The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-22
AGRICULTURAL
cUcUM6ERs.
Continued from last week

becomes warm and settled
Soils best adapted for the cucumber are
deep, rich, sandy loans. Where heavy
clay soils have to be used, such soils
should be well provided with humus, so
as to make the soil as light as possible.
For bringing out the best quality in the
cucumber, they should be grown fast ana
pushed ahead right from the time the
plants start growth until the fruit IS
ready for market. The soil should be
well cultivated until time for planting
the crop. There are several methods for
tenn of growing eucumbers belongs more
to the gardener than to the truck farm
er, SO this method will not be explained
here. l will take up the out door Gull
ture.
After the soil has been deeply plowed,
fortified and made fine by the harrow.
the field may be laid out in rows six BY
six feet. At the crossings of the fur
rows hills should be made just few
inches above the level of the surface
so that the water will run off. Make the
hills of very fine pulverized soil, then
plant the seed, about twenty seed TO the
hill. As soon as the plants are up COM
mence to hoe around them, but never
work about the plants when the soil or
the plants are wet. Vine crops should
never be worked in the morning when
there is dew on them. The cultivation
should be kept up regularly as needed
until the vines have covered the ground,
after which they will take care of them
selves.
The gathering Of the crop is pleasant
job. If in gathering the vines are run
over and trodden down, they will soon
cease bearing and what fruit they do
bear will be ill-shaped and unmerehant-
able. The fruit should always be cut and
not pulled off, and the fruit should DO
handled carefully after it is gathered
Another good plan for growing cucum-
bers is to furrow out the rows six feet
apart and throw two burrows together
over this one furrow, which makes a
ridge, Smooth this off with hand rake
and plant the seeds in a drill. They may
be planted with a seeder or by hand.
Cover the seed the same as if planted in
q hill, about a half inch deep. AS soon
as the plants are up begin to cultivate
and when danger from the little striped
cucumber bug is passed, thin out, leav-
ing one plant every twelve inches. |
prefer this plan for growing vine crops
to the hill system and find it more profit
table. However, the work of cultivation
with either system can nearly all be per-
formed with the horse hoe.
The best fertilizer for cucumbers, as
well as for all vine crops, is well rotted
stable manure applied broadcast to the
soil and worked in. There may not al
ways be enough compost on hand to meet
the demand of the soil, so that some
commercial fertilizer may be needed.
will give in this connection several for
mulas that will answer for most soils.
However, the more humus we have in
the soil, the better will be the results
obtained from the use of these other
fertilizers.
Use per acre from 1000 to 1000 pounds
of fertilizer containing the following:
Nitrogen, per cent; available phosphoric
acid, per cent; potash, per cent. This
may be obtained from either of the fol-
lowing mixtures:
No. 1.-250 to 800 pounds nitrate of
soda; 500 to 1000 pounds dissolved bone;
1870 to $50 pounds muir ate of potash
No. 800 to 1900 pounds cotton seed
meal $50 to 900 pounds acid phosphate;
$50 to $50 pounds muriate of potash.
No. 900 to 800 pounds dried blood;
700 to 400 pounds m9riate of potash;
1870 to 800 pounds sulphate of potash.
The same fertilizers recommended here
for cucumbers will answer equally as
we'll for watermelons, cantaloupes and
all vine crops.
Plants Should be Watched.
Often the vines voting plants are at
| tackled by the small striped cucumber
bug and unless close watch is kept over
the plants they soon devour the whole
| field. The best plan for driving them
away is to use equal pats of air Stacked
lime and slug shot. Slug shot is pat
ent insectcde and is s{ld by nearly all
our seed dealers. The klug shot has an
| adhesive quality about It that makes 1t
stick on the plants; likel the lime 1t is a
good fertilizer. To evert five pounds of
this mixture 1t is a goodlplan to add one
| pound Of fine tobacco lust. Mix we'll
and apply early in the morning while
the plants are wet with flew. Dust this
mixture all over and around the plants
and in a few days hbe around the
plants, working all the mixture that may
be left on the soil. One pr two applca-
lions per week will usually answer. These
pests only stay few days but they are
very quick to get in thdr work. FIRE.
quently we may have q fine crop of
plants one day and by evening of the
next day not a plant may be left the
bugs having come In grett numbers In
the night and by noon have destroyed
the whole crop, so that it lis very essen
tial that the grower should always be
on the defensive and should provide
himself with good supply of this in
secicide and be ready to commence the
fight the very minute thelbugs appear.
| always keep barrel of this mixture
ready at hand and often commence to
dust It over and around myplants before
the bugs make their appearance. for VIC
may rest assured that thdy will be on
hand In due time and in great numbers.
Regular cultivation will always assist
in saving the crops FROM insect raw
ages
Where soils have been PREPARED as they
should be before planting, pnly shallow
cultivation will be needed for fucumbers or
other vine crops. There are great many
varieties OF cucumbers to sePct from. A
good strait Of the long whit spine Is to
be preferred. In find In theIExtra Long
or Evergreen white spine the best size
and shape, in fact. the most Uniform and
the most profitable of any Variety that
have ever grown. This vatiety Is not
only the best to grow for learly ship
ment but Is also one of the best sorts
to grow for fine pickles.
As to the profits of a gdpd crop of
cucumbers. the average Is $40 per acre
or a net profit of $3.50 per act with the
land left for growing a cropI of turnips
or pea vine hay.
Cantaloupes.
What has been said for the trowing of
cueumbers will answer in ev4y respec.
for the growing Of cantalotpes. The
same method Of planting and tnltivatlng
as recommended for the cucumber, VIII
meet the demands Of the cantabupe.
The cantaloupe is tender annual, so
should not be planted until thf weather
becomes warm. The growing Of the cam
taloupe for market has becomt a great
industry in many sections OF fur coun-
try and in some places, as Roxy Ford.
Col, il has become the main ctp grown
for shipment. This fact, taken4 together
with the high quality and fine navor 4
the Rocky Ford grown cantaldipe, has
given all cantaloupes the name If Rocky
Ford However this is n1iStaA, as the