PUBLICATIONS GEORGIA STATE Department of Agriculture For the Year 1896 TOGETHER WITH PORTIONS OF OTHER AGRICULTURAL BULLETINS OF INTEREST TO FARMERS Volume XXII R T NESBITT WjTOlMUNkR UH MUHIOULTUHb THE GENERAL LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ATHENS GEORGIA ATLANTA GA Geo W Harrison State Printer Franklin Irtg and Pub Co l897 lTHE GENERAL LIBRARY THE UmmsiTY OF GEQRClALIBRARY 60RS AAR6 1945PREFACE In accordance with the custom of the Department of Agricul ture we have compiled some of the publications of the Depart ment in this the Twentysecond Annual Volume of the Depart ment To make the work more valuable as a book of reference to the farmer we have added such selections from other sources as we think will be of real interest and importance to those whom it is intended to benefit The book is well indexed and we hope by reason of its con tents will be found worthy of preservation THE GENRAL LIBRARv THE GENERAL LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ATHENS GEORGIA N c JANUARY COMMISSIONERS LETTER TO GEORGIA FARMERS IMPORTANT MATTERS DISCUSSEDTHE TIME HAS ARRIVED FOR THE BEGINNING OF FARM OPERATIONSTHE VALUE OF SUBSOILINGFARMERS WARNED TO TAKE NO RISKS ON THE COTTON MARKET OF THE COMING YEARADVAN TAGES FOR RAISING HOGS Department of Agriculture Atlanta Ga January 1 1896 With the above date should begin our farm operations for 1896 not two or three weeks hence but from the first day of the new year The custom of prolonging the Christmas festivities into a good part of January and then consuming several more days in settling down to work should no longer have place in our methods If the weather should prove unsuited to outdoor field work there are numberless minor matters calling for attention the farm im plements which have been brought under shelter may receive a thorough overhauling and be put in firstclass condition for future use the compost heaps always important may be built up stables and sheds cleaned out and fresh bedding put in leaves hauledand placed conveniently for use in the stables and various other duties which will suggest themselves to each thrifty farmer and which if neglected now stand a poor chance for recognition when the heavy and regular work of cropping begins The fall has been unusually favorable for turning the land and snbsoiling and many farmers have taken advantage of the bright clear days to thus make sure of a supply of moisture for the crops they intend to plant David Dickson speaking from his own successful experience maintains that for each additional inch that we subsoil we to that extent lessen our chances of injury from prolonged dry weather and that Department of AgricultureGeorgia by going deep enough we may in large degree render our crops practically independent of our usual summer drouth On this subject The Western Plowman has the following which is so comprehensive that I reproduce it here trusting that it may catch the attention of those who might not otherwise see the origi nal article Subsoiling is not a turning of the under soil to the surface this would be only deep plowingbut it is simply a loosening of the subsol and allowing it to fall back without bringing it to the surface at all This operation permits the under soil to receive a greater amount of moisture and to retain it because being loose and loamy from the operation of subsoiling it becomes more re tentive of moisture The benefit therefore of subsoiling in a sandy soil is that the water is more readily removed from the top soil while it is at the same time retained for the future use of the crop The advantage of subsoiling a heavy soil on the other hand is that the water instead of being removed by surface drain age or evaporation is allowed to sink into the soil where it is retained and when the closer top soil would otherwise become hard and unfit for the growth of the crop especially if the rains be fol lowed by a long drouth there is a large amount of water stored away in the subsoil to be drawn upon as needed by the growing vegetation Subsoiling effectually does away with the hard pack ing of the bottom of the furrow as left by the ordinary plow and it all plowing were followed by subsoiling the erosion of the top soil on rolling lands which Professor Shaler estimates at 250 square miles each year would be reduced to a minimum if not entirely stopped Two hundred and fifty square miles 160000 acres of good soil rendered barren each year from this one cause At 50 an acrelow estimate for good farm lands in the more settled parts oi he countrythis means a money loss of 8000000 per annum to the farmers of the United States If subsoiling will stop this ruinous waste is it not worth trying But the expense of subsoiling Yes it is an expense and yet when we consider in addition to the saving to future fertilityAnnual Publication foe 1896 of this enormous acreage now rendered barren by erosion the vastly increased crops and improved quality of the productfor these things are a matter of actual experience and not a mere theory the small additional expense of subsoiling need not enter into our consideration Besides it is not necessary to subsoil every year but only once in two or in some soils once in three years We believe however that with the investigation and experiments that are now being put upon this subject the time is not far distant when an implement will be constructed that will both plow and subsoil at one and the same operation This matter has now been engaging the attention of our im plement men for some time and the demand seems to have been created owing to a more enlightened knowledge of the subject among agriculturists for some such tool and when there exists a real and an active demand for anything in a mechanical line in these times it is not long until inventive skill has produced it We make the unqualified statement that subsoiling saves the surplus water and keeps it for the use of the crop It is beneficial in a sandy soil because it prevents the top soil from becoming too saturated in wet seasons while at the same time saving the water for future use in dry seasons It is beneficial in clay soils because it takes care of the surplus water instead of allowing it to drain off prevents erosion of the soil and stores the water for future use of the crop In subsoiling then may be found in a large degree the solution of the great problem and the attainment of the end and object of all cultivation which is to control the supply of water in the soil In addition to what was said in our December letter on the sub ject of pitching the crops for 1896 I would call attention to the further drop in cotton consequent on the Venezuelan excite ment If such a small war cloud can cause a decline of one half cent in less than a week where would the downward course stop should that cloud burst into the storms of actual conflict Farmers cannot expect to make sudden fortunes under the most favorable conditions but by careful planning they may have an independence assured and come war or peace they may pursue the even tenor4 Department of AgricultureGeorgia of their work untroubled by the feverish excitements which char acterize the operations of the bona fide commercial world and free from the speculative fluctuations so eagerly watched by the men who have staked their all on a turn of the tide Farmers condemn these latter as gamblers and vampires drawing the lifeblood from legitimate and healthy trade conditions but just as surely the man who cuts short his provision crops and plants a big cotton crop in the hope of high prices is a speculator and a dealer in futures There is a fascination in the rosy pictures which Hope holds up to us and at this season when we start out with renewed vigor for the work of another year the temptation to leave the conservative and safe though rather humdrum path and venture on more at tractive though far more uncertain ground is sometimes almost overpowering Let us not be deluded into false estimates of our present duty or our future profits Each man knows his personal obligations and the needs of his family and farm Let him take no risks on the cotton market of the coming year but build his plans on the safest basis of an ample provision crop he can then await developments with unruffled calmness should cotton be high he makes money should it be low he does not lose HOGS The prospect is that next fall the price of pork will be good therefore the man who has the necessary conveniences for raising hogs economically and putting them on the market as early as pos sible will run small risk of loss if besides raising his family sup ply he makes arrangements for a few extra porkers to meet the demand which is usually most pressing and with the better prices in September and October Where peas and other forage crops can be raised as easily as with us the difficulties of hog raising are comparatively few and the whole process is much simplified Our winter and spring crops of rye barley and Crimson clover are followed in quick succession by oats wheat groundpeas chufas artichokes and sweet potatoes necessitating but a short period of the more expensive corn feed before they are ready for market in firstclass condition If milk is accessible and sorghum added to the other crops the health of the pigs as well as their early develAnnual Publication for 1896 5 opment is almost assured They should be kept steadily maturing and developing and not allowed to fall back at any period and put on the market when matured The older the animal after matur ing the greater the cost of production Pigs to be reared through the winter should come oif in August and if these are properly cared for they will be ready for the next best market months which are May and June The question of successful hog raising and marketing more especially at the South and during the hot season will depend very much on cold storage which is coming into use at many different points Professor Massey writing of a trip through the West iu 1894 emphasizes our advantages for hog raising He says Even the hog can be raised as cheaply here as there on our inimitable South ern pea fields I know of one successful farmer in South Carolina who claimed that his cured bacon cost him 4J cents a pound while Western bacon all around him averaged 14 cents Here in North Carolina the white bacon of the West is popular with folks who pay for all their supplies out of cotton and who little suspect that they are paying for tons of North Carolina earth iu that white meat In Swain county N C there is a mine of snowwhite talc which is ground to an impalpable powder The Western packers buy whole train loads of this stuff and it was proved here by actual experiment that bacon can be made to take up 10 per cent of its weight of this mineral The pork packers are the largest con sumers of this mine but the candy makers too use large quantities and a smaller quantity is used in the more legitimate work of mak ing rubber goods and incombustible gas burners But the bulk of it is bought back by our cotton planters in white bacon R T Nesbitt Commissioner Department of AgricultureGeorgia QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS COMMISSIONER NESBITTS INQUIRY BOX FOR THE MONTHMUCH INFORMATION FURNISHEDTHE KIND OF GRASS TO PLANT OX A WET BOTTOM FOR A WINTER PASTURETHE FEEDING VALUE OF COTTONSEED AND COTTONSEED MEALHOW TO IMPROVE LAND SO THAT IT WILL BECOME MORE PRODUCTIVE QUESTION 1 What grass can I plant on a wet bottom for a winter pasture ANSWER 1 There are none of the cultivated grasses that will thrive on a wet bottom I suppose you mean by a wet bottom one on which wa ter stands most of the time Some of the native swamp grasses of your section might do well on such land but they afford poor pasturage as a rule The best plan is to thoroughly drain the wet bottom and then it will produce in perfection anything that will grow on the high land For a winter pasture you might sow a few acres in scarlet clover about the first of October In six to eight weeks if you put it in properly you can begin to pasture on it and keep it up until about the first of March Then take your stock off and the clover will make you a good crop of hay and in time to make a crop after the hay is gathered In addition the roots of the clover will supply your land with nitrogen Of course you could not pasture the land while wet as that would ruin the clover and injure the land The vetch is another good plant to furnish a winter pasture in your section QUESTION 2 What is the difference in value of cottonseed meal and cotton seed as a fertilizer ANSWER 2 To compare the feeding value of the two it is best to give the food analysis of each as made by Dr Payne State Chemist Annual Publication for 1896 WHOLE COTTONSEED CONTAINS Carbohydrates2439 per cent value 231 Oil 21 63 794 Protein1917 i 575 1600 COTTONSEED MEAL CONTAINS Carbohydrates24 49 per cent value 305 Oil 926 301 Protein4220 1419 2025 If the whole seed and meal are valued upon their food analysis alone the whole seed are worth over threefourths the value of the meal but as the meal is twice as valuable as a fertilizer in the manure it makes therefore one ton of whole seed will be equivalent to 1220 pounds of the meal QUESTION 3 Do you think it will pay to haul cottonseed twelve miles and ex change for meal and hulls where I can get for 900 pounds of cot tonseed 300 pounds of meal and 900 pounds of hulls ANSWER 3 The 300 pounds of meal would be worth say 300 The 900 pounds of hulls 200 Thus you would get 500 for thirty bushels of cottonseed after hauling them twelve miles The hire of the driver and team you must consider at least 150 so you will have left 350 in meal and hulls for thirty bushels of cottonseed Dont do it dont sell it at twelve or even fifteen cents a bushel but use it on your farm in increasing the fertility of your land and in this way making it worth more to you than you can possibly sell it for QUESTION 4 Will it pay to haul chip manure and spread on the galled spots in the fields ANSWER 4 I know from practical experience that it will pay you to haul out and spread your chip manure on the thin or galled spots on the farm Well rotted chip manure not only contains considerable fertilizing properties but its application has a mechanical effect also putting such spots in better tilth for cultivation thus ena8 Department