The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-19


ing new root hbres. and will be
ready for the swelling OF the BUDS
in spring. Then. too. plant only one
cos, less freight. and being mere
switches with live buds throughout
you can cut them back and start the
head low down. where It should DO
TO make the low-headed trees that are
needed in these spraying days. /
never plant any fruit trees more than
year old. for II left In the nursery
longer they Will have started n head
too high above ground. and sou can
not cut them back. More Of this
later on.
Poultry Keeping.
There is no doubt that poultry. az
part OF the farm stock when properly
ma naSed can be made n considerable
source OF profit. But nil over the coun-
try around the larger cities one can
see the wrecks OF poultry enterprises
where incHrcpienced men from the city
after figuring out on paper tho won
dorful profit from chickens. have found
that the! did not pan out as busi
ness
There are fcw men who can make
success with poultry as their sole
bnstn SIS, and these are usually those
who have made a reputation as breed
ers OF fancy fowls, and get hlg prices
for them. As a rule. do no, think
that any one can profitabIy make
poultry raising his sole occupation
where he buys the feed and depends
on The general market for the sale
OF fowls and eggs But there are peo-
pie who are engaged the greater part
OF their time, who can make the
chickens source OF profit as side
issue on n small scale
TO all such queries I reply that a
soil that was originally fertile has
never gotten poor and unproduct!ve
all at once. II took long years o,
Tohoing 1t TO bring 1t into such de-
pleted state that It brings crop OF
corn that hardly feeds the mule that
scratched the land for It. And Il is
not going 10 get rich all at once by
piling fertilizer on it,
There Is an old Latin proverb. Memo
repente turpissime fuIt." which means
mat no man ever became suddenly vile.
me down-hill course Is n gradual one
and. as with man. so the down-hill
course Of the land is slow one. and
It's upbuildng will be slow The man
may suddenly turn about and reform
but the run down land must go through
a course TO restore what has been vast
ed and the fertilizer will not FUR
nish this
nature Will not let us completely
wear out the soil She locks I'm what
Is left. and. while a chemical ANALYST.
OF an unproductive soil may show that
~ sun possesses quite n store OF nlant
1000 IL has become locked up both by
me mechanical condition into which
the soil has gotten and tho .nsol,hle
mere being nothing left to act upon.
mis- insoluhle food and bring Il into
use for plants
little soluble plant food in the
shape of commercial fertilizer will. as
nave said. temporarily enable plants
TO grow. and will have some effect in
releasing some of that left in the soil,
and to sim further run IT down. and
the farmer comes to the conclusion
that the fertilizers are only stimulants
and as no uses them, they do act in
that way
| was at n farmers institute years
ago. where the State chemist told the
farmers that commercial fertilizers
are not intended for the permanent
Improvement OF the soil. but for get
ting increased crops temporarily.
| told him that tho farmers of Tho
south had been acting on that idea
Tor generation when, in fact, the
real use of commercial fertilizers TO
"a wise farmer Is to enable him the
permanent increase OF productivcness
of his land through n proper rota-
tion, the growing Of legume forage
crops and their feeding on the farm.
The Southern farmers have been en-
richine the fertilizer manufacturers.
while they and their lands have grown
poor, with the idea that the only use
for fertilizer is simply to get more
crop to SELL
What is the great lack of our
Southern soils? 1t is humus. or vege-
table decay. Our upland soils never
had tho same amount OF this as those |
IN the North. In the open woodlands
the winds blow the dry leaves into |
the hollows and lowlands. while in the |
North the snow packs them down to |
decay. and the accumulation of humus |
Is greater. The greatest need then in
the Improvement Of our old cultivated |
soils is to restore the humus they had
as virgin soils, and to increase and
maintain 1t. Very heavy use Of COM |
merCial fertiIfZprQ