The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-23

dS BOlQeu dtySSuIl, COluIn Dlne,
 daisies, larkspur, pinks, foxglov
 forget-me-uot. poppies. phlox. etc.
 Grow Your Own Fertilizer
 The agricultural press. farm dem onstrators, agricultural schools, ex- pertinent stations and a lot of other agencies are constantly urging the farmer to grow fertllizing plants, in- crease the live stock and thus be able to reduce the fertilizer bill. The time has arrived to begin the plant ing of several of the most valuable fertilizing plants, such for example, as the cloyers and vetches. A great many plan every year to grow these plants but put it off like the Amer ican does everything else until too late to accomplish the desired result. The time passes on until next spring. when actual planting time arrives to put in cultivated crops, and then the only thing to be done is to buy .he usual amount of commercial ferti- lizers. Fertilizers are sure to be much higher another season. The tariff will put potash out of reach: NllC AOA i6 II 0SnAhHQ LOT lS sure to increase the price at home; cotton seed meal, influenced a good deal by foreign demand, will be out of reach for fertilizer purposes, and in nitrates, one is at the mercy of the nitrate syndicate.
 Save the Feed
 Last Saturday, while out in the country, 1 saw a farmer drive up to bis home with five bales of timothy hay. This man had a 40-acre farm all in cultivation except about five acres of woods. I went over his farm with him and afterwards asked why he had bought the timothy hay. I was told that his mules needed some roughness besides the daily ration of corn and oats. He did not have a pound of hay in his barn, yet, his farm was oyerrun with John son grass that would produce, if cut, no less than five tons of hay, fully equal in feed value to the timothy he had just hauled 10 miles from Birmingham. Besides Johnson grass, there was great quantities of crab grass, no bad hay itself. His excuse for not cutting his own hay was he had not thought of it, and besides he had no mower. The old world farmer would have cut by hand every
 
 right now thousands of tons of valu- able hay going to waste in Alabama that ought to be saved but wont. great many seem to be working only for the northern hay farmers.
 Clean Farming
 There is no country on the globe that employs the farm machinery that the United States does. Unfor- tunately, in the south, the percent age of improved farm machinery is low, but taking the states as a whole, no other country Is in the same class. While this is true, 1t will surprise many to know that the United States is not in the class with many foreign countries, when it comes to clean farming. Clean farm ing generally implies clean and thorough cultivation. In this respect the old world is far in advance of the United States. Take Spain, for example, where most of the farm work is done withs an excuse for q wooden plowstock, with an excuse for blow point, pulled by a COW, yearling or steer. and yet, such a thing as weeds and objectionable grasses in cultivated crops is rarely seen. The advantages of clean farm ing are too numerous to go into de- tail but a few may be noted. Clean farming is one of the best methods of insect control. destroys the roguos among grasses and weeds that rob your crops of moisture, plant food and promotes good living conditions for cultivated plants. The great trouble with us, particularly in the south, we cultivate too many weeds.
 Questions and Answers
 o My father used to epaId seed grain to destroy smut. What is safe way to accomplish? R. B., Pinson.
 A. Water should be heated to temperature of 1S2 degrees Fahren- heit and maintained at that tempera- ture. Place oats in sack and put in water for about IS minutes, moving up and down, so the water will reach ell the oats. Put only about a bus1el in sack at time so as to easily handle and allow penetration to bulk by the hot water.
 Q. I want to plant a lot of per ennial flower seed. When will tre new seed be for sale? Mrs. w. B., Ensley.
 A New flower seed of many per ennials will begin coming into mar get about September i. They ought to be planted as soon as possible but September is soon enough.
 Q. Which do you consider the best variety of bearded wheat for this section? E. T., Bangor.
 A. On an average I have found fulcaster to be the best adapted.
 c. Which one of the Bermuda onions is the best keeper? c. w., Adamsville.
 A. The pale yellow. so-called white, generally proves the best
 c. My verbenas evidently have the rust. What can I put on them to check the trouble? Miss D., Bessemer
 A. Spray with dry lime sulphur, two teaspoonfuls of powder to quart of water. Busting with equal parts of powdered sulphur and ordinary air-slaked finely powdered lime is usually effective.
 Q. I cannot grow mignonette pe- cause some disease attacks the leaves. they curl up. wither, hang down and finally die. What is this and is there any satisfactory remedy! Mrs. T., Albany.
 A. This is a fungus disease com monly called mignonette -disease--is very persistent when once estab- lished. Spray infested plants at week intervals with tablespoonful dry bor- deaux powder to quart of water Heneraiiy, one spraying or young plants will ward off this disease
 O. I want to set out hardy lark spur and the old fashion white ga..- den lily so as to flower together. When should this be done? Mrs w. T., East Lake.
 | A. Set both 4n September and they will be in flower by next May and June.
 Q. notice you recommended the Sweet German turnip as a strict win ter variety for the production of