The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-08

w. r. hnSSSs. now the sweet po
tato question j. bothering me. nave
used Il reld OF branch bottom land for
sweet potatoes. !; is q dark almost
black soil. and somewhat sandy Irish
potatoes thrive in Il, when properly
fortified. People toll me that this
land will no; mako sweet potatoes, and
that stable manure Will cause rank
growth OF vines and n crop OF strings
/ applied about ive tons an acre of
stable manure and 800 pounds OF 1oi
fertilizer. Please tell me what is st!il
lacking" ON soil OF the character you
mention. i think YOU have made a mis-
take III using stable manure for sweet
potatoes. That kind of soil usually
has plenty OF nitrogen for all the needs
of tho sweet potato, and what was
needed was q liberal application OF acid
phosphate and potash The lot mix
ture YOU have used is. l suppose, 10
per cent phosphoric acid and per
cent potash II would have been better
TO have made II per cent phosphorus
acid and 10 per cent potash. But rs
YOU have used 500 pounds OF the mix
turc an acre. ] am not sure that YOU
Will not make good potatoes in spite
OF the manure. i note that YOU say
yod can get ashes from n sawmill In
the nciRhbo1hood Get them and
spread them as heavily as you please
along the rows. and doubtless they
Will help We use here a commercial
mixture OF fertilizer for sweet pota-
toes that has per cent ammonia,
per cent phosphorus acid and 10 per
cent potash. and this used at rate OF
500 pounds an acre will make big
crops of sweets.
What sort of lime will be best to
use on land in preparing for sowing
alfalfa this fall. stone or shell lime"
l would rather use the pulvcrized limo
stone than burnt lime for this purpose.
If used heavily. Two tons or more
the land will be safer and better for
the alfalfa than the burnt lime. OF
course. You will use acid phosphate
and potash literally. too. after har-
rowing in the limestone
Rabbits md Soy Benns.
II have a large field planted to Soy
beans. and the rabbits are about to
destroy the whole OF them. DO you
know any remedy" The only remedy
for rabbits is the one used in Aus
tralia-fencinE the field with wire net
ting that they cannot get through.
had to do that in some experimental
grounds in North Carolina. No amount
or killing will avail with rabbits. And
yet here in Maryland they have n long
close season for rabbits, and thus pro-
mote the increase of 4 pest simply that
idle men with guns can have more
sport in the fall. There is no need for
any close season for rabbits.
Pccaus and English Wnlnuts.
Il have some very rich land on top
OF u little mountain hoo feet cleNa-
ton. and 400 feet above the valley
below Am thinking of planting il in
oh
is best? II is twenty-five miles from
Il railway station" 1 do not think
that pecans Will thrive proiitably on
land 1T that elevation. They are ma
tive TO bottom lands in Texas. and
thrive better on low ground in the
coastal section. In fact cannot UNI
derstand the craze for pecans all over
the South. 1t seems TO me that when
all the trees being planted in the South
come into bearing there viii be little
profit in pecanS
| may be mistaken. but that is the
way it looks TO me English walnuts
will do better there than pocans But
on an isolated piece OF land far from
railroad, and up on n mountain. 1t
seems to me that the best use that
could be made OF rich land in such a
position Will be TO get ii in grass n
mixture OF orchard grass. red top and
bluegrass, and GRACE. cattle for feed
ers. Al the prices npw prevailing for
good feeders in the fall, II Will pay
better. and require less labor 10 Craze
cattle. that can carry themselves 10
the railroad. than to bother with nut
orchards In such n location. one man
could look after the cattle. while the
trees would have to be regularly Guilt
vated, and IL VIII take about sixteen
years to get them into profitable bear
ing. Grass and stock viii make the
best use OF that land.
July Notes.
Most farmers VIII complete the Guilt
walton of corn in July. Are YOU going
10 do this with a turning pillow. cutting
tho roots and making valleys on hill
sides TO gather q head OF water TO
break over and make gullcys, or arc
YOU cultivnting shallow and level and
giving the corn the best chance at the
soil moisture, by keeping a loose
blanket Of soil Oh top 10 check cvapo-
ration? II YOU have always been using
the pillow and killing the corn. try al
least part OF your field the level way
and note the difference. Are you still
working The corn with one horse inn
plcmcnts, that need q man for every
horse? The growing scarcity OF labor
demands more economical methods, and
lie using Of four footed labor to save
the human labor You can do better
work in the cornilclG, and do II easier
and faster by riding on a two-horsc
cultivator and working both sides Of
the rows at once
have seen Virginia farmers going
through the young corn with a one
horse turning plow, and throwing a
iurrOW away from each side of the
lows. Daring on as they call il, and
letting Inc dry AIR IL: 70 dry the soil
down 10 the roots. And then later. af-
ter they have let the grass grow all
around the corn. they take the same
I'low and throw the soil back again
and then plow out the middles going
four Times or more in a row when
'hcy could have ridden from the start
and done the work faster and better
@nd made conditions better FOR the corn
roots with the two horse implement
Up in Iowa they make one mans
labor pay more than twice as much as
one mans labor does in Virginia SIM
ply because Of their greater use Of
horsepower aud machinery
If YOU have not plenty OF barn room
1t viii pay you to build open sheds
convenient to the moving fields rath-
a. than keep hay in stacks. Sow COW
peas IN All your corn. They VIII help