of AgricultureGeorgia bling the fertilizing elements of the atmosphere to more easily pen etrate to the roots of plants By applications of this kind and by sowing peas on such spots you can soon bring them up to the average fertility of the adjoin ing land and thus have no thin or galled spots in your field QUESTION 5 How shall I prepare my land and plant my spring oats ANSWER 5 The season of the year has arrived when the farmers are sowing or about to sow their spring oats The very common custom is to select for this purpose the poor est pece of land on the farm scratch the oats in with as few fur rows to the acre as possible and then await developments with an abiding fath that Providence will help out that particular field The result must be and always is a very poor oat crop A much better way is as follows Select the best land on the farm which ot course you had iu cotton last year break it up as deep as possible either with a one or twohorse plow diagonally across the cotton rows If you use a fertilizer on your oats as you should do be sure to broadcast it on the land and plow in with the oats Sow now from 1J to 2 bushels to the acre of any good variety of rustproof oats and go over the land with a disk or any other good harrow This will cover the oats sufficiently break up clods and leave the land in good shape not only to make the crop but to harvest it Providence will with very much more certainty bring about a good yield from a field prepared and planted in this way than from one prepared and planted in the usual manuer Plant not less than onefourth or even onethird of your land in this most valuable crop and if put in properly you will find it profitable After taking off the oats sow the land in fieldpeas which will leave it in good heart as we farmers say for a crop the next year QUESTION 6 I have lost several head of mules from a disease I dont underAnnual Publication for 1896 stand and would be glad if you would give me some information about it They at first appear dull lost their appetites and have swellings on some part of their bodies They run at the nose all the time with some blood in the last stages Have trouble in breathing The disease terminates usually in death in from four to six weeks Is it glanders ANSWER 6 It is not glanders that your stock is suffering with but what is called irregular strangles called so from the swelling appearing on any part of the animal and not being confined to any portion of the body head or legs The tumors or swellings should be opened when the presence of matter is indicated and not before You can tell the right time by the ease with which the hair will come off by pulling as in the case of a scalded hog When the hair slips easily there is matter in the tumor or tumors and they should be opened After opening keep clean with soap and warm water and use antiseptic washes Give J dram of hypersulphate of soda three times a day Give it by putting it on the tongue of the animal as far back as possible Feed on nutritious and easily digested food bran mixed with good bright oats being excellent diet Prompt treatment will usually save the sick animal but neglect frequently results in death QUESTION 7 I have a lot of stable mauure and scrapings from fence corners that I wish to compost for cotton What amount of cottonseed and acid should I use in the compost How long should it stand before using ANSWER 7 The following formula makes a good compost for cotton Stable manure 600 pounds Green cottonseed 700 Superphosphate700 Making a ton of 2000 pounds If the soil is deficient in potash the stable manure and cottonseed may each be reduced fifty pounds and 100 pounds of kainit used instead The formula would then be 10 Department of AgricultureGeorgia rra1nmftnUre 550 Pounds Green cottonseed 650 Superphosphate 7UU Kainit i 00 Making a ton of2000 pounds These ingredients may be varied in proportions to suit the soils and crops DIRECTIONS FOR COMPOSTING Spread under shelter a layer of stable manure four inches thick on this sprinkle a portion of the phosphate next spread a layer of cottonseed three inches thick wet these thoroughly with water and then apply more of the phosphate next spread another layer of stable manure three inches thick and continue to repeat these lay ers in the above order and in proportion to the quantity of each used to the ton until the material is consumed Cover the whole mass with stable manure or scrapings from the fence corners two or three inches thick Let the heap stand in this condition until a thorough fermentation takes place which will be from four to six weeks dependent upon a proper degree of moisture and the strength of the materials used When the cottonseed are thoroughly killed with a sharp hoe cut down vertically through the layers pulverize and shovel into a heap Let it lay two weeks after cutting down it will then be ready for use Another plan is to mix the cottonseed and stable manure in proper proportion moisten them with water apply the proper proportion of phosphate and mix thoroughly shoveling into a mass as prepared This will render unnecessary the chopping down and mixing as in the first method and in that way might be a saving of some labor QUESTION 8 When and how shall I prune my young peach and apple trees ANSWER 8 The general opinion of successful fruit growers is that the best time for pruning is at the close of the severe winter weather but before the sap begins to flow and the buds to swell The latter part of January I should think would be a suitable time in your section of the State The object in pruning should be to removeAnnual Publication foe J896 11 all weak branches and such others as in their growth would crowd and interfere with the branches you Avish to retain Good judg ment and some experience gained either by observation or practice are almost essential to successful pruning Pruning done at the wrong time or in ignorance of what is aimed at is apt to result in serious injury to the tree FERTILIZERS SOME PERTINENT AND PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ON HOME MIXING The following article taken from The Southern Planter and writ ten by Dr De Chalmet is so replete with valuable information that we would be glad if every farmer in the State could read and profit by it The feasibility and desirability of home mixing of fertilizers have been clearly demonstrated by the stations The published results of investigations by stations engaged in the examination of fertilizers leave no doubt regarding the fact that from such raw materials as are in our markets without the aid of milling machin ery mixtures can be made on the farm which are uniform in qual ity fine and dry and equal in all respects to the best readymade fertilizers The advantages to be derived from home mixing are so obvious that it is hardly necessary to do more than enumerate them 1 Reduction in ExpensesThis is strikingly brought out in a recent bulletin of the New Jersey station Homemixed fertilizers representing the purchase of 540 tons gave an average cost per ton of 3136 at the point of consumption The average cost per ton of eight special brands selected as the most highly concen trated of 212 brands examined was 4350 or a difference of 1214 per ton in favor of the home mixtures which contained at least 2 worth of plant food in excess of that in the manufactured brand 2 A Definite Knowledge of the Nature of the Plant Food SujJ pliedEach ingredient can be repeatedly examined by the pur12 Department of AgricultureGeorgia chaser inferior materials can be readily detected and those best adapted to special needs selected 3 The Preparation of Mixtures Suited to Special Needs of Soil or CropIt is selfevident that an intelligent farmer by home mix ing is better able than any one else can be to adapt the composi tion of his fertilizers to the special requirements of his land as well as of his crop 4 The Indirect Educational AdvantagesThis is probably the strongest recommendation of the practice It will encourage a spirit of inquiry among those using fertilizers and will lead them to study and apply the results of agricultural research thus con tributing much toward the fixing of the practice of farming on a rational scientific basis The time has come when the farmer should discard a system which leads him to consider chiefly the rival claims of competing manufacturers rather than his own needs and should by some sys tem of cooperation buy the unmixed materials for his fertilizers under their proper names in large quantities and mix them as the object desired seems to suggest With the vast amount of station literature sent broadcast throughout the country there is no reason why intelligent home mixing of fertilizers should not be generally practiced to the great advantage of the farming community The second point is of great importance The value of the plant food in the different commercial fertilizers is vastly different This is more especially true of nitrogen of which the official anal ysis only denotes the total amount The nitrogen of nitrate of soda or of sulphate of ammonia is of much more value as a fertilizer than that of leather or even of tankage In the home mixing of fertilizers one must be careful not to mix such materials together as will make any of them less availa ble as plant food Potash salts can be mixed with all fertilizers without rendering these less available as plant food If large amounts of potash salts are mixed with some mineral manuresfor example with floatsit will sometimes happen that the mixture cakes together when allowed to stand for a long period This mayAnnual Publication for 1896 13 however be avoided by adding to the mixture a small amount of muck or sawdust Acid phosphate should not be mixed with lime marl ashes floats bone meal or other substances that contain car bonate of lime or caustic lime for the availability of the phospho ric acid is thereby decreased Ammonia salts or organic nitrogen compounds such as blood tankage or fish should not be mixed with substances that have caustic properties such as building lime or wood ashes Nor can it be generally recommended to mix these nitrogenous materials with substances that contain carbonate of lime floats or marl un less we wish to further decomposition If it is desired to compost organic matter such as tankage or bone with agricultural lime one will have to be careful that the ammonia does not escape To prevent this it will be necessary to cover such compost heaps with garden or wood earth which will ab sorb the ammonia It is a very good practice to mix acid phosphates with organic matter This will very materially prevent losses of ammonia and the decomposition will not be retarded very materially Nitrate of soda can be mixed with all other materials If be sides highly dissolved phosphates and nitrates organic matter is also present it may happen that losses of nitrogen may occur es pecially if the mixture is not kept dry The practice of composting manure is followed in order to make the fertilizers more available as plant food In composting it is of the greatest importance to take care that the ammonia does not escape and that no leakage takes place We must be more careful with compost than with stable manure proper as the compost is more concentrated and the losses of nitrogen therefore happen more readily and are more costly The compost heaps should be kept covered with earth aud always piled under sheds It is further of advantage to mix chemicals with the com post which will conserve the ammonia Acid phosphates are especially well fitted for this purpose they are however not to be used if the compost contains much lime To mix potash salts largely with compost can only be recom14 Department of AgricultureGeorgia mended where we do not desire a thorough decomposition for the potash salts prevent decomposition to a certain extent CATALOGUE OF FKUITS THE BEST VARIETIES FOR THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE STATE The following catalogue of fruits is condensed from the report of the State Horticultural Society It shows the best varieties of fruits for the different sections of the State and should be a guide to farmers in purchasing from the nurserymen On account of climatic influence the State is divided into four sections 1 The upper or mountain region embracing that section of Georgia between the thirtyfourth and thirtyfifth degrees of lati tude 2 The middle region between the thirtysecond and thirty fourth degrees including the southwestern portion of the thirty first degree except the counties named for southern region 3 The southern region comprising the counties of Baker Ber rien Brooks Charlton Clinch Colquitt Early Eohols Lowndes Miller Mitchell Pierce Thomas and Ware 4 The lower or coast region comprising the counties of Chat ham Bryan Liberty Mclntosh Glynu and CamdenAnnual Publication foe 1896 15 APPLES Explanation or Columns1st name of varieties 2d season of maturity 3d the particular use for which it is adapted 4th 5th 6th and 7th the regions for which the varieties are recommended Explanation of AbbreviationsColumn 2SeasonsS summer A au tumn W winter E early L late E S early summer L W late winter etc Column 3UseR recommended only for the kitchen or cooking purposes D for drying C specially good for cider M best for market The o in the columns 4 5 6 and 7 indicates the region best suited to the variety NAME x o so oj REMARKS Astrakhan Red Ben Davis Buncombe Black Warrior Carters Blue Carolina Greening Cullasaga Chattahoochee Disharoon Early Harvest Elgin Pippin Etowah Fall Pippin Family Farrars Summer Homony Horse Hacketts Sweet Julian Kentucky Red Streak Mangum Mitchells Cider Moultries Palmer or Pear Apple Romanite Red June Rhodes Orange Shockley Summer Chase Stevensons Winter Striped June Winesap Yates E S LW A A W EW W A E S A W A S S LW s A W s LW E LW E S E S LW S LW E S LW LW Very prolific Excellent keeper Excellent Fine keeper prolific Large sugary very fine Excellent Requires strong clay soil Excellent fine keeper Good quality Universal favorite Large and very good Very good fine keeper Large and very good Excellent prolific Very good Excellent prolific Cooking and drying Prolific good keeper Productive good for cider Fine grower Excellent prolific Promising well Good and late keeper Very good prolific Excellent in mountains Bears very young prolific