The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-04

set closely on bed of sifted coal ashes
in cold frame, and are we'll watered
They arc then shaded with screens
Of laths nailed in the form of hot
bed sash about an Inch apart, Il:
10 give varying shade Attention i:
given to watering them during tn,
summer. and if any. as some will
start new runners. pinch them off. IL
] this way you will have strong plants
that can be turned from the pots with
out disturbances of the roots. and will
make full crop the next spring.
| What Fruits to Plant.
II have just bought farm, and
want TO plant some fruit trees, grape
vines. etc. this fall, and would like
TO know the best sorts to plant?"
Will take up this matter of fruit grow
ing more fully later. and will merely
say here that for family use of apples
] would plant of the summer sorts
Yellow Transparent Early Harvest and
Cheese and Bonun,. and for winter the
York Imperial, Winesap and Stayman.
OF peaches. Greensboro. Champion.
Lady Ingold, liberia and Ray OF
grapes, Concord. Niagara Delaware.
Moore's Early and Diamond OF the
Strawberries. the Chesapeake Glen
Mary. Missionary and the fall bearing
Superb.
inc Mnn Who Keeps the Average Down.
The average crop of corn in Vir-
ginta and North Carolina Is about
Eighteen bushels an acre, and yet by
special EFFORT on a test acre over 2Oo
bushels have been produced an acre
with climate more favorable to the
corn crop than that of the so-called
corn belt. and a soil that can be made
TO produce such great crops, crops
that have never been cqualed in the
central corn belt. our average crop
is entirely too low. and shows that
while hundreds of good farmers are
making good crops, the average man
comes in and makes far less than the
average, OF course. since to make this
average there must be a host OF men
working for poor pay, who do not come
up TO the average. Year after year
THESE men plant corn on land that they
know very we'll will not in its present
condition. make corn enough for the
mule that works ii. And the amazing
th'ns is that these meI will keen on
in the same old hopeless way. and
complain that their land is poor and
that farming does not pay These are
not the men who are reading these
columns and writing questions. for
where man does this It is evident
that he Is thinking and studying how
to improve
But how to reach the men who are
cutting down the average so low, is
the problem. How 10 reach the men
who imagine they know all about
farming. and have no more to learn.
is ,he puzzle 10 all who are trying to
elevate the general practice in the
South. | have undertaken this work
because this class of farmers seldom
take regular farm par per. but may
take the daily one, and may. perhaps
become interested In what write here
II is hard TO convince the farmers
from the North and West that We can
Srow great crops OF corn, so long as
they see the statistics Of our product
II Is hard 10 convince them that in a
state where the average crop of corn
is eighteen bushels or less an acre
that II has been possible to grow
larger yields than they ever knew in
the West or North, and We Will have
10 raise the average 10 convince them
North Carolina has risen from an aver
age OF twelve bushels to one OF eigh-
teen and IS on the upgrade. How
about Virginia. where the average has
been larger than In North Carolina?
Are we Increasing?
How to Increase the Corn Crop.
Good rotative farming and the
building up and maintaining the fer
tility OF the soil Will. OF course, helm.
But equally important is the improve
nent of the seed corn. the getting of
a more productive stock by breeding
10 ideal plants and ideal productive
ness. and eliminating conditions that
interfere with this
one OF the little suspected causes
OF the diminution of corn yields is
the prevalence in our fields of plants
that makes no ears-barren male plants.
" course, we find plenty of corn that
makes no ears because of the povertv
OF the SOIL. but there are in every corn
neld. in fields that make heavy crops
stout and thrifty plants that make
10 ears
Few farmers fully realize 10 VIVA,
extent these barren plants affect the
corn crop have diligently gone
through fine fields Of corn and counted
row after row. and / have never found
n held in which there were less than
10 per cent OF the stalks that made
no ear
Now. take field that has growth
enough on II 10 make nifty bushels OF
corn and 10 per cent of barren stalks
cana | have found fields OF heavy
grown that had larger percentage,
ana you have forty-fve bushels. where
mere should have been nifty, and in a
MY acre held this amounts to ESQ
bushels. and carry this average all
over the state and tho loss from the
barren stalks is enormous
How to Get Rid of Barren Stink, in
the Cornfield.
farmer some time ago wrote IN
one Of the officers of his experiment
station and asked him how he could
prevent barren stalks in the field This
wise station man wrote TO him that
these are mere freaks Of nature. and
VIII always be there. more or less
lie seemed 10 ignore entirely the innu-
ence OF heredity. These barren stalks
are the strongest male plants in the
held Strong because they are not
taxed with the making OF an ear, and
strong because OF their abundant pol-
len. the male element. which enables
them 10 fertilize the plants around
them. and thus to increase the ten
dency 10 barrcnness.
! was once driving with n friend
through beautiful valley in Western
North Carolina We passed "A field of
corn OF the most superb growth. and
my fricnd remarked. That field ought
TO make seventy five bushels OF corn an
acre. said that probably the
growth would indicate that. but that
even in driving along the road could
see great lusty stalks in numbers
without an ear Tho result of badly.