THE KUKAb NtCW-YOKKKR 
January 22, 
72 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and address of the writer to insure attention. Be¬ 
fore asking a question, please see whether it is not 
answered in our advertising columns. Ask only 
a few questions at one time. Fnt questions on a 
separate piece of paper.] 
STARTING AN ASPARAGUS FIELD.. 
O'. It. W., Ionia, N. Y .—I have six acres 
of slightly rolling land, which I propose to 
plant to asparagus. The soil runs from a 
sandy to a clay loam, mostly underlaid with 
a clay subsoil. It is underdrained with tile 
every 30 feet. For the past five years it has 
been cropped with potatoes, cabbage, cu¬ 
cumbers, and last year, a crop of Telephone 
peas, the vines of which were plowed under, 
and now there is a nice stand of rye on it. 
I have no plants, and must cither buy or 
grow plants, or sow seed in field. The ques¬ 
tion is, shall I plow under the rye and plant 
to asparagus next Spring, sowing seed in 
field, or shall I wait one year and grow 
plants? If I wait shall I seed to clover and 
harvest the rye, turning in the first crop 
of clover in 1911, or shall I plow rye in 
next. Spring, plant to potatoes and after 
potatoes are harvested subsoil and sow to 
rye, to be plowed under in Spring of 1911 
for asparagus? If I plant to potatoes I 
shall fertilize quite heavily. 
Ans. —You certainly have, from your 
description, an ideal spot for raising 
asparagus, and it seems also as if this 
land is in fine condition to plant this 
orning Spring. Our practice in Concord, 
Mass., in asparagus raising, is to pre¬ 
pare the land thoroughly by planting it, 
at least two years in advance of setting 
the roots, with such crops as corn, peas 
or potatoes. In some cases a green 
crop, like buckwheat, cow peas or clover, 
is plowed under the year previous to set¬ 
ting the asparagus; but in either case the 
object is to get the land in the best me¬ 
chanical condition possible, and full of 
available plant food. The custom here, 
so far, is to set the best selected one-year 
roots, which we either grow ourselves or 
purchase nearby. We have not, as yet, 
tested the merits of planting the seed 
in the permanent bed, and would hesitate 
to recommend such a practice where the 
Asparagus beetle is common. A whole 
bed might be destroyed in a day by this 
pest where the seed is planted to stay, 
for in the permanent bed it would be 
impossible to protect the seedlings, either 
with poisons or chickens, while in the 
seedling bed the protection from beetles 
is comparatively easy. Then again the 
matter of thinning out the young plants 
is quite a problem, and requires a great 
deal of work, and in a sandy country 
seedlings growing at the bottom of a 
six-inch trench will often be covered 
completely by the sand blowing in upon 
them. So at present there does not 
seem to be any warrant for sowing 
asparagus seed where it is to stay 
eventually. 
In your case it would perhaps be better 
to wait one year before planting the 
permanent bed, growing your own roots 
and treating the ground as follows: 
Plant in 1910 an early crop of either corn 
or potatoes, which will be off the ground 
by the first of August. Then plow the 
land and sow buckwheat; this crop 
should be plowed in between September 
1 and 10 , and a cover crop of oats sown. 
Rye as a cover crop for the land prev¬ 
ious to the planting of asparagus has 
this disadvantage: the rye in the Spring 
is in a growing state and when turned 
under will greatly impede the plow in 
making the furrows for the asparagus, 
or if it is left and the furrows opened 
without plowing it in a great deal of the 
rye will grow. In the spring of 1911 
mark out the field, with rows four feet 
apart without previous planting. Make 
the furrows about eight inches deep by 
going both ways in the same furrow; a 
skilled plowman will soon learn to make 
these trenches so that there will be no 
need to use a shovel to clean them out. 
The plants should be set about 18 to 20 
inches apart, and the roots spread. A 
couple of inches of soil over the roots at 
first will be sufficient, and the remainder 
of the trench filled in during the Sum¬ 
mer as the plants are growing. Ferti¬ 
lizers can be applied while the plants are 
growing better than placing them in the 
trenches before planting. Subsoiling 
would be of great advantage to the 
plants if the ground is at all heavy, but 
sandy land would not need this. 
w. w. 
A MARYLAND ROTATION. 