Excellent summer fruit Reliable in every section Large excellent for cooking and drying Unsurpassed in quality Excellent prolific Quality very good Very good 16 Department of AgricultureGeorgia PEACHES Explanation or Columns1st name of variety 2d class freestone or clingstone 3d color of flesh 4th season 5th use Remaining columns denote regions etc AbbreviationsClassV freestone C clingstone FleshW white Y yellow R red SeasonE early V E very early M medium L late V L very late UseV for family use only M the most valuable for market D the most desirable for drying NAME O Q w Alexander or Amsden Amelia Austin Bustians October Baldwins Late Chinese Cling R E Lee Church Columbia or Indian Crawfords Early Darby Early Tillotsoii Eatons Golden Elberta Fleitas St John Globe Halos Heaths White or White English Indian Blood Cling Lemon Cling Louise Rivers Mountain Rose Oid Mixon Freestone Old Mixon Clingstone Pisquets Late Rivers Stump the World Susquehanna Thurber Tinsleys October Cling c w V E E V L VL V L E E L M E VL V E L M VE L VE L M M VE M M M L VE M M M VL M P M M M M ML M M M 1 M M L M M M M M M M M MD F M M V a B a c be b Pei SO o5 2 a V S M j 3 O i f sd 0 3 REMARKS Good bright color Very large very good Excellent October cling Excellent late cling Good late freestone Excellent and large Earlier than Chinese cling Good September freestone Excellent for all purposes Very good and standard variety Excellent October cling Very desirable Superior for preserving Very large and handsome Very good earlj Very large Variable apt to rot Excellent for preserving Very juicy and good Superior cling Very good Superior to Early York Excellent market variety Excellent market variety Best freestone of its season Best quality too tender for market Superior market variety Superior to late Crawlord Very large best quality Good late clingAnnual Publication for 1896 17 PEARS Explanation of Columns1st name of variety 2d season 3d use 4th stock upon which the variety succeeds best remainder the region in which the varieties are recommended AbbreviationsSeason and use same as those for Apples StockQ quince S pear stock Where not marked the varieties thrive equally upon quince or pear NAME c o 61 0 M B M M a G 3 M s 0 s 0 M Q 0 y o M o M s 0 M Q 0 M s 0 M s 0 M 0 M s 0 M s 0 M s o M s 0 0 ivi Q 0 M 8 0 S 0 X M pcj REMARKS Bartlett Belle Lucrative Bvierre dAnjou Buerre Giffard Buerre Superfine Clapps Eavorite Duchesse dAngouleme Flemish Beauty Garber Howell Kieffer Laurens LeOonte Onondaga St Michael Archangel Seckel Smiths Winter Nelia 2a S s ES S S S S s s A s s s s s s w Good but subject to blight Good for family use Very good Very early Excellent but rots at the core Very good fine color Most profitable of all on quince Good but liable to rot at core Oriental type good Very good Productive late valuable Large and fine best on standard Valuable in South Georgia Good quality vigorous grower Fine grower good fruit Best quality slow bearer Conte Oriental type resembling Le Best keeper and excellent 18 Department of AgricultureGeorgia GRAPE Explanation of Columns1st names 2d variety 3d season 4th use remaining columns for regions etc Abbreviations ColorVf white B blue or black E red P B pale blue SeasonsE early maturing from beginning to end of July M medium matur ing from end of July to August 15 L late maturing after middle of August VL very late maturing after middle of September UseM market T table W wine NAME c o OS m 6 en 3 o il a r O 0 So a o 5 0 o on c c it 0 REMARKS B P R P R B B W R B B B W B P B 11 E Al E M M E AI L V L L L E MW T W T M M WM M M W W w w WT T W 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o 0 0 o 0 0 o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 c 0 0 0 0 o Among the best varieties Best table variety slow grower Good bearer and shipper Good for market early Prolific and no rot Profitible as a white market grape Good bearer no rot Excellent for wine liable to rot Best for red wine The latest of the type Good wine grape certain bearer Pulps dissolving Excellent early variety Delaware Diana Niagara Lenoir Nortons Virginia Scuppernong Tenderpulp Thomas Annual Publication for 1896 19 FEBRUARY MR XESBITTS LETTER TO FARMERS OF GEORGIA THE QUESTION OF THE PROBABLE COTTON ACREAGE FOR THE COMING YEAR IS ATTRACTING ATTENTION ON ALL SIDES AND THE COMMISSIONER PRESENTS SOME FACTS ON THE SUBJECT THAT EVERY FARMER SHOULD CONSIDER Department of Agriculture Atlanta Ga February 1 1896 Just now the question of the probable cotton acreage for the coming year is attracting worldwide attention and as this is a sub ject of primary importance to each and every farmer in Georgia as well as the entire South we present a few facts for the careful consideration of those who are contemplating the attractive but deceptive prospect of a big cotton crop and remunerative prices In the monthly talks for December and January we endeavored to expose the fallacy of such expectations and urged that our agri cultural interests for 1896 be built on a stronger foundation The Cotton Growers Protective Association is doing a good work in attracting attention to our fatal errors in the past and to exposing the costly folly of a large cotton crop at the expense of the perhaps more important provision supply To induce a con cert of action on this subject among farmers is important but it can only be reached when each individual farmer is convinced that year in and year out it is to his best interest to raise his supplies at home and make his cotton purely a surplus crop and for this reason we should bring every argument to bear which will help him to this decision Once his mind is thoroughly made up we will see the cotton crop curbed within profitable bounds and while the income from this source will be maintained the other crops will be cultivated and gathered and thus represent an additional clear20 Department op AgricultureGeorgia profit The South cau raise cotton cheaper than any other country and therefore no rival can successfully enter the field if we manage our great staple crop on sound business principles An American crop which forces the price below 10 cents is certainly too large We should plant as near as possible to a 7000000bale basis which will insure a fair margin of profit If by an increased acre age and an increased use of fertilizers and other expenses we pro duce 9000000 or 10000000 bales every bale will according to all precedent be sold at a loss of at least 1 2 or perhaps 3 cents a pound A 7000000bale crop at 10 cents will bring 350000 000A 9000000bale crop will bring at the highest only 7 cents a pound or 315000000 a loss of 35000000 not counting the additional cost of producing the larger crop If it costs 8 cents a pound to raise the 7000000bale crop which is about the average cost of production that represents 280000000 This crop if sold at 10cents will net the farmers 70000000 bver and above the cost of production with plenty of provisions for another year 9000000 bales at a cost of 8 cents per p6und for production will represent 360000000 and if sold for 7 cents will only bring 315000 000a loss of 45000000 to the producers Adding the profit on the lesser crop to the loss on the greater we have 115000000 in favor of a reduced area and a smaller crop Facts and figures gathered from past experience carry more weight than any mere words of advice and to thoughtful men the following will appeal with unmistakable force It has been conclusively shown that outside of the cotton grown and consumed in other countriesthat is Asia Africa South America and Mexico the United States furnishes about 75 per cent of the cotton of commerce In other words the world is dependent on the Southeru farmers for threefourths of the cotton which it uses and which cannot be produced elsewhere From this simple statement it will be seen what a power we hold among the nations of the world and what a lever to lift ourselves and out section into prosperity But when our cotton crop is made we cannot eat it nor can we wear it until it passes into other hands Now if our necessities for food and other supplies are such that weAnnual Publication for 1896 21 are obliged to part with our cotton in order to obtain these we are necessarily compelled to take whatever price the buyer offers It thus appears that our lever is powerless in ourjhands unless we rest it on the fulcrum of abundant home supplies If a man has plenty of home supplies he can afford to wait The world is obliged to have his cotton This was demonstratedjduring the civil war when the enforced suspension of cotton production in the South caused the price of one pound to reach the astounding figure of 285 although foreign countries were making the most superhuman efforts to supply the demand The following is also worthy of careful consideration In the last nineteen years our cotton has brought to outdoors 6000 000000that is that enormous sum has been received for this one crop alone It is also shown that as compared with the exports of other crops the value of the cotton exported from the South in nineteen years is over 50 per cent greater than the combined value of the total exports of wheat and flour for the whole country for the same period and more astounding still we find that the total value of the wheat and flour exported from the United States for seventyfour years is 4000000000 or 2000000000 less than the value of the cotton exported from the South in nineteen years Whether or not the individual farmer has reaped the full benefit the fact remains that the South has had poured into her lap a fabulous sum fully enough to have enriched and made her independent Of this vast wealth what remains Hundreds and millions have been paid out each year for provisions and manufactured ar ticles while hundreds more have been absorbed in the effort to cul tivate at a pecuniary loss large areas in cotton The mistake has been that the yearly cotton crop has heretofore represented the product of the combined agricultural force of almost the entire South It is only since a part of this energy has been diverted to the raising of home provisions that we begin to see a glimmer of agricultural hope and that farmers every where are better able to enter on the work of another crop This is the whole situation in a nutshell Its universal adoption comprehends the reduction of the acreage22 Department of AgricultureGeorgia the lessening of the cost of production and the prosperity of our agriculture Unlike the farmers of many other countries there is no power which can dictate the course of Southern men in this matter The decision must be reached through their own convic tions and the responsibility rests on them to determine whether they will risk the bondage of a large cotton crop and probable debt or less cotton ample provisions and independence In making this decision let us keep in mind that with the same labor we can by careful selection of land and judicious preparation manuring and cultivation nearly double the yield while other ex penses except picking and ginning remain about the same The better the land the more manure it will bear and we can thus in a measure substitute fertilization for labor As it is not the number of bales but the profit in those bales which is most important to us it follows that we should use every means to reduce the cost of pro duction We may manure good land with less risk indeed it does not pay to waste labor and manure in raising cotton on dead poor land Such land should either be reclaimed by judicious treatment with legumes and rotation of crops or if that is impracticable left to the kindly offices of Mother Nature We can then concentrate our forces of labor and fertilizers on the more fertile portions FOOD SUPPLIES Under the prevailing condition of European affairs nothing is more probable than an advance in the price of food supplies ofdl kinds A European war would certainly annihilate cotton and raise the price of all bread and food stuffs A short time since the mere rumor of war between England and Germany caused a decided ad vance in breadstuffs in the Chicago market We should heed these warnings and prepare should the unsettled condition of European affairs result in war to be independent of that disaster which we can only do by having a full stock of provisions on hand That we are learning to remedy our past mistakes the following figures taken from the crop returns will bear evidence And that to these facts the present improved condition of farmers is largely due is too apparent to require argument The Souths grain crop for 1894 was 611000000 bushels valuedAnnual Publication for 1896 23 at 302000 more than the value of the entire cotton crop The yield for 1895 will probably reach 50000000 bushels more than for 1894 This fact and also the interest in manufactures the diversi fication of farm products the development of the fruit and truck industries are all uniting to retain at home a large part of the money that formerly found its way North and West for the pur chase of articles which we find we can produce cheaper at home FERTILIZERS UNDER NAMES To put the farmers on notice as to certain brands of fertilizers which are being offered for sale under misleading names we quote the following from our last fertilizer bulletin These bulletins are valuable to farmers and to obtain them it is only necessary to ap ply to the Georgia Department of Agriculture Atlanta giving proper address The department has had a good deal of trouble recently from the efforts of companies outside the State to boom certain inferior fertilizers and has received hundreds of letters from farmers inquiring as to the merits of these brands The bulletin says The sale of the above Bone Phosphate Fertilizer Special Crop Formula and Paiues Cotton and Corn Fertilizer is forbidden un der such names as they violate the spirit of the Fertilizer Act which requires a total of 10 per cent of available plant food The Bone Phosphate Fertilizer must be sold for what it really is and not by a name indicating a complete fertilizer It is simply a Florida soft phosphate with a trace of potash The Special Crop Formula must be sold for what it really is and not by a name indicating a complete fertilizer It is a soft phosphate with potash Bales Rust Preventive should be sold as common salt and not masquerade under the name Rust Preventive which conveys the