Crop report for the month of October, 1891 [Oct. 8, 1891]

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CI.RCULAR No 1 .

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THIRD SERIES.

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CROP REPORT.

FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 1 91.

RETURXED TO THE DEl'ART)!E~T OF AGRICULTURE, OCTOBER 1, 1 91.
TATE OF GEORGIA, DEPARTME:\T OF AGRICULTURE,}
ATLANTA, GA., OcTOBER 8, 1 91.

COTTON.

Since the September report, the estimate of the pro per.th-e yield of cottow

'in the Sta.te, ba~erl upon its condition October lst, as compared with an aver-

age crop, bas fallen off 6. 7 point . In a great measure this deterioration is due

to the excessive rains the latter part of August, the injurious effect of which

had not entirely developed when the report for last month was issued, while

the hot day early in o.oeptember have aided in the damage by causing young

bolls to open prematurely.

The delay in planting resulting from the drouth in the spring, rendered the

plant more susceptible to injury from the unfaYorable conditions later in the

season, and largely for this reason the reports have shown a teady decrease

in crop pro~pects. o far the weather ha been propitious for gathering the

crop, and the quality of the lint is exceptionally good.

For the State, as compared with an average, cotton is 75.3, which is several

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points below the estimate of last year's crop at the same time of the year, at which time the heayy rain fall wa beginning to be regarded "1\'ith alarm; dewed retrospecti\ely, a. large number of correspondents estimate the present crop condition as comparerl to last year's as 73.5.

In Middle Georgia the falling off has been greater than in any other section

of the tate, the decrease being from 4, as compared to an ayerage, to 72.3

points, while in other portions of the tate the decrease has been from three

to fonr points.

CORX.

In comparison with la t year the yield of corn in the tate will be large, and in comparison with an average, it is for the ...,tate 95.
By sections the estimate of prospectbe yield is 99.8 for ~orth Georgia; in MidJle Georgia, 90.7; in Southwest Georgia, 92.6 ; in outheast Georgia, 94.5; in East Georgia, 96. 7.

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DEPART.UE~T OF AGRICULTURE-lTEORGIA.

OTHER CROP.:.
On the whole n fair yielJ of sugar-cane, rice, sweet potatoes and to! aero may be expected with a pork prospect within :1.5 points of that of last y~a r. ' Vhlle none of the e crop are up to au aye rage, none oi them fall ten p r cent. below.
The following table will give the condition oi the variou~ crop~ by section~, anu ior comenience in making comparison , the condition on th e fir~t of
August and the fir t of .~eptemher areal o gi\'en:

1

!I

G

9

10

11

! North Georgia............... 77.2

.5 H9. .. 91

:.'l~~

~.~,

93

Middle Georgta . . . . . . .. . . . . . 7~.3 11

HO. 7 ~ . 7 H5

...

! '.fl

Southwest Georgia.. .. . .. . . 7

77.6 9-~ . H H;L

H:~

!rl. ~

~u

0.>

- - - - - - - - - - - - Southeast Georgia.... . . . . . . 77
East Georgia................ H

76~ . 7

!11.5 96.7

AVerage CortheStnte,Oct.1

75.3

---
73.5

.~

97 6 1 !l5 S 00

9~

s;:;; nu 90.7

03

------ ---

!lO. 9;;

9"l.ti 00 .7 fl6.5

m - ~rage for the tate, SepL. l ---;--~~~ 00- g;----;;;-- !-

~~

AveragefortbeState,Aug.l <5 ........

!Xi

03

9<: .......... ... .. .

TOB ceo.

I'l'S CULTURE AND CURE.

'l'obaC'eo raising a a mom y trop has in the pa. t cla imecl but little of the at-

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tentiou oi the farmers of Geo rgi a, ant! its snecessiul cultivation bas been con-

sidered a diffi. ult undertaking, out of the ordinary line o[ agriculture andre

quiring extraordinary skill.

The primitin; m<:thods in YO"Ue, the ab. ence of fertilization, the utilization

of yirgin soil only, the want of method in marketing have all aitled in limiting

the production. The lc...w price of cotton, pointedly bringing to mind the ab-

solute ncrcs,::ity ot' a reduction in the acr age of that crop, ha recently directed

tbc:minds oi the farmer to tobacco growing, a:; its culture and manufacture

occupie the .ixth place in the great indn tries of the Unitetl State , and a

large portion of Georgia ,oil ha usually been considered adapted to this plant.

Tnder these circumstance, a hort re\'iew of late and improved method~ of

rai~in" an<l curing the plant may not be considered unintere' ting, and may

furnish those who are seeking information on this subject a more detailed at-

count thnn the Department 1\ould be able to gi,e by lett~r, and may sene to

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OCTOBEI{ UROP HEPORT-l !H.

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intcre t u all more in til e culture of tobacco. thu enauling us to increa~e the prke oi cotton, our money cro p, by another money crop.

,'ELECTIOK .A~ PREP.A.HA.TIOX OF THE 'OIL.

The fir t tep neees. ary to raisi ng tobacco succe:sfully i the selection :mtl preparation o[ the soil. Tobacco thrin~s befit \n a deep, mellow soil, eithLr naturally rich or made so by ome "'Ood fertilizer. If old land is selettecl, it silould be tumed oyer in the fall if there i anytbit.g on the land to turn ; if not, apply omecoarse farm manure. Th ere i nothing better for thi~ purpost than half-rotted straw and lot manure. Follo1Y your turning plow 11ith a suhsoiler, so that the land will be rendered ufficicntly porous to permit the water to pass downward.
Lanu treated in this manner in the [all or er.rly winter will be pulyerized L~ the action of the frost, and will be iu excellent con<lition for tlt e final preparation for the plants in spring. "\fter the iro t i:,; all out oi the ground , a gool coat ing of compost should be pread broadcast and the land broken about halt a. deep as the first plowing, nmnin,., across th e fir t. Ju. t befo re yo u are ready to set out the plants, run a h eayy barrow o1cr th e land and lay off tlw row:S three feet apart with a shoyel plow. In th io:; furrow put some goou fertili ze r, at the rate of ZOO pounds per acre, or even more, if yom land is thin. Then run through it with a narrow plow, in order to mix the fertilizer wit h the soil. Then bed on this with a one-hor.;e turning plow, and ou tbi. bl!d run a roller, an d you r land is ready for setting out th e plant , which hou ld I e about two feet and a bait apart.
Xew ground, or an old field that has grown up and been cut down, should be treateLl somewhat difl'erently fiom old, smooth 1md that ha been in cul tiyation, but thorough breaki ng and clearing the land of tufts and root. i all that i. necessary.

