The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-10

crop. However. $3.50 per acre may be real
lied from a crop of dwarf beans.
Sometimes it may become necessary to
use some additional fertilizer, or 1t may
not always be possible to secure enough
we'll rotted barnyard manure to meet the
demands Of the crop, and some CONNER
| cial fertilizer will be needed. Use from
| 800 to 1000 pounds per acre of the fol-
! lowing:
Nitrogen, 1 per cent; available phos-
phorlc acid, 7 per cent potash, per
cent
This mixture may be derived from the
following:
No. 100 to GO pounds nitrate of soda.
200 to 400 pounds dissolved bone, 700 to
40 pounds muriate of potash.
No. 2-6O to 100 pounds cotton seed meal.
1lo to $50 pounds acid phosphate, 700 to 40
pounds sulphatei of potash.
No. $50 to 100 pounds dried blood. 800
u 800 pounds bone meal, 70 to 40 pounds
sulphate of phosphate.
The formula given above applies to
beans for seed When beans are grown to
be eaten green. as for string beans, from
three to four times as much nitrogen
should be applied, as for example, the
! quantity of nitrate of soda should be
| increased to from 100 to 200 pounds per
acre, or from 200 to 400 pounds of cotton
seed meal per acre. This should be applied
! at ulllVItIl lluleS imam all at once,
one application being made Just before
planting and an additional application of
nitrogen In the form of cotton seed meal
or nitrate of soda may be applied after
wards to the growing crop and worked
/ into the soil. The extra application of nj
trogen will develop foliage and pods and
retard the rlpening of the seed, thus pro-
longing the growing or bearing period OF
the plants.
There are other varieties of beans which
may be made very profitable crops such
/ as pole beans, which belong perhaps more
to the local gardener than to the trucker
or shipper Then there Is the dwarf white
navy bean, which is very profitable and
crop that may be grown In nearly all
sections We also have the Lima bean in
both the bush or dwarf and the pole va
rleties both of which are very profitable.
AS | started out to treat of the varie-
ties best suited for the truck farmer,
| will not give further mention of the last
| named sorts, the common dwarf varieties
being the ones best suited for the wants
OF the truck farmer
Beets.
! While we have a great variety of beets
! only the early turnip varieties, which are
! best suited for the truck farmer, will be
mentioned here. The beet is very profit
able crop, and one that deserves a place
! In the list of crops for truck farming The
best soil for beets is a rich, sandy loan,
although fine crops are produced ON many
OF our clap soils. Where clay soils have to
| be used, these should be well supplied
with humus, decayed vegetable matter
SO as to aerate, Tighten or open up the
soil. Like other vegetable crops, soils for
beets should be well drained The beet
like all other root crops, requires pot
ash, and II the soil is deficient In this It
Should be supplied from some source
From fhrpa IN IF
stable manure or compost, with from 90
/ to 100 pounds of muriate of potash, ap-
piled per acre would give excellent re-
suits. The beet for market should he
planted very early on well enriched soil
The cheapest plan for the truck farmer
to grow beets Will be to mark off the
rows thirty inches wide, so that he can
use the horse hoes for cultivation. After
the rows are marked off. furrow out with
a good single shovel plow, then with a
small diamond pillow throw two burrows
back into the one; this leaves a bed or
ridge which should be smoOthed off with a
hand rake and the seed bed left only
few inches above the common level The
seed should be sown with a good hand
seed drill at the rate of seven pounds
per acre. AS soon as the plants are we'll
up. the work of cultivation and thinning
out should commence and at the last
working the plants should be left three
or TOUR incheS apart In the row.
These early beets are quickly grown.
and are usually pulled and tied in
punches for the market. The profits of
the crop like all crops, vary, though
good crop of early beets should bring as
much as $3.50 per acre. Among the many
good varieties of the early turnip beets
there are none better than the Detroit
Dark Red, Early Eclipse and Edmand's
Early. These will supply every demand
for good early beets.
Carrots.
Carrots may be grown In exactly the
same manner as beets, on exactly the
same kind of soil, and like the beet is
a valuable crop for the truck farmer
These, too. are usually prepared for mar
ket by tying in punches. The carrot Is
not In as general use as 1t deserves to
be. yet 1t is continually growing in favor.
The carrot is rather a slow or delicate
growing plant. SO that the cultivation
should commence as soon as the plants
are up and the rows can be distinguished.
Like the beet. the seed should be sown
early on finely prepared seed beds at the
rate Of three pounds per acre. The best
variety to grow for early market is the
Chantenay. The Danvers and OK Heart
are also very fine sorts.