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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, APRIL 1,1884. 205 111 favor the tly in the future hand Editor Southern World—(1). I wish . a ient metnou ui . to plant some cotton in hills so I can • tbe f P two to five bushels of cot- plow each way. The land has been a ‘ rom 0 nr*. A good seed pasture for several years and has grown up in pines; is a gray soil, rather pro ductive. Will plant Ozier seed. How wide should the rows be, and how can I cover bo as not to cover too deep ? Is a scooter the best plow to bed with? Please give all the information necessa ry to one who has never tried hill cot ton. A friend tried it last year but fail ed to get a stand. (2). How is the best way to make wa termelons? Jas. E. Chiles. Madison, Oa. S are used per acre. A good. nuts in ftbo ut two bushels per ■“iiwing out to a distance oil inches in the row destroys more nine-tenths of the seed, and it is ■Tth,t this seed which has ger- 5 yields no appreciable value as ' Recent statistics give 15,- *8on ire ,„ h obliged to Mr. Benson eS C communication, and hope gb ° readers of the World Inquiry Department Planting: Cotton in HUls-Water* melons. method of ■ Wacre8 as the area of cotton planted United States. From these data that fully 27,000,000 bushels | Z seed are thrown away yearly, *t a minimum valuation of fifteen per bushel, amounts to $4,660,000. Answer.—(1). We have had some ex ited seed were used, the waste p er i ence i n planting and cultivating cot- daggregate an enormous figure. As ton j n hills or checks, have planted en- seed is yearly advancing in value tire crops in this way with satisfaction, lonsumption in the manu- but are not confident of being able to of oil, and meal for feeding and advise so as to anticipate every difficulty, filing, the time cannot be f ar distant | The distance given should depend upon the land and somewhat on the variety but cannot be reduced to a nice rule. Indeed it is not necessary, as a stalk of cotton, more readily than one of corn, will adjust itself to the surface area as signed, having a much longer period of development and fruitage. A very con venient distance is four by two feet or three by two and a half feet. Some pre fer three by three or a perfect square. We refer now to land capable of itself or by the aid of manure, of producing from one thousand to fifteen hundred pounds of seed per acre. It is hardly advisable to plant in hills land that will produce much less than one thousand pounds per acre, nor is it well to attempt hill culture (plowing both ways) except on level or very gently undulating lands. First lay off the land the wide way put ting in the manure or fertilizers just as for ordinary drill planting. Bed up with turn plow or half shovels and plow out the water furrow. A day or two before planting, if the land is rough, drag or harrow off the beds two at a time, convenient drag for this purpose may be made by inserting two small poles in a piece of 4x6 scantling, six feet long, by means of two 2-inch augur holes bored each two feet from the middle point These poles are to serve as shafts, be Con venient handles may be made by which - to guide and control the implement. By } some one who needs hands ? means of this simple drag, one hand and ^ ®' e children—three boys and | horse can knock off two rows at a time and go in a fast walk, leaving the field in beautiful condition for any method If desired to plant the cotton so as to plow it both ways, take the same drag or one like it, insert three short pins in the lower edge equidistant from each other—the distance intended between the hills. The drag now becomes a economy in planting will command as attention. In addition to the , is the labor lost in cliop- out, and the difficulty in getting Is to leave a sufficient distance be- i the plants to give the required for fall growth. sinst the methods of hill planting, trowing, or dropping seed at a given nee, it is urged that there is no cer- of getting a stand unless plenty of is put in the ground in a continuous but observant farmers state that ncare is taken to save well matured and a sufficient quantity is dropped at even- depth, and evenly (red, there is practically no risk of re, and that when seed fails to come is safe to replant promptly than to In the chance of a second sprouting hickly planted seed. We understand careful experiments are to be made season on the State Experimental ns in Georgia and Alabama to deter- ithequestion of the relative certain- drill and hill planting, the results l*of interest to every cotton planter. Planters Note This. MT0R Southern World—You are a allocate for prosperous agricul- delight—but my day is past. rou give notice in your very valua- tween which the horse is to work, l^per that a poor widow woman . em P'°ynient on a cotton planta- to guide and control the implement. droppers—unless very careful—will al- premises? How long would it be ad- most certainly overdrop the check and visable to wait for her to have another the cotton will come up in a very zig- calf before selling her to the butcher? zagged way, and be troublesome to plow. The Southern World is highly apprer the seed ipust be closely bunched and dated and gaining popularity In our midst. II. L. Ray. Oakland, Ala. Answer.