PREPARATION AND C_\RE OF SEED BED '.

lt is of the utmo t impo rtan ce to the planter to have an early and abundant

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upply of tobacco plant . To ecure this the seed may be own any time Le-

t ween the 15th o[ December and the 15th of March-the earlier the be~ter.

The ground selected s hould be virgin soil of sand y tcxttue, r ich and moi~ t,

with full exposu re to the sun, but sheltered to the north and west by rising

ground or growin g timber again t th e cold win ds of early sprin~.

The ground haying been well cho. en, clear it of rock and weeds and rake it

oil' well. Then burn it thoroughly by building a good ii :e o[ bru hand wood

on it, which should be kept b urnin g until yo n are sure that all 1egetation and

germ vf in._ects hre killed. A good bri k fire kept up for about t"o hour will

accompli h thi;;. After the grou nd ha: cooled off it boultl be elearedof elen -

th ing except the ashes, and then fltl" np thoroughly and rak ed off nicely. TilC'

soil sboul<l not be irwertcd, howeyer. Tobacco seld arc Ycry small and too

mucb care eanuot be taken in preparing a. ecrl-bed for il reception .

'!'be bed is now reatly for ceding; the. eel may be ~o wn l;roatleast o1er it,

or a better plan is to mark oft' drill. wilh a sharp . ti ck about one and a 1alf

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE- GEORGrA .
or two inches apart, and into the e little drills ~prinkle the seed; they should! not be raked in, but the bed should be trodden with the feet or rolled , 01patteJ with thP. back of a hoe; a simple but very effective method, i to take a piece of plank and lay it on the bed and tl!tmp on it, then take it up and place it down where the first impre. sion stop, and so on until the entire bed is gone over. The writer has found this a better plan than treading, as the oil and seeds are not so apt to adhere to a smooth plank as they are to the feet. Tl1e bed should have a tren ch all round it so that it will be thoroughl)r drained; nothing drowns more ea. ily than a tobacco plant.
QUAI TITY OF SEED.
One and one-half tablespoonfuls of seed will sow 100 square yards or thirtyby thirty feet of bed. The seed hould be mixed with a convenient quantity of dry ashes before sowing, a there is great danger of sowing too thickly.
If the ground on which you prepare your seed bed is not naturally rich it Bhould be made so by applying fine, well rotted stable manure, which must be free from seeds of weeds and grass.
The bed should be thickly cmered with fine brush, to preYent both rlry ing. and freezing of the oil, by which the plants are either stunted or uprooted.
The tobacco bug generally makes its apl earance about the first of April. An excellent preventive again,t this enemy of the young plant i to nail atwehe inch plank to stakes dri,en in the ground at each corner of the berl , and throw ome earth agaiu, t the lower edae of the planks, and then , ow the outer erlges of the bed with black mustard seed. The cold frame will setTe the additional purpose of keeping the bed warm and moist, and should not be omitted; the mustard will. pring up quickly, and upon it this bug lows to feed, and will attack it nnd let the tobacco alone. The plants will show themehes about th e fir t oi :\L'trch, when an additional tablespoonful of ~ eelshould be sown on the bed; after the plant are well up, they should be pu heel forward a rapidly as possible by top dreosing before each!rain with ome good fertilizer, at the rate of a gallon to every 100 quare yards; the fertilizer hould ne,er be applied while the JJlants are wet, with either de'r or rain for fear of scalding them . Dry lea,es and young gra;;s or weetl'> should he hand-picked off the bed, but the covering of bru h should not be remo\'ed permanP.ntly until the plants are nearly large enough to set out. If the;plants begin to parch from drouth the bed shoull be well watered and coYered with green bough. laid upon a caffold several feet above the plants;1they shoulrl not be shaded too much, and indeed it is seldom nece.-sary to shade at nil ,.. unless rery d,-y.
PLANTING.
A tobacco plant will ripen in about 100 day from the time it L set out. 'fran planting should not be earlier than lOth of ~fay, nor later than tbeA~Oth. of June. Toe plants are et out very much as cabbage plant are br insert in~ them to the bud and pressing the ea1th WAll to their roots.
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OCTOBER CROP REPORT-1891.
Plants hould ne,er be suffered to wilt before they are set out. A good plan is to elect a good time, just before a rain if po-sible, and put all available forces to the work of ettiug out. The plants sho uld not be to o small but hould be of ~ood size, and if given the,ame care that you would giYe a tomato or cabbage plant, they will live and grow off rapidly.
CULTIY ATIOX.
Tobacco should recei,e only surface culture. As som as the plant ha,e taken root they hould be gone over with the hoes, breaking the top cm t, and drawing fr<>sh earth to the plant, this destroys the first crop of gra8 aud kills the cut worm; if the land between the ro ws has become foul, it shou ld be plowed "ith mall b ulltongue or shovel at tbi first working.
"'hen grown to say a breadth of twelve inche~, they hould be C' ultivated thoroughly with plow or cultivator and hoe; they should be kept clean and ome earth drawn to the plants. This is all th e plowing the crop will need, but should grass or weeds appPar it ~hould be scraped out with the hoe.
TOPPIKG.
The buttons or seed poJs should be pinched off a fast as they appear. Thi usually begins about the middle of July, maybe a little earlier with u. . Tho e plants that are ready should l.Je pruned at the first topping, that i , the lower lea,e should be taken off. There is no definite rule as to the number of leave to be left on a Etalk where the old method is used, but there should never be more than twelve or thirteen, generally eight to ten . A the sea on advancereduce the number of leaves left on the talk, a quality more than quantity will regulate the profit realized.
The suckers bonld be pulled oft' every week as they appear, and should neYer be allowed to get over two inches long. Xo one need expect a crop oi fine grade toba co who does not pull oft' the suckers while small, and preYent the horn-worms (the wor t enemy to tobacco ) from C'utting the leme to pieces.
WOR:\1S.
There are three yatietie. of worm that are enemies of the tobacco plant at difterent stages of its growth; the cut-worn, bud-worm and horn-1rorm; the cutworm will cut the stalk of the young tobacco plant u.s it will any other young plant in our gar len , and i best gotten rid of by early \rorking; the bud-worm worm make it appearance about the time the plant i coming into top, anrl feed ' upon the uud, cutting it into mall bole which enlarge a the lE>.ai grO\YS. The third, or horn-worm, is the same species a that found on Iri h potatoe or tomatoes.
. ome recommend planting the common Jamesto\rn weed at intenal 1n and around the tobacco field, and injecting a solution of Paris green or of cobalt in the fiOI\ers thereof; another plan is to place lighted lanterns around in the field set in pan of molasses or coal tar. All these, together with early planting and pu hing fonmrd the crop, and going o\er the crop at least
161)
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DEI'AR'DIEX1' OF A ~RIO"C'J-'T RE-GEORGIA.
once a week (early in the morning), and waging r elentless "'ar upon the worms that may b.e found upon the leayes of the plants, will insure a gnotl . l'rop. As the . eason ath ance and the <.lays become cool, it is best to !!'O over the crop in the afternoon and look for worms.
FERTILIZERl:!.
There is not bing better than well presened table manure for tobac:eo: hut there arc many good commercial fertilizer that con be U!'ed to aclyanta~e. The following formula will be founcl to be a complete fertilizer for toban:o:
-:\0. I.
Xitrate of oda ....... ....... .........................................................300 poun.!s. . \.cid pho pbatc ............................ ... ................. . ...... ............... 400 pon111J:.:. t-:ulphatc of lime ..................................................................... ..:300 potml~.
-:\0. II.
Kainit... ................. ....... ................................................ .. .... 500 pou:J<:~;. . -itwte of Focla.... .. ............................................................. .. .... :?00 pound~. -\cicl phosphate .................................................................. 300 ponndo.
:\[ix thoroughly amlnpply from ~00 to -!00 pound to the acre. It mn. the lorne in mind that tlte tohacco plant is a gro. feeder, and responds readily to J!enerou fertilization.
By following the foregoing simple rules a much larger profit can be realizetl from toba<'('O than cotton . Try it on one or two acres and be co nvinced.
c:r.ATHERIXG A~D GnUKG.
As 11 e market \alue of no crop depend more on the qnality than th at 0 1 tobacco, it follO\\'S as a nece,. ary conclusion that not only hould proper ('ar~ he taken in the Felet'tion of seed and soil, and atte ntion paid to the preparation of the latter, but that th e b st method~ of bane ting should be COJI~idered liTH] a modem system o[ uriug atlopted, in,olYino, a-;. the proces. cloe , more or les,; of '-lientifi<' 1 rinciples.
Fr year. no meth od of curing was u. d, CS:t.:('pt the orclinary log tohlll'CO barn, a. ystem which faile<l to utilize the Fpace within the building to an~ a<lyanta:.n . which require,l tit stalk for the pnt-p'). e of hanging, anl thu>< <le}Jri,e<l the soil of th ammonia an<l pota~b which it containR, and which ~a<:ri fices the primings and other leayes that may ripen premature]~.
That 1,,,. the modem system the Rtrippe l stalk is left tandiHg in the fiel<l,
which, with lhc uckerR that will hoot from it, can be turned un<ler to enrich the soil, i:nmediately r commends it to the thinking farmer, a nd. wheu th,.. many feature. oi cxtra,aganl ,,.a,teattemlin~th e stalk ure :we con. id t'rc<l, al mo t im perathel.' <lema1uls that. it be adopted, ii the farmer desires to r::i:<e tohacc as o ne of his mo<l rate or larger so urce. o[ reyenue.
l nlcr thr mo<lern barn y. tern, the farmer place him~ If in po ition to tak1 a<ha11tage of <:\' ry ('On<l ition , ancl whether hi tobacco ripen: early or late in the Reasnn, lw is pr.pa rm! to cn re it. _ot on ly this, but b y the uc:e of the lll<ldcm barn or thC' Hic l> for the ol<l log barn, the nece sity of carting in u.c-
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OCTOBER ROP REPORT-1 91.