impression that it contains potash It is 9464 per cent pure salt Lowpriced fertilizers are much to be desired but deceptive names must not be used to make inferior goods appear of average character Such practice works a great injury to the farmer in induc ing him to use goods under a misapprehension as to their true composition24 Department of AgricultureGeorgia There is a material now being sold in Georgia which is attract ing considerable attention on account of the extensive advertising which has been given it and the broad claims which have been made This material is the soft phosphate of Florida These phosphates only contain between 2 and 3 per cent of avail ablephosphoric acid and in no way represent the acid phosphates of the market which certain from 13 to 14 per cent of available phosphoric acid This material has not been tried sufficiently to demonstrate with accuracy whether it is in anyway superior to ordinary floats floats are simply very finely ground phosphate rock and in so ar as the soft phosphates contain more available phosphoric acid eatfin S th6y mUSt stably be superior but that the bulk of the phosphoric acid which is in an insoluble form is any more available than that in the floats there has not yet been sufficient evidence to fully demonstrate These phosphates contain from 15 per cent to 27 per cent total phosphoric acid They usually however run about 20 per cent 1ms its promoters claim can be secured by the plant the first sea son The evidence thus far has not been of a conclusive nature lhe claim certainly appears an unwarranted one as positive proof is wanting r Acid phosphates of the market usually contain from 14 to 18 per cent of total phosphoric acid of which from 13 to 16 per cent is available This being the case and the soft phosphates only run ning about 20 per cent total phosphoric acid with about 24 avail able even if the soft phosphates were wholly available they would not much exceed in value a high grade acid phosphate but it has not yet been proven that they contain insoluble phosphoric acid in such a form that it becomes any more quickly available than insol uble phosphoric acid in any other kind of finely divided phos phate rock The soft phosphates are in an exceedingly fine state of mechanical division and on this account should weather more rapidly than ordinary ground phosphate rock because a larger sur face is exposed The law of Georgia recognizes as commercial plant food availaAnnual Publication for 1896 25 ble phosphoric acid and does not so recognize insoluble phosphoric acid It is well with each new material to give it a fair investigation upon its merits and if the farmers of the State desire to try the soft phosphates on their lands the Department of Agriculture wishes them to do so with their eyes wide open and on this account has forbidden the sale of this material under any name that indicates that it is of the same character as acid phosphate which it most certainly is not As above stated it more closely approaches in character a finely ground phosphate rock We have permitted the sale of these soft phosphates under their correct name as soft phosphate just as we would any other crude fertilizing material like land plaster ashes lime etc There has been a strong effort made by several parties to secure permission to sell this material mixed with potash and ammonia as a complete fertilizer The sale of such a mixture has always been forbidden if it contained less than 10 per cent of plant food as clearly a violation of the State laws This is a natural product and if sold under its proper name will deceive no one The price at which the soft phosphates are usually sold is about 1000 per ton and the price at which acid phosphates are usually sold is 1300 per ton These figures are not far apart and if the claims of the soft phosphate people are not largely true the soft phosphates would be dear at such a price Scientific men do not admit these claims and say they are chiefly statements of an advertising character and have not been proved Any material which will furnish plant food to our farmers cheaply will be welcome to us all but many cannot afford to use such unproved materials and will not use them if they are aware of their unproved character Hence we have ruled and insisted that soft phosphates must be sold as soft phosphates and not masquerade as something else but must stand upon their own merits and not shine with the reflected glory of some other material SPRING OATS We are now getting and will probably all through February26 Department of AgricultureGeorgia get much of the rainfall which we have lacked for several months and while it is important that we get the spring oats in the ground by the latter part of the month or the first of March because they should be well established before the hot weather comes on it is equally important that we do not attempt the work when the land is too wet When plowed in this state it is almost impossible to bring it into good condition for sowing or for planting any other crop Stubble land will be found first ready for the plow Do not burn the growth remaining on the surface but if necessary run a harrow or drag over the land to break it down It will supply humus And then plow deep enough to reach some of the soil which has not heretofore been used in making crops This con tains large stores of plant food and even at this season may be moderately and with profit mixed with the surface soil Thorough preparation of the land before seeding means great sav ing in the subsequent cultivation It has been truly said that the best time to cultivate a crop is before it is planted As oats re quire no after cultivation it is all the more important that the preparation of the land be exceptionally thorough The average price of oats on the market has been maintained at a more uniform rate than any other crop and the indications are that the demand will increase rather than diminish I view of these facts it will pay Georgia farmers to plant a full crop provided it is done on good land and with the fact in view that oats will return a bigger per cent for good preparation and good fertilization than almost any other crop because they have a greater power for abstracting fertility from the soil itself We know that to some farmers it may seem a waste of time but it is nevertheless a good investment to thoroughly break the land going a little into the subsoil as suggested and then harrow before sowing This will make a good seedbed and if the seed are then harrowed in deep enough to cover them well and a roller is just afterwards run over the land we take all the chances against a late freeze and should there be a dry season at the time of maturing moisture will be drawn from below to sustain the plants A fertilizer in the following proportions in larger orsmaller quantity to the acre according to the fertility of the land will be found suitAnnual Publication foe 1896 27 able Sixtenths acid phosphate onetenth kainit threetenths cot tonseed meal or if preferred the cottonseed meal may be omitted and nitrate of soda at the rate of 100 pounds to the acre may be ap plied as a top dressing when the crop has fairly started its growth GRASS CLOVER AND LUCERNE Land intended for these crops should when the weather per mits be gotten into fine tilth so that the seed may be sown as early as possible For uplands tall meadow oat orchard and red top For low ground red top Japan clover and lucerne should be sown later The latter re quires very rich land thoroughly pulverized and while it is at first delicate and of slow growth when once well established it may be relied on to produce crops for several successive years It should be carefully cultivated and kept entirely free of weeds and grass PUTTING OUT MANURE We have found that when hurried for time a very good plan in stead of composting is to haul the manure directly to the fields and having opened the furrows broad aud deep put in the manure where it is to remain and throw two furrows on this If a long narrow scooter can be run in the bottom of the furrow before the manure is covered it will break the subsoil mix the manure thoroughly and will be found the best paying furrow in making a crop R T Nesbitt28 Department of AgricultureGeorgia QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS THE COMMISSIONERS INQUIRY BOX FOR FEBRUARY MUCH INFORMATION FURNISHEDREASONS WHY FARM VLTZLJ REDUCE THE CTT0N ACREAGEAD VAN TAGES OF THE INTENSIVE SYSTEM OF FARMINGPOSSI BILITIES OF OUR SOILMECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL IM PROVEMENT OF THE SOIL al IM QUESTION 1 X have abundance of corn and meat to make a cheap cotton crop Would you advise me to increase my acreage of cotton Yes or no and give your reasons ANSWER 1 My candid opinion of any man that wants to increase his acre age of cotton at this time is that he is very deficient in business judgment Too much cotton was planted in the South last year 7nnannnhe SeaSDS Sitable the croP would have reached 8500000 or 9000000 bales and 5 cents would have been the ruling price for it There is a disposition among individual farmers to increase their acreage in cotton on the ground that there Jill be a reduced acreage planted and they will benefit by it My friend this theory carried out by all the farmersand very manv of them entertain it would result in the largest crop and the lowest price in the past 30 years Contrast the condition of the State at this time with its condition a year ago Note how much better contented and happier the farmers are and remember that the change was brought about by reducing the cotton acreage and increasing the acreage of all food crops resulting in a fair price for cotton and bountiful provision crops of all kinds If we are to continue on this road to prosperity abundance and happiness we must still reduce the cotton acreage and increase that of the provision crops If you want to return to 5cent cotton scarce orn debt danger and destruction financially the surest and quickAnnual Publication foe 1896 2 est way is to increase the cotton acreage and 12 months or less will suffice to put you there There has never been a time in the history of cottou culture when a small acreage was so essential to the prosperity of the South as the present The cotton States need large provision crops of all kinds and 10 cent cotton and both can be had by reducing not by increasing the acreage in cottou Imagine if you can our condition next fall with a 10000000bale crop made corn and meat scarce and a war with England on our hands Your entire cotton crop would not probably in such a case pay your guano bills On the other hand imagine our country overflowing with provisions of all kinds with a 7000000bale crop of cotton made then war or no war we could get along firstrate and in the event that the world was at peace our cotton would certainly bring 10 cents a pound No farmer need flatter himself that he can steal a march on his neighbors by planting a big crop of cotton while every one else reduces their acreage If it is in your mind to do this you can rest assured that it is iu the minds of thousands of others to do the same thing Consequently to attain the desired result each man must do what he knows to be right in the premises and the out come will then be assured prosperity for himself and the State QUESTION 2 Would yon advise one who is just beginning to farm on the intensive plan or in the manner usually practiced Which would be the most profitable and satisfactory ANSWER 2 This subject has been so fully discussed in the agricultural papers that every farmer should be familiar with it As yet however very few work their land on the intensive system though obliged to admit that theory and practice are both in its favor By inten sive farming is simply meant better preparation of the soil heavier fertilizing and faster working of the crop when up There is no question whatever and absolutely no doubt that if you will sub soil ten acres of laud put upon it the manure that you would or30 Department of A griculture Georgia dinanly put upon 20 acres and cultivate the crop twice as often as you would the 20 acres then the ten acres so treated will produce as much as the 20 acres as usually prepared and cultivated The above statement is an axiom that does not admit of dispute and you and every other farmer in the State can demonstrate the fact for yourselves If you are afraid to test it on a large scale try it on two or three acres in any crop you please and I venture you will then be convinced If then you admit that my statement is correct the advantages of the intensive system will at once present themselves to you You can leave out half the land you have been cultivating letting it rest or you can put it in oatsto be fol lowed by peas thus getting it in good shape for another year You will be rid of half the labor of hoeing and you will be im proving your land year by year instead of wearing it out These would be the advantages gained by the intensive system of farming and it seems to me they are sufficient to induce every farmer to try the plan The profit and satisfaction of such farming would naturally follow from the advantages gained over the ordinary sys tem pursued J As you are a beginner take my advice avoid the old ruts and commence your farm life aright keeping abreast with all the im provements that modem thought and science and experiments have developed and my word for it you will find the occupation of farming not only healthful and attractive but profitable as well Hie old order of things has passed away It is no longer possible to take a few crops from a farm of virgin soil and then leaving it scarred and eroded and almost ruined move further west to repeat the same process on other soil It is our interest therefore to improve and not wear out our farms and this can best be done by adopting improvements in preparing our land and cultivating our crops m other words by intensive farming There are millions of acres i the old countries of Europe that after hundreds of years of cultivation are better today than when the original forest growth wasfirst cut out from them while in this newcountry it would be difficult to find many acres of farm land as good a when first cleared while millions of acres have been rendered almost worthAnnual Publication foe 1896 31 less