Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1910-04-21

tnem In oetter shape Tor afser cu'ti-
vstion for they are fat and should
be made wide so that you may cut
out wedding which Is an expensive
JOB. Mark OF rows with the cult
vator, then seed fertilizer u you put
it under plant; then take the back
shank OF and put in its place a
L inverted which should slant back
wards some, then set the two out
side hoes so they will make q hill
not less then q foot and wider the
better. Unless you check, marking
for hills is waste Of time for very
few will plant too close aud you can
not we'll plant too wide ordinarily.
II you do not plant within Q few
days, a week at longest, go over
your hills again which will keep
down the grass and help TO cut out
the wedding for with plants set In
fresh land you can get TO them with
your cultivstor with q very small
and very short hoe next TO plant be-
fore grass starts and With wide fat
hillsyoucansmother out all grass just
starting and the roots are not des-
surbed or dried out as with the plow
thrown up hills. The fiatter she
hill the less it dries out and the less
rain needed to make q season. You
may have to follow your nrst cult
vating in few days with another
land all the better for the plants) II
your team is fast or land packed and
crusty as you may not be able TO
get close enough the first time TO
cover close TO plant and between
hills. You can not always cut out
wedding by this method for many
rains close togethe prevents you
from getting the start ofthe grass so
then there Is nothing to do but weed.
You will find with very small and
short hoe next to plant you can start
your cultivstor as soon as the plants
stand up good for there is no risk
with the short hoe OF going down as
far as the roots and the plant is not
left on little ridge that soon dries
out. Ofcourse the up to-date farm
ers knowns that he should cultivate
as soon be dare do so to save the
moisture for the crop. How often
to cultivate is an open question
with many. but the writer has had no
regrets when be cultivated after
each rain. doing so even as often as
three times in one week but has
praise for that method for the re-
suits proved il right and no man
knows when the last rain is coming
and unless we save the moisture We
have, we suffer for want OF 10.
You might say so much working
OF the land adds to the cost l am
trying to tell you to cut out, but
such is not the case for without
moisture we can make no crop and
we can only retain what we get and
that by cultivation so you see that
is necessary work and | am trying
to show how TO cut out the unneces-
sary work. | believe that pulling
the suckers can often be left undone
by cutting when they are about four
inches long but the flower should
show well above the plant before
topping as the plant may not be suf-
fciently ripe otherwise.
Some go over their crop three
times, topping only the plants that
are showing the flower the first two
times and then they go over twice
and cut only the plants they topped
first. leaving the last TO make pounds
and ripen better so as to show
nicer color and secure more money
for the crop. 'Tis true that some
years the flies are so bad that you
cannot leave it for the third cutting
because il you do all the flies 60 on
what is left and damage 10 more than
it will gain.
find It well worth the extra cost,
IL any, to cut as the first plants top
ped ripen, for IL we cut all st one
time some are either too ripe or too
green and in either case do not cure
the best.
After experimenting. l find IL bet
ter and saving Of time TO put one
fourth to one-third more on the stick
than is usually done and then 70
place the sticks not less then IL
inches apart in tae barn which
leaves an abundance Of air space be-
tween sticks. and as we have 70
handle each stick seven times from
the spear 70 the stripper, with often
few more times thrown in, 10 is
quite q saving OF time TO be able TO
handle one-third 70 one fourth more
eacn time
Wnen the crop is housed only
about one third the work has been
done that is needed TO put IL on sale,
for with crop OF 10000 plants ID
will take one man abou, 60 days 10
strip it as str pp ng is ordinarily