—The case presented well il lustrates the want of care and system in the management of stock that prevails so generally in the country. A fanner should be able to know with almost cer tainty the condition of his cows at any time. This knowledge can only be se cured by preventing promiscuous herd ing and "running in the range." A cow, especially such an one as this, should be kept to her milk until known to be in calf and within a few weeks of calving. If this rule had been observed our correspondent’s fine Durham would now, probably, be giving milk. But as it is, we know of no better plan than to convert her into beef. Some reader of the World may be able to give better advice. Such a cow, whatever her milk ing qualities, is not such an one as we would like to breed from. R. She is industrious, 1 m ‘cal and strictly honest. She * 0r me for years, and no • ^ reea Me woman can be found. [ * t \ ery poor, and I am not able I e stock and means for them, and er o got on some large planter’s Irf «rther particulars, write to S. M. I marker, for cross checking the beds. ■*. Risk’i postoffice, Lexington co., When ready to plant open on the beds with a small scooter with a wheel or block behind it, so as to make a shallow V shaped furrow, not more than 1)4 inches in depth. Having the seed well r —ou, i Deiieve,) 11 rolled let careful hands drop six to eight oldtt a ! y oats were easier killed seeds at each intersection, following im J man late ones, and that we were mediately behind the opening plow. Now itt(J' ery C ° ld 8nap » and 1 would comes the ticklish part. If the seed are , * ntlon - One field of very early not covered uniformly they will notcome ^ were entirely killed; another^ up uniformly and well. We covered our ’ and just up, were badly entire crop one year by means of the/oof near so badly as our early of the dropper, each dropper covering the seed as dropped hill by hill. This is slow but sure, requiring not less than two very active hands to keep up with If the moist soil be pressed Cold—oats. ‘"rl S ? nu ***~World—When dJ'IT Polished, I believe,) 11 : - ■; - * t March, were struck by a I • v *«re k?n P , ° f cold ‘ and a S 00 * 1 'y ail com.;. . the ground, but oWn!T eouta gain. one opener down on the seed in the act of covering, less than one inch will be deep enough ur> servo v, less umu uuo— -- - . td otto IT'*’ that early and late | to insure prompt germination. The dan ^^oredUnds^” 6 ° U ^ * Store S. C ‘•■‘'"Sr*. ger is in covering too deeply If the land is in fine condition \eiy S. M. Simons. I smooth and meUow-the seed may^ satisfactorily covered-one row at a ti . -by a block (boud) attach** » » P»£ : has, again, I foot in the old fashioned way dropped exactly in the proper place. No one should think of planting a crop in this way without constructing a barrel seed roller (invented by the writer) as heretofore described and illustrated in the Southern World. While the cotton is still in seed leaf, the missing hills should be replanted, using a small hoe or a narrow wooden paddle or spatula. After it is too late to plant missing hills in cotton plant them with speckled peas. A field of cotton planted in hills is of ten credited with a poor stand when in fact the stand is really better than is saved by the ordinary drill method. If the hills are intended to be two feet apart, a missing hill makes a very mark ed and observable gap—a distance of four feet. We venture to say, however, th at three-fourths of a perfect stand of hill cotton, is better than a full stand of ordinary drill cotton. The first work of cultivation should be to plow the young cotton crosswise the beds with one fur row of a wing sweep or cultivator. Then immediately plow the other way—close ly siding, thin. (2). The best for watermelons is a light, dry, sandy soil, lately cleared, or land that has lain out for a few years and become filled with vegetable matter. A compost of stable manure, cotton seed, acid phosphate and kainit should be pre pared early in the season and applied several weeks before planting time, bo that the fertilizing elements of the ma nure may become well distributed in the soil by absorption. Plow the land deep ly and closely early in the season, check off about ten feet each vlay and make a wide deep hole at each intersection, throwing the top soil in a heap to one side and scattering the subsoil on the adjacent surface. Then