D. M., Maryland .—I have a piece of land 
located in Worcester Co., Md., which I wish 
to get into cultivation. It is a high loca¬ 
tion, but level, and is known in the soil 
survey of the county as Norfolk sand. It 
has been in cultivation, I am told, but has 
been allowed to grow up in scattering pine 
and oak, which are now eight or 10 feet 
high. The ground is covered with a vine 
that has a pea-shaped flower. I do not care 
to spend any more money than possible to 
get it in shape to grow something. I have 
thought best to cut off the trees this Win¬ 
ter, and stir up the soil in the Spring by 
either plowing or disk harrow, and sow 
cow peas in May with a complete fertilizer; 
then in July cut them up with disk harrow 
and sow Scarlet clover and Winter rye; 
plow this in the following Spring and plant 
corn. Sow Scarlet clover in the com and 
continue this last plan, with possibly the 
cutting out of the corn every year, growing 
sweet potatoes for an early crop, and then 
following them with the Scarlet clover. 
Ans.—Y our sandy land doubtless had a 
good supply of humus when first cleared 
from the forest, but this was rapidly wasted, 
and the land turned out as “old field.” Na¬ 
ture has started her recuperative plan. She 
has got some pines and broom sedge on the 
land, and 30 or 40 years hence, after the 
growth of pines had become large, there 
would be a new and fertile piece of land 
made, by replacing in the forest leaves the 
wasted humus, and through the deep-rooted 
pines pumping up from below m. * mineral 
matter for the soil. That has been Nature’s 
method all over the South, and but for the 
broom sedge and the pine trees we would 
have had a wilderness of worn old fields. 
Let us take a hint from Nature, and beat 
her at the game by doing in a few years 
what she takes a generation to accomplish. 
We can do this in your section more rap¬ 
idly with cow peas and Crimson, or as you 
call it Scarlet clover, than in any other way. 
Flow the land thoroughly in Spring and 
harrow in 300 pounds per acre of acid phos¬ 
phate and 30 pounds of muriate of potash, 
and drill peas in with a grain drill. This 
will put them in at a uniform depth, and 
they will do much better than if sown 
broadcast and harrowed in. Sow one to 
iy 2 bushel of peas as soon as the land is 
warm in May. In this case it will pay you 
to disk down the entire growth, chopping 
it up as fine as possible when the crop is 
w T cll matured, and in September sow 15 
pounds of Crimson clover seed per acre and 
put a heavy roller over the land to press 
the seed in. If you can get some soil from 
a field where this clover has succeeded and 
scatter this over in harrowing the land it 
will be the best way to inoculate it for the 
clover. Next Spring turn all under and 
harrow in 25 bushels of lime before plant¬ 
ing corn. Then sow Crimson clover among 
the corn after the last working and turn 
the clover in Spring and sow peas again, 
with the same fertilizer, and make these 
peas into hay, and in September sow Vir¬ 
ginia Gray Winter oats, and follow these 
after harvest with peas for hay, followed 
by clover on the stubble, and get out the 
manure during the Winter made from feed¬ 
ing pea hay and corn fodder, and you can 
grow com again profitably. Keep up this 
and make all the manure you can, and you 
can bring up that land to great productive¬ 
ness, for it is being done right here. 
W. F. MASSEY. 
Wonderbkruy as a Weed. —It is my 
opinion that the Wonderberry, and in¬ 
deed the garden huckleberry might be¬ 
come a pernicious and troublesome weed, 
but for the fact that the young seedlings 
are very weak and slow growing. It is 
quite possible that under some conditions 
they might grow more vigorously, in which 
case I should consider their introduction a 
great misfortune. w. w. tracy. 
Farm Drainage. —There is much land 
that in an average season cannot be made 
to grow maximum crops because of lack of 
proper drainage. We have a vast amount of 
such land in this locality, which if the 
owners would drain would enhance their 
value a hundred per cent or more. On our 
farm there is a low place where each year 
crops suffered from too much water. Tiles 
with me were out of question, and as I 
have a great many surface stones on the 
place, and having learned through The 
I t. N.-Y. that these stones could be used to 
good advantage in getting rid of surplus 
water in that low land, I set to work, lu 
one corner of my farm is the head of a 
ravine into which I could run my drain. I 
dug my ditch as I would for tile, only 
wider. On each side of ditch I laid small 
rocks and across these larger rocks and then 
filled ditch 'partly full with small rocks, 
and lastly over these some litter and then 
filled with soil. In this way I got rid of a 
vast amount of surface rock, got land 
drained, and as a consequence land grows 
crops when before it was utterly unprofita¬ 
ble to till it. It is pleasure to go on to that 
land now after a hard rain, and see how 
soon it permits cultivation, while before it 
would not be plowed for a week or more 
after every heavy rain. G. winkler. 
