The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-11

DARK IN COiDE, Dut al LOT harlow ing ~
seems 10 1ulverize finely. The cotton has
been we'll drained What would
be the mos, profitable crop on this
land TO prepare It FOR SOWING to grass
In the fall? II was plowed abou:
seven years ago. and sown in timothy
and -ed top, but was not then drained,
and ,ac crops failed TO great extent.
IT has been used pasture ever
since.
would drill cowpeas on that land
o. an early variety like tie whippo"
Will and YOU can cut One crop OF
hay, ans, cure Il IS ! havc described
heretofore. Tren prcp0G. thr stub5lc
we'll and seed again 10 timothy and
red top, using plenty of seed, say
twelve pounds OF timothy and five
pounds OF red top an acre That land
will probably have a good supply OF
organic nitrogen. but it Will be great
~ helped and the grass improved by
narrowing in. in the preparation OF
the land 500 pounds of acid phosphate
and twenty five pounds OF muriate or
potash an acre. After sowing the
grass Seed in September or October.
SOW eight pounds an acre OF alsike
clover seed This clover Is very hardy,
and Is best sovn in the fall and IT
will grow we'll on land too low for
other clovers.
tIuc-CuriuE IObHcCO.
Il notice in local paper that some
one advocates the use OF coal in
furnace In tobacco barn instead Of
wood What is Your opinion?" Ny
opinion is that if the furnace is prop
erly constructed for burning hard coal
that is has crate and deep ashpit
and doors--it will be far better to use
coal than wood. II will nc better. too.
70 make the fues OF eight inch terra
Gotta pipe instead of the sheet iron
commonly used With good furnace
opening into a shed outside and hard
coal used. the curer can put the fire 10
keep at bedtime and so 20 bed. know
ing that the heat will be maintained
and he will be saved from sitting up
all night and firing with wood. Then.
TOO. the terra Gotta fucs will retain the
regular heat longer than the sheet iron
fues, and the heat Will be more uni
form. We formerly used ilues of this
sort in the heating of greenhouses,
and where n steady heat is to be main
Iy prefer a coal furnace in 4 iiuecur
Ing tobacco barn
Fertilizers for Tobacco.
You have given formula for to-
bacco consisting OF 900 pounds acid
phosphate, 100 pounds nitrate OF soda,
500 pounds dried blood. 800 pounds sui
phate Of potash to make a ton. Could
dried blood >" You can do so of course.
hut you cannot make as good a quality
OF tobacco with cottonseed meal az
with dried blood as the source OF the
organic nitrogen. The cottonsecd meal
will increase the amount of phosphoric
aoid and potash, already large enough.
In all OF my experiments with bright
tobacco. | found that any excess of
phosphoric acid tended 10 make thin,
papery leaves and big stems. Hence
7 make the percentage of phospohric
acid smaller than is usual in the ready
made fertilizers. and always advise
the high grade sulphate OF pota sh
rather than low grade OF murate that
spells the quality OF the tobacco
One grower in North Carolina who
used the above formula at rate Of 700
pounds an acre. made the highest priced
tobacco in his market that season. An
other man took the formula and had il
put up by a fertilizer manufacturer.
and he had poor crop. ! had him send
me the bill. and found that the manu-
facturer. instead OF giving him the
high grade sulphate of potash had
used the same number Of pounds OF
KANT. and. Of course. that gave him
but forty eight pounds OF potash in
stead of 200 pounds, as | advised. and
not only that. but kainit damaged the
tobacco by the .la1ge amount of chic
ride IL contains vi was evidently done
10 stop him from home mixing. The
moral is t. do your own mixing with
the best materials
WatermeloBs.
Please tell me how to tell when a
watermelon is i;pe ] have planted
TO pull them green" An expert can
easily tell when q melon is ripe by its
looks \ green watermelon has a
blush bloom over its surface. which
disappears as it ripens and the skin
gets glossy Then there are many
other tests In the cool early morn
ine humping the melons is good
test 'fh" green one has soi; of
ring, while tho ripe one sounds dull
and solid. The under part % the
melon gets winter as ii ripcns. and If
a green melon j. scratched by the fin-
ger nail the scratch is clean and
smooth, while on 4 ripe one the scratch
is ragged a little experience. how
ever, soon makes 81 man expert in gath
erinE the crop Never pun them, but
cut with 4 piece or atem attached
Velvet Beams.
VIII velvet beans be as good for
hay OF soil IMPROVEMENT ~ cowpcas?.
The% Viii. where they succeed Eat
the velvet beans will no, mature any
where in Virginia, and nowhere north
of the lower Southeast corner Of North
Carolina have planted them i'm IA
leigh TN late Aprl and they finally got
10 bloominr iu late September. They
rnade & heavy mass OF forage. however
and would do this Joe Virginia. hut fol
a hay crop & iuaturcd growth OF COW
peas is far better The velvet boai
II very valuable In tic lower South
but the cowpea VIII he much nett.
in this stat. and North Carolina Dow
in the lower coast section Of Nortl
Carolina HEY grow tile velvet bear
with success. and prefer IL,
Pulling suckers.
is II best to pun the uekers from
corn or leave them when ] va
a young farmer. the suckcrinc OF cor
was a regular thing every summer
Then ] got to thinking over the mat
ter. and came to thc conclusion tina
il was waste Of labor. and proba hi
. damage TO the corn. and 7 stoppe
pulling suckers and never fouud tina
] lost anything by stopping, and Ger
tainly saved n great deal OF labor S..v
eral years ago was Occurring a
farmers Institutes in the Hne count
of Mecklenburg y e. We mad severe
institutes in that county. and at tn
first one young farmer asked m
this same question. told him 10 1,
the suckers alone especiauy on N
southern Prolific corn.
Al the next institute in that count