by careless cultivation Let us not forget that our descend ants must look for a support to the same lands that we are now cul tivating and that therefore it is our duty and should be our pleas ure to preserve and improve them This cannot be done by the old plan of shallow plowing over a large area putting the soil in the best possible condition to be washed away by every heavy rain but it can be done and with profit to ourselves by the intensive plan of farming THE POSSIBILITIES OP OUR SOIL But few of our farmers are aware of the immense productiveness of the soil when thoroughly prepared highly fertilized and well worked To encourage and stimulate intensive farming the Atlanta Weekly Constitution last spring offered a premium of 100 an acre for the best results from an acre each of corn cotton sweet potatoes watermelons and tobacco The following farmers took the premiums offered For the best acre of cotton Mr W G Cross of Bibb county Ga for 7089 pounds of seed cotton raised and gathered at an expense of 5220 For the best acre of corn Mr G B Cranshaw of Newborn Ga for 176J bushels raised at an expense of 970 For the best acre of watermelons Mr V Green of Wolf City Tex raised 1193 large melons at a cost of 5090 For the best acre of tobacco Mr J S DeJarnette of South Fork Ark for 1052 pounds of fine tobacco raised at an expense of 4325 For the best acre of sweet potatoes Mr W S Dill of Sandy Flat S C 529J bushels raised at an expense of 2480 There were some 30 or 40 contestants all of whom made excel lent crops but those above mentioned were the best Now in view of such results as these why will farmers persist in cultivating 12 to 15 acres to make five bales of cotton when the same amount can be made on two or certainly three acres of land with much less labor too in the hot summer weather If Mr Dill of Sandy Flat S G can make 529J bushels of potatoes then I am sure any32 Department of AgricultureGeorgia good farmer in Georgia can make somewhere in that neighborhood Let us aim to diminish the number of acres that we cultivate but at the same time increase our crops This can only be done by thorough preparation of the land and judicious manuring combined with good cultivation after the crops are up Let us not strive to put in a large acreage to the plow but confine our efforts to a smaller acreage better prepared better fertilized and better cultivated By this course while our crops will be increased the cost of making them will be diminished and we will have more land to devote to pasturage and the raising of stock It should be the aim of every farmer to so manage his land that year by year its fertility would be increased and not diminished as is usually the case QUESTION 3 Will the cotton acreage be increased and why do you oppose it ANSWER 3 As Commissioner of Agriculture I am in a position to know better than any other man in the State your prospective plans and as your direct representative in the State government I deem it my duty to warn you against increasing the acreage in cotton The signs all point to this intention The sale of mules through out this and adjoining States is much larger than for some years past and the sales of fertilizer tags from this office are almost double what they were at this time last year These facts and others that have come to my knowledge indicate with certamty your intention to increase the acreage in cotton and I want to warn you while it is not too late of the danger of such action I have been a farmer all my life am one still and expect to continue in the same occupation while I live therefore I can write to you with a full understanding of your needs and desires and in entire sympathy with you in every respect You all know that in 1894 with a 10000000bale crop our cotton was sold at from 4 to 5 cents a pound You know also that with a crop of about 000000 bales in 1895 we sold our cotton at from 7 to 9 cents a pound and it would have sold for a still better price but for the large surplus left on hand by the enormous crop of the preAnnual Publication for 1896 33 vious year Now like causes will always produce like results and therefore as surely as the sun rises and sets just so surely will a 10000000bale crop of cotton for 1896 result in the ruinous price of 4 to 5 cents a pound while on the other hand a crop of 7000 000 bales following the present crop of about the same size will just as surely result in a price of 8 to 10 cents or perhaps more per pound If you are working a onehorse farm would you prefer to have at the end of the year a scant supply of corn potatoes syrup meat etc with ten bales of cotton worth 250 or would you prefer to have plenty of all kinds of provisions a bountiful supply of meat and seven bales of cotton worth from 300 to 350 It should not take you long to make a choice between these two propositions The first stands for increased cotton acreage the last for restricted cotton acreage Again look at the quotations now in the New York market and you will find October and November cotton futures at least half a cent a pound below prices for February or March There is no reason on earth for this except that the speculators have already made up their minds that you are bent on planting a large cotton crop and they are forcing down the price in anticipation of a big yield On the other hand could it be positively known that the next crop would not exceed 7000000 bales cotton would today be bringing from 1 to 2 cents a pound more than at present and the quotations for next fall and winter months would be still higher If one year of bountiful provision crops with a moderate cotton crop brought comparative prosperity to the farmers of our State which you all admit is a fact what would be the result of ten years farming on the same plan Why my friends we would be the most prosperous and therefore the best contented farming com munity in the world and our lands would sell for twice or three times as much as they do now While then so near prosperity let me urge upon you not to hinder our advance by any acts of your own Let us not throw away the substance by grasping at the shadow as did the dog in the fable who when crossing the brook on a log with a bone in his34 Department of AgricultureGeorgia month dropped the bone to grasp at the shadow in the water lest like the dog we lose the bone and fail to catch the shadow Let us press on in the way we marked out last year Let us plant corn oats potatoes peas sorghum and sugar cane in sufficient quantities to insure us an abundant supply even though we should have poor seasons Let us raise even more hogs oattle and horses than we did in 1895 This way and this way only leads to pros perity and independence QUESTION 4 Please tell me how to improve my laud so that it will become more and more productive ANSWER 4 The suggestions from this department upon this subject are in tended of course for the average farmer of the State who lias uo money to throw away or to risk upon costly experiments but who wants information obtained from the experience of others which can be put into practice cheaply and effectively There are practically but two ways of improving the soil 1 MechanicallyDraining subsoiling etc 2 ChemicallyAdding plant food to the soil in any manner whatever Every intelligent man knows some of the advantages ot drainage it makes the soil warmer it keeps the plant food from becoming too diluted and leaves it in a proper form for absorption by the plant it permits free access of air to the roots of plants it brings about a decomposition of organic matter and prevents the formation of hurtful acids Therefore as one step towards improving the land drain all your wet lands where they admit of it This can be done cheaply by covered ditches properly located with ten or twelve iuches of rocks at the bottom or if rocks are not convenient pine poles from four to six inches in diameter and with the bark off will answer almost as well With the low places drained then comes deep plowing and subsoiling for the higher land which will enable it to hold the surplus water of heavy rains witliout washing and permit the roots of plants to ruu down deeper in search of food Your lowlands being drained and yourAnnual Publication for 1896 35 uplands subsoiled you have done about all that you can do for the mechanical improvement of your land Of course all lands with any inclination to wash must be terraced for no depth of subsoil iug will alone prevent washing of the soil during very heavy rains To chemically improve the land there must be returned to the soil more plant food than is taken away by the annual crops To do this the farmer must bend all his energies to the making of manure in his stables and lots he must haul muck from the swamps and leaves from the woods with which to bed his stock of every kind removing and renewing the bedding as often as neces sary he must keep his cottonseed or exchange them for cotton seed meal which with acid phosphate and stable manure he must use in making a compost This compost should be applied liber ally either broadcast or in the drill and if not enough to manure all the crops should be supplemented with sufficient commercial fertilizers for that purpose In addition to this all small grain crops as soon as taken off the land must be followed by peas sowed broadcast and all laud in corn must be sowed in peas at the last plowing By these simple and inexpensive means with a common sense rotation of crops the fertility of the average Georgia farm cannot only be maintained but increased THE GENERAL LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA STATE LIBRARY GIFT 1938 THE GENERAL LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ATHENS GEORGIA36 Department of AgricultureGeorgia MARCH COMMISSIONERS MONTHLY LETTER TO FARMERS FARMERS AGAIN WARNED AGAINST FOOLISHLY INCREASING THE COTTON AREA WHICH THE MAJORITY NOW SEEM DE TERMINED TO DOTHE MAN WHO SUCCEEDS THIS YEAR WILL BE THE MAN WHO PLANTS PROVISION CROPS AND SUCH AN AREA IN COTTON AS HE CAN PREPARE AND MA NURE AND CULTIVATE THOROUGHLY Department of Agriculture Atlanta Ga March 1 1896 The farmers have been the recipients of so much gratuitous ad vice on the cotton area question that we almost hesitate to add an other to the many warnings which have been thundered into ap parently deaf ears All the indications point to an increased cot ton area and notwithstanding the fact that every argument has been exhausted to deter them from this folly the majority of farm ers seem determined to commit themselves irrevocably to the con sequences of an overwhelming cotton crop It is perhaps too late to change the determination of the large body of farmers that we have already endeavored to accomplish by every means in our power but we still feel it our duty to urge the safe and more con servative course If only a few men are influenced to choose the wiser plan to them at least disappointment and disaster will be averted It is immaterial what our neighbor does it is in a large measure immaterial to us individually whether the cotton area be large or small Let us narrow this question down to the bounda ries of our own farms and there let us decide it We may set it clown as a fact that the man who succeeds this year is he who re gardless of outside influence calmly makes up his mind to plant provision crops ample for all possible needs and then as muchAnnual Publication foe 1896 37 cotton as lie can afford to manure highly and cultivate thoroughly In any event he is secure Short or large crop high or low price he stands the first chance to win and if the details of preparation fertilization and cultivation are so managed that he gets the largest yield from the smallest area he has mastered the secret of success ful cotton production It would seem that to the practical man this would be so plain as to need no demonstration We can only stand amazed that even the present price of cotton can tempt those who have suffered from the same mistake in the past to again plunge themselves into this sea of agricultural and financial troubles It will be too late after this month is passed to alter our decision After this we must follow out our policy whatever that may be to the end It is to be hoped that some if only a few who are now hesitating on the brink of uncertainty may turn back to the safer ground or more carefully considered and successful business meth ods A bale of cotton and 50 bushels of corn to the acre can be produced with less labor and more profit than the usual onethird of a bale and 8 or 10 bushels of corn These higher results are in the reach of most Southern farmers and the system which brings them about means emancipation from debt and a return of the prosperity to which we have been so long strangers The foothold which the farmers have gained in the past few years is due in large measure to a fuller understanding and a more general adoption of these principles and it is to be regretted that there is a disposition to desert a wellproved and assured certainty for a mere probability however tempting In the inquiry columns will be found a reply to a question which covers this whole ground Indeed the inquiries this month cover such a wide scope that there is little left to add in the way of advice beyond the caution to make the culti vation of our standard crops as shallow as is consistent with the controlling of all foreign growth R T Nesbitt38 Department of AgricultureGeorgia QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS COMMISSIONER NESBITTS MARCH INQUIRY BOXHOW TO RID THE HENHOUSE OF LICETHE BEST EARLY PEA FOR THE FAMILY GARDEN AND THE BEST FOR A GENERAL CROPGER MAN CLOVER NOT ADAPTED TO SPRING SOWING ETC QUESTION 1 Every spring I am troubled with lice in my henhouse please tell me some cheap remedy for preventing it ANSWER 1 Apply kerosene or kerosene emulsion liberally to every portion of the house including the roosts You can do this with an old whitewash brush or a mop made from any old sack Repeat the application once a week for three or four weeks BURNING A KILN OF LIME QUESTION 2 1 write to inform you that I wish to burn a kiln of lime to use on my farm as a fertilizer How shall I arrange to burn it and how long will it take to burn a kiln with wood ANSWER 2 Lime may be cheaply and profitably burned on any farm where limestone is abundant Lime may be burned in kilns or