The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-06
By GEORGE B. M.vAY. sR.

congressma nor senator could send out to their supporters a little dab of seed for the purpose. mainly ;of soliciting votes for perpetuation one in office. For years the practice has disgusted every man or woman of normal sensibiiities.sa.Polf P olfticians 2 should know that the average citizens cannot be influenced by a half doz>1i packages of seed. costing the United States government less than 5 cents, yet this seed graft has been worked to a frazzlc for years. .' | It seems now that a certain indi- vidual who has, been elected to Con- gress from a Kentucky district IS seeking to revive the free distribu- ton of seed.
 Why don't he include the free dis tribution of meal. flour, shoes, cloth. ing and every other commodity, that the farmer must have2 This free stuff business ought to be .perma- nently put to sleep. ,f
 ASSETS OF A FARMER
 How many farmers know what his assets are? The average mercnant knows what he owes and what IS coming to him and assumes that .ne difference is what he Is worth, put with the farmer it is different. lie only counts his debts or what he oW es and generally takes no account or his intangible assets.
 Intangible assets if properly con- served are really the measure of farm Value. Every dollar spent Tor improvements, if properly done, Is an added value tc the farm.
 These operations are generally counted as an expense bnt In any final analysis must be counted as an investment. If a farmer spends time | to rid a place of undesirable grasses or plants, then he has made an in vestment which will produce good profits. The trouble with most far 11iers Is that they cannot concelve Z that improvements made on theii [ premises is an investment instead Of an expense.
 The matter of farm operation is no inc farm is an asset but it takes brains to turn into cash. ss
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 o. Would it be all right to go ahead and shell seed corn now that is to be sold in the spring and could it be put in bags with safety! G. Miss. y
 There is some danger. of; bag . ging seed corn this early on account of excessive moisture, when causes thus destroy germination. It IS gen orally best to keep seed corn Tn the ear as long as possible.
 o. Is this the proper time to prune grapes? R. E., Heflin, Ala.
 A. It is good time 10 pruhe arapes and the job should not be nut off longer. Cutting back grapes is difficult to those who do not un. derstand what should come out put as a general proposition, the oto.e growth. should be cut away. More information is really needed. See let
 O. What variety of potato is best now to use in making lazy peu'
 Variety makes little difference, the preference lying with Triumph and Cobbler. It is getting tlme; however, when ordinary plahtihs s"''' O. Can you tell me how many acre of ground? E. A., Blocton, Ala acre of grounds? E. A.. bfacton, Aid
 A. It depends somewhat on variety, as some sorts may be planted closer than others, and then much depends on distance in drills. as well as width T of VOWS No less than 10 toO12 thou sand plants should be provided to the 9oiu ~ P'ss = t. 5E.s4142sst n 2s.S 1sst S e. Can I save the Azalea plants that I bought in bloom for Christ mas? Mrs. T. M.
 A, Yes, you can save them by setting in the open ground where they can be protected through shade from the hottest and dryest months, but an old plant rarely blooms ike the one first bought and there IS some doubt if it pays to try to.ssaVe them. .
 O. Do you consider the Collerette dahlias desirable for this market as sale proposition? Mrs. L. C., Roam oke, Ala.
 A. This type of dahlia Is rather small. single in bloom and is not as popular as some other much larger types. A variety in dahlias is gen. erally desirable, and if one under takes to grow them it's best to make some experiments on your own ac- count.
 O. Could we succeed in producing a crop of oats planted this late. and what sort would you recommend? J.. R. A. k1nnsas; 1a Sspenas asai much on lhe variety. and. inasmuch as you Have waited this late. it would be just as we'll to wait until about February and plant the well-known spring oat known as early Bur. This is g. quick grow and light, the variety is particularly desirable to grow for hay or to be fed in the sheaf
 0. What sort of English pea would you plant now? We want the hardi- est. earliest and most prolific sort we can get. F. S., Anniston, Ala.
 A. There are number of varieties that would serve the purpose, but the writer's preference would be the Alaska.
 o. If you were going to lime a piece of ground for general crop pur- poses the coming season, when would the lime be applied by you? NJ. L.. Childersburg, Ala.
 A. Air-slacked or hydrated lime should, under most conditions, be ap- piled from one to two months prior to seeding time. There would be some exceptions to this conclusion.
 Q. We want to try peanuts as. a money crop the coming year. Can you tell us what variety we should plant? R. r., Thomasville, Ala.
 A. Variety would depend much on what market you wish to sell. and the matter of variety is important If you expect to sell your crops to an oil mill. they would probably prefer the small, white Spanish, but you should take up this proposition. with prospective buyers before providing seed.
 Q. We would like to secure some > catalpa trees What sort do we need and must we have plants or seed? s. . K, R. F. D. 8.
 A. There are number of species Of catalpa, all of which are rapid growers. but the one known as Catalpa Speciosa is the one generally used as a timber plant. Seed can be used, but plants are preferable and many nursery men sell them cheap.
 c. What about sweet clover? What sort do I need and when should it be planted? A. S.. Jackson, Ala.
 A. Two of the best types to plant are the annual yellow blooming and the native white blooming sweet clover. commonly calIad ,,naIiIos..