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Jess stalks to be use<.l as a han<.lle on which lo cure the leaves, and the consumption of s much fnel with which to dry them, i a\oided .
By the use of baskets, with small labor (but little more than would be required fot priming), the leaves can be gathered as they turn the proper color on the stalk without wa te. And next it is proper to ay that the be t mflthod i:; to commence taking off tbe leaves at the bottom ?.S soon as they change from a dark to a pale "'reen.
The stick invented by :Jir. W . H: 'no w, of High Point, ~- C., hold ix steel wire , !J inches long and about 6 inche apart ; each wire has t\\o points, ami with these points women and children can ea ily place the lea\es on the wire, . ix to each, by pushing it through the butt of the stem.
A first-class modern barn of the ::>now system will cost :1'325, and will cure twenty acres; and while it is patent d, it may not be out of place to give a l'Omplete de. cription with pecifications.

,'PECIFIC.ATIO.. FOR BUILDIXG A ":\IODERN TOBACCO BAR:\'"
16x20 FEET I~SIDE :JIEA URE .AND 20 FEET HIGH.
.'elect a bill- ide with a slope of about 2,! inches to the foot. Commendng at the lowEll' side, di<> an excrn-ation 16x20 feet into the bill-side. This will bring
the upper ide about -51feet from the urface, the floor being Jeyel. Then dig
a trench aroun<.l the four sides of the excavation, on the inside, one foot wide, of tLe Fame depth. l''ill it with small cobble stones or c atse g-rayel to sene a a foundation and to act as a drain; on top of the, tone or gravel builu rm H-inch wall of "'Ood orick or stone with trong lime mortar. 'rhe wall should
be 55 feet higil on the four sides, Je,el on top, makiug a basement. In tue
lower or exposeu si<le of the wall leaye an opening for the door in the centre ot the wall. The opening should be 5 feet high and 2} feet wide. Leave openings on each side of the door 3 inches from the grou nd and 22 inches from the side walls, through which the end of the stoves ma~- project far enougiJ to be within 4 inches of the outside face of the wall. The doors of the stoYel:! open outwards and the fuel is fed from the outside. Ret the toves 3 inches above the ground floor of the basernent. CoYer the sto1es with brick arches l'Xtendin:;; ~ feet beyond the rear ends of tbe sto1es, and leaying an air space of t\ inche abo\e, and on each side of the . toves, forming jackets, the rpar '!Hl of the jackets to he left open. Directly O\'er th, . to,e <loot-, aurl un<!et the line or cr0\1'11 of the arches leave opening.;; in the \rail 2x inches, the loup:er line horizontal. These are to admit fre~h air n needed around the filoYe aU<l within the mclt. Covers to Jit them; reguh.te the quantity of air as requirerl. In adllition to these openings, t\1'0 othPJ" are left, one alougsi<le <::u-h stol'e lO inche sqn[lre and wi th the top level 1Yith the surface outside. 'l'hroug-h thfl e openings con<.luit. made of one inch oak plank 10 incb e. wile ror tbe top and bottom, aJ1ll _inche. for the ides, project and arc extended insirle
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DEPART)IEXT OF A(i RICULTURE-GEORG-IA.

