The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-20
BY GEORGE b. M'vAY, SIR.

ny ID. w Az, ON.
1t is strange thing that SO very
many people believe that luck is the
one big factor in the successful growing
of anything. Every day hear people
say that they can have no luck with
certain flowers and vegetables. You
may recommend flower or vegetable
to a customer only to be met with the
remark that they can have no luck
with the varieties mentioned, but will
nearly always say that they know par
ties who do have splendid luck in grow
ing such. 1t is an everyday occurrence
that some one observes that anything
will grow successfully for some people.
The truth of the matter is that So
called luck in growing things is al
together a matter of experience and
foresight. Even if you SOW the best
of seeds and set out only the choicest
of plants means little unless properly
done. Then comes the matter of proper
management cultivation and such pre-
ventive measures as to insure the plants
against the vast horde of disease and
insect enemies. You show me one that
any plant will grow for and I will
tell you the reason. You may often
hear farmer say that he cannot get
his negro tenants to produce enough
corn to do them; the reason, of course,
is that he puts all his energies in pro-
ducing the great ready-cash crop--cot-
ton.
Luck is not a factor in growing any
thing. It's experience, hard work and
proper management that bring home
the bacon.
! Poor Land Forage Plants
The Age-Herald is often asked the
question, what is the best thing to SOW
on thin or poor land for the produc-
ton of forage and to improve the soil?
There are a number of such plants
that belong to the legume family and
improve the soil. The one to use de-
ponds on the time it is to be sown,
because some are cold resistant and
may be planted in the fall or very
early spring, while others may only be
planted when the soil becomes warm.
For spring and summer planting, the
velvet beans or soy beans. All of these
plants will thrive on poor land and
afford both valuable green forage and
hay and besides are great soil en-
rlchers. The cowpea requires better
soil than either, but has the advantage
in that it produces valuable food for
both human and animal consumption.
The velvet bean is a rank grower on
poor soils, producing more weight of
forage than either, valuable for green
food, hay and particularly desirable for
late pasture, even after frost, for all
classes of live stock. The soy bean
thrlves on very poor soil and is valu-
able as green forage, but especially
desirable for hay AS a cover crop for
orchards it is highly recommended. All
leguminous plants enrich the soil
through their ability to assimilate the
free nitrogen of the air and store up
this valuable plant food for succeeding
crops. Most of our southern soils need
vegetable matter to make them more
productive and retentive of the COM
merclal fertilizers which are so largely
used, much OF which is wasted and
washed away for lack of humus or
vegetable matter to retain it.
One Hundred thousand GladiOli
Some gladioli! I can hear the read
er say and with an accent that car
RES an unbelief in such newspaper
story; yet the writer saw with his
own eyes, only last week. field &C.
tually containing one hundred thousand
growing plants of various varieties of
giadloll, and what's more, they were
an large bulbs or Towering size. This
Ic ka1
Sisslppl, about two miles from the coast.
Inc resulting crop, that is the blooms,
are shipped to the various florists and
mower markets of the u. 8. A. Now,
when 1t is know that the value of the
dry bulbs themselves before going into
the soil is from $50 to $40 and nm
ward per thousand, you can begin n
grasp that 1T takes a pile of money TO
finance such an industry. Can Won
imagine the spectacle of seeing such an
enormous quantity of gladioli in
bloom? The gladioli is becoming one
OF the most popular flowers grown. ia
being constantly improved and it would
seem that at last the public has begun
to recognize its superb qualities as
cut Flower as well as a decorative plant.
No flower garden can now be said to
De complete without n collection of
these bright flowers. They are easily
grown and the bulbs may be put out
any time in April or May.
Questions And Answers
o. l have nice lawn now that is
pretty and green, but 1 am told that |
need Bermuda grass with it to enable
1t to stand the hot summer. Can get
the bermuda through the use of seed
or Will l have to set out the grass p
Mrs. F. X. +. d., East Lake, Ala.
A. Bermuda grass seed may be sown
thickly over the grass with reason
able assurance of getting a catch and
much cheaper than putting out Ber.
muda sets; yet the latter is the surest
for quick results. Holes could be