THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



THE DANGER OF HASTY CONCLUSIONS. 



By JifA<ifi A\rh. 



A man told me this morning: that strange 

 things occur in his garden. As far ;us he can see, 

 the circumstancesofoni' hill uX vorn are the same 

 as of all the others in the i)I<>t. and yet, some of 

 the corn is not ovt-r a foot tiigh, i'.iid in tassel, 

 whllo other hills, Dear by. jilanti'd the sani^? day, 

 are three times as tall. In one row tJiere are sev- 

 eral of these low hills in succession, I was asked 

 to explain the causu of this ditlerenee; and it 

 must he <:onfcssed that it is not an oaj»y matter. 

 It may be that the corn, which he bought in a 

 single paclcage, was mixed, and .some of it is a 

 larger sort than the other. If this were so, it 

 seems strange thai all tlu' kernels planted in a 

 number of succ-fssive hills should he small, while 

 others are all of the larger sort. It, may be that 

 the kernels are all of the same variety, but some 

 better matured than others. Experiments show 

 that there is considerable difference between the 

 germinating power and general vigor of one 

 grain and anc^ther on the same ear. The very 

 noticeable varhition in si/.e can be accounted for 

 on the score of insei-ts. (irub worms and vine 

 worms are common in old garden soils, and l>y 

 feeding upon the roots, they dwarf the plant's 

 thus injured It is a law in vegetable physiology 

 that whenever anything retards thegrowtli of a 

 plant, it also tends to hasten its time of tic)wering 

 and Ibrniation of fruit and seed. It seems as if 

 the plant was informed of tbe inipending danger 

 and put all its energy into the reproduction of its 

 kind. A drouth will cause this sante liastening, 

 as many have witnessed to tlieir sorrow. 



The diflerences above referre<l to, may be due 

 to some warm ness in the soil. It is true that no 

 two grains of corn, when i)hintcd,are surrounded 

 with identical <-onditions of food sui)ply. A 

 quantity (tt manur<_' hacl brrn applied to this soil 

 in question, and we juay reasonably cm include that 

 it is not pcrfe(-tly and evenly distributed, ('orn 

 is a plant that respondsvery quickly and fully to 

 the application of any manure, and in this, then, 

 may be found a solution of the striking variation 

 noted. 



There are some otlier circumstances that may 

 vary from hill to hill, but enoujih of these have 

 been Ktated to show how little is absolutely 

 known with regard to the hi"owIIi »<f ai»y particu- 

 lar plant in a crop. Js'uarly every reader can 

 brint^ to mind, cases where it seemed as if every 

 condition wjis favorable for a fine yield, and the 

 harvest was vi-ry )i(M>r. Tlie careml reader will 

 often see contradicting stateiucntsas to the value 

 ofdifl'crent varieties of grains, fruits and Ilowers ; 

 and most contlicting statenu'nts as to the merits 

 of the various breeds of <'attte, sheeij, et**. One 

 farmer, for example, can llnd no use tor super 

 phosphates and <-one1udcs that they are unfit for 

 any soil. While another larmer feels that his 

 protlts are determined very largely by ihe 

 amount of these lert ili/cr'^ that he us<-s. Ntlt long 

 since, a writer stated thai the applicatitui of super 

 phosphates won hi soon ruin the land. There 

 may oe lands upon wlii4h these manures are not 

 needed; but, ecjually true, there arc others that 

 are yielding starvation crops from a lack of them. 

 Some mcii can no! say enough fort In ■ shorthorn 

 breed of cattle, while otiiers are continually cry- 

 ing them down. This may l>e partly due to :i 

 variation in the breed— as all children of the 

 same hou.sehohl are not alike— but rrc<|Ucntly the 

 dlf!ercnccs reside in the minds iff men, and are 

 stated in the |>apers and elsewhere for selfish 

 ends. A man with a fine herd of Devons Is not 

 going to advocate .Ierse.\ s lor working oxen, and 

 "Will not speak at length upon the go(_>d pitints of 

 any other breed that will cast a shadow over 

 those of his own herd. 



The point thai wonhl be here made, is this : 

 Crop-growing is a most complicated piece of 

 worK^and the farim rmust ih-al with avast num- 

 ber of circamsianci'S over which he can have lit- 

 tle or no control. There is a natural tendency to 

 pass judgment with insulticient evidence, anil to 

 make broad and sweeping ticncralizations where 

 only a guess should be ailvanced. There are but 

 few places in this worlil where no doubt enters. 