the basement its whole length, sunk even with the top of the earth floor. Provide these conduits each with four holes 10 inches long and 4 inches wide throun-h the cover, with sliding covers. These are to allow cool air to be admitted to the basement independent of what i let in through the open arche . This completes the basement. The barn superstructure is built as follow : ills 4x6 inches are framed and set on the walls, the 4inch side resting on fue
wall . et the joists and lay the floo r strip 3! by 1} inches, lea l'ing open space. 1t inches between each of them except those within 2 feet of the wall
on three sides. Here the floor is clo ely laid. The floor is open in strips at the door encl of the building. Set the studding exactly 1 inches apart. 'et the rafters one-third pitch, make the sheeting of good, square edged plank . 'hingle the roof. In the sheeting and shingle leave an opening 15 feet long and 8 inches wide at the peak of the roof for the ventilator, which is made and shipped by us. Sheathing paper i nailed on the joist and the whole iR ceiled . Each pair of rafter. mu t have collar or wind beams made of plank li inches wide and 1} inch thick, fastened securely at the foot 6 inche abo1e the plate . The first et of caffold beams is et 7 feet from the floor on t wo side atHl one end of the buildin". 'fhe next set is set 6 feetiabove the first. Tbe window frames are for two 6 light 10x12 gla . The frames are et on in each end 8 feet from the floor. The stanchion will be set by u in all ca 'E' The conduits above mentioned when preferred.

BILL OF FR.Al\IIXG FOR MODERN B.ARX.
2Qx16 PEET !:'\SlOE MEA CRE)JE:\T .
2 'ills 4x6-2l feet long ................................... S-! feet. 2 ills 4x6-J 7 teet long .................................. 6-. ,, 11 Sleepers 2x9-17 feet long........................... . 0 ' " 4 Corner posts -!.x6 inche -20 feet long ... ...... ... H>O " -! Door and window po ts -!x-l-20 feet ............. . 10 " 4-J. 'l uuding 2x-l-20 feet loner ... ..... ....... .......... . 5/2 ,, 2 I'lates 2x4-21 feet long.............................. . ') ) tf 2 Plates 2x4-17 feet long ........... .................... . S Piec~ 1\x6-16 feet long ..... ............... ... ... .... 0 " 24 Rafters 2x4-12 feet long......... ... ... ... .......... .. 200 "
Rbeeting lx12 inches................................... . -!50 " Flooring lx3 inche , ..................... .... .. ........ . 300 "
Total.. ............... . ... .............................. 2,2 0 " @ 1 00-~22 0

Drop sid ing lx incbes-2,000 feet n Sl.lO ..... . ......... ........ $22 00 Ceiling ~x inches-2,000 feet a 75 cents ... ...... .............. ... 15 00 Comer board 1x-l- 0 feet 5'1.10........................... ..... . Y entilator comrlete.. .... ... ... ... .. .. .. ......... ..... .. ... .. .. .. .. ....... 4 00
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OCTOBER CROP REPORT--I 01.

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'catl',ld braces-50 feet @ $1.00 .... ........ ......... .. ,..............$ 50 . 'caffolds lx9-2:?5 feet @; 1.00......... ..... .... .... .... ..... ......... 2 25 .Paper linin~--72 lbs. a 6c....... .... .. .. .. .... .... .. .. .. ... ... .. .... .. ... 4 32 -4,000 uhingles a . $3.00 ...................................................... 12 00-!60 9.)
DOOR FRA:UES, ETC.
Door frame 3x6 feet ......... .............. ........................ .........s; 1 20
Door 8x6 feet...... .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. ...... .. .. .. .... ... .. .......... ..... .. .. .. .. 1 35 'Hinges and lock................................... . ...... ... ................ . 50 Nails for entire building........... ........ ... ..... .. .... .. .............. 6 00 :2 Window frame and sash- lights glazed-10xl2.............. 4 00-$13 05
IXSIDE F!XTlRE .
4 'ets tanchions $3.00 per set.. ...................................... $12 00
52 Racks ,, ~)5c .... .. .............................................................. 1 20 :72 ticks " 6c ..................................................................... 43 6
1 'et pu1ley~, cl1nms, etc .. ................................................ .. 5 00 25 Basket. n 35c..................... .. ...................... .................. . 75-$ 'i CiH
BA 'E)!EXT.
4,300 Brick wall , 5:} feet high-price.................. ................ - .2 Rtove l'ix24 inebe by 4 feet-$12.50 each .......... .. .......... ..$25 00
Flue. for stove in basement.. .......................................... 12 00 Terracotta cb imueye, 27 feet bi"'h ...... ............................. 13 50 Conrluit. for ba-e ment-120 feet @; $1.00 ................... .. .. .... 1 20 Door and frame............................................................... 1 50-...58 :?0

