The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-09

Farm Work for the First Half of July At this season of the year the rou' tine of cultivation that the farmer II so pressing in its demands that tnt farmer Is little inclined to look about for work other than cultivation. fe' there is need that some other work De done now, or that it be left undone for this entire season. The purpose of this article is to suggest a, few of these It. tie jobs that may easily be forgotten and which must be attended to at once if at all.
 If the seed of Spanish peanuts are on hand they should be put into the ground at once. for there is a chance to make a moderate crop from planting this variety in the southern half of the State even as late as the first week in July. It is especially important for the farmer who raises much pork to make a late planting In order that he may have q succession of peanuts for his hogs to run on late into the fall, al which time the earlier planted Span ish peanuts may have sprouted in the ground and wasted.
 Soy beans. too, may be planted early in July, though earlier planting is far preferable. the stand usually being poor when the seed are put into the ground as late as July l. Nevertheless. while write we still are planting soy beans on the Experiment Station Farm. Our earlier plantings average foot high. and will doubtless afford much larger yields, as In past years.
 Tn communities in South Alabama where little or,no cotton Is grown. and hence where beggarweed will not be feared as possible weed. seed If this legumfnous plant can be sown during the first half of July. All varieties of cowpeas car be planted for hay up to the middle of July, the late planting affording a crop thu. tangles less abd yields less forage than from recd put into the ground in Jana. Most Xarie- t.es will matus. a crop of pods even wien planted IS late az ihe date lust isGntioned, excepting the Unknown an l other late varieties m tho northern part of the State and on prairio land. We may continue throughout the month to plant the early varieties, such as New Era and Californil or Six Weeks. but these dwarf varieties be- come too diminutive when planted very late. In planting cowpeas alone 1t will ordinarily be profitable to use several hundred pounds per acre of acid phos- phate in regions where commercial fer tilizer is regarded as a necessity in cotton culture. Otherwise the cowpea does only half work in producing for age, seed or fertilizer. It Is as eco- nomical to withhold phosphate from cowpeas as to forbid a hired wood chopper taking time to keep his ax ground sharp. In either case some work will be done. perhaps half what could be done.
 We are still planting sorghum. both drilled and broadcast. This could be continued, especially on rich land, ur- middle nf he har ing that sorghum planted late usually gives but one cutting. The .ater the planting the stronger the argument for planting sorghum in drills and culti- vating 1t, except on very rich. moist land.
 My experience and observation on late planting of corn leads me to be- lieve that in the majority of cases bet ter use would be made of the land if 1t should be devoted to cowpeas or sor- Ehum. Worms in the tassel shoot. worms in the ear, and a superabund- ance of smut. are among the many diff faculties with which late corn must come in contact.
 By this time weeds have overgrown that part of the garden on which spring vegetables grew. A summer and fall garden Is worth much more than its cost and there is yet time for the planting of okra, butterbeans, corn for late roasting ears. and for the during wet spells of col- lards, tomato plants, or eighteen-inch from the old tomato plants A late fall crop of tomatoes is enc of the best and most easily attained Luxury of the garden. This Is but beginaing of the list of the work that is now oppcr- tune in the garden. As soon as possi- bIe the weeds should be plowed under that they may rot before the middle or latter part of July when the season for the sowing of rutabagas will be at hand How shall time be made for all this? By providing broodmares as ad- ditions to the usual team force, and a little later by substituting this ''pid- ding" work for fodder pulling.
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