 Many dilferenccs exist only in the mind, and 

 Oft^n these arc the most troublesome. 



Why did not the corn grow evenly? It may he 

 due to the presence of oiie or more of several 

 clrcumslauces; but positively, I do not know. 

 Do you? 



TOO EARLY PLANTING. 



.V. J. .yhr}ihtrif. E(A„n,Mo. 



warm. In a great marty cases (as careful experi- 

 ments will show), seed planted two weeks later, 

 after the soil is well warmed up, will make a more 

 rapid growth than that whidi is sown earlier. 



(ienerally, with vegetables, we want a quick, 

 strong growth, and the easiest way to se<!ure this, 

 is to have good soil, thoroughly prepared, and 

 the seed sown carefully after the soil becomes 

 warm. Much complaint against seedsmen is due 

 to the fact that the seeds were planted too early. 



In my experience I find it hard to have any 

 rule for planting in the spring, there is so much 

 difference in th' season; and while it is always a 

 good plan to sow reasonably early, yet I have 

 also found that it pays to wait until the soil is 

 well warmed up before seeding, and with many 

 plants I wait until I am sure there is no danger 

 of frost. Peas can be planted very early, but In 

 this case I do not like to cover as' deep "as when 

 planting later. Beans will do no good when the 

 ground is c-old, and there is no economy in plant- 

 ing until the soil is warm. The same may be 

 said of sweet corn, as well as of (cucumbers, 

 squashes and watermelons. With these seeds 

 that I plant early, I make it a rule to cover lightly 

 as there is much less danger of seed rotting, than 

 if covered too deej^. 



Be sure of one thing in seeding early — wait until 

 the soil is dry. Planting when the soil is cold 

 and wet, is much worse than when simply cold. 

 I never have found it a good plan to w*trk soil 

 when loo wet, and especially so in the garden, as 

 it cannot be got into i)roi)er condition, nor will it 

 cause seed to germinjite properly or grow as they 

 shttuld. Better delay i>lantlng a week than to 

 plant when the soil is eitlier too wet or toi> <-old ; 

 as in my experience much better results have 

 been received. 



MISSISSIPPI. 



The failure to germinate properly is often 

 attrlbnteil to too early sowing, esiiccially is this 

 the case in the garden. I'lanlinj; fine, tender 

 seeds in wet, cold ground, is almost sure to result 

 in disappointment. It is true thatj I'ften, many 

 seeds can be .-own very early and witlistand con- 

 siderable cold, wet weather, and yet germinate 

 well, and produce good, strong jilants. Yet, in a 

 great minority of " cases, more disappointment 

 results fi"om too early seedinti, than from any 

 other cause. Onions, radishes, turnips, mustard, 

 asparagus, can all be si>wn early. Some of them 

 will remani in the ground two weeks before 

 germinating, and yet produce good, strong, thrif- 

 ty planl,s. Yet, to some extent the vitality of 

 the plant is afliected. 



My rule in sowing onions is to seed at the first 

 opportufiity in the spring. As soon as the soil 

 can be worked into a suitable condition after the 

 1st of March, I try to sow my onion seed. A few 

 radishes can be sown at the same time. 



But with the greatei portion of seeds, it, is far 

 better to wait until the soil becomes, to a certain 

 extent, warmed up. Lettuce, spinach, parsnips 

 and chicory, can he sown early and will with- 

 stand considerable cold weather withont serious 

 injury. But tomatoes, cauliflower, egg plant and 

 Mabbage should not l>c sown until the soil is 



Itfi W. K. OoUin^, M<tycrsx*UU. Miss. 



Any one familiar with Western farming at the 

 present day, would be somewhat surprised on 

 coming South to see still in use the farming im- 

 plements of the early days, and it seems to be a 

 foregone conclu.sion that Iliis will continue for 

 generations yet to come, although there is now a 

 slight demand for improved implements among 

 white farmers. That our farmers should be so 

 backward in adopting improved farm machinery 

 is no mystery to those familiar with the situa- 

 tion. The chuss of labor employed explains this. 

 Negroes, as a rule, are at best rough workmen, 

 and any <'ostly machinery cannot be entrusted 

 to tlu'ir handling, and it now seems impossible 

 to improve them. We are, therelVire, compelled 

 to rcs<^»rt to the most primitive articles in use — 

 the plow, hoe and iron tooth harrow. These are 

 about theoidy iniiilements now in use on a cotton 

 plantation cultivated exclusively by negroes. 

