labor
of inoculating and preparing these
cultures for distribution in the State
is being borne by the Station. When
the packages are sent out they
will contain printed directions as to
how to use the bacteria most effec-
lively. A blank will also be enclosed
and it is expected that every farmer
receiving package will report at the
end of the growing season to the
Station authorities on the results of
his work. This information ia de-
sired in order that the effectiveness
of soil incubation for the crops
mentioned may be definitely ascer-
tanned. The value of incubation
becomes apparent when it is stated
that farmers can often secure good
stands of alfalfa and are able to grow
the crop fairly well for one or two
years, after which it sickens and
dies. 1t seems as a rule that when
these results follow no nodules have
formed on the roots of the plants,
and as the bacteria which give the
plant its power of assimilating at
mospheric nitrogen reside in these
nodules, the cause of death is appar-
ent. The great value of leguminous
crops lies in their power to gather
atmospheric nitrogen and store it in
the soil through the action of the
bacteria just described. Therefore,
the Importance of incubation be-
comes apparent, for atmospheric
nitrogen can be stored in the soil at
very low cost to the farmer, whereas
he has to pay at least 10 cents a
pound for it in a commercial form.
| RATIONS FOR HENS.
Rrom Southern Planter.)
AT this time we are feeding about
10 pounds good clean oats in the
morning, Is to 20 pounds dry bran
and shipstuff, equal parts 60 to 10
pounds each), made into dry mash,
with about s quarts sweet skinned
milk, at noon, and to 8 quarts
shelled corn at night. Great care is
taken to feed only sweet, clean food.
Meat scrap and bone is fed every
j other dax Thia is q A-u ;