cheaper still the stones may be piled in a heap and burned something after the manner of burning charcoal In the latter case an arch is made of the largest stones at the bottom of the pile and the cavity under the arch is filled with wellseasoned wood Lay the stones loosely and immediately above the arch place a layer of wood then a layer of stones and so on until the pile is as large as you want it then cover the entire heap with earth leaving an opening at the top for the smoke to escape A short chimney increases the draught and is desirable on that account as the wood must burnAnnual Publication foe 1896 39 freely Start the fire beneath the arch and regulate the draught by opening or closing the mouth of the arch The wood should be dry to burn briskly By the time the wood is consumed the stones will be calcined but should be left until entirely cool COAL ASHES AND SAWDUST AS MULCH FOB YOUNG TREES QUESTION 3 Will coal ashes heaped up about six inches around young apple trees injure the trees in any way Is fresh sawdust a good mulch for young fruit trees ANSWER 3 Coal ashes make an excellent mulch for fruit youug trees and you can pile them around young apple trees with perfect safety Sawdust can be used to advantage as a mulch provided it is not worked into the soil Hardwood sawdust is preferable to that from pine COTTONSEED FOR PIGS QUESTION 4 If I cooked cottonseed meal or the whole seed would it not then be good food for pigs ANSWER 4 In Bulletin 21 of the Texas Experiment Station there is re ported the results of a series of experiments in feeding pigs with cottonseed and the conclusion reached is that no matter how pre pared whether boiled or roasted cottonseed fed to pigs will pro duce sickness and death The boiled seed was a little less inju rious than the roasted the latter being almost as fatal as the raw meal The cottonseed was not fed alone but formed only part of the ration In from six to eight weeks the first symptoms of sick ness appeared the animals became dull moping and lost appetite In 12 to 36 hours they became restless staggering in their gait breathing labored sight defective skin showing reddish inflamma tion The fatal cases all showed thumpsspasmodic breathing Finally the animals dropped down suddenlysometimes on their bellies sometimes upon their haunches with forelegs well apart to keep from falling overalmost always with evidences of acute n40 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ternal pain At death a quantity of bloody foam comes from mouth and nostrils These pigs were fed by the side of pigs that had corn instead of cottonseed and the pigs fed on corn remained perfectly healthy A CURE FOR GREASE HEEL QUESTION 5 I have a fouryearold mare which is suffering with what I am told is grease heel Her forelegs from knees to her hoofs are swol len and hard and her ankles are swollen Above and between the ankles it is cracked I have washed her legs every morning with warm salt water and wiped dry I have tried blue vitriol sulphur and lard and various liniments but she gets no better Can you tell me what to do ANSWER 5 Keep the animal in a clean dry stall Avoid wetting the sores or cracks therefore do not wash them with water Four or five times daily apply liberally to the sores a liniment composed of one part of liquid subacetate of lead to three parts of olive oil Per severe in this treatment and I have no doubt you will cure the ani mal unless the sores or cracks are deeper than your description would be indicate In that case you will need the services of a veterinary surgeon After the sores have been healed bandaging and proper exercise will reduce the swelling THE BEST EARLY PEA QUESTION 0 What do you consider the best early pea for family garden What is the best for general crop ANSWER i Of the wrinkled varieties American Wonder McLeans Little Gem and Notts Excelsior are all excellent Of the smooth kinds Dan OPourke Alaska Early Philadelphia are all good The wrinkled varieties require a richer soil than the smooth and are not quite so hardy For general crop there is no better pea than the Champion of England It is a vigorous grower and requires stakes at least four feet high It bears abundantly and the peasAnnual Publication for 1896 41 are wrinkled and of fine flavor Be sure to try them The Ever bearing is also a good variety and does not grow as high as the Champion of England FERTILIZING ELEMENTS IN UNLEACHED ASHES QUESTION 7 I would like to know the fertilizing elements in unleached wood ashes unleached hickory ashes cottonseed meal and acid phosphate In burning bones or dead animals what plant food if any is lost ANSWER 7 Unleached oak and hickory ashes probably vary but little in composition They contain when pure from 5 to 7 per cent potash and 1 to 2 per cent phosphoric acid Cottonseed meal contains from 5 to 7 per cent nitrogen 1 to 1J percent phosphoric acid and 1 to 1J per cent of potash Acid phosphate from 10 to 16 per cent phosphoric acid In burning bones or dead animals we lose all the nitrogen which they contain but we retain all the mineral elements Burning such materials therefore is a wasteful method for making them available as fertilizers The better plan is to compost the dead animals with muck or stable manure cutting them up if large A thick layer of muck should be placed under and on top of the compost heap INJECT WARM ANTISEPTIC REMEDIES QUESTION 8 What can I do for a cow that has retained a part of the after birth after calving She eats heartily and does not seem sick ANSWER 8 If the animal seems well and has a good appetite it is probable that you are mistaken as to her having retained a part of the afterbirth Make sure that such is the case by a local examination If you are correct it is too late now to remove the afterbirth by hand and all that can be done is to prevent as far as possible the evils likely to result from the decomposing membranes by making42 Department of AgricultureGeorgia injections of warm antiseptic remedies into the uterus A 1 per cent solution of carbolic acid will answer used daily for a week or ten days If there is no fetid discharge from the vagina and the cow appears to be doing well I would recommend no treatment for the present USE KAINIT AND POTASH QUESTION f I have some fresh land between two ponds I have planted it three years in cotton it does not exactly rust but sheds leaves and forms dry up some I am thinking of using kainit on it What quantity per acre ought to be used and how applied alone or with acid The laud makes plenty of weed Is there any objection to using salt with compost composed of lot manure cottonseed and acid phosphate ANSWER 9 Your land being between two ponds would indicate perhaps that there is too much water in the soil for cotton Could the ponds be drained or at least considerably lowered the soil would proba bly be remedied If the injury results from a saturated subsoil the apphcation of kainit will not remedy it If caused by a defi ciency of potash iu the soil the remedy is plain To each acre use 50 pounds of kainit mixed with 150 pounds of acid phosphate Should this application produce a marked improvement in the condition of the cotton this year you may feel sure that the trouble has been caused by a deficiency of potash in the soil and next year increase the kainit There is no objection but decided advantage iu using salt in the compost heap The compost though that you propose to make will be deficient in potash and I would recommend the addition of kainit to make it a complete fertilizer STRAWBERRIES FOR SANDY SOIL QUESTION 10 What kind of strawberries shall I plant on a light sandy soil with clay subsoil I would prefer the large varieties Would sawdust beagood mulchAnnual Publication for J896 43 ANSWER 10 Sharpless Bubach and Triomphe de Grand are all good varieties and will succeed if you will fertilize your land heavily with stable manure and ashes and put it in good order by deep plowing and thorough harrowing Sawdust makes a good mulch regarded Only as a mulch but is an absolute injury to the land when you have to plow it under seeming to render the land sour for some time afterwards Where it can be obtained pine straw or any other straw makes a much more desirable mulch as it soon rots and when plowed under adds much to the fertility of the soil I would advise you not to use the sawdust HARDWOOD ASHES AS FERTILIZERS QUESTION 11 Are the lime and other ingredients in hardwood ashes worth anything as fertilizers for field crops What is the value of a ton of hardwood ashes How many pounds of ashes will a cord of hardwood make ANSWER 11 The fertilizing properties in unleached hardwood ashes are potash and phosphoric acid The other ingredients have no special fertilizing properties but do help the crops somewhat by putting the soil in a better mechan ical condition permitting it to be worked with more ease and rendering it easier for the feeding roots to penetrate in every direction A ton of unleached hardwood ashes is worth from 500 to 600 You will get from two to three pounds of ashes to every 100 pounds of wood I dont know how much to the cord SCRAPING AWAY DIRT FROM PEACH TREES QUESTION 12 Is it the proper time to scrape away the dirt from the base of my peach trees for the purpose of killing the borers WThen must the dirt be put back 44 Department op AgricultureGeorgia ANSWER 12 This work should have been done much earlier say about the first of November but better do it now than leave it undone aJ the borers will certainly do your trees great damage if let alone U Scrape away the earth around the base of the tree down to the I horizontal roots Then kill all the borers possible by cutting out with a sharp knife where they have not entered too far into the wood in that case run a wire into the holes and you will kill most of them From the middle of February to the middle of Marchaccording to localityfill up the hole about the tree with fresh soil from the woods if easily obtained Filling the hole with ashes is also recommended In either case pile the earth or ashes about the stem of the tree several inches higher than the surrounding ground GERMAN OR CRIMSON CLOVER QUESTION 13 Can German clover be sown in the spring and is it a good crop to turn under for improving the land How much seed to the acre ANSWER 13 German clover is not adapted to spring sowing The best time to sow is from the latter part of August until October though it may be sown still later The amount of seed per acre should be about 15 to 20 pounds according to the fertility of the soil With the exception of the fieldpea there is no crop which at the South I may be made of greater service in improving the soil and its culture does not interfere with the growth of summer crops on the same land Unlike other clover it is an annual and after perfecting its seed in the spring dies down If the growth is good and care is taken to cease pasturing and cutting soon enough in the season say about March 1 the seeds will mature and if not gathered but allowed to fall on the land a crop of late corn may be planted and cultivated and when this is taken off the clover will spring up and the plants again cover the landAnnual Publication foe 1896 4 DESTROYING WILD ONIONS QUESTION 14 How cau I get rid of the wild onions which infest my pasture and ruin the butter and milk I have this trouble every spring ANSWER 14 This inquiry comes up with uncertain regularity every spring and we understand from experience the annoyance of having to throw in the slops gallons of milk ruined by the flavor of the onions which the cows have eaten These plants are among the first to appear when the spring weather begins to encourage vegetation and for this reason as well as from the fact that cattle are fond of them milk cows should not be turned into a pasture in which they have gained a footing The cows so long deprived of tender green food will eagerly seek out the onions and devour them The only plan we know of is to plant some crop of superior growth such as cowpeas or crimson clover which has a tendency to supersede the onion growth and to cut this crop before the buttons on top of the onions have time to form By this plan we accomplish a two fold purpose The onions are prevented from forming additional roots and the buttons cannot mature to be scattered for another crop If a cultivated crop is planted this will also tend to de stroy the onions the roots being plowed up during the course of cultivation but the process of eradication is necessarily a slow i one If either of the above plans or both because a cultivated crop may come after the German clover is adopted we must not A expect to be an once successful Where the onions have taken possession of the land it may be some time before their destruction is entirely accomplished OATS SOWN IN MARCH QUESTION 15 Will oats succeed if sown in March If so how shall I pre pare for them and what fertilizer shall I use Also advise me how deep to cover the seed and whether this should be done with the harrow or ordinary plow What variety of seed is best 46 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWER 15 The successful sowing of oats this late in the season depends on the latitude the fertility of the land and the amount and kind of fertilizer used In the northern part of the State it may be tried with a majority of chances in favor of its probable success in the more southern portions we would not advise the experiment All spring sown oats must run the risk of injury from two enemies drouth and rust To fortify against the first prepare deeply and thoroughly and to escape injury from the second supply plenty of plant food that the crop may develop rapidly and mature before there can be any serious damage It should be kept in mind that the late sowing has only half as much time as the fall crop in which to attain its growth and perfect seed Conditions for rapid development should therefore be made as favorable as possible For this purpose the Ninety Day or Burt Oat has superior advan tages on account of its quick maturity and comparative freedom from rust The seeding should be heavy If the land has been well prepared harrow them in and then harrow in the fertilizer which should be rich in nitrogen Any complete fertilizer will answer however and the extra nitrogen can be supplied later by a top dressing of nitrate of soda Cottonseed which