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Banks County Gazette. YOl. \ I PREPARATIONS WELL ADVANCED Georgia Farmers Get a Good Start on This Year’s Crop PAS BEHIND 1:1 ANNUAL RAINFALL rf ,lgriru!tnre la Hu* Monthly Talk, tho Mi-rotr*li Kreakiiig f Land lut-tndel For • orn. howir.jf flover and Guise*—Ample Fro ▼isiou lie Hade Por Food Crop*. Di.rAnrMr-.NT or agriculture, Atlanta, Oa„ Feb. 1. 1897. January has given us more than its usual average of bright days, and ail through the state preparations for an other year’s crops are going on apace. This, with the fail plowing of which a good deal was accomplished, gives us a very fair start, and should February prove a very rainy mouth, wo will pos sess our souls in pitieuco. Wo are very far behind in the annual rainfall, and It were better perhaps to have it made up in this month, than later on, when the young crops might bo retarded in their growth, if not seriously injured by heavy spring floods. preparation. The work of preparation should go on steadily whenever the weather permits, remembering that the laud intended for corn should be thoroughly and deeply broken. Corn is ui >ro sensitive to drouth than most of our cultivated crops, and needs a deep and mellow seedbed. When planting time comes if this breaking has been done some time previous, it may become necessary t > harrow the land before potting in the seed, but the additional labor is fully returned iri benefit to tho crop. Corn, unlike cotton, is made in a few weeks, ami after deep breaking and proper ma nuring, we must depend on repeated surface stirring to conserve m ns taro, keep down weeds, titrate the soil, and thus promote, the perfect development of Hie crop. In prepat rig laud for any crop we should be guided by the char acter of the soil and its present condi tion, as well as the previous crops planted on it, and their cultivation If tne soil bo deep, we may put the plows in doep and turn each furrow, leaving a mellow bed for planting time. But if the soil be .- hallow and the subsoil near the surface this plan will not answer. If the turning plow is used, it should go just- deep euon Ji to bring a little of tlia fubsoil to the snrfaco, and the furrows be loft on edge, as it were, in order that I he small amount of available plant food mr.jr not be buried out f roach of the young plant roots We have always found, how vor, taat on such lauds a bet ter plan is to use a long, narrow straight plow, running the furrows close to gether, which will break tho subsoil without bringing it to the surface and leave the t t> soil in g rid condition. Another imp iriaut point in preparing for our crops, is that wo return to the land as far as pus ible every particle ot 1 vegetable matter left on the surface from the previous year. Tho crying need of our lands is humu3, and when there is a heavy growth of weeds, broonjsedge, cotton or corn stalks or 1 nny other nun:as m iking mat rial on the laud, it sliouid net be bn: at off before the plows, but every effort should be made to break it down and put it in couditiou-to o- tuned un i r when t!ie I lowing is done. Fort ns purpose so lent a c M morning amt drag a har row the laud in every section. tl.e eJUv-pa-m of eoru stalks this v, ii. brea ii •vii ! in; prowt.i. In ro r-.V to ' o -pury . an t ier >!u:nu iu ri-osii ito t. v.: it-: tii' ; corn sulks, w-tehare u-u;- v t tanning in tlio tie.u, we lir.v.* imi * red to show how much valti bio feeding material is thrown away en ii y ear by tins waste ful practice. Tup averug: tinner re paid* these standing stalk .a ; i much waste material, v. utcn is to bo removed as thoroughly as possible and burning is the usuai method of petting rid of them. If cut down and turned under whole, they are a mem- tojhe proper preparation and after cultivation of the land; the practice of cutting in shorter lengths by hand and theu turning un der is considered a loss of time and la bor. and every farmer, who has tried the plan, knows that if they are hauled to the stable and put in the stalls, in