throw in the compost at the rate of 500 to 1,000 pounds to the acre, and also the top soil which had been before removed, and mix all intimately together, making a broad fiat hill and covering with an inch or two of soil from beneath the general surface. At planting time (first planting about corn planting time) divide each hill into four sections by a cross mark and plant four to six selected seeds in—say the northeast quarter, pushing each seed down with the forefinger to the first joint—covering with the finger. Every ten days plant another section until a good stand is secured and all danger of killing by frost or other casualty is over. Then select and leave two of the largest and best plants, removing the others. * The cultivation should be shallow and frequent enough to keep the grass and weeds thoroughly in check, but never plow or hoe when the ground or the vines are wet with dew or rain. The vines should not be moved if possible to avoid it. If moved at all they should be handled as tenderly as if made of glass and not doubled or inverted. The vines should not be permitted to overbear. As soon as about two perfect melons have set on each vine (two vines in a hill) and become as large as the Texas llluc Grass. - Editor Southern World—Will the Texas blue grass make a good winter pas ture? If so, where and from whom can I get the seed, and what will they cost per bushel ? How and when do you sow them and how much per acre? Is it necessary to sow the land every year? Will it grow on any sort of land and what sort will it grow best on? If a farm gets seeded with it will it hinder the cultivation? We have the Bermuda grass for summer and it can’t be excell ed for summer pasture, but we need a winter grass and need it very much, and if we would do well in Alabama we must have more grass and more grain and less cotton. A. J. Brooks. Hamer, Montgomery County, Ala. Answer.—Will some of our readers answer the above ? We know that Capt. Carlos Reese, of Marion, Ala., has made quite a success raising Texas blue grass. It is said to stand the coldest and driest weather. lie wrote us that he cut as high as 7,000 pounds to the acre in Jan uary and that the severe drought of last summer did not wilt it, although other grasses were so dry that they could be burned off. If any of our readers will write to Capt. Carlos Reese,Marion, Ala., enclosing a stamp, he will doubtless give them the fullest information. The Eutaw (Ala.) Mirror of March 18th says: “ An old farmer, after looking at Capt. Reese’s blue grass the other day, said: * If that stuff don’t force a man to get rich after it gets started, it will come very near it.’ And we think he was about right." The editor of this paper has some of it that passed through all the severe cold weather unharmed. In writing Capt. Reese mention the South ern World. CRAZY PATCH WORK S ow to Make Itj how to ootxtt e (Ilk for It. We send Ten mms/m of elegant tilt, all different and cut ao aa to make one KMncb block of t'rajy /‘atehuork. for 25 eta.; 12-lnCh block, 35 eta.; with diagram (bowing bow It la put together. We (end ‘JO perforated pattern*, working tite, of bird*, butterfllea, beet lea, beta, spkleraand webs, " Cm etc, — ** Four melons to the hill, hills ten feet apart each way, will give nearly L800| melons to the acre. R. Durham Cow. “^‘b^kr^oVto afitojfc Itenullfnl/’ haa Instruction* for maktpg a variety °/ with dia«rram!i awl Illustrations of many fancy aUtched for joining ami ornamenting the (Ilk. Also, haa Ula». t rations of all the Keneinaton ami Areaea* atltdiea. with Instructions tat doing this kind of enibroWcry and for making many beautiful and useful article* It al*> contains a descriptive ami Illustrated list of nearly UH0 pattern for various kinds of embrobtery. Price. )5 cts. Ail the above, with ten varieties of silk for kMnch block, to cents: with silk for 12-Inch block, fl/n. with sljjt to i both blocks sue. all post-paid. Silks In |1.,W. an<T96. J post-paid. SUka In SI., K. ai _ . L.PATTKM7 Barclay sL N#w York. Mention Southern World. EGGS B. I.exhorns,P. Rock, Games, »1 per IS: 92 ' Brahmas, P. Cochins, W. & per 80. J L Editor Southern World—I have a fine Durham cow that gave milk before she was quite two years old. Her calf is now nearly three years old. She is and has been in splendid order and good health. There are no certain indications that she will have another calf. She does not seek the company of the male. I rid very ^,. th » I onke of the stock and milk qualities. ter-Wblte swine. Descriptive Catalogues free. WUl you or some of your many sub- Addreo, OMOI wnUyg. scribers inform me what to do in the “ “ ~ udans, r. nucha, 91.50 per 18. Lengthens, Wyandotte, R. C. W. Leghorn*, Black and G. 8. "amburga, B. Java*. W7c. B. Polish, 92per 918. ' Guineas, 91.2b per lb. Mixed breed L 76c. per 1. Tur' Mention Southern World.