is considered such a splendid fertilizer for fall oats is not so valuable for spring sowing because the need is for something more quickly available Cottonseed meal is better Use this with phosphoric acid and potash in about the following proportions Muriate of potash one part phosphoric acid four parts and cottonseed meal six parts Mix thoroughly and apply to each acre as much as you can afford When the plants are well up and begin to show green all over the field apply from fifty to one hundred pounds nitrate of soda never more than the latter quantity as a top dressing being careful to put it on when the leaves are dry or it will scorch them A good time is just before a rain or after a rain when the ground is still damp but the plants dryAnnual Publication foe 1896 PLANTING SANDY LAND IN COTTON 47 QUESTION 16 I have a piece of sandy very sandy land which has been in cotton for several years I would like to put it in cotton again but am at a loss as to the right kind of fertilizer to use I know that the land needs vegetable matter Would it pay to haul leaves and plow them under and then apply commercial fertilizers or how shall I manage it so as to produce a paying crop of cotton on it ANSWER 16 Hundreds of acres of land in the State just as you describe have been cropped and recropped in cotton until the humus is ex hausted and the quality of the land is such that it will retain neither fertilizer nor moisture for any length of time While the hauling and plowing under of the leaves would doubtless supply the humus in large measure it would be an expensive process and the increase in the yield of cotton would scarcely pay for the outlay A cheaper and more reasonable plan would be to plant the land in a renovating cropcowpeas for instancewhich would supply the humus and at the same time yield a return for the investment These should be fertilized with phosphoric acid and potash in equal pro portions When the hay is cut turn under the roots and stubble going deep enough to bring up a little of the clay to the surface The object is to change the mechanical condition of your soil and the clay will tend to accomplish this by binding together the too loose surface The humus will furnish the moistureabsorbing and moistureretaining element both of which will prevent the leaching out of any fertilizer which may afterwards be applied Unless some such plan as this is pursued there can be no reasonable expec tation of making profitable crops from these hard run acres The mistake which we have repeated year after year has been that we have appropriated every available element of plant food that we could wring from the soil while of the fertilizers which we have applied nothing remains after the crops are gathered beyond a48 Department of AgricultureGeorgia little insoluble phosphoric acid and potash which in the case of sandy land such as yours is soou beyond the reach of the crop GERMAN CLOVER HAY A8 STOCK FOOD QUESTION 17 I have heard that the German clover hay is dangerous as a food for stock I would like to be informed on this point and would also ask when is the proper time for cutting and curing it ANSWER 17 The hay should be cut before the seed begins to form If left later than this and the seed is allowed to ripen the beard or chaff may cause trouble German clover hay is now used in large quan tities and with success as a food for both horses and cows It is however a safe rule to give a mixed ration combining the clover with either hay or fodder It will then be harmless even if it was cut when too ripe FERTILIZER TOR COTTON QUESTION 18 I have made a mixture of threefourths cottonseed meal and onefourth kainit Is it a complete fertilizer and is it a good mixture for cotton ANSWER 18 The fertilizer that you have made lacks a most important ingre dient and until that is added it is not by any means a complete fertilizer The nitrogen of the meal will give growth to the stalk and foliage of the plant the kainit will give strength and vigor to the stalk and tends to lessen the liability to rust but to make the plants fruit well you must have phosphoric acid in addition to the other two ingredients With the addition of the acid you will have a complete fertilizer without it you will growa vigorous but poorlyfruited cotton plant I would recommend a mixture of 1000 pounds of acid phosphate 500 pounds of cottonseed meal and oOO pounds of kainitAnnual Publication for 1896 49 THE CASTOR BEAN IN GEORGIA id I QUESTION 19 I am thinking of planting some castor beans in the neighbor hood of Rome I am told that if I raise them there would be a buyer here to purchase them Will they grow in this section and how should I prepare and plant them for market ANSWER 19 I see no good reason why the castor bean should not be grown successfully in your section The chief objection would be the want of a market and if you have that assured there should be I think some profit in the business The castor bean requires a good loamy soil deeply and thoroughly prepared and should be planted in rows 41 to 5 feet wide and 4 to 4J feet apart in the rows It is best to plant three or four seed to the hill to insure a stand as the cut worms are sometimes troublesome As soon as the plants are well started take out all but one to the hill Cultivate as you would corn keeping down all grass and weeds The large variety grow in the West Indies is the best seed and preferable to the small lightcolored beans grown in some parts of the West The seeds will begin to ripen in August and continue to do so until frost kills the plants When the pods on the spikes begin to crack they should be cut and spread in the sun to dry in the place pre viously prepared This should be either a spot of hard clean ground or a scaffold They should be spread thinly in order to dry well There will be several gatherings of the crop as the pods mature and ripen In sunny weather two to three days will dry the pods sufficiently for the beans to shell out When all the beans are out of the pods the latter are raked off and the leaves gathered and cleaned by a fanning mill or seed cleaner They are then spread in a cool dry place to become thoroughly dry best to turn them occasionally during the drying process yield should be from 25 to 40 bushels per acre It is The50 Department of AgricultureGeorgia PLANTING IRISH POTATOES QUESTION 20 Wishing to plant at least two acres in Irish potatoes I wish to know the best varieties how to prepare and how to plant the land how to fertilize etc ANSWER 20 The best answer that I can give yonr questions is to copy from a most valuable bulletin recently issued by the Georgia Experiment Station on the subject of Irish potatoes 1 The best varieties for the first or spring crop given in the order of their maturity are Pride of the South Early Rose Beauty of Hebron Carman No 1 and Peerless 2 PreparationThis should be deep and thorough and the rows trenched six or seven inches deep by means of a subsoil plow 3 Seed Pieces The most expeditious way to prepare seed is to quarter tubers weighing from 3 to 6 ounces without reference to eyes 4 DistanceRows three feet apart and pieces 12 inches in the row is the safest distance 5 Depth to PlantFour inches deep in a thoroughly mellow subsoiled furrow may be regarded as the standard 6 Time to PlantThe earlier the spring crop is put in the better provided late killing freezes are avoided The second or summer crop will mature if planted as late as the middle of Au gust in most parts of the State 7 Cultivation should be rapid and thorough and on a level It does not pay to ridge up with a hoe nor on a large scale to mulch 8 Harvesting should not be done unless for extra early sales until the tops are dead as the tubers continue to grow as long as tops are alive In gathering the sun should not be allowed to shine on the tubers any longer than can be avoided 9 Fertilizers Six hundred pounds highgrade acid phosphate 250 pounds nitrate of soda and 150 pouuds muriate of potash per acrein all 1000 pouuds applied either all under and mixed withAnnual Publication for 1896 51 the subsoil in trenching or half under or half over after covering the seed but before the furrow is entirely filled is suggested as the most reliable formula 10 PreservationThe spring crop cannot be kept in this lat itude with any certainty The second or fall crop can be kept by storing in a dry cellar with a cool uniform temperature It is also well to barrel them they should never be stored in bulk THE COTTON PROBLEM A PERTINENT INQUIRY TOUCHES THE VERY ROOT OP THE QUESTIONCOMMISSIONERS ANSWER QUESTION Please tell me why if I have land the stock and the supplies I would run any risk in putting every possible acre in cotton after I have made provision for ample supplies for home consumption I see a great deal of talk about reducing the cotton area and I can understand that if a man has to buy supplies or curtail his provi sion crops in order to put in a big cotton crop he is working on a wrong basis but svhen he takes neither of these risks I dont see how he would make a mistake in crowding in every acre possible in cotton ANSWER Your question touches at the very root of this cotton problem If a man has taken the precautions you mention he has a right to put in every acre of cotton which he can properly cultivate But just here is the difficulty There are hundreds and thousands of acres of land devoted to cotton each year which do not pay the cost of production and in proportion as the bales made on these acres go to swell the general crop and thus reduce the average price they to that extent increase the burden which their cultivation im poses In the spring the season of hope the farmer is too apt to overestimate his own ability and the fertility of his land and when I too late he finds himself overcropped and committed to the cul I tivation of acres which had far better have been left idle or put in52 Department op AgricultureGeorgia some renovating crop Land which with the aid of commercial fertilizers will produce only six or eight bushels of corn and less than half a bale of cotton to the acre will not pay at present prices or even if prices rule higher Some time ago we published the results of certain experiments showing that in proportion as the yield to the acre was increased the cost was reduced and conse quently the profit that much augmented In the contest for the prize acre of corn the premium offered by the Atlanta Constitution was awarded to the man who produced 176J bushels on one acre at a cost of 970 The average yield in Georgia is 11 bushels per acre and the average cost is about 500 The conclusion is obvious If the additional 470 which is the difference between 970 and 500 produced such a vast increase surely it was a good investment But in all probability this did not represent the entire investment No doubt that the land had been brought into a receptive condition by a system of gradual improvement and deep plowing which enabled it to respond to the heavy application of fertilizers If we select our land carefully prepare it deeply and thoroughly and rotate our crops using the legumes as renovators we may by the application of all the farmyard manure we are able to make and the use of potash and phosphates in combination with the leguminous crops gradually bring these lands to the point of profitable production We certainly do not advise that a man plant his laud indiscriminately in cotton simply because he happens to have the supplies and a surplus of wellworn and overworked acres Put some of the land you intend for cotton in peas plant ing them in MayAnnual Publication for 1896 53 APRIL THE COMMISSIONERS MONTHLY TALK MR NESBITTS LETTER TO THE FARMERS OF GEORGIA FARMERS ADVISED AGAINST THE FOOLISH PRACTICE OF RUNNING AFTER UNTRIED CROPS WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY WELLKNOWN AS ESPECIALLY SUITED TO GEOR GIAECONOMICAL METHODS OF HANDLING COTTON Department of Agriculture Atlanta Ga April 1 1896 Again our inquiry columns are so full concerning many of the principal farm operations for this month as to leave us little further to say but there are one or two subjects that we would like to touch on as beiDg of especial interest to farmers One is the disposition in some quarters to run after new and untried crops forage crops more especially With the experiment stations run at government expense and whose main object is to test such crops as well as the best methods of preparation and cultivation we would not advise farmers to enter largely into experiments of this kind There are so many wellknown crops of this class which have been proved to be peculiarly suited to our soils and climatic conditions that it will pay better to invest our time and money in developing these This question of forage crops is one of peculiar interest to the South just now and the growing and developing interest in stock and cattle raising causes a more general desire for information on this and kindred subjects Questions as to the merits of sacaline lathyrus sylvestris beggar weed etc have been received to all of which we reply as above that their merits have not been thor oughly established and until this is the case we would adhere to those we know suit our peculiar conditions leaving to the experi ment stations the work of thoroughly testing the claims of these new candidates for our favor We are all familiar with that sheet54 Department of AgricultureGeorgia anchor of Southern farmers the cowpea which not only furnishes a splendid forage crop but pays back to the land in roots and stubble more of the expensive element nitrogen than the crop has consumed Then there is the fodder corn according to all testi mony the most valuable silage crop yet developed Besides these sorghum kaffir corn millo maize German millet give us a variety of green crops which if judiciously managed will furnish green food during the entire season while Spanish groundpeas and sweet potatoes contribute valuable and cheap crops for the fall man ufacture of pork to be ready later for a short hardening process on corn feed before slaughtering SILOS If a farmer has a wellconstructed silo much valuable green food that is often wasted may be utilized for feeding during the winter months when every pound of such food possesses an enhanced value A carelessly constructed silo is an extravagance but if careful attention is