The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., 1910-12-24


ofh7soh MASSEY early in the month, and there
vas nearly five inches of snow on unfrozen
ground. If | had had lettuce under cotton cloth,
would have been obliged to shake the snow on,
but the glass it was simply a blanket to keep
out cold. But at nightfall the temperature be-
gan to rise and the turned to rain, and the
next morning at daybreak the snow had disap-
peared.
learn that there has been great falling off
in the culture of winter lettuce in eastern North
Carolina Probably the great crop coming from
the open ground in the far South has made the
winter crop improbable. But still believe that
it will pay well to have lettuce ready for the
market in April and early May, when the far
South has stopped. At that time years ago when
[ shipping lettuce always found that the
hest prices prevailed and l once got IS cents
head for some lettuce shipped in late"April. the
highest price | ever received.
But by watching the markets one can general
ly find that is taking lettuce freely at good
prices. The last week in November 1 was among
the produce commission men In Baltimore, and |
found the market almost bare Of lettuce, and a
shipment there would have paid we'll while the
markets in New York and Boston were over sup
piled. This is where the organized produce
changes we have here come in. The exchange
on the Eastern Shore of Virginia spends during
the season about Sc. 900 in kilograms, and it pays
we'll to do it. as they always posted as to the
various markets and know where to send the
cars
The Biack-Seed Big Boston lettuce seems to be
a great Improvement on the old Big Boston This
variety grows far more compact and with smaller
spread of outside leaves than the old type, and
starts to turn in for heading as fast as it grows,
and, in fact, has central head when half grown.
In Georgia they made experiment in winter
ing cabbage plants The plants were set in a
tender state and a sudden freeze damaged them
BADLY and there was a heavy loss on both the
north and south sides of the ridges, but less on
the north than on the south side. The smallest
loss was where the plants set in an open
furrow Under normal conditions think that the
safest place for the plants is at the base of ridge
on the north side, but am going to try some il
an open furrow. If the furrow is made deep
and is partly filled with manure and a sligh
ridge placed this that the top of the
plants will be slightly under the surface, the!
will probably do well. But the difficulty viii
come think, in leveng the soil in spring.
In the vegetable garden the spinach is smalle
than usual owing to the very dry weather in tn
fall. Cured Scotch kale is fine, and we still
getting chard leaves for green's and they are bet
ter than spinach Then we have still the Japanes
and the Chinese radshes in the open grount
A correspondent asks if | have succeeded here
tofore in keeping dahlia roots as have described
have certainly found it the safest way Viii
IN eastern North Carolina and southwark dahlii
will generally winter safely where they gre,
the trouble is, that they will start too early ar
try to bloom in the hottest weather, and the doy
ers will not amount to much. l found this II
case in Raleigh. But if we have the roots burit
in a pit and covered below the influence of Il
early sum- can keep them back and retard Il
growing till late May, and then they will con
into bloom after the hottest weather is owe
Dahlias need great deal of moisture. and to