Missouri. 
Seeds, Plants, Roses, 
Bulbs, Vines, Shrubs, etc. 
Hundreds of car lots of 
FRUIT and ORNAMEN¬ 
TAL TREKS. 1200 acres, 
50 in hardy Roses, none bet¬ 
ter grown. 44 greenhouses 
of Palms, Ferns, Ficus, 
Geraniums and other 
things too numerous to men¬ 
tion. Seeds, Plants, Bulbs, 
Roses, Small Trees, etc., by mail postpaid. 
Safe arrival and satisfaction guaranteed. Im- • 
mense stock of SUPERB CANNAS, the queen 
of bedding plants. 50 choice collections cheap 
in Seeds, Plants, Roses, etc., Elegant 168-page 
Catalogue FREE. Send for it today and see 
what values we give for your money. Direct deal 
Will insure you the best at first cost. 56 years. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO. 
Box 219. PAINESVILLE, OHIO d] 
You Can Get 
A Price List of Call’s Nurseries, 
Perry, O., for the asking. They make a 
specialty of dealing direct with their cus¬ 
tomers, and send out the finest Fruit Trees 
that can be grown. 
Fruit and Ornamental 
NURSERY STOCK. 
We have a full line. 
raiVET, A Specialty. 
New catalogue ready about middle of January. 
JOS. H. BLACK, SON & CO. 
HIGHTSTOWN, N. J. 
Plant a Hedge 
about your home this Spring—fences are out 
of date. A hedge will increase the value of 
your home tenfold over cost of the stock for 
planting. 
California Privet makes the most attractive 
and serviceable hedge. We have acres of the 
finest plants that can be grown anywhere. 
Prices within reach of all. Write us about 
your needs and ask for a copy of booklet, 
“How to Plant About the Country Home.” 
If interested in fruit planting ask for booklet, 
“How to Grow Fruit.” Illustrated catalog 
of the world’s largest nursery—over 2,000 
acres—free. 
HARRISON’S NURSERIES 
Box 421, Berlin, Md. 
TREES DIRECT FROM THE GROWERS 
PLUM - 
Our 
at $6.48 tor 100-CHERRY 
trees and plants are the best 
known for Harden and orchard, 
fresh dug, true to name, no scale, 
no risk, personal attention given 
every order. Send us a list of 
your wants for wholesale prices, 
, freight, paid. Everybody write for 
free illustrated catalogue. 
2 Apple trees, 1 McIntosh and 
1 Banana for 26c postpaid. 
Maloney Bros. & Wells, Box lti , Dansville, N. Y, 
TREES AT WHOLESALE PRICES 
Send for our illustrated catalog of 
fruit, ornamental and shade trees, 
hedges, vines, shrubs, roses. Stock 
first quality. Government inspected 
G uaran teed true to name. Anything that 
don’t grow, replaced free. 
fc rovers'! GROVER NURSERY 
\grow J Trust Building, Rochester, N. Y. 
SAN JOSE SCALE GAN BE DESTROYED 
NOW 
Because it’s dormant. 
The trees are in the best condition for 
spraying because they are leafless. 
There is less wind and more time. 
“LION BRAND” 
LIME SULPHUR SOLUTION 
is acknowledged the most effective and 
safest spray. Ready for immediate use. 
Sold at a price lower than home-made, or 
any other brand of standard insecticide. 
It’s the kind to order. 
“LION BRAND” is most accurately 
made of the purest ingredients, and most 
economical to use. 
Largest factory in the world and twenty- 
one years of experience hack of it. We 
manufacture absolutely nothing hut 
spraying materials and insecticides. 
Write for FREE BOOK on 
WHEN, WHY AND HOW TO SPRAY. 
THE JAMES A. BLANCHARD COMPANY, 
G23 HUDSON TERMINAL BUILDING. NEW YORK CITY 
VICK 
Quality 
Seed 
PrizeWinnersfoMSl^ 
for the best specimens 
of vegetables and $200 for the 
best specimens of Asters grown 
from Vick Quality Seeds, shown 
at New York State Fair, Syracuse, 
next September. No admission fee; 
open to all. Write for full particulars, 
Vick’s Garden and Floral Guide lor 1910— 
61st edition—bigger, better, and more helpful 
than ever. Fran. Writs for your copy to-day. 
JAMES VICK’S SONS. 430 Main Stieet, Rochester, N. Y. 
5 tm5m£ 23 GRAPEVINES 50 Cts. 
Sent postpaid. Best varieties—red, white and black. 
We also offer Five Thro©-Year-Old Vines for 91.00. 
Will bear year after planting. Our valuable book how 
to plant, cultivate and prune free with every order. 
Grapes are easily grown and should be in every garden. 
T. S. Hubbard Co.. Grapevine Specialists, 350Centril Ate., Fredonla. N. T. 
Established hi Tears. 
rnD Q Al E —Scarlet Clover Seed, $7.50 to$8.50 
rUli OALLi bushel: Red Clover Seed, $8.50to 
$10.00 bushel; Cow Feas Seed, $2.50 to $2.75 bushel: 
Old Fashioned Buckwheat Flour, $2.00 per 100 
pounds; Onion Sets, $2.50 bushel; Alaska Feas, 
$4.00bushel: Seed Potatoes, $3.50 bag. 
JOSEPH K. HOLLAND, Alilford, Del. 
ASPARAGUS ROOTS 
Hundreds of thousands of strong 2-year roots, 
several varieties. Fruit Trees, standard and 
dwarf. Berry Plants, California Privet, Ever¬ 
greens; quality stock. 
Write for catalog of information. 
BARNES BROS. NURSERY CO., 
Box 8, Yalesville, Conn. 
TREES 
CATALOG FREE. 
-150 ACRES. Genesee 
Valley grown. "Not the 
cheapest, but the best.” 
Never have had SanJose 
Scale. Established 18(19. 
GEO. A. SWEET NURSERY CO. 
20 Maple St., Dansville, N. Y. 
_FRUIT GROWERS ATTENTION_ 
1,000,000 FRUIT TREES AT WHO RESALE PRICES 
ATT, the leading varieties oe 
APPLE, CHERRY, PEACH, PEAR, PETJM, anel QUINCE 
Direct from the growers, free from Scale and disease and STRICTLY TRUE TO NAME, Send us 
your list and let ns make vou prices. Your name on a postal will bring our FltEE CATALOGUE. 
REILLY BROS. NURSERIES, Box C,DANSVILLE, N. Y. 
You will be satisfied with the products of 
BurpC6*S “Seeds that Grow” 
Shall we mail you our New Complete Catalog? 
W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO., Burpee Building, Philadelphia. 
TAKE TIME IiV THE FORE DOCK. ORDER THE SEEDS FOR 
*THAT VEGETABLE GARDEN NOW. 
Don’t buy seeds because they ar cheap. Beware of exaggerated " special offers. Buy 
first Quality seeds from a reliable firm and Bave time and money 
SEEDS - N ONE BETTER THAN NOLL5;^ 
: \) \ Send 10c (or a pneket of Noll s " Champion ot All Jbettuce. i tie nest all round 
>" _€ ’\ variety for Spring and Fall planting. A sore header. Sent postpaid with our de- 
y^\V v A scriptive and illustrated 1910 catalogue. Don’t delay. Send today. 
scriptive and illustrated 
J. F. NOLL «fc CO., 
logue. Don’t delay. 
U 0 Mulberry St., Newark, N. 
CCCnC at ONE-HALF- 
WtLilrW City Seedsmen Prices ! 
Let us send you our catalog of seeds—It’s 
different. It tells you facts, and why we can save you money, and give you a guaranteed 
SQUARE DEAL. Just drop a postal today and see the difference in buying your seeds in 
country or city. FORREST SEED CO., Box 34, Cortland, N. Y. 
CELERY 
PARIS GOLDEN 
SELF BLEACHING 
Originator’s stock carefully selected for the Market Gardener. 
The seed is one year old. Samples grown in our trial grounds. 
We know it is A1 and of good germination 1 oz., 50 cts.; ll>.. $1.25; 
1 lb., $4.00. Seeds for the Market Gardener onr specialty. Let us 
tell you more about the seeds we sell, our prices, etc. 1910 catalogue 
we mail in January. 
H. E. FISKE SEED CO., FaneuilHall Square, Boston, Mass- 
