The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-04-07
Heavy Applications of Acid
Phosphate and Muriate of
Potash Massey Says
HOME GROWN GARDEN SEED
Advisable Some Times, But 1t
Depends - Generally 1t Is
Not a Wise Plan - Certain
Regions Where Best Varie-
ties of Seeds Can Be Grown


81 have been reading your writings
IN The Times-Dispatch. and would
like To ask a few questions. Years
ago l raised heavy crops Of clover
for hay, and for fallow, but for the
last four or five years my red clover
and also the annual crimson clover |
will all die out. 1 had a good stand
Of red clover sown last fall, and it has
been dying out all winter, and is still
dying, until now I have but a few
scattering stalks left. My land is rich,
"a | haul manure from a place where
they wash out the stable one q week
with creolin water. Do you think
that can have had anything to do with
it? | have used lime heavily in small
places. but il does not have any effect
to check the dying. All other grass
crops | SOW do we'll, and also vegeta-
blcs. | make 800 TO 400 bushels of
Irish potatoes an acre. and l grow
Brimmer tomatoes to weigh two and
one-half pounds. l wish you could
see my crop Of the Brimmer tomato
m bearing. Please tell ne what is
the matter with my soil?' You say
that you nave tried lime on small
spots without effect. [ still think
that it is probable that your land
needs d general lining. But the
chief difficulty, | thing, is that you
have been using heterogeneous manure
only, while the clovers can get that
from the air if il is not plentiful in the
soil. But you must remember that
clover draws heavily on the phosphate
and potash III the soil. and you have
been cutting it Oft for hay, and you
have gotten your soil deficient in the
mineral matters that clover demands.
Now, after testing your soil for acid
ity with blue litmus paper, and you
find it acid, you had better use some
lime. But what You mainly need is to
restore the phoshoric acid and potash
that you have been taking rom the
soil. [ think that you can grow clover
with heavy applications of acid phos-
phate and muriate Of potash.
Growing Garden Seed At Home.
Cannot we " just as good gar.
den seed "a we can buy?" That will
depend on what plant you mean. For
the general and late crop of tomatoes
you can select and save good seed
Blu where one is growing vegetables
for market, the temptation is to sci
the earliest while the prices are good
and save seed from the remainder
In fact. for a market gardener t.
save his seed in the best manner i
will cost him a great deal more tina
ne would have to pay for the bes
seed on the market. Then, too, tn
various vegetable crops grown are no
ell produced in n climate Seeds
men Of reputation know the region
where the best seed of various kind
are grown, and the most reliabl
growers. CaulifiOwer seed are grow
in Denmark better than anywher
else. Onion seed Of the different sort
are grown in various parts of tn
world best suited to each. We gro,
the Spanish and Italian onions fror
imported seed. We grow what ar
co1lo1 pArr,yrdn Opsan p-o~0 ~>> -.
duced in the Island Of Teneriffe an
nowhere else in the world. Their tn
American varieties of onions ar
grown in New England and also i
California, but some growers do nc
like the California seed. The best rae
ish seed are grown in France. I'll
green garden peas are either impor-
ed from England or grown in Mich
gan anu other Northwestern State
Early cabbage seed are crown large
on Long Island. and the best spinac
seed also is grown on Long ISLAM
Sugar corn is grown in the NORTH
west. largely in Nebraska. Tomato,
and egg plants and peppers are grow
largely in New Jersey, and these ca
be grown as well in your section |
careful selection OF the best. But f
the earliest tomatoes, I find that SET
produced in Northern New York a
earlier than seed of the same varie
that l grow here. though for quaint
can select seed Of tomatoes and e,
plants as good a. can be bougl
Snap beans are grown by specials
in New York State better than =
can grow them.
As a rule. find tina it is far chea
er to buy what seed I want from t
best seedsrnen, the houses that ha
made q reputation and careful
guard it by constant inspection Of t
crops being grown for them. It dc
S. ~ hyrEx- GRO -I nnn ~ Ia + a
the trouble to save seed. But never b
low-priced seed. for they are the m
costly thing you can buy. Tams
seed that have been washed out