506 



FARM, ORCHARD, DAIRY AND GARDEN. 



els of dry white sand upon the roof of the 

 stack before the thatch is put on. The 

 sand is no detriment to the corn, and 

 stacks thus dressed have remained with- 

 out injury. So very effective is the 

 remedy, that nests of dead young mice 

 have been found where the sand has been 

 used, but not a live mouse could be seen. 



GOBS', Broom. — Broom corn should be 

 planted at the same time Indian corn is 

 planted. It requires a richer soil than 

 Indian corn — at least Indian corn will 

 produce a better crop on a less fertile soil 

 than is required for broom corn in conse- 

 quence of its growing faster, and feeling 

 the effects of fertilizers more perceptibly. 

 Bottom lands on the banks of rivers that 

 are annually overflowed in early spring 

 are particularly adapted to the growth of 

 broom corn. It is sowed in drills, about 

 three feet apart, and the corn thinned out 

 to stand from four to six inches apart. 

 Any good upland soil that consists of a 

 rich mould, easily tilled, will produce an 

 excellent crop of broom corn, with the aid 

 of barn-yard manure or other fertilizers. 

 It requires careful cultivation, by running 

 the cultivator between the rows as soon 

 as the corn is well up ; and then the rows 

 require hand-weeding and thinning out to 

 the proper distances. Boys and girls can 

 do this work better than men can, and at 

 one-third the expense that it would cost 

 to employ men to do it. No weeds 

 should be permitted to grow, as the value 

 of the crop depends on the cleanness of 

 cultivation. 



The seed is valuable for fowls, and for 

 every kind of live stock when ground, 

 and some cultivators think that the seed 

 alone is worth the cost of cultivation. 



COTTON, Cultivation of. — To raise 

 a bale of five hundred pounds of seed 

 cotton per acre, on common cotton land, 

 requires at least 500 bushels of good 

 compost manure per acre, or its equiva- 

 lent in superphosphate or guano, and 

 very careful of cultivation. 



The planter's first care, after having 

 provided the food for his cotton, is to 

 bring his rows as nearly as possible to a 

 horizontal. The manure is spread uni- 

 formly over the field, and, with a good 

 plow, the rows are bedded out deep and 

 thoroughly, intimately incorporating the 

 fertilizer with the soil, and at the same 

 time securing perfect pulverization. The 



rows are laid four feet apart, and the seed 

 planted thirty inches apart in the row, 

 giving 4,368 plants to the acre. A good 

 stand being secured, the after culture 

 consists of light plowing, and almost con- 

 stant shallow stirring, hoeing and care. 



Botation of Crops — A good rotation 

 where cotton is the leading crop, is first 

 year, cotton; second year, corn; third 

 year wheat, rye or oats; fourth year 

 grass — applying the fertilizer mainly to 

 the cotton. 



COTTON, Planting. — A planter near 

 Columbus, Mississippi, experimenting on 

 one acre, set his cotton plants three and 

 a half feet apart each way, thinning to 

 two stalks in the hill, and cultivating in 

 the same manner as with corn. The 

 yield was more than double that grown 

 in the old way, and in respect to the ma- 

 turing of the bolls, advantage was found 

 in the readier access of the sun. 



CTICUMBEB, Culture of.— In the open 

 air is of the simplest character. Merely 

 dig out a hole about a foot wide and deep ; 

 fill it with rich sandy soil ; raise it above 

 the surface about six inches. The 

 hills should be six feet apart each 

 way. If the weather be warm, they 

 will grow in a few days. *If the 

 nights are cold, protect them. There is 

 frequently a little bug which preys upon 

 the tender leaves ; if so, soot and wood 

 ashes, sprinkled over them while wet with 

 the dew, will retard the progress of the 

 depredator. To have young fruit in 

 February and March is rather a nice 

 operation; but any one who can com- 

 mand a few loads of warm horse manure 

 can have them from April to October. 

 That the amateur cultivator may have 

 the articles either for family use or for 

 sale, a few hints may be in place on 

 forcing cucumbers. Prepare a frame, 

 following the instructions laid down in 

 another part of this work for hot-beds. 

 After the beds are in order, put in a good 

 quantity of good, light, rich loam — none 

 better than the surface of the woods. In 

 two or three days the earth will be 

 sufficiently warm for sowing the seeds. If 

 the plants are to be removed into other 

 frames, sow them in pots; if not to be 

 removed, sow them in a hill made in the 

 center of the bed by placing a barrowful 

 of soil in it. Cover the sash at night 

 with straw mats, or any similar protec- 