given to every detail and good sound silage is secured all farm animals except hogs have been found to eat it with relish and benefit From careful tests it has been found that three tons of silage is equal in feeding value to one ton of hay Quoting from the United States agricultural report on this subjecV we find that a much larger amount of digestible food can be se cured from an acre of silage than an acre of hay The food equiva lent of four tons of hay can easily be produced on an acre of land planted in corn It is also a more economical and compact method of storing fodder than the hay mow and possesses the same rela tion to dried hay that canned fruit does to dried fruit A silo of ISO tons capacity which will contain 54 tons of drv matter will hold only about 23 tons of dried clover hay whichcontains less than twenty tons of dry matter It will readily be seen that the canning process has several advantages over the drying plan In feeding silage care must be taken not to depend on it entirely for dry food While it is an important and economical addition to farm supplies being easily digested and cattle and horses judiciously fed on it show its beneficial effects in an improved general condi tion it s advisable in feeding to mix it with hay and grain ForAnnual Publication for 1896 55 full grown cattle 25 or 30 pounds per day is considered sufficient while for horses the ration is less On first opening the silo the ration should be smaller until the animals have become accustomed to the change in food or a too great activity of the bowels may be induced and in milch cows the taste of the milk might be come affected for a few days Most green crops may be success fully cured in the silo The proper time for harvesting is before the leaves turn brown but when the water content of the plant be gins to diminish Corn should be cut when it reaches the roast ing ear stage and if the season is very dry and the plant lacks juice it is advised to pour considerable water over the silage after the silo is filled especially if the contents are at a high temperature Experiments have shown that it is advisable to cut the corn into short lengths the shorter the better rather than store the uncut stalks Onehalf inch is the usual length It must be carefully distributed and well tramped at the sides and corners As the silage will settle considerably during the process of heating and fermenting the silo should be filled above the top edge A tem porary covering may be put on for a few days After this settling has taken place the best and most efficacious plan for preserving the contents intact is to place a layer of tarred paper smoothly over the surface of the silage and then cover this to the depth of one or two feet with cut straw Rapidity of filling is unimportant so long as fresh fodder is placed in the silo before mold is formed at the surface The fol lowing table gives the average composition of different kinds of silage as compiled from American analyses COMPOSITION OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF SILAGE Protein Per Ct Corn 17 Sorghum8 Red clover 42 Boja bean 41 Cowpea vines 27 Fieldpea vines 5 9 Cowpea and soja bean vines mixed 38 Fibei Per Ct Nitrogen Free extract Per Ct Fat Per Ct 60 110 63 64 153 3 84 116 12 97 69 22 60 76 15 130 260 16 95 111 13 56 Department of AgricultureGeorgia The terms protein fiber nitrogen free extract and fat are ex plained in the answer to an inquiry on soja beans on page 64 ECONOMICAL METHODS OF CULTIVATING GATHERING AND MARKETING THE COTTON CROP The question of how much cotton we can afford to plant having been definitely settled the next subject for immediate attention is how best to cultivate these acres and also to gather and market the crop in order to get the largest return at the least expense It has been stated on the authority of an eminent man who has planted cotton largely all his life and who has given a great part of his time to the study of various circumstances affecting its sale that the value of the cotton crop for the last ten years has been depre cated at least onesixth by the rules of the cotton exchange which rules were founded on and have been since supported by the care less methods of the planters themselves Our methods of handling have been such as to give the buyer every advantage and it cannot be too strongly urged that not only should we cut down every ex pense as far as possible from the time the preparation for the crop begins until the last lock is gathered but that in ginning and shipping the same rigid economy should be observed We are not careful enough in the sample we send to market and the large preponderance of inferior grades affects injuriously the whole crop Again the chances of a fair sample in the market is often destroyed by exposure and rough handling of the goods after they are ready for shipment The present form and careless covering of our bales are responsible for much of the damage which our cotton sustains before it reaches its final destination We believe that if the round compact bale were universally adopted the convenience of handling and shipping would be greatly increased and the danger from injury and loss so decreased as even tually to sensibly affect the market quotations This muchneeded reform m our methods would as our friend suggests work a revo lution in the rules of the New York and New Orleans Cotton Ex changes by eliminating from the markets the greater part of the inferior grades which now tend to depress prices The round bale is gaming in favor every day and as farmers more generally acAnnual Publication foe 1896 57 quaint themselves with its advantages its adoption will become certain We allude to this question thus early because by calling attention to its merits now it is possible to market much of even this years crop in this neat and highly approved form R T Nesbitt Commissioner QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS COMMISSIONER NESBITTS INQUIRY BOX FOR THE MONTH MUCH INFORMATION FURNISHEDTHE SOJA BEAN AS AN IMPROVER OF WORN SOILS AND AS A VALUABLE FOOD FOR STOCKTHE KIND OF LAND BEST SUITED TO THE GROUND PEASDIFFERENCE IN THE VALUE OF MANURES ETC QUESTION Please tell me the kind of land best suited to groundpeas and give me a formula for a good fertilizer Is compost or lot manure good for this crop ANSWER The best land for groundpeas is a sandy loam with a good supply of lime present If this last element is wanting the crop will be a failure If the land lacks lime supply it at the rate of 20 to 40 bushels to the acvethe larger quantity if the land has plenty of vegetable matter This last is a very important adjunct to a successful crop and one reason that our crops of groundpeas are not larger is that we attempt to raise them on land that has been cropped and recropped until the humus is all or nearly all exhausted They require besides lime potash and phosphoric acid nitrogen also and it is well for that reason to plant ground peas after cowpeas or in gathering the crop of groundpeas if the tops are not otherwise utilized to return them to the land to be plowed under as they contain a large proportion of the nitrogen used in the growth of the plant The lime should be applied broad cast before planting and wellworked into the soil by the harrow or cultivator Lot manure or compost may be used It should how ever be thoroughly decomposed The green or fermenting manure58 Department of AgricultureGeorgia is not desirable The following formula has been found effective Cottonseed meal300 pounds Acid phosphate250 pounds lKalnit100 pounds This quantity to be applied to each acre If lime is needed and it is found impracticable to apply broad cast the following is recommended Acid phosphate1000 pounds Muriate potash 300 pounds Mtratesoda 200 pounds Sulphate lime 500 pounds Making a ton of2000 pounds To be applied at the rate of 200 or 300 pounds per acre PLANTING FRUITS QUESTION Would you advise planting fruits etc to the exclusion of stand ard crops ANSWER Your question suggests a train of sober reflection The success of fruit culture in Georgia might lead one to suppose that with our advantages of soil and climate fortunes might be easily realized in an occupation so pleasant and known in individual instances to be so profitable But in farming as indeed in all other occupations it has been proved again and again that all extremes are hurtful That farmer is safest who adheres to the happy medium of di versified crops Our surroundings make it comparatively easy to raise a great variety of crops and we would not advise the cultiva tion of any one crop be it corn or cotton or grain or fruits to the entire exclusion of all others To make our meat and bread and clothes there must be corn and cotton and hogs raised on the farms and were farmers to any great extent to abandon these for fruits or vegetables or any other single crop the consequences would be markets overstocked ruinously low prices and utter dis appointment As we have so often urged the successful handling of these minor crops implies not only a thorough familiarity withAnnual Publication for 1896 59 the best plans of culture but study of systems of packingand trans portation as well as of the markets themselves It is sad to see the results of weeks and mouths of painstaking labor dumped into the sea because shipped to markets already glutted This has been repeatedly the case with fruits and vegetables shipped without a previous study of the state of supply and demand at different points and the produce being in its nature perishable the mistake once made is irrevocable and irremediable If we would succeed we must not trust all our eggs to one basket It would seem that the allwise Creator when he gave us such a wide range of soil and climate intended that we should utilize them to the best advantage by that wise system of diversity of crops which will insure all that we need The cultivation of fruits and vegetables should undoubt edly form a part of the stated work on every farm but should be judiciously blended with other work VETCH AS A FORAGE PLANT QUESTION Please tell me something about vetch which I have heard highly recommended as a forage plant for the South ANSWER As yet this crop is not cultivated to any great extent A few men notably Major Warren of Augusta have cultivated it with great success and a recent special bulletin of the United States De partment of Agriculture speaks of the hairy sand or Russian vetch known by all three names as one of the most promising fodder crops introduced into this country in recent years It withstands heat and cold and drouth and while it will give a fair crop on poor land is as are all other forage crops most profitable on rich and wellprepared land It is eaten with relish by all farm animals makes a most desirable ensilage and is a most excellent forage plant for soiling purposes On account of its habit of growth it is difficult to cure as hay As to time of sowing etc we quote from the bulletin Hairy vetches may be planted from about the mid dle of August to the middle of September or in spring from the latter part of April until the middle of May Sow broadcast at the60 Department of AgricultureGeorgia rate of a bushel and a half of seed per acre or plant in drills two to four feet apart The latter plan will require a smaller amount of seed The seed are as yet expensive about f 6 a bushel of sixty pounds When the seed is put in broadcast a bushel of oats rye or wheat should be sown at the same time so as to furnish a support for the vetches and keep the vines off the ground If it is sown in drills in the latter part of August it should be cultivated several times between the rows It will furnish some forage in autumn and where the winter is not too severe it will start to grow again in the spring thus producing forage in late autumn and early spring at the two periods when it is most needed At the Mis sissippi Experiment Station seed of this crop was sown in 1888 No attention has been given it and each year its seeds germinate with the first fall rains and in favorable seasons cover the ground by January 1 furnishing good grazing until April or May If the stock is taken off in March the plants mature and reseed the ground freely for the next year This crop will not flourish on wet land it likes a welldrained soil If sown in the fall it prevents washing during the winter It is to be fed when the vines begin to blossom and the feed should at first be limited until the animals become accustomed to the change of food For the best feeding results it should be given with coarse fodder or hay Howard in his Manual on the Cultivation of the Grasses and Forage Plants of the South mentions the winter and summer vetch and also one or two native varieties and speaks in commen dation of their use both as a forage crop and as an improver of the soilmore especially in those soils too sandy for the successful growth of red clover A gentleman of long experience in its cul ture speaks of the ordinary vetch as one of the simplest grasses grown He says that peas do not excel it as a land improver It does not form a sod is strictly an annual but if allowed to mature and drop its seed they lie dormant during the hot days of sum mer then when the fall rains begin and the nights become longer and cooler they begin to germinate and soon cover the ground One advantage is that there need be only one seeding and withAnnual Publication foe 1896 61 proper management other crops may be made and taken off and the vetch will again spring up spontaneously PLANTING COTTON QUESTION What is your opinion as to the best time to plant cotton early or late and if the manure has already been put in the bed should any more be applied at planting time ANSWER Very much depends on the quality of the land and its situation as well as on the climate It should be our aim as far as possible to promote a vigorous healthy and wellbalanced growth of the plants and these are arguments both for and against early planting Each farmer must study and decide on the one which with his im mediate surroundings will to the greatest extent contribute to this healthy development If the weather is settled and warm we all know that the plants are apt to grow off vigorously forming weed very rapidly Therefore if we have noticed that any of our fields are disposed to produce too rank a growth of stