Consolidated, 1904, with The Cotton Plantveeriville, S C.
PROGRESSIVE FARMER VOL. XXI. NO. 11.
THE COTTON PLANT VOL. XXIII. NO. 10.
RALEIGH, N. C, APRIL 26, 1906.
Weekly-$l a Year.
TRANSPLANTING.
Suggestions to Farmers and Truckers
on a Subject of Immediate In
terest. Messrs. Editors: If one were to
divide our different important vege
table crops up. into groups based
upon the way the young plants are
started he would have some such ar
rangement as this: Best sown or
planted in the open ground Irish
potatoes, salsify, parsnips, carrots,
turnips, radishes, beets, corn, okra,
pea, bean, squash, cucumbers, canta
loupes, and watermelons. Best sown
in seed-bed and transplanted by dig
ging them carefully and setting them
out: cabbage, cauliflower, celery, let
tuce and onions. Best grown in pots
and transplanted from them egg
plant, pepper and tomatoes.
But who ever saw a grouping of
any sort like this, that couldn't be
changed? Beets for the early crop,
should be started in the seed-bed,
then taken up and set out in the field.
Do the same with squashes and their
near relatives, cucumbers, canta
loupes and watermelons? Oh, no.
Whoever has tried it well remembers
the howling failure he made. But
these last mentioned plants, if early
ones are desired, can be put in the
group with the eggplants all right
and grown to good size before setting
out. Again, the onion crop may be
started by sowing the seed right
where the plants are to remain.
Transplanting From Seed-Bed to
Field.
From the plant bed to garden plot
or to the field' is a short trip, yet
it often results in the death of a large
number of plants which with a little
more care in handling, a little bet
ter preparation of the land, and a lit
tle more attention to the time of
planting, might live and grow in
their new quarters.
The advice is often given to trans
plant just before a rain. Good
enough advice; but how many of you
have done as I have often done
transplanted just before a rain that
never came? There is no time like
getting right out in the rain and
putting the plants out. Then you
are sure of them. But before, if you
are certain of your rain, during, or
after a rain, are all good times.
Rains do not always come to suit
us and we cannot wait for them. In
tMs case preference should be given
to cloudy days, or to the late even
in?, in the latter case giving the
plants twelve or fifteen hours the
start of the sun.
Shading and Watering the Plants.
Various temporary devices may be
resorted, to for shading the newly set
Plants until their roots have taken
hold in the soil once more. Shingles
ar good, one being set up leaning
over each plant on the southwest
side. Pieces of newspaper may be
used in calm weather or sheltered
locations. Tear the paper into
sheets of the desired size, lay them
COUNTIES REPORTING FROM GROWTH OF 1904:
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LESS THAN 5.000 BALES
5,000 TO 1 0.000 BALES 1
1 0,000 TO 1 5.000 BALES
15,000 BALES AND OVft'
I Courtesy of M. V. Richards, L. & I. Agt., Southern Railway.
North Carolina's Cotton Belt.
This illustration shows the counties which make cotton and their relative importance in the pro
duction of the crop. It is printed in. connection with a similar map of South Carolina appearing last
week, and one of Georgia to appear next week.
over the plant, and on one. corner
place two or three handfuls of earth
to hold them down. In two or three
days remove them.
Watering immediately after plant
ing is good, so is a' shallow cultiva
tion of the soil, and if water is ap
plied, culivation should be given im
mediately afterward to prevent evap
oration of moisture.
Trim Back Tops and Roots.
In preparing some plants for trans
planting, it is a good plan to trim
back both tops and roots. Gather
the plants in bunches and with a pair
of grass shears clip off the leaves
half-way back. The plants will do
much better for this treatment. This
applies particularly to celery, cab
bage, cauliflower and similar plants.
Plants should generally be set a
little deeper in the field than they
grew in the seed-bed.; Cabbage and
tomatoes, for instance, are best set ;
considerably deeper (cabbage down
to the first leaves) and it is a good
plan to set them slanting instead of
upright: the stems are then covered
without putting them very deep in
the earth. Tomatoes will throw out
new roots along the stem and have a
much better root system as a result.
Pack the earth well about tthe
plants. The rule should be to pack
so firmly that if you take hold of
the plant by the tip of a leaf and
give a sharp jerk, the leaf will break
before the plant pulls out of the
ground. A dibber may be used to
make a hole for the plant, but if
the soil is well prepared, mellow and
in' good tilth, the hand is about the
best tool for making a place for
plants.
The Cut-Worm Trouble.
If injury from cut worms is fear
ed, take wheat bran, to it add enough
Paris green to give it a greenish color
and enough molasses to make it
sticky, scatter it in little wads or
lumps about over the ground, in the
evening a couple, of days beforethe
plants are to go out. The cut-worms
will feed upon this and be killed off
in large numbers. Better keep the
chickens away, however.
v H. HAROLD HUME,
Horticulturist, North Carolina De
partment of Agriculture, Raleigh.
The Farmer's Advantages in Can
A Word of AVarning to Cotton
Farmers.
Messrs. Editors: I wish to call our
farmers' attention to the cotton crop
for this year. I fear there is more
cotton being planted than should be.
Friends, if you plant a big crop
this year, you may expect only six'
cents for it; that means your ruin;
not only so, it means the destruction
Of your Cotton Growers' Association.
This all means a big back-set to
your community and to all, our
Southland. More than this, you
stamp out the only hope of fyour pros
perity and happiness.
Now are you determined to go back
from a prosperous condition to the
hard times you experienced a few
years ago?
You, cannot make cotton at ten
cents a pound and buy corn at
eighty cents and live happily at your
home.
I warn you not to do as you see
others doing, but think for yourselves
and act for your best interest and
that of your home. Don't plant a
big crop this year, but .stand by our
Cotton Growers' Association and give
it a chance to help us in the future.
Better do this now than to weep
over your mistake later on.
H. F. FREEMAN.
Wilson Co., N.. C.
The way to consolation lies through
submission. Alexander ' Maclaren,
D. D.
' Messrs. Editors: I promised to tell
your readers why we farmers could
put up the finest canned goods in the
world. You know this is my "hob
by." The reasons, are plain, if you
will just think a little. Take peach
es, for instance. If you want the
most delicious peach you can possi
bly get, let it hang on the tree until
thoroughly ripe before you gather it.
And every house-keeper knows that
to have the best dish of string-beans
they must be gathered in the early .
morning and cooked the same day.
If allowed to wilt they are never, so
good. Now this applies to all fruits
and vegetables more or less, and es
pecially in canning them. All we
can hope to do in canning is to keep
the article just as good as it is.
We can't make it any better. So one
great advantage the farmer has over
the large packer, is thaft he can let
his goods ripen on the tree or vine,
and gather and can them the same
day. I have learned from experience
that this makes a great difference,
more than anyone would think who
has not looked into the matter care
fully. ..
Another great advantage is, that
we farmers do our own work, or
give it our personal attention. We
do a small business and can exercise
more care in preparing the . fruits
and vegetables, and especially in
packing every can full. One can
carelessly filled will injure your repu
tation. Where this work is all done
by the different members of the fam
ily, . all of whom are interested In
the success of the undertaking, and
are doing their best to win, no large
packer need compete, for he will be
left if he does.
T. H. RANEY.
Orange Co., N. C.
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