Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-05-25
Weekly Suggestions For
Vegetable Growers

sweet corn seed have rotted in the
ground. Potatoes have rotted but very
little because the cool weather does mol
favor rotting. The New Jersey aspar-
agus crop was late in starting to cut
this spring; however, 1t Is now being
shipped to every city in the northeast
ern part of the United States. Local
rhubarb, radishes, green onions and
spinach are being sold in the markets.
However, many vegetable growers
will have nothing TO gather for two
more weeks.
CULTIvATING POTATOES
If we want to learn how to grow any
crop we must go to those sections
where the farmers specialize on that
certain crop. Therefore, if we want to
see the best methods for c%ultivating
potatoes we have to go to Freehold,
Hightstown, Bradevelt, Woodstown,
Elmer or Bridgeton. In these sections
the growers are very insistent upon Gull
tivating deeply between the rows even
before the potatoes come up. Some
times they cultivate SO deeply that it
becomes necessary to hitch two horses
to a one horse cultivator. An especial
ly long whipple tree Is used and a stick
between the two horses brides holds
them exactly in the rows on either side
of the row being cultivated. To those
people who are not familiar with this
method it may seem unusual, but when
q method develops in the most success
full sections we must believe it is worthy
of consideration. It simply brings
out the fact that cultivation is essential
during the early part of the potato
growing season.
PREPARE FOR CABBAGE PLANTING
Careful tests by the State Expert
ment stations have proven several i'm
portant points about cabbage. growing
which are worthy OF consideration at
this time. If the soil can be plowed a
few weeks and be kept narrowed before
the crop Is set upon it the ultimate
yield will be larger. Furthermore,
soon after the ground is plowed, a
moderate application of lime will help
to prevent club-root from developing in
the soil and besides that it will be of
direct benefit in making the crop
more productive. Cabbage seems to be
particularly appreciative of generous
applications of fertilizers containing a
high per centage of phosphoric acid.
Therefore. if you are anxious to increase
production at this important time it
may be we'll worth while to apply your
usual amount of fertilizer plus 300 or 400
pounds of acid phosphate which costs
about a cent a pound and contains Il
to Is per cent. of quickly available
phosphorie acid.
SUCKER THE SWEET CORN
just SO soon as / write the title Of this
paragraph I realize that hundreds of
growers will say that it does not pay to
sucker corn. OF course, that is very
true of field corn because field corn has
but few suckers and a few extra stalks
make more fodder. However, with
early sweet corr we have a far different
proposition. In rich soil most every
stalk will develop from two to five
branches right at the base of the main
stalk, that is, at the crow of the root.
The branches seldom Dear good ears
and are called suckers. When the
main stalk is fifteen inches high these
suckers are usually about nine inches
high. AT this time they may be pulled
of easily and quickly but If WI wait
until the main stalk is full grown these
suckers will then be about as large as
the main stalk itself. Very accurately
conducted experiments carried on ia
Bergen, Burlington and Middlesex
counties in cooperation with the re-
spective farm demonstrators proved
that by pulling the suckers off early
that the yield of fine quality ears was
increased and, besides that, they were
ready for the table a few days earlier.
PUMPKINS AND SQUAsHEs
Pumpkins require a somewhat long
er growing season than Hubbard squash
and Boston Marrow squash; therefore,
the sooner pumpkins are planted the
larger and more yellow the final pro-
duct should be. The sqnashes mem
toned do better if planted during June
because in that way they are less apt
to be infested with the destructive
squash borer.
FIELD BEAN PRODUCTION
A most important thing to consider
beans of most any kind. They are ex-
cessively high priced now because
when all food stuffs are high priced the
consumer learns to buy those products