The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-10

| like the old Peruvian guano. What
! we now have are chemical compounds
and they are far moro properly called
! fertilizers. ms they are not guano. The
heat has doubtless dissipated most OF
the heterogeneous material in your fer
tilizer. The lime In tho phosphate wne
probably cnrbonated, and that of itself
would drive Off ammonia from the or
ganic material used In tho goods. But
1 can hardly think that much damage
has been done to the phosphoric acid
| and potash contained in the fertilizer
In fact, the ashes from the burnt
building will add potash to the lot.
You can burn wood to ashes, and YOU
VIII find the potash and phosphoric
acid contained in tho wood arc still
there in the ashes. and n lot Of limo
has been added to them. / would as
sumo that the fertilizer is still good
20 fnr as the phosphorus and potash
are concerned. md that by adding cot
tohseed meal you can make n good
fertiiiSer for tobacco from IT. and corn
if properly grown on clover sod. will
not need any meal added
Growing Asparagus.
Mathews County: I'm Or. Hexa-
mers book on asparagus YOU have n
niue article. In which you seem to
"1 o me spring for the planting
OF the roots. / have gained n good
deal OF information from this article.
nut would like to ask YOU whether. In
your opinion. the fall planting would
DO detrimental down here In Mathews
III could set out few this fall it
would help In the spring work. 1 am
going into asparagus culture on rather
large commercial scale. and do nor
want to make any mistakes than
can be avoided. I shall greatly an
preciate your advice in the matter"
Since 1 wrote that article for nv
ola friend, DR.. Hexamcr L have en-
tirely abandoned the transplanting of
roots Tor asparagus, and 1 have told
some time back just how grow
read this. and perhaps it will not be
amiss TO repeat it. l have found that
| can get asparagus sooner and bet
Ter by sowing the seed right where I
want tho plants to remain TRANSPLANT
ing the roots, either at one wear. or
worse at two years old. is serious
check 10 them, and the undisturbed
roots will always beat them. Tho
pian is simply this: Run out burrows
-FOUR 1eet apart and clean them out to
nlteen inches deep; fill them half-full
OF ola rotten manure, and on this
spread at rate of 1000 pounds an acre
Oh mixture two-thirds acid phosphate
ana one third murlate Of potash: cover
with TWO or three inches OF soil and
SOW the seed in a thin row. You can
SOW the seed in the late fall and have
II germinate III the spring, or SOW in
early spring. When few inches high
tain out TO two feet apart and then
WORK the soil TO the plants till level
During the summer cultivation applv
twice $50 pounds an acre of nitrate
or sodn along the rows and cultivate
clean through the season. There will
often be growth enough TO make some
shoots large enough 10 cut the next
spring, but there should be little cut
'nen. Fertiii=e heavily and cultivate
well the second season. and the next
spring you can make 4 good cutting.
Then every summer, after the cutting
is over. give. the plot heavy applica-
( ton OF high grade fertilizer, not less
than 1000 pounds nm acre. for then
Is 'hc tiIne 10 encourage strong
growth OF crowns for the next seasons
cutting. This method is far cheaper,
especially II you have to buy the roots
land you VIII ger asparagus more
quickly than by transplanting But if
you nave raised the roots, plant them
at one year old. for older roots suffer a
greater shock in the transplanting, and
! II planted roots / would never plant
any older than one year. When l
/ bought my present garden I did not
Know ~ first just where wanted the
asparagus bed, ana / sowed row OF
/ SEED where / supposed that l would
probably make the bed
The next spring filed out the place
/ by thinning out the roots in this row
1 and transplanting TO other rows. The
plants left in the original row three
Years. ago are still giving larger shoots
IMAM the transplanted roots
nermuda Grass
some down here contend that land
when once we'll set in bermuda rras,
II Is virtually impossible 10 clear toe
!ahd OF IL Can such land be re-
claimed for general farming?" Most
assurcdly il can, and will be all INC
better for having grown the Bermuda
say that 1t can be done. for have
80 II easily. Every one who is
familiar with the Bermuda. or wire
grass as 1t Is called in the Underwater
section. knows that it is "A sun-lov-
ing grass ana VIII not thrive in tho
shade. even in the shade Of trros
me way then 10 kill IL is 10 shade /,
OUT. In 1889 broke for the first
ti!ne after the war. the old contraband
5 camp at Fortress Monroe 7, vac
cense sod Of Bermuda put in
large pillow and strong team and
, ran the pillow just under the rnnas n,
! Grass stems or about four inches deem
rms plow turned il over in great
sheets. 1t WAS then narrowed mo
J me grass taken out that We couId
l ana was hauled off into a salt marsl
out of the way.
rms was done early in the spring
ana the land sown thlckly In ueas
; men these peas were cut there wa.
hardly any Bermuda to be found. ant
the land was put into truck crops anf
!. no trouble was had in Keeping it clear
OF me grass Clean out all that ca,
DO raked out but do not rlow doc,
10 DO this, and then use srnothorina
: 'ropS' ana there is no difficulty in get.
hhg RID OF Bermuda. But every farm
or IN the lower Tidewater wo,,lI l..
better off with a permanent pastur,
OF bermuda would not advise il,
= use IN the upper Piedmont country
IoF thefc are other grasses better suit
! eo 10 that section. But there il N,
!. grass that VIII give more or be,ta
summer pasture in the coast countr,
! man The despiscd wire grass O
q course /, is not Of any use as a win
q ter pasture. but YOU can mix orr
| grasses like the Perennial I-c grns
e and orchard grass with il ana mo.