CIG .\.R TOB.A.CCO.
It hould be remembered that what has been said in this artide does not ap ply to the curing of cigar tobacco, which is mainly by airdrying without artificial beat, with barn cJnstructed for the purpo e, o that currenu of air canpa through the hou ed tobacco.
'l'HE LAIY.
In conclusion I ghe the section of the last act of Congre s relating to the sale of leaf tobaeco, wi th the construction put thereon 1y the ommi sioner of Internal ReYenue, in order that in this regard there may IJe no misapprehen ion :
"That all provisions of the statu tes imposinflrestrictions of any kin l what soe,er upon farmers and "rowers of tobacco in regard to the ale of leaf tobacco, and the keeping of books, and the registration aud the report of their sales of leaf tobacco, or imposin,., any tax on accoun t of such eales, are hereby repealed ; P,o vided, howevu, That it shall be the duty of eyery farmer or planter pro1lucing or elling leaf tobacco, on demand of any internal re"l'enue ()fficer, or other auth orized a"'ent of the Trea. u ry Department, to furui h

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l l EP.\.HT~I E ~'I OF A 'RICLTL'lTRE- -<:iEOH.GLL

said officer or agent a true and complete tatement, verifietl by oatu, of all ui ales of leaf tocaeco, the number of hogbeads, case or po und., with tue name and re. i!lence in each in. tance, of the person to whom old, and the place to which it is shipped. And mery farm er or planter who wilfully refu>:cl! to furnish information, or knowingly makes false statements as to any of the facts aforesaid, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and ..hall he liable t0 a penalty not exceeding five hundred dollar'S."
"Farmer. and planter are not r quired to pay au internal reYeuue tax fo r sellina leaf tobacco oi their own grow th and raising, or leaf tobacco re ceiYed by them from tenant who haxe p roduced the same on their land . The preYiou limitation of an amount not exceedinu one hundred dollar annually i" repealed by the law aboye quoted.
"Th e executor or ad mini trator of a far mer or planter, and the guard ian of any minor is exempt from registerin "' as a dealer in lea[ tobaeco produced by such farmer or planter or by oaid ex cutor, administrator or guardian as f' ~tch, or r eceived by either of them ru rent from tenants, who produced the same on the land of said farmer, planter or minor.
"A farme r is not required to pack or prize his tobacco before offering it fo1 ;;ale, in hoghead or otherwi. e, hut he may ell it lo 1 e a be ha h eretofore IH'en in the habit of sellin <>, keeping such an account a will enable him tQo render a true tatemrn of amount sold when called for."
R 1'. :KE,'BITT.

11-lc

OCTOBElt CROP REPORT-1 91 .

11

THE CGLT"CRE Oli' OAT.~.
(Protn B"tl tia H-Gro,rti<t E.11uimetll , 'tr1lion.)
The culti,ation of the oat, as a leading grain and forage crop in the Routh, ha~ neYer receiYcd that attention which it merit~' and the importance of the !inbject demand:'.
In the early settlement of this country, it was natural to select a~ our chiei reliance for brend an<l .lork food the crops that seemed best adapted to the c.:irL"nmstauce oi a pion cr people in a new country . Our forefather were compel led to suuclue an almo. t unbroken forest, and the Yirgin field thus rudely relaimed and subjected to the primitiYe metho,ls of that early clay were ill-suited, by rP-nson of stamlin" tree., stumps, etc., for croos requiring the use of the sickle ancl~?rain radle, and the tbr hiua machine, in harYesting the rops and preparing the grain for u e.
Thu. wa the corn of the lnclian.~ aLiopted a. our national foo 1 for man and animals, early in our history. It required only a generation or two for the nati ,e born Amercan to forget that his Europ an ancestors had neYer seen an ear of litclian com, but had for centurie past relied on oat~, wheat and harleythe small grains-for their supplies for thcms he. and their ]j,-e stock. l''al'lnl'rs are pro\"erbially conscrvatiYe-slo\\- to i\e up the traditions and practice>' of the past.
It woulrl be ea y to show the superiority of oats oYer corn as n gmin food fo1 wo!k animals. It is pretty generally au understood and accepted fact. But man~ farmers-a large majorit~ of ~onthern farm r;;-still clino- to the idea that corn shoull be the mtin ,eliance. The rea on a.. igned is the 1!1lceJtain1!1 '!f the oat Cr'OfJ, which ari. es from the danger o[ winter kill in" \Yhen own in the fall, or ruin from ru. tor drouth when. spring sown . But farmers do not gi ,.e oat a fair chance. Let u. ee: t;,ery farmer worthy of the name has IL ron\'ictions a to the proper time to plant cotton or corn. IIe makes ~trenu n. efforts to g2t ready anrl to plant the e two rop. jH.,tat the r"ght tim. HealE'O seleC't~ the be..t mrietie. of corn and cotton [or plating; u e. th be~t of fertilizer~, plants his best lanl, and cultivates to the be.-;t of hi. judgment. But when it ome to ~owing oats, a majority o[ farmer haye no .et time for this work, hut it is usually d n when it i entirely con1enient. '!.'he cotton must fhst he picked. com mu. t be gather.:Jd, potatoc. clng, etc. , until .. eptember, then Ocloler passes by. It is then too !at!:' to sow fall oats. The next most fa,orahlc timenccorcling to tradition-is the" old Christmas," or the twelve clays folloo.;ing December :!5, a superstition that ~boule! be relegated to the past. About the first or the middle of l'cbruary i the be-t time, if there be a be.,l til!le to ow >pritlg oat.~.
}fy purpo~e is to induec farmers to sow in .lepteruber or October accordinl? to latitude. Xorth of a line joining Columbus, .Macon aml Augu ta. so\\ in Neptember; in the mountains, C\en Au,.ust owing i;; a<hisable; south of the line named, October i~ the time.
Before sowing rime urri\es tbe Jan tshoniJ be prepareu by thorough plowing, turuingnnrler all ye retal.Jle matter. On corn land, wee<! land or other rough !all'I,

]/;)

1':!

DEP.\..R'l':\1E T OF AGRIC 'LTGRE-GEORGIA..