the hope of addin* to the manure heap, they are a con-tont source of annoyance and worry. Jtdoi-s seem strange that this portion of too con crop, which contains such a large per cent of the nutritive value of that '-rap, should bo regarded as a nuisance-, and be annually and literally thrown iuto the Ere. We are doing a1 in our power to check the further progross of a mistake which is each year losing as thousands of tons of healthful anil nutria ms f ir ago. Once the farmers fully realize the truth, they cannot be induced ti leave this crop iu the field to waste, any more than they would a-l-.w their other crops after they are made to stand exposed to the destructive agencies of wind and weather. We need a reform here and we need it at once. To resume the sub ject of preparation, the stubbie lauds and the laltus which wet not plant -d the previous year if not piowei iu the fail should be the Hist to be broken after Christmas. Being full of v-getab.e matter they are not so liable to be puekedbythe heavy winter rains. If tjpttonseed is to he used as a manure, we have found it is a good plan to lav off the land, put in the seed and acid i jind coyer w.ejl with a list. This gives 1 I me cottonseed time to decompose be fore planting time and yet not to a de gree that will cause a loss of its ele ments of plant food before they aro needed by the crop. Another advan tage of this plan is that when we com plete the bed and open the planting fur row the soil is in nice, fresh condition for the reception of tho seed. Rye and barley patches may be left to be plowed until the last in order to get all the ben efit possible from them as green food- We have seeu such patches turned under late and then laid off, manure put in and bedded up for potatoes, Tho slips were not put out uutil July, but the potatoes were no large and the yield as great as from slips put out iu May. As is usual, when this crop matures rapidly, the eating quality of tho pota toes was not as good, but their feeding value for siock was unimpaired. OATS may be sown until the last of this month. Iu the more Lorthern sections of the state oats sown in February arc not so liable to disaster from frosts as tho January sowings, but as the cron m? a shorter time for developing, the and should be thoroughly prepared and highly fertilized, iu order that the young plants may at once begin to take up their food supply. CLOVER AND GRASSE',. The next best plan to sowing these crops on land especially and carefully prepared for them is to sow oil tho grow ing small grain crop i. Run a harrow over the grain, which will benefit rather than injure it; the i sow the seed, which will rcijuiro no further work. The best varieties arc red and mammoth clover, tall meadow grass, orchard grass, red top and rye grasses. Japan clover should be sown later; it \s r i.l grow oil land too poor for almost any other crop. It is a nitrogen gatherer, good for stock food and may be used as a starting point for more desirable crops. Alfalfa, or lu cerne, require ■, more care, should be sown only on rich band and requires careful cultivation tho first year. Th ■ plants are delicate, and until a good stand is secured, aro liable to be choked out by more vigorous growths. It al ways suivo'ds bast whoa planted and cultivated iu rows—after the middle or latter part of February. It pays bet ter to put MANURED directly in the ground instead of making compost heaps 15y tins plan tit- ro is no danger from over hearing and both tune mid lulnr aro economiz 01. If preferred, however, tho compost heaps may still be built Loaves, muck, scrapings from fence corners, etc., may all bo mixed with the stable manure, and if phos phates and potash ar.■ add’d they not only retain their own valuable fertiliz ing properties, but will materially im prove the .. ho o mass. It is in the iiiu-o. genous fertilizers that there is danger of loss. Of these, cottouse and and cot tonseed mml aro perhaps in safest, as being less liable to loams of ammonia. kaffir corn. An inquiry as to Kaffir corn wa - crowded out this month la view of the fact that our crops are liable to injur .’ from our u?uil summer drouth, which sometimes, as during the past summer, proves very destructive to our corn crop, it would be well to devote a certain area to this variety of corn, which has shown remarkable dronrli ic-i-ru;g quaiiti-s. Next moath we hope to give full par ts.-units as to its planting, cultivation, gathering, as well as us aualvs.s as a food. We would again ut;,'3 that in r.‘ai l ing on th;: ar:; as for D:r?vn:::NT CRO-’S ample provision b * ui ide for food crops of ail kinds, and in deciding on the cot ton land, don’t put in any that wili n ,t m'ke at leu?t a half b.uc tj the acre We n > and not calculate on more than 7 cents for our cotton crop, and the plan of putting in from five to ton a'res to make one hale cannot, under tlr> most favorable circumstances, pay ex nos i. It. T. Nzsinrr. h>;,; I'Vr?l! Qtrrsnov. —I have o i bund acid phot I h.ue, wi ll n-itas i, running 11 pur -• . • phospli -ric a-ii and ! pa: cent potn-li I have a.so cottons-: -l iimil (i per '■“nt atnm n. a) ai 1 muriate of pi- h (89 per cent potash). Kin i r t--.l me how to mix tlies.) imreria s ti make a fertilizer that will analyst 8 per cent | phospli . • acid, 3 per cent a.n'uuiii ami 4pc 1 c -nr p t.i-.u; an i:r that wi.'. auaiyz* 8 2-0, and aujtaor tiiat will ! run 8 J ii. Avswr.3.—To mike a fertilizer cut of tho materials you m uiti.n tiiat will analyzes nor cent phosphoric acid, 2 per coat aims min an 1 4 par cent potash you must mix as fo low.-:: Acid Phos D.iite, with Pi,to h.. 1,0-ji) lbs i Cottons,ted Meat -o ;o ih.s ! Mmiate of Potar.h 52 lbs Earth !)x ion Total r,', i lbs To make a forrSlmor ru.tui.-g boo yon must mix as f-.;.-;-.v-: Acid Phosphate, with 1* -taro. .1,2* ) ib* Cottotweed Meal r, 9 i n Jf Muriate of I’ota.sh j;jj ibs Earth i , lbs Total 2,099 ibs To make a lertliiaor tunning 83 ii you must use iu the mixtur : Acid Phosphate, with Potash. .1,359 lbs Cottonseed Meal ! ibs Blood 129 lbs \ Muriate of Potash ibs Total 2,0 !?) lbs Iu this last formnla you cio.ior go tho ammonia you want fra cor;oil seed meal, and you must therefore use blood, which contains ah out twice as much ammonia as does cotton 53d m > ii. In other wards, it would take 7, > ponud.s of c ftonseed meal to furnish the 3 per cent of ammonia, while you get the same result from the 503 pound; of cottonseed meal and 120 pounds of HOMER, BANKS COUNTY, GEORGIA: FEBRUARY 11, 1807. THE VALUE 01? CORN STALKS A Subject of Great Importance Handled by I.lr. Nesbitt. COMMISSIONER A:T3\73!N QUERIES E ;v to s "nvo Wit it ll.i* ilorotofore H©ti K g.irtle.l by tho Farmer* of the South uh a I'rnc: ic.itly Woi f lilo.*!* Product —Tho U©*t iMrihmi of l'icktiii? Iseef—More About Fr.iudtllout XV: til .z -r*. Crr-STtOV --Yv .il yon kindly republish inf ir-matioii as to the vaui of cum ft.i'k-s and the method of converting th, in into ft) hie ? Axswsn —Wo Imva from time to lime drain ; the List fjw y j;irj Write,’!! a : id deal on this su' j -t. It i-: one of great importance to farmers north and south. Such, however, is the difii mity of chan ;• iug established methods that farmer as a rule, show very little interest saving what they hare been taught regard as a practically worthless prodn The usual treatment of our corn still is an extravagant waste of one of t principal resources of our farmers. IT farm rs have grown so accustomed t seeing these stalks cither burned or im perfectly plowed under that they regard any attempt to utilize them as among tho chimeras of “book farming.” No general reform has ever been accom plished in a day. 1 1 our effirts to in duce an entire clia igo in this matter, wa have been sustained by this fact, as well as by the conviction, that a prac tice so pregnant with goad results to our agricultural interests must eventu ally receive general recognition and in dorsement. During a recent visit to tho Georgia Experiment station, where ex periments on this line have boon iti pro cess of development for twn or tlireo