The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-03-30

each, after they have recovered
from the transplanting. am
writing this March 18th and am
now about to transplant my tomatoes
from the greenhouse to the cold
frames, on which | use the double
glazed sashcs. In the frames | set
them four inches apart each way and
deeper than they grew i'm the fats, and
then keep them as hardy as practicable
by giving air on sunny days and keep
ing them short and stout, so that when
time comes for setting out they come
up with "a mass of soil attached. being
lifted with II trowei. and seldom wilt
at all after setting.
Cotton IN Black Swamp Land.
Eastrn North Carolina: 81 would like
some Information in regard to my black
| swamp or bay soil. 1t has only been
cleared FIVE years, and have tried to
/ grow cotton on II, and have nearly
made failure every time. 1t Is n
black soil twelve to fourteen inches
deep undcrlayed with clay. A few
spots grow cotton very we'll while else
where the cotton dies. Have never
used any fertilizer. 1t makes corn and
peas very we'll" The fact that you
| have used no fertilizer explains the
difficulty. Soil of that nature has an
abundance OF potential nitrogen. but
/ is deficient in phosphoric acid. and cs-
| p"cially in potash. and these are the
! hat character will make q big plant.
but Will not fruit, because the elc-
Incnts needed are lacking. and IL is
Icvidcnt that in much Of your soil there
lis such Il deficiency that cotton fails
TO grow Some years ago. in talking
with the owner Of a large swamp farm
near Portsmouth. Va, he said that
Iovcry one told him that his. black soil
would not grow cotton. ana his rather
had not grown any. and he wanted To
know why cotton would not thrive on
such apparently rich land
| suggested tha; lie try heavy appli-
cations of phosphate AMI potash, and
/ lie did so, and for years has been MAX
1 ing as fine cotton on the black soil as
I is grown anywhere. Give your land
800 pounds OF acid phosphate or
Thomas phosphate and fifty pounds of
muriatc potash an acre. and II VIII
make cotton doubtless.
Strawberry WeevIls.
| do YOU know Of any spray prepa-
ration that will control the wccvil that
destroys so many strawberry blooms? %
n wish that ] did. for there is no insect
that ia so destructive to strawberry
fruit: but il only attacks the staIni-
nate or male flowers, and the crop can
largely be saved by planting varie-
ties with pistillate flowers, and only
enough staminate ones to set the
bloom. No spray that has ever been
tried has been of any benefit.
Chickweed.
| Vance County, y. G.: II certainly
have enjoyed reading your columns in
| The Times Dispatch. Now ! have been
much troubled with the weed known
as Chickweed. Il sample OF which | am
sending YOU by parcel post. II comes
every fall. and nCurishes during the
cold weather. 1t Will eat out my
clover. and also my sevcn-top tuTnips.
hD lad in, inn
If YOU can tell me how to get rid of
il. you will place me under many obli-
cations" | am very we'll acquainted
with the chickweed. stellaris media.
a member Of the pink family OF
plants, though 1t does not look like
the garden pnks at all. The difficulty
with II is that il blooms and seeds in
winter. when no notice IS taken of it.
Then II disappears in hot weather. and
one does not know of il till the cold
weather comes, ana il starts again.
Where plants are growing in rows, /;
is easy to keep ii hoed out, but in the
clover il is a different matter. The
only way to get rid of it is to never al
low il to bloom and seed. The court
house lawn in the town where ] live
was covered with it. and is now clear
This WAS accomplished by actually
fast As it showed, and as this gave il
no chance to seed. we got rid of IT.
BY leaving the land bare one winter.
and then, as soon as chickwccd shows
pillow ii down. and keep this up till