.a two-hor~e turn plow will usually be founrl best and mo tecouomical. A cut~'lway harrow is an excellent implement, on clean soft land, aml may be nsecl without previous plowing. On the station farm it has generally been found necessary to plow the land fir. t with a two-horse plow; the seed oat and fertilizer are then own broadcast and covered in with au -eli c cutaway harrow; the land is then harrowed with a smoothing barrow, and if not left smooth and :free from clods, a heavy iron roller is pa "'eel over the ul"face. From one and a half to three b ushel of eed are own per acre. A soil from which a yield of twenty to thirty bushels per acre may be reasonably expected hould have not les than one and a baH bushels of eed; if thirty td fifty bushel are e:{pected, then from one and a half to two aud a half bushel. of seed; if abo,e fifty. two -and a bali bushel and upward.
Oats require a highly nitrogenous or wmnonialed fert.ilizer. In ca. e it is deired to fertili ze ury moclerutely, it is probable that cotton ced meal, or crushed -cotton eerl, would an wer every purpo. e. But in liberal or hea\'Y manuring. it would be afer to add to the cotton eeed, or meal, acid phosphate and some form of pota h, say about in vroportion , more or Ie~s, a. the mixture applie1l to plot Xo. 2, in Table I., page - --. A good proportion ior average old uplands is the following:
~ Acid Pho phate, ........................... 200 lb.
Per acre for oats........ llluriate of Pota h ...... ...... ...... ........ 50 lb. Cotton f3eed ~real. ........................ .400 lb .
Total. ...... .. ............................... . .............................................650 lb . But actual experiment would how that the relati,e proportion of the three valuable elemeuts mry greatly on different so il . E \ery farmer should find out ior himself, by actual soil test, " bat his soil requires and in wbat proportions. 'fhe above is given as au average or basic formula . It wonlll be ea y to lay off a pi ce of land , of as nearly uniform q uality a po ible, into plo s or lands twenty feet wide. On one plot use the ba ic formula already gi,en; on the econd use double the quantity of acid pbospl1ate; on the third double the muriate only; on the fonth double the cotton . eed meal only; on the fifth no f rtilizer. Then repeat the serie a~ often a m:ty be convenient, and repeat the exrerimeut on a soil of different charaeter.
WHE.\.T CuL'l'LRE.
A rea onable '\Ji ,eL ity of crop." is indispen rrbl to prosperon. fannin~. Every farmer mtt-t decide for hiutself to wbat xtent be will "diversi fy ," what crops he will produce on his farm, and whatsnpplie he will buy in the market, or from other farmers. As a rule a farmer houlrl produee on hi own farm those. upplics of which hi family requires the large t quantity.
On many farms in Georgia it will not pay to sow wheat, where the number of consumer of flour i:; small, or where there is no land that i rea onably adapted to the production of thi: grain. It would hardly he worth while for a young man jn t married, r quiring only two or three barrel" of flour, to ra e wheat. It i not worth while for a iarmer in the coast region to attempt to produ e tlour, nor a farmer in Habersham to grow sugar cane.

116

I

OCTOBER CROP REPORT-I 91 .

13:

But in :Nonh Georgia, and on m:my farms in :\1iddle Georgia, there are loca-

tions well adapted to wheat. A high, d1y, gray or chocolate loam, underlaid

by clay will produce wheat with reasonable certainty. The richest soil is not

the mo t certain. Prepare the Janel by deop and clo e plowing.

A field from which a crop of cott:ln or tobacco ha ju t been taken L well

suited for wheat, .A. pea crop is aLo an excellent fore-crop. Fertiliz well,

u ing the same ingrediente as suggested in the formula [OJ' oats.

For instance:

Acid Phosphate, ........................ .100 lb~.

For one acre

of

wheat.......... {

Mmiate of Potash ...... ...... ........ ....... ~5lb_. Cotton eed Meal ........................ 300 lb -

1-'ow about the time the fir t kill in, fro t i expected, a directed for oats.

EXPERIMENT

(From Bulletin .No. H of the Georgia Experiment tation.)

(G. 'PETH, HonTJCULTURJ T. ) Part oi the work outlined in t.be Horticultural department may be cla._sod as1. Testin"' of new varieties in compari on with . tandar<l ort. of \egetable and small fruits, and 2. Experiments with fe rtilizers to tudy the effect of difteront fertilizing ingredients, different combinations and different sources of nitrogen, a t0 earline , productiveness and quality of orne of our garden produce. ,'ome of rhe re ults attained are embraced in thi report; othe r. are not ready yPt but will appear in a future bulletin. The work with fertilizers gives some ya}uable information, and will be eon tinned until conclusive results are obtained.

Y .A.RIETY 'ESTS.

On the sel ction of the variety adapted to the pecia1 requirement. of the-

producer very often deJ ends his financial suecess. It is therefore oi impor-

t mce to obtain from more lisinterc ted sources than the ec d dealer informa-

tion that will facilit.'l.te a judiciou eie tion of such . ort. a~ will in ure tbe-

lar"'e t 1o ible r turn.

Tl.l obtain and dis eminate. uch information is the object of Yariety te, tE at

the tation.

B ,'H BEAS .

Of each \'ariety a row a quarter of nn acre long was planted in hill 1 foot apart, 5-6 bean to the hill. The plants after being well e,t.'l.bli~beJ werethinned out to 150 per plot, thus ecuring a uniform st.'l.ncl in e \ery plot.
The results are embodied in table 'o. IV. Column 1 ajyes the name of thecetlsman, column :? form of pods, while 3-10 illu trate the date and weigh t oi ach picking, and 11 total yield per plot.
Pride of ~Vewto wn and E '1rly Wwwick prove:l to be desirable on account of their earliness, but Early Valentine and E .t'ra Early Re(ugeP, on account of their round, tender pod. and great productivene s, will still remain the [a,orite for market and home consumption. . pecklecl TVa,t and Cylinder Back Tl'a.t, being nlm o t free from ru t, can be recommen led as the mo t sati factory of the wa.--c v .tripties .
17i

......
.j..

T.A BLE No. lY.- T"ari(ty 'l'e~l o( Bn.<h lkwti!.

rh

....

N Al\IE OF VARIETY.

"0 0
'QP-<

First Picking.

Seeond

Picking. Third Picking. Foudh

. Picking

~o
~~

0 t::

~l a "0

Doto.~ l~<i<hl, ~ ~ 0

Date. 1\Veig bt, Dnte. IWeight, nnte.IWeight,

Lbs.

Lbs.

Lb~.

s~

Lus.

0
8

,"..".,

""' u I

2

3

4

5

Black \Vax ........................... .. .. . n. A. Hound ....... Jm1e 10 7.00 June15

6

7

0.!)2 June 27

9 1.40 July . .J.

