The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-08

clover before" You DO not tell me
what is now on the land. II YOU are
blowing the land for The clover il Will
be best tc spread the lime on the pillow
ed land and harrow il in. and then SOW
the clover Lime is used for sweeren-
lag the soil so that clover will thrive,
since the bacteria that live on clover
roots will not thrive in an acid soil.
But YOU say the land has grown clover.
If this is so. il would seem that il cam
not he very acid. Now, il YOU are SOW
inc the clover with the intention to
pillow = under for corn in the spring. I
would not the lime this fall but
would harrow il in after turning the
clover under for corn in the spring.
Then IL Will promote the decompos ition
and nitrincation OF the organic matter
and Will greatly help the corn crop.
always prefer to lime when turnins
under any organic matter rather than
to apply IL in the sowing or plantins, of
crop without this organic matter 1t
VIII then prevent all danger from the
rapid fermentation of the vegetable
material, and Will encourage the nitri-
Tying organisms Do not get the idea
that YOU using lime as n manure.
but use it because YOU find. that Your
land needs its swecteninE influence. as
II certainly will when YOU turn under
green vegetation. If YOU are putting
the clover in after corn. then disk the
land after cutting the corn and SOW
the clover, and if the soil is dry roll il
to press the seed into the soil and bet
ter insure termination.
Barren CornstnIks.
What is the cause OF barren stalks
OF corn-that is. stalks that grow finely
and make no ears? \ friend sent me
Two OF the largest ears Of corn ever
saw. had small piece OF ground
that had been used for hot beds. but
the water rising in the pits. hllcd
them and planted this corn there 1t
made wonderful growth in the rich
soil, and grew fifteen feet tall and never
made a SILK All were barren plants
Now, in all our fields there is serious
loss from these barren plants and if
We can get rid of them 1t will be in
Valuable. ! have read of pulling Oft
the tassels but that looks TO me like
closing the door after the horse has
been stolen Please tell MS how 70
prevent barren stalks"
In order to do anything towards the
hanishing Of barren Cornstalks il is
necessary TO understand the habit of
growth IN corn. Corn makes its flow
ers, as many other plants do. putting
the staminate or male flowers on one
part of the plant and the pistillate or
female howcrS, on another part. The
staminate flowers in corn are what We
call the tassel, and as the tasscl ripens
the fine, dust-likc grains of living mat
ter we call pollen are formed and these
particles are blown here and there by
the wind ana fall on the green EXPOSED
part OF the pistils, the silks. Now
every grain on an ear hahsits own pistil
or SIX. and II each pistil does not get
pollen. no grain is formed But nature
provides a wonderful abundance. in the
Colnncld, and the pollen from one plant
seldom falls on its own silks. but is
blown and crossed on those of other
plants. Now, plant appears that
makes no pistllate flowers, no silks or
ear but il has tasscl and ripcns an
abundance of pollen, and. of course.
tends 10 breed more plants that fail
TO make ears. OF course, If we let the
tassel remain till ripe ii would be like
closing the door after the horse is
gone But the time to remove the tas-
sci from the barren stalk is as soon as
II appears and before ii ripcns pollen
by DONG this year after year We can
eliminate The barren characteristic, for
know AT least ono farmer who has
done II. and after he has practiced it
Tor years / have gone through his
'c!d IN every direction and have failed
I" nnG plant without an ear. ana Vet
have examined field after field where
no attempt has been made 10 breed
out barren plants. and have never
found Il ncld whsre there was less than
10 per cent OF IL rren stalks. Now. if
the growth WAS Sufficient to make NIFTY
bushels of corn an acre and the barren
stalks cut off 10 per cent, farmer with
u thirty acre teld has lost $50 bushels
OF corn and the loss all over the coun-
friend, who has bred out the barren
stalks, has proved that they are a
matter OF heredits ! never heard Of
as bad case a that YOU mention. but
ala once iind tield that had growth
enough Tor nifty bushels an acre and
on passing through and counting the
barren stalks. row after row ana maxi
ing an average. estimated that fully
- per cent OF onc-fourth of the plants
We're barren, and corn taken from That
field pllnf.G
ierit this barrcnucsS. The only way
70 eliminate barren stalks is to prevent
any barren stalk from ripening pollen
Growing Pri1ctnkcr Onions.
Il sowed in late February seed Of
the Prizetaker onion. they came up
well Dut grew slowly. and hnally look
ed as though they were dying
pulled them the hrst of July Was
the sun too hot for them ana caused
the failure? The ground is in my
garden, and is We'll filled Win huinlis
have more seed and thought OF try
ing to grow some sets This ran When
should II be done" While we can
grow good ripe onions of the New
England varieties. like the Danvcrs
and southport Globe from sowing in
spring, ! have found that the Spanish
and italian sorts OF onions are better
treated IL a different way There are
TWO methods used IN the far south
and in the Pacinc Coast section thov
so" the SEED OF the rr!aetakcr III Sep
temper, and when the plants are as
stout lead pencil, transplant them
INTO rows sixteen iuches apart ana
TOUR inches in the rows, and they grow
Immense onions. have had specimens
81 these sent me from the Pccos valley
III New Mexico. and from the coast OF
Washington state that averaged over
pound each. have tried this sep
TENDER sowing hare but Win rather
poor success The best way to get
me big frizetaEer ana the Denia and
the lar%e Italian onions is 10 sow the
seed In a frame under glass sashcs i'm
late January. Then these Will be ready