The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-03
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

@. There has been so much rain
that | have been unable to get my
sweet potato ground ready for set
ting out a good size crop. l am Won
dering if it will be too late ana write
to know how late l may set out
sweet potato plants and succeed
S. L., Bessemer, Ala.
A 1t is just now getting time to
put out sweet potato plants, ana
there is no need for alarm about it
being too late. Any time between
now and June 30 will answer, the
earlier, of course, the better. What
you should do is to get your ground
ready at the first favorable oppor-
/ tunity, then secure plants and set at
once. There is yet plenty of time to
make a good crop of potatoes
@. We have set out our field Of
early tomatoes, most of which have
! lived and are now doing well, but
what we want to do Is to plant a
! piece of land for a fall crop and
write to know if it is too late to plant
seed to produce our own plants, or
would you advise planting the seed IN
hills or rows where they are to be
grown? S. O., Admission, Ala,
A. There is yet plenty of time to
plant tomato seed to produce plants
| for fall setting, which need not be
put out until the last of June or the
early part of July. but "a good many
successful fall growers of tomatoes
| do not transplant, but plant their
seed in hills or drills where they
want them to remain and afterward
thin out to the proper distance, This
| latter plan is recommended where
the ground may be infested with
blight, or root knot, which causes
the wilt of tomatoes. Special letter
is being written you on this subject.
@. \ friend of ours recently sent
us a nice collection of gold fish, to-
gether with a box of fish food. but
the box does not say how much
should be given to the fish. Can you
enlighten us on this subject? W. E,
West Blocton, Ala.
A. Gold fish require but very little
food and a small piece of the thin
waters. not larger than the average
finger nail. is sufficient for the aver
age size gold fish for "A hours, and
some claim that feed of this size
every other day is quite sufficient.
As matter of fact, overlooking is
one of the chief causes of fish dying.
O. Can you tell us how to get Ber-
muda grass seed up? We planted
these seed last year and again this
year, but have never had any success.
l.. e, Decatur, Ala.
A. Bermuda grass seed is now OBJ
tainable of proven and good vitality.
but it will not vegetate unless the
soil be warm, and it may be that If
you have planted seed already this
season that they will come up yet
The main factor in getting Bermuda
grass seed to grow is very light COW
ering, or no covering at all. and the
ground should be tamped or pack ed
SO as to bring the seed in hard and
fast contact with the coil. Loose con-
ditions are very detrimental.
Q. When should turnips be planted
| to mature in the fall of the year? 1t
seems that every year | wait until
too late and do not produce any
turnips. Mrs S. r., Sheffield, Ala.
A. The variety of the turnip would
have something to do with this. and
we really think it too early to plant
| fall turnipS. because undoubt ly
planted this early they would become
tough and woody before the fall of
the year. Rutabaga turnips should
be planted inside of two or three
weeks, because they are slow grow
ers, and it is really necessary to start
them early in order to develop full
size before fall, but white turnips
can be planted much later, in fact as
late as August or September, but
after all, a succession of planting of
turnips is what should be practiced to
insure a fall crop.
@. We have Swiss chard now large
| enough to eat and write to know il
we can plant seed now for late
summer or early fall crop? T. ~,
| Jasper, Ala
A. Swiss chard may he planted any
time within the next few weeks for
| late summer or fall crop, and it is
| really the proper thing to do, be-
cause your first crop is likely to give
out before fall. This plant stands
the hot weather we'll and will per-
sist late into fall if planted shortly.
o. What pumpkin sells best on the