 There is anotlu-r reason why more improved 

 machinery is not now in use on Southern i)lan- 

 tations, and this lies in the system of contra<'ts 

 in vogue, l^ands are leased to tenant-s at 1(X) 

 pounds lint c<»tton per acre, which is equivalent 

 to Sl(t. The tenant lurnislies his own team and 

 farm implements, ant^l his means being llmit4>d, 

 he purciiuscs the most primitive and those lie is 

 most familiar with. 



If a jilantation Is worked on shares, the owner 

 is not willing to risk Improved machinery In 

 tlieir hands. If the lands of the South were 

 worked for wages, it would soon become the 

 study of land owners to reduce the cost of culti- 

 vation to a minimum, and to do this, improved 

 machinery would soon be introduced and the 

 country vastly benefitted ; but as things are now, 

 I am afraid it will be many days before this 

 occurs. Low-priced cotton will doubtless hurry 

 the day ; lor whenever eotton is sold on the mar- 

 ket at six cents per pound, it will l>ecome the 

 stvuly of its produi'crs to reduce the cost of pro- 

 duction, and this reduced cost must come through 

 the introduction of improved machinery and 

 laV>or-saving devices. The two most expensive 

 items in making a cotton crop, are the common 

 weed hoe, and the gathering by hand of the crop. 

 The principal item of expense is the last, which 

 has never been less tlian 57.50 per bale of -KH) 

 pounds lint, nearly two cents per jiound Unt 

 cotton. Take off this item and that of the hoe, 

 and cotton can be produced for four cents, or less, 

 per pound. 



This part of the country (Yazoo Delta), is par 

 excellence the great cotton producing section, it 



is in this basin, and other portions of the Missis- 

 sippi Valley, that the negro delights; it is here- 

 that he is fast congregating; it is in this cony^res- 

 sional District where may be found Mississippi 

 negro minority— knowing this, it is easy to con- 

 elude that improved farm machinery will not be 

 introduced for years to come. They own but 

 little land, and have no desire to own any, pre- 

 fering to form no home ties, but remain free to go 

 and come at will. They are all renters, or share 

 workers; paying more for rent of land in twelve 

 months, tt^an most people are willing to pay for a 

 title in "fee simple." They keep down all com- 

 petition from foreigners and native whites, and 

 arc ahrat/ff given the preference. It is not re- 

 quired that he should give reference as to his 

 reliability or character. The veriest pauper 

 among them can lease land on as good terms as 

 the best, and obtain all tlie " credit" he wishes. 

 He will be furnished with teams, farming imple- 

 ments and subsistence for liimself and family, all 

 to be paid out of the crop to be made. No white 

 man can do this. He must come recommended, 

 and be able to supply his own teanis, Ac, and 

 even then, planters would rather not lease to 

 him. 



Xow there can be no question that the iJlanta- 

 tion would be more profitable under lease to the- 

 negi'o, hence this preference. I say more profita^- 

 ble, because the negro si>ends every dollar he 

 makes at the plantation store, and is ready to re- 

 peat it year after year. The Valley will never 

 beciime a first-class agricultural country under 

 this systeni— lands will rapidly deteriorate. If 

 the present large plantations were divided in 

 traets to suit purchasers, they would soon be 

 btmght up liy thrifty white farmers, and brought 

 to a high state of cultivation, jind in a few yeai>- 

 the Mississippi and Hed Itiver Valleys would 

 produce cotton sufticient to supply tlie world's 

 demand. 



There is more money ingrowing cotton than 

 almost any staple crop grown. Like other busi- 

 ness, however, it must be conducted proju-rly. 

 and not like a certain ** I^and t'onipany " or syn- 

 ilicatc I know of, who entered into the business 

 some two or three years ago, and are in liquida- 

 tion tf>-day. To begin with, they were iinpose<l 

 upon, and made pay three times the value of the 

 land. I wituld be willing, to-<lay, to engage m> 

 servU'es to capitalists entering this busines.s, and 

 a<:copt for those survi<'es, <ift over V2\K, per c<'nt. on 

 tlieir investment, that the property will pay 

 annually. But, I should wish to negotiate for Ihe 

 proi)t'rty, not trust to them, as they would bi- 

 sure to pay just double what I could obtain it for ; 

 and I would want the management of the labor, 

 Ac, It witl pai/ovi-r \'1\„ per cut annuiilly without 

 fail, and the property sell for M'hat it (rost at any 

 time — but I digress. I hope yet to see the cott<in 

 lands of the Mississippi Valley owned by tlirifty 

 white fanners, in tracts ranging from 4(1 to Itib 

 acres. Then the world would soon learn what a 

 country we have here. It is true that much ol 

 our Valley land is subject to overflow, but this 

 does not prevent fine crops from growing f-n rj/ 

 year. The Waters come over, usually, in March, 

 and are gone by May, in ample time for planting, 

 and the water serves to fertilize the soli. 