10 ].50

II ]0 .1'2

t::
~ H

Black Rhnh ...... .. ............ .. ........... '1'. Long round
..- Bcst-of-aliBush .... .. ........ .. .......... JI. Flat ...........
Canada \Voml cr...... .... ..... .. .......... '1'. Flat.. .........
Eal'licst Red Yalcnlin e .......... .. ..... JJ. Round ......
_, ..... E. E. Pride of Ne wtown ............... '1'. Flat .. .. ......
-E . Hache! ................................... D. A. Flat.. ......... E. K Hefngec ...... .. ... .. .. .. ....... .. . T. RonnJ ...... . ,, ... .. R Refugee Wax.................. .... .... T. Hound ....... .K \Varwick .. . .... . ............. .. .. .. ..... II. l~lat ........... Dwarf Lyonai sc........................... 'l'. l~onml ...... . .... Galega ...................................... '1'. Half round Jmpr. Six Weeks......... . ......... ..... Li1. FlaL .......:...

" "

] i)
13

r:;l..olOo

" :!.7 " 27

" ] ;) :).10 " '27

" 15 G.GO " :!.7

" 10 6.75 " 1.3

" 10 4.(i0 " ] i)

" 15 Lf)O

" 27

15 7 . 00

27

" JO n.oo " 15

" 15 -!.GO " 27

," ,

27 10

:!..:!.0
G. :~ o

.Tuly 4 .fnne J5

1.00 J .15
~.1,)
~. ~5
() .78
1.5:!. ] .80 1.10
o.:~ o
0. 30 3.00 J. ()(j

Julv 4
..f
" ..f " 4 " ')" 27 " -1
-1 Jun e 27 July .,!
" 15 " 27

3.85 2.-10 ;).10
::.no
J..JO :l. ~fj
:1.-10 1 .5.)
0.70
o0..n8o0
1 .4.)

" ];)

" 15

" 1.)

" 15

" lii " 1,j

,",

15 15

" -J.

" ]ii

" -:1

oO..gH.O)
O.S.i
l. tl5
J .GO II .GO
1 ..)()
o. so
l.:lii
O.iji
O.HO

8 .80 !l. lll

c.,.,

!). ~0
H.2()

,'..-..

10 .5:: !1.97 11.:!.0

!.~.:.;.;.;-.; 0
':::

J0 .-1 .) 11 . ;):)
fi . 2.i

f:.:l r...,..

(i 10 ('1

10 .:l1 I

Jmpr. Golden Wnx .................... .. H. Flat.. ......... " 1.) G. OO

Cylinder Back wax ..................... H. Hound ...... " 15 ii.10

Kin~ of the Ci-rcen ... . ................... 'l'. Half round " "!.) 1. 50

PcrJection W nx ........................... Saddll' Uack Wax ........................

B.
n.

Flat... ......... Ronnel ......

" "

15
].)

G.OO
;) .50

Spcrkletl IYax .................. .. ........ Li1. Hountl ....... " 15 ] . 70

'\'oscnlitc " ' ax ............. ............... II. Long round " 15 3 ()0

" '2i 1. 35

.." 27
" 27 " '2_r,7

1.20
.!.f)!)
J .GO
] .!17

_, " :!.7 1. 80
" ')- 0.'2:.>

" 4 1 . :)0 " -1 1. 90 " 4 2.10 " 4 1. 20 " I 1.85 " I 7. 5G " 4 2 .:50

" ] ,) " ]5 " 1i) " li) " 1i) " 1.) " 11)

1 . '10
0./ii
O.RO
J .20
O.:!S
O.!i:i 1. 20

fl . \).) Q

c H.D.i i:tj
H \10 !:;;;;
10.(.;() c:

\l.OO 1 l.GO

H ~

(i.\-1.)

D. A.- Deparlnwnt of ,\ g ricnltlll'l' j '1'. 'l'horhlll'll ; ll.-lf0ndN~on; Lii.- J.iying,tnn; H.-Bnrpc('.

0 'TOBElt CROP HEPOHT--1 :Jl.

J;j

FEHTILlZ.EH TE "T OF Bl:Sli BEAXS.

}'or tJ.i~ experiment a young pear orchanl, tbe tree. being J.olaute(~last yet~r ~t a distancE! of 20 feet, wa' se:ecteJ, the oil being pretty uniform of u sandy clay, uu<lerlaid by hca\")' clay ub. oil. In tbe mirlclle between two row' of tree , lllree rows were laid ot:f, thre feet apart, the fertilizers as per Table No. \'., di tributecl in the furrows atLd thorou.,hly incorporated in the soil-each row forming a plot ~ acre long, in whi h the beans, Early Yalenline ,ariety, we re piau ted in hills one foot apart, April l:Jth. 'I he plant after bein" well ~stablisbecl were reduced to 100 in every plot and thoroughly and frequentlv culthated with hoe an 1 plow during the sea on. In plots 10 and 16, half oi the amounts of nitrate o[ soda and cotton seed meal were applied at the time of preparing the land, thP. other balf just beiore thP. plants c:ommeuced to bloom; in plots 1:2 and 1~,half of the mixture wa distributed in preparing the land; the other half at the same time a plols 10 and 10.
The re~ult does not indicate such di(ierei:ce between the two nitrogenou;; fertilizing incrredients as to warrant any conclttsions yet. Neither donble ration~, iu one or two application , of either niti-ate of soda, or cotton-seed meal, nor double rations of complete fertilizers in two applicationa, ga\'e any marked increa e; while the effect of double ration of >:!Upcrphosphate in the different coiUbinations, as indicated in plots 19 and 21, is ,ery appreciable. The lmge~t yield was obta ined in plot No. 22, where a mb:ture of nitrate of soda and cotton-seed meal formed the source of nitrogen, an occurrence which requir s further investigation .

TABLE Xo. Y.-Fertili=~1 E.cperiuwnts in Beans.

FER1'1LIZER.
'o
z c

,
<: <,_i
;g.:"s..

c lst Picking. 2d Picking.l:ld Picking. lth Picking.

ci
d
~

If~~.
o 5
?:~

s 1~00:'g

d 0

->o;::O:.:J.