years. Ave found on inquiry that the cut or s’iro ided stalks are eagerly oaten by farm animals. A s.imp'.o of two or throe wagon loads was sent to one of the prin cipal livery siablos of the town in order to test its value there, and the proprie tor assured tho director that both horses and mules ate it groodi'.y. lie seemed to think that w.i.'h an abundance of this forage tho long es tablished, but exnrin’v.’, “fodder pull iug” would become a thing of the past. Others, who have mod the shroddod fodder, bear testimony to the e tin i facts. This fodder is also a first class absorbent, and if, during the prosed of feeding, any considoruVo amount is thrown out in the stalls it is not thrown away, but h ips to ret lin mu-h of the the liquid manure, which, under care mismanagement, is usually wasted. For t io same re non it furnishes a i ex cellent bedding for stock util inani tion is soft itul comfortable to them. Ihofe-s.>;■ O. il White, who is 100 Chris', at of the staliotl, tells u; that shredded stailci contain ui ire uatritno it than cottonseed hull*, which arc 11 >w s > popular as a winter It Ini boon , shown by analysis at tlir M iryi in 1 K.t pertinent station that two and a li ilf pounds of shredded stalk butts, that is tho stalk after tho 100,705. e ira and t ipi have beou t ikon off, are equivalent as food to one pound of goal corn mo il, while in fertilizing properties it out ranks wheat, oat or 170 fit iw. At the lowa station an au.ily-.is bus shown that the shroildsvi fo liar is as valuable for fi 'nliiip as their urn id Timothy h ly. We are oouv.u ■ 1 that when these f1•• s are generally a i.ier.stoo 1 by farm irs, it will b) uuusjaas-iry to urg> thorn to rave every part oft! • corn plant, which appears above the gr mud utid the result will ho st ir-shouint and barns (idol to ov--rfl twiug wild a nutrition;, wholcu.ni food w.iioh is now allowed to rot in the Held. As to tho b >-.t math id of CTT3I.VI ts > ,sa;t2oD; .0 co ts stacks, it has boon fm id that it is a savin ' of labor as well as of tho nutritive proper ties of too pr-tdaot to u and i.vn ari l cure tho plant, o I'.i-e. to it in, rt tik, btad’s, thinks, oari no 1 too. instead of stripping tho blade v t ikiug off the top ha;ks and ears and lnayin; the bars stark sm i ling. That th t,i biro stalks are v tluiblo, however, it sh mil bs tnourioiie 1 boro, that it w.i -, tr ,ai such stalk. at trio Georgia Espsidmeut Sta- tio-i that the shredded f 0 I lor was m -.do which called forth su:h f tv r adio com * moot. To caw tho \vh do plant r.r one- tin stalks should b) cut dnv 1 when tin; corn is well g’.az 1 i, but be fore 111 ■ folder baai.ues tee dry. Those stalks should the i be set up int i giio .ks cf iICO or 399 stalki oach nut tied to gether with binder’s twin 3 After the in are cared t hoy miy, at any c-v veuient ti.-ae, be h iu: -1 to the bam an i put into the shredding m aching, which, being ie 1 0:1. the wai priueiil.i as a, threshing m ichine, tak.33 iuld of tho stalks, shuck; and thro.vs the ears to one side and convert* the rent Under of 1 the crop, tint is biales, shuck;, tops god,-Talks. i..to a finely shrodde l fod- Cdorn is a vigorous feeder and t*e spends wed to iieorai fertiliza tion. On com jands the yield increases end ui - soil improves if properly tr kited with fer tilizers cenimmng not under O .-15 A y i\ IP? ••- re r-,IU [r £ •; i; O A tri:>! t ! ibis ; ' . > costs but httlo and is s,, ■. to lead to pro?)tab!' 'him. , ivl l'?.i ? ■ ,i" ire Wy actual ex t ?•!’" ■' in ih. United Stales—te 1, S'. an : '■ in■ul ~! 1 piadly nai. wee tc ally 1..i.. . \ v. liow.il wiite fur it. A • : .1 K.U . WORKS, n f .:..,i ?t., X ~ y.i-k cr which it also conveys, In mean* of n sliding .'..line anil pulley*. directly into the barn There machines are as yet expemdve, but any man owning a small engine mat I,la' ■- it and a slireddiijg nmehine pi otitable by shanking and shredding the com crop on ’ares, as is now done with the small grain crop,). Another advantage of harvesting orn drop, beside . utilising the entire plant reeding and fertilizing purposes, is that the crop being moved out of the way give u chance for the fa ng ind the sowing of fall grai . , -tohes, cri isoi clover aud tlio ot!i >r winter crop:, which are bngiuiiin.: 1 at true. 6so much interest. Even if itrr.nv inion* tore move the shocks from tlio ii ’. 