[Mj'next will l_^e on the several crops adapted 

 to this soil and climate; their yield, cost, &c. 

 This to be followed by fruits, stock, &c.] 



ANOTHER CHEAP CISTERN. 



Jty U\ C. .Stfftr, SwUzcj'kunt, Florida 



There are some soils where the cement cistern 

 cannot be made, and stone cannot be had, and 

 brick is too ixpensive. In that ease a cist<?rn can 

 still becheaply made, as described below. I have 

 seen several of tiuni in wse within the la.st year. 



Begin by making a square or circular excava^ 

 tion from two to four feet deep. ac<'()rding tx> the 

 lirmness of the soil, and of such size jis suits you- 

 Make the sides perpendicular, cement thebottoui 

 and sides as described in the February number. 

 From the surface build up a brick wall of suffi- 

 cient height to make the cistern lus large as de- 

 sired, ('eiiicnt this wall the same as Ujpon the 

 earth bebfW. Cover the whole with plank. Thi.s 

 makes equally as good a cistern jis either of tbe 

 others, is much cheaper than all brick, and is 



50 



Perf'imed,Eaibi>ssed, hidden name. &c. Cards, sample 

 book A scrap pictures 10c. (jlobe Co.. Nnrttiford', Cf. 



50, 



Hidden Name, Embossed &Chromn Cards A a Golden 

 '(.an, lUc.,tilDt;s5Uc. 0. A. BRAINARD. Hlaoannm, Conn. 



X XVuLl »nil Ladies' I. uiile to fancy work. iliustrate.1,1 

 mailed for 6c. for postage. Acme M fg. Co.,lvoryton, CL ' 



rrfkEmbi»=aed, Prrfumrd awi BUldm Kam^ t'ARDS 



OUamZA^rta. Saropii' Uookfor 7 Ic. etainrs. 50 f'-mb. 

 ncturea 4o. km ElUCiN CARD CO. NORTHFORD, COHI?. 



CX'UrT^ 4 cents for our Sample Book of Cards, latest 

 OXaJ^MJ styles. AUSTIN CARD CO., New Haven, Ct. 



r^ A T^TIQ Send 4 cents in stamps for our Sample Book. 

 wil.XfcifOAU new styles. CakdWorks. N<iriliford,Cl. 



$39 



PER WEEK SET,LTN(i my AVnirbeR. Notion^s 

 Jewelrj', etc. 4S-piiap Cataliiiru'" free. Adfirns. 

 G. 91. IIANSON. Cliiuaeo. Ill 



SFrpmrh Uolln with elesant wardrobe. 32 pieces. Aragts' 

 sample book uf cards, 10c. Eagle Card Co, Norlldord.Ct 



50 



LatOKt C'ardts Boauties, In fine Case nameon.aad AgtV 

 Sample l£»ok tor 7c. (^Umps). Auto.Album and 60 

 £ml>. riciure£, 6c Wliiflcld Curd Co., Nvw IlAveu, Ct 



LGRNTS WANTED for two new fast selling arti- 

 oles Samples free. O. E. 3Inrt!ibnll» Lockporl. «. V. 



156 



New Scrap Pint nrp<5 and T^nnvson's Poems mailed 

 for 10c. CAPITOL CARD CO.. Harttonl. Cord. 



Chromo Cards and Tennvsan's PnoniR mailed for ten 

 one cent stamps. ACME MANTG CO.. Ivonrlowe, Codh. 



70 



THE BIGGEST THING OUT '^y,?!;,^^^?^'* 



(new) E. NAsT)N *^ CO.. 12(1 Fi'i/roN St.. Nkw Yokk. 



/.ft Emhoased and Hi'ldcn Name Carets with Klcftant prixe lOrent*^ 

 C|U 13 pk8. $1.00. BLAKKSLRR A CO., NorOi Haveo, C-ODuraticuU 



