The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-08
WITH THE FARMERS
By Prof. w. F. MASSEY
year If YOU regularly clip the wheat
stubb!c before they seed.

Bermuda Grass.
! From MecklenburE County: 1T am
sending you specimen Of what we
call wire grass here. VIII you please
tell me how to kill it out, If it can be
killed out entirely, and to prevent it's
spreading. 1t would seem almost i'm
| possible to get 1t all out. 1 have heard
/ that some crops will choke It out !
/ will he grateful for any help In this
1 matterT The grass Is Bermuda
doubtless. though I could be more GER
/ tain if you had sent the flower head
/ Bermuda is one of the most valuable
grasses for the South rs a permanent
summer pasture. 1t is n great bother
in n hoed crop like corn. but I have
/ always noticed that In corn field
where there are patches of Bermuda
/ there is better corn than where there
| is none. II may be partly because
| of the more work given there to keep
/ the grass down, but. in fact, it does
| improve the soil In humus- making mn
! tcrial. Bermuda Is a sun-loving grass.
and will not thrive in the shade. This
| fact at once gives us the method for
! Its destruction. Keep the land shaded.
Plow the grass shallowly so as to
I just get under the running stems. Rake
out all that you can and haul off to
]
cowpens thickly OH the land. Cut
/ these for hay and disk the stubble fine
and SOW to winter oats in September.
/ After the oats are off break the stub
/ bic and SOW peas again, and follow
| these, after moving them or turning
them under. with crimson clover in
! September. and turn that for corn. and
| YOU will find very little of the grass
| left, II any, and then by sowing peas
among the corn ahead OF the last Gull
| tivation you can keep up the shading.
l have done this with perfect success.
Dhsheen-
a correspondent sends me a clipping
| from paper recommending the
dashcen as the queen OF the potato
| family. that should be planted by
| every farmer. This clipping, which is
really an advertisement from n Florida
! grower, tells wonderful tales of this
| new vegetable. l have 1t now grow
! ing from bulbs sent me by the De-
| partment OF Agriculture from Florida.
| Dashecn is q plant belonging TO the
| arum family. III it's growth 1t Is just
! like the common caiadium csculentum,
| or elephant ear, that is so generally
! grown for ornamental beds Tho CO.
| ladium makes tubcrs that arc good to
eat when cooked, and 1t remains 10
| be shown whether the dasheen Is any
| better. II is not probable that II VIII
mature its roots In Virginia except
in tho warmest Southeastern part OF
the STATE. ] have IT here in Southeast
Maryland not far from the Virginia
I line. and in warm. sandy soil, and
will be able to say more about II the
coming fall. The Department Of Agri-
culture has issued n bulletin on Its
culture. and gives recipes for cook
ing the bulbs. Any ono can get this
bulletin on application to the Score
| tary OF Agriculture. Washington, D. c
Growing Asparagus.
Perhaps l have given this before.
but as much OF my manuscripts was
! lost in the mail, readers may be cx-
cuscd for asking again. II am seek
ing information in regard to the cul-
tivation OF asparagus. How should 1t
he planted and cultivated, and what
time transplant,d?" The common
method is TO bug one or two-year
roots and plant them. If this method
Is used the roots should never be more
than one year old. But l have long
since found that there is no need for
going to the expense Of buying OF
raising roots for transplanting. YOU
can get asparagus n year sooner by
sowing the seed where II is to remain
than by transplantinE. clean out
burrows four feet apart, fifteen inches
deep. In these put six inches OF nnt
OLD rotten manure. and on this spread
nj rate OF 1000 pounds an acre n
mixture OF 500 pounds Of acid phos.
phatc and 200 pounds OF muriato OF
potash. Cover with three inches OF
soil and drill the seed In. AS soon as
the plants are about five inches tall.
thin them out TO two feet apart In
the rows Then. as they grow. work
tho soil TO them till level DurHa
the aummer apply 100 pounds of nj
trate of soda an acre along the rows,
twice during the growth of the crop.
/ Cultivate clean. and you will get such
a strong growth that you may cut a
little the next spring but not much
Fertilizc heavily the second sumner.
and keep up the clean cultivation any
the following spring you can cut "A
full crop n year sooner than II you
mad trnnSplanted the roots. After
the cutting is over manure or fertilize
heavily again, in order 10 make n
strong growth OF crowns for the next
spring. This summer fertilization Is
worth twice or more as much as fer
tilizing IN the spring 1t makes the
next crop
Now asparagus has habit OF get
ting nearer To the surface every year.
and IL YOU want to cut the shoots with
white base YOU should hill up the
rows in the fall But the city people
shoots are hard and tough. and there
is now greater demand for green
asparagus. and ii brings more in tho
I Eastern markets than the white This
Is. of course. cut right at the surface
cut In this way In my own garden
IransplantinS asparagus roots is n
useless and expensive method.
MuIching Tomatoes
Some years ago there was in an
I n ! ff =
n pile of coal ashes that had been 10;
stand there on top of that pile Of
old ashes there appeared n tomato
plant, and left II and the ashes alone.
That plant made more tomatoes than
any plant In the garden, and kept
green and nourishing till frost Then
TWO years ago, In taking small tomato
plants from hot bed where they
had been sown TO transplant them into
cold frames for hardening OF n little
! plant unnoticed fell In the coal ashes
that had been banked around the frame
for protection. II iiVed and root "a