1897 



GLKANIXGS IN BEK CULTURE. 



895 



HOW TO GROW A CROP Ol- ITMI'KINS ; VALUA- 

 BLE SrCGKSTIOXS IN RK .ARDTO PREPAR- 

 ING THK GROUND EOR FARM CROPS 

 IN GENERAL. 

 The picture we jrive of forty acres of pump- 

 kins shows such a thrifty crip that we asked 

 for particulars in regard to .s^rowinji^ pumpkins 

 for a canning-factory. The reply will be 



a boy the farmers used to be glad to get a 

 cent apiece, little and big. 



HOW THE "-10 ACRKS" WAS MANAGED. 



Oiir laiui is very ilry, and was not much affected by 

 the heavy rains in AiiKu.st; but the drouth killed the 

 vines four weeks ahead of time this fall, and, we be- 

 lieve, cut the crop W tons short. We harvested i>'A 

 tons from HI acres. Thorough cultivation and plow- 

 iuji under green manure ( i ye, buckwheat, cow peas, 

 cnmson clover, etc. i, we believe will biing good crops 

 almost anywhere. We plowcl under crim.son clover 

 la.st spring, and have another crop growing now. 



We .seed 20 pounds per acre, and cultivate in at la.st 

 cultivation of crop, say about Julv ir)th. Crim.son clo- 

 ver and cow peas are our favorite manure crops. If 

 the farmers in any county would pursue plowing un- 

 der these crops for ten years we believe their county 

 would be the banner one of the .State. Everj- acre of 

 cultivated crops shoidd be .sown with crimson clover. 



FORTY ACRES OF PUMPKINS. 



found below. For several years past, so little 

 attention has been paid to growing pumpkins 

 in our vicinity that the prices have ruled 

 quite high. In fact, I have, during the past 

 two or three months, paid o cts. apiece for ev- 

 ery load that I have seen brouglit into our 

 town. Where they are large and fine I have 

 paid as much us fi, 7, and even S cts. each. 

 These have all been sold for pie-making. In 

 fact, for several years back we have been get- 

 ting as much per pound for nice pumpkins as 

 for watermelons. I suppose no great amount, 

 of course, could be suld at these figures; but 

 it is well for the market-gardener to grow 

 enough to supply his customers. When I was 



] f it is not a complete succe-ss every sea.son, we believe 

 it will pay fully 1(K) per cent on the investment. 



We u-cd soiiie air-slacked limt, potash, and phos- 

 phoric acid on tlie clover, but this did not show any 

 marked gain over where none was u.sed, and we are 

 not prepared to .say that th. benefit equaled the co.st. 



AVe believe in sub.soil plowing at least once in five 

 years, and oftener if there is a surplus of horses that 

 can be used without hiring extri help. We run the 

 subsoil plow about eight or nine inches below the bot- 

 tom of the furr w turned by a common plow. It does 

 not turn up the subsoil, butil is lifted up and dropped 

 hack in a mellow condition, breaking u]) the hard 

 crust on top of which tiie conim .n pi )u- has run for 

 years. This gives a mellow .soil abjut l(i inches deep, 

 which, with the green manure, will hold moisture like 

 a sponge during a drouth, and let off surplus water 

 when there is too much. Some claim land leaches its 

 fertility if this sub.soil is broken up. but this has not 

 been our experience. In laying sewers, etc., where 