IT~cJ"S.:

3
d
0

'55 :;..o -~

.s
d ~

I_; . p,_:;
" .::.:E
~:::

" -~:;

:-;:.:...o.

c
E-

J 2

:~3[uurpieartpehoofspPhoattaes..h.

... ...

. .. ....

. . ..

400 June 100[ "

10 10

0O..3li021Ju"ne

1510.5> J;; o.31

Jtme "

27 O.oo iJuly 27 0.(;7 "

1100~,00..15;1; 1

2.21 1.45

3 ~?t~on Se~~d !\leal. . . . . . . . . I ~~tatcot cia ...........

400 200

::

10 LO<J 101.1.

::

11~~011 0..t:.!>!

::

~! ~ n;1 -t-.1.1

:;

10 1. 00 .1. 04 100., '. 4.U4

: :.:.: ;") Unfertilized .................. .... . " 100.30 " 1El0.2~ u "170.t>.i " 10 0.3.3 11.5-! ~;;~E:~~{~~h<::::_ !~. :~:. :1~~~:~~ ::~:::~~ ~:~~: ::~: ~:~t~: ::~~ ~:~(~:

7 ~i'g.~~e;;o~~~;:::. ::::: ~g<J .. :... ~~ ~:~ .." ...~;~:~~ ..'.'...~7 ~:~~' . .'.'... ~~ J:~~~~:V?

Unfertilized ....... . ....... ... . . ... " 10 0.31 " 150.65 " 2711.1;; " 100.10 2.ol

1.... .... .... .. ........ .... ... Superphost>batc. . . . . .. ..

I H

..

~lur1ateor
~itrate of

Pot...'l.:sh....... Soda.........

400 100

.... "

..

l.O. 1,l...li.:!.

.

.

..
11

. ... 150.;15

u

27~.61 "

101.~05.:1.'

4.0(1 ........ ........ . . . . . . . . .' .. . ... . .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . ..

. 10

5~[~~~~~,~~.P~~~~h::::::
f ~itratc of Soda* . . . . .. .

118080:..:...:...io11i:.u.t....:.......i.5..o:.~.7....:......~.7..2.:7.&....:..- ..i.o..i:.~...11l.i;.:.i4.

:superphosphate..... .. .

1 11

:~li[utlr"iaatLeeooff

Pota h.. . ... Soda..........

1 w ~~1~f.~~~~~~.P~~~5i;::.::. Nitrate of Socia........ . . Superphosphate.........

200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ..

50 " 10 0.11 ' 15 0.57 " 271.50 " 101.15 3.(~ ;

;gg I... ....... ............ ..I.... ..;.... 100

...;...-...ioi.:.o.o1

. .....
;.-i.~lo:is

272:4;~;.-ioli::!o~:;i

HlO . . . .. . . . . . .... .... ... ................. .. ...... .. .

100 . . . . . . . . .. . ........ .;,.; ...................... .. .. .

1:1

{

)~rtuiatc or Potash ..... . Cotton Seed Meal.. .... ..,1

1 100 u 10 '2.0~ '' 1~ 0. \.X' " '17 1.42 " 10 1.:3:! 5.n; 1
4001 . . ...... 1 . . .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1. . . J ... .

179

3 2108 05732 5436

li

DEPART?IfENT O:F AGRICULTURE-GEORGIA.

TABLE Xo. V.-Continuecl.

e lst Picking. 2d Picking. 3d Picking. Hb Pickiug. 0

FERTILIZER.
~

~~~~0

I g-Q ,~.~~.j:g>-

~~. i1~>~s~g~~1

~
A

f~.--J;. ~. .

~ ~

~~.--;p-~

~
~ a
~

\

1... ....... ................ 14

U1nSfne pr tei lripz ebdo s. .p.h. H. .e. .. .....

.... .....

...... . !June 10 0. 0
4fl() .. .. . .. . ..

........
. . .. .. ..

0.33 JLLne
..

27

2.41

July

1010.50 3.84

15 ' Muriate of Pot.~sh...... . 100 " 10 ~. 20 June lli 0. 75 .... . ... 1.85 " 10 0. UO 5. 70

{~~~::::~~:gh~~::~:::::::: m:::::::: ::.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
1G MuriateofPotash ....... 100 " 101.76 " 1.;0.86 " 272.36 " 101.005.!!7

Cotton Seed Meal*....... 800 . .. .. .. .. . . .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. . 1....... . . .. ... ..

........ 11 5~u~~~~p~~;;5t.::::: :: t~ io i:25 ..;; "i~ o:59 ....... 21 ioo ....... io o:ui 5:45 . I...... .. (Cotton Seed )leal........ 200 .... . .... . . . ...... . ........................

1s
19

{
)

~~~~~~o~~~i-.::::::
~1~~g~~E~~:::::::

/ N1trate of Soda..........

:l ;; io 2:~ ;; i5 &:so ;; 27 1:68 ;: io i:oo ~:98
5 1 ::.:.:::i~~:i~ ::;.:::i~~:ii : :;.:::~i ~:~~ ::;.::ji:~!i;:~:
200 .... . . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. ...... . ......... .. .... .. .. ..

20 Unfertilized....................... " 10 0.3fl " Jo 0.4~ " 27 2.6.; " 10-0.GO 4.07
1 21 ~u~~~~~~.P~~~t.::::::. ~gg ........ioi:2.; ..;.... i5i:Z.i .. ;... 27 s:oo ..,.,... ioo:so;u:27
m:..:::: :::: ::::::::1::: ::.::::: .::: :::::::: ::::,:::: r ~~:!0r~~gh~::::l.:::::: :

~2 l~?l~~e*l~:~t: ::::: ~~. :~':::~? ~:~~: ':':.:~~ ~:~~ ::':': : :~~ ~:~ ~:':': : :~Y1 ~~ <~

23 Stable Manure............. 15000 " 10 1.40 " 15 0.5:3 " 27 2.50 " 10 0.79 5.72 ~ 1Superphosphate...... ... 400 ... .. ... 2.00 ........ 1.56 " 27 2.40 ... ..... 0. ltl.77
I Nitrate of &drr.. .... .. .. 200 . . . .. .. . .. . 1 . .. . .. . .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. . 1 .. 1 ..

*In two appl icat ion .

1 0