The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-03
State Agt. McQuarrie
Makes Report On
Demonstration Work


from the agents in the field indicate
that the season is from two to three
weeks later than usual. The heavy
rainfall of the winter, with the pre-
vailing cold, has retarded farm work
everywhere in the State. This makes
the field agents work very ardous :
for the next few weeks 10 get the
farmers lined up to adopt the best
methods of helping the crops along |
so as to get as large yields as posi- |
BILE when harvest time comes around. /
The rainfall in the State is suffi-
Gent to supply plenty of moisture to !
all crops grown, but under ordinary
farming methods the soils, generally
speaking, are not in a condition to
take care of this rainfall. Lands
well broken and SUBSIDIZED in the fall,
and with winter cover crops planted,
are able to utilize those heavy rain
falls and have a certain amount of
moisture stored in the soil against
the time when the spring crops call
for it. The agents are instructed to
stress this early preparation, and eff
forts along this line have been very
successful compared with work in
years previous, where nothing of
this kind had been stressed or
brought to the attention of the farm
| ers.
We are right now in the critical
period of the oat crop. Reports are
that this crop has been increased at
least one hundred per cent over pre-
vious years, but where early prep
aration and proper methods nave
been used the crops is success The
dry weather of April and early May,
however, is going to tend to reduce
the crop unless some good cultivat-
ing methods are adopted. The
agents are stressing this cultivation
of the oat crop in that the use of a
weeder or harrow for this purpose
opens up the soil and helps warm it
up, at the time restraining the mois-
ture so necessary to success.
In the matter OF saving seed for
next years crop, it is not considered
advisable where the crop is not
promising of large yield to do so,
, because the vitality of the seed on
a poor stand is apt to be low and
give low termination, but where
the crop promises well it is a good
idea for every farmer with crop te
| select few acres of the best of the
) crop and let it mature and save his
$ own seed. In case where the croI
is not promising, the best way to dt
would be to cut it in the dough
stage and make it into hay. Dat ha.
is considered one of the best liv,
, stock feeds we have, but to get tn,
. best value of the crop there shout,
y never be too large an area cut a
any one time.
l. In this demonstration work it j
e considered advisable to run a NOW
+ err in cutting this crop for four o
Y. five hours in the early part of tn
IS day, ranking the cutting into wind
8 rows or small cocks in the after
noon. II too large an area is GU
:. and left to the action of the sun tn
IS result will be that the quality ha
e. deprecated. This crop, when cut a
re recommended, has the full nutritio
m well distributed in the stem and /
is the heads, which makes it valuabl
c. for feeding purposes
o. The matter of the best crops
IN follow the oat crop is one that til
farmer should study well, and TIL
farmer himself is the best Judge {
IN which would be most suitable. Thel
es are two crops in the general run {
re farming operations that are we'll a,
he apted to follow the oat crop. The!
e. are peanuts and sweet potatoes. I'll
stubble of the oat crop, when plo,
rp ed under shortly after the crop
Nv harvested, puts certain amount
&c humus in the soil that is necessal
oh to retain soil moisture and make I'll
Nv land very desirable for sweet p
IN tatoes or peanuts. In soils whe
NJ lime prevails the peanut crop pc
tn haps will be the most profitable, b
al on some of the sander soils whe
IN lime is not in evidence, the swe
no potatoes will make profitable Gro
IL This year in cotton sections d
IL crease in the acreage of cotton plan
ed is at least % per cent, and co
siderably more than this in the she
staple sections. Those two crops ;
ready mentioned are good ones
take the place of cotton. There
,or always good demand for peanu
his and there is no difficulty in getti
a 3 good price for them. However, t
az main crop of them should not
ida planted before early June becau
est the crop does best on soil well war
be ed The main sweet potato or
rm should be planted the Goth of NJ
ste and the first of July, and where
Tor oat stubble is used for this p,
ea pose the preparation of the la
IN should be as thorough as possi
700 previous to planting the crop.