The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-18

THESE with winter crops, you will not
be bothered with grass. Grow grass
out on the farm, but never allow any
grass to get start In the garden, and
leaving 1t or cleaning 1t out. 1 keep
my garden too busy growing vege-
tables and flowers to have grass in 1t.
Canning Beans.
f'luVanna woman writes that she
cans snap beans and would like to tell
the one who asked about canning them
She says boil them, as usual and put
In hot cans. with hot tops and close
at once. She cans corn In same way.
taking nine cups OF corn. one cup of
salt and one cup OF sugar and one cup
OF water and boil till we'll done. and
then seal In hot cans.
Mari.
From Amherst: do you know any
thing about the lime mari sold at
Roanoke? Is 1t better than ground
limestone? How late can I SOW crimson
clover in this county? Is 1t possible
to get pure Nova SCOTIA plaster? If
SO, why do you not recommend It? What
Is the difference chemically between
the Nova Scotia plaster and the Vir-
ginia? Please answer in The Times
Dispatch"
I do not know anything about the
particular mari you mention. a good
article of shell mari is good as
ground lime rock. That is If 1t is
be lime carbonate. In Amherst 1t will
be best to SOW crimson clover In Au-
gust, but you can SOW II early in Sep
TENDER. Plaster. whether from Nova
Scotia or from Southwest Virginia Is
sulphate OF calcium. and there Is no
difference in the two II the samples are
free from lime carbonate. Plaster has
some effect In releasing fnsolublc
potash In the soil, but carbonate OF
lime will do IT better. Plaster Is good
e. l,ea frN 1D, ,ny,Io
but acid phosphate is better. Lime
carbonate sweetens an acid soil. Lime
sui phate plaster does not. I former
~ used plaster in the stables TO be car
ried out mixed In the manure, but
have found that acid phosphate is far
more efficient and supplements the ma
nure. almost trcbling the efficiency OF
the manure Hence ] do rot think
that we need plaster.
a Glover Sod and Its Treatment.
Where you already have clover
sod. and expect TO let the same land
remain In clover another year. Is 1t bet
ter to plow In that clover sod in the
fall or winter, iE 1t better 10 let
the land remain without plowingV In
other words. can you eat a cake and
keep II, too II you pillow under the
clover this fall, you Will certainly not
have It next year. Therefore ] cannot
understand what you mean. or course.
you can keep the clover over next sum-
fnGr, ana IL you are eOlIik " put lHc
land in corn the following year you can
turn the clover sod down In the fall
and SOW winter cover crop OF rye or
crimson clover to turn in the spring
and bring tho rotten clover sod back
where II will be OF most use to the
crop.
Tomatoes Dying.
What makes my tomato plants die?
They seem 10 be doing we'll, but sud-
denly wilt and die in day" Doubt
4
blight. There is no known cure
preventive had supposed this dis
ease had not invaded the upper Pied
mont section, though common in the
lower and warmer parts. The only
thing 10 do is to avoid infected soil.
Perhaps something might be done by
taking seed from plants that remain
healthy where others die, and in this
way breed up resistant strain.
Sweet Potatoes in Upper Piedmont.
Some OF our farmers are figuring on
growing sweet potatoes for market.
and thought that you could give us
some information In regard to the
crop" You are right up near the Blue
Ridge, and go far as MY experience in
similar locality is concerned there Is
little land we'll suited to sweet pota-
toes market crop. had some bot
tom land in Albemarle, where the floods
had covered sand over the level bottom,
and there / could grow sweet potatoes.
But as a rule the uplan0S IN your sec
tion are not suited to large culture OF
tho sweet potato. The Northern mar
kets demand dry and mealy sweet
potato and these are best grown on
the warm and level sandy soils OF the
Underwater section. Doubtless you can
find spots in your section that Will grow
fairly good sweet potatoes and might
grow some for home use. but I really
think that local conditions are against
the production OF the crop on COM
mcrcial scale. You could not possibly
compete either in crop or quality with
the Eastern Shore counties. II YOU
grow them for Northern shipment you
must grow the kinds the Northern peo-
pie buy. The Big Stem Jersey and the
Gold Skin and Nanscr!ond are the kinds
they want. and not the yam sorts that
they do not know how 10 cook. Better
go slow with sweet potatoes in your
section.
Fertilizer Exhaustion.
How long does il take growing
crop to exhaust an appiica tion of fer
tilizer?" That will depend on tho
amount applied and the kind OF fer
tilizer used. Nitrate Of soda will he
speedily exhausted, and If not used by
plants will soon leach from the soil.
Acid phosphate and potash will remain
in the soil till used, and II there is
more than the immediate crop will use
there will be some influence from them
on the soil for three years or more.
An application Of raw pulverized rock
phosphate will make little show in the
crop tho first year. but more in tho
second, and still more in the third
year. very light application may be
all used up by the growing crop. and
the plants encouraged by 1t will be
drawing on the natural store In the
soil, and in this way the fertilizer will
have diminished the fertility Of the
soil, as it has done 1000 times all over
the South.
Mixing Fertilizer.
II have 16 per cent acid phosphate.
nitrate of soda. dried blood and mu-
riate of potash I want to make for
winter truck crops fertilizer that
will have per cent nitrogen, per
cent phosphoric acid and 10 per cent
potash How much OF these materials
shall use?" To make per cent phos-
phoric acid you want 160 pounds, and
you can get this in 1000 pounds Of