The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-27
WITH THE FARMERS
By Prof. w. F. MASSEY


, be necessary to lay the tile on planks
to keep them in line.
Make the main drama large tile, and
then take smaller tile into Il In herring
bone fashion downhill Tiles four feet
In the ground will drain farther on
each side than tile three feet, and
with four-foot depth YOU can place
the tiles farther apart than with three
foot bitches. If there is 4 strong
spring head next to the high land. you
mad better make the mnin drain of six
inch tiles and run thrce-inch laterals
into It. Tile will stay all right on a
hard clay bottom, but never on quick
sand. and there the plank will be
needed
Castor OIL Plants.
Dinwiddie County: II wish some in
formation in regard to the castor oil
plant tricinus simultaneously. 1 have
been told that it is q poisonous plant
and that II cattle or horses eat 1t. it
will kill them. Is this true?" All the
various ricinus varieties. from the COM
mon castor oil plant, that is grown
commercially for the making of the
oil. to the larger and more ornamental
varieties like zanz!barens!s, cambogi-
ensis etc. belong to the botanical or
der of euphorbiaceac, the spurge fam
lily. Many of them, like ipccac, castor
oil and others, supply medicinal pre-
parations, which. taken in overdoses.
would prove poisonous. In fact, the
whole orde" is more or less poisonous.
But do not think that any animal will
be tempted to eat any of the ricinus
family. / grow the ricinus cambogi-
cnsiS in masses as summer screen for
unsightly places. AMI it's great bronze
leaves are very ornamental. and have
never known anything to touch then.
In fact, 1t is tho general opinion that
q MI n &c GNl rad N,-f11 1,.tN-
molcs away. I have never tried them
especially for this purpose. but l do
know that while moles are trouble
some to some extent in my garden.
there are never any mole runs where
The ricinus grows. If COW was to
eat Il quantity OF the leaves, they might
do some injury. But l do not believe
she would eat them
Seed Whent.
~ year ago I bought in Richmond
seed OF Leaps Prolific wheat, which
made a good yield where the land was
strong. and only fairly we'll on the
thinner parts. In harvesting, however.
that which yielded heavily was not
separated from tho other. although all
of IT has remarkably fine grain. What
! desire TO know is: Would YOU SOW
this wheat, or buy seed again? Is ii
not likely that better yield might be
expected from seed grown on my own
soil than from seed grown elsewhere?
or does not the seed improve by ac-
climation. After q pea Stubble, would
YOU simply disk the soil and harrow
fine, and not break anew? Would an
application OF ground phosphate rock
materially benefit the crop on the red
Cecil clay soil? If so, how much per
acre? Though in the bright tobacco
section, / have a conSidera bic area of
the red Cecil clay, which am trying
70 work III rotation of grain. grasses
and leEumes and raising pure bred
stock, and If YOU come down here ut
any time | will be glad to have YOU
visit the farm and outline plan for
It If YOU thoroughly clean Your
wheat for seed and SOW only the heav-
lest and plumpcst grain. YOU can keep
the crop improving. l know one man
in Maryland who does this more com
pletely than any one else whom j am
acquainted with. He has a tanning
mill OF his own contrivance.
II Is in the upper story OF his gran
airy. and from it three chutes lead be-
low. Down one chute comes the trash
weed seed, and the shrivclled grain for
chicken feed. Through the second
chute comes the medium good milling
wheat. and through the third chute
only the heaviest grain. lie says that
Tor some years he got only on average
Of peck OF the heavy seed from n
has grown larger He has for many
F@ars averaged forty bushels and over
an acre. and mis- best wheat is largely
Soid Tor seed. He found that some
we're Iyi!g his seCond-gradc or mill
in3 wheat for seed, and he then stopped
selling this 10 any one but a miller.
\ D" an: far.ne! can improve his SEED
"neat with the same careful practice
Even Nth the common tanning ma
Z = f-. r...V 81.
ana Eet the best. and in this way can
easily- have a strain Of wheat that viii
be better than the average SOIL as seed.
on arc wise in devoting your red land
that is not suited to bright tobacco.
to & rotation of grain and leCumes
In rreidring pea stubblc FOR wheat.
! would simply disk IL well about three
or four inches deep, bur would not
turn the land deeply at that late sea-
son, which haG been well pIowed I'm
the carl" summer. Then. after disk
Ing, use the spike harrow thoroughly.
and make the surface as fine as pos
Slbie, and drln In about FIVE pecks OF
wheat IN acre As tho land improves
In fertility a small quantity OF seed
VIII do, as the growth VIII be stronger.
w whether the application of the pull
verified rock phosphate Will rive gooG
results depends on the condition of
Increase the organic decay in the sori
the better VIII be the effect or tho
r"cn phosphate, while on n soil de-
hcient in huinuG the result VIII he SLOW
IN The nrst stages OF the Improvement
/ would use acid phosphate literally,
because CT its more immediate effect
y vow use the rock Phosphate. I would
use not less Than 500 pounds ar acre
This Will probably show better on the
clover following tie wheat than on
the wheat.
t'nount of Seed rcr Acre
Another correspondent asks; How
much seed of Leaps Prolific wheat
shall SOW per acre, and when Is tho
best time TO SOW? We are not whca,
growers in this section. but | wan; 10
Dy n small area, and Will get the scen
III richmond The amount OF seed
wheat to aow will. depend on tho fer
INIT Of the soil. ON n strong soil
one husncl may be enough, - inc
plants VIII tillcr out more vigorously.
while On q poor soil a larger amour,