1 ;.s soon as curoil, they can, if they lmvo boon put into regular rows, tha rows being nr. far apart us possible, be hauled out as is m >st convenient. Tho greater por tion of the fiet-1 will thus bo cleared ready for the plows. By this plan tho whole plant will not only be utilized, but the different parts are actually made more valuable, because in the shocks there is grontor protection against the destructive effects of tho weather, and afterwards loss \; tsta in hauling to shcltor. Many enterprising farmers have already adopted this plan, and we trust that it, practice will ore long be come universal. Besides he large machine mentioned above there aro are several smaller ma chines on tin market run by horse and hand power which aro suitable for cut ting either tho cured stalks or any green crop suitable for ensilage. When the farmer? realize what a big loss is sus tained in this yearly waste of forage these machines will come into general u.jp. They will tlion bo morn able to keep more stock, in bortir condition, and at less '•vpoiiss. This cat or slirod ded forage is one of the most valuable of stock feeds, both on account of its sugar and starch content, and because by utilizing it wo convert what is now & waste product into paying farms. This will enable us to Beil for tho cash much of the hay and other kinds of feed, which are now consumed on tho farm. It has been shown by reasonable calculation that in the one item of al lowing their corn stalks to waste in the h-lds, the farmers of the United States lose annually $013,724,8:1:11 The advantage of tho cured cut fod der over Silage is that 110 rsponaivo riio is required for storing the fodder, and also that the dry fori lor may, if pra ferred, bo cut as needol, while the si lage must bo cut at a certain stage of its growth or it loses much of its value. The bul.ctm of tho Maryland Throm-i --mont fetation, College Park, Md , for •March, ISO I, may bo had on application and contains very full and valu.tb! - in formation on this subject.—ot go Ac ;• cultural Don irt ltietit. “Curt- -Ik” in favor BBjjHH m B of flood'd Sarsaparilla, y <£s S as for no other medi- B fi tnk cine. Its great cures recorded in truthful, convincing language of g-ateful men and women, constitute its most effective ad vertising. Many of these cures are mar - ious. They have won the confidence of the people; have given Hood’s Sarsapa rilla the largest sales in the world, and have m-de necessary for its manufacture ihegrea* st laboratory on earth. Hood’s • sarsy--arijla is known by the cures it has made cures of scrofula, salt rheum and eczema, cures of rheumatism, neuralgia and weak nerves, cures of dyspepsia, liver troubles, catarrh cures which prove Sarsaparilla Is the best-in fact the One True Blood Purifier. t * ] cure liver ills; easy to JIOOCI S Pills take, easy to operate. 2sc. WONDERFUL are the cures by i Hood’s Sarsaparilla, and yet they arc simple and natural. Ilood’s Sarsa parilla make- PURE BLOOD. TO /MessTm/ftarCt/fftaiSßearAcTßJir atOuim Wmb/oh Oj/e Eooos'-.aee the Best Ooft P/s/ces ; -fte lowest AiißTTrit. .£3&L\ Hnn W P Hr./ ■ u n ,0.9, B a© V i <D <J? * LI- j / L:L,ii L 5 ALL who are int-;:. Mitcd in fu. ttrLig-t f ;e sale of Hon. VI. J. Bryan’s r,c\v : nncuid correspond im mediately with the puhhiii: i he vverh v/ill contain Jk L: ■ ’ tour. . . f il'Z h. wife : ; ■ v f K> ■ • speed ~s .. . . ' cf £896. “ /r "" Af ■■ sties? situation . . “'■*■**' f'*. V. - ,J 1 arnw >-• -sanirmv' ■s> AGTNTO WANTED <- Mr. Bryc i has announced Ids intention cf devoting one-half of ail royalties to furthering the cause of bimetallism. There are already indications of an enor mous sale. Address w. B. CONKEY CW?m, PuUhl :rs r 311-351 Dearborn St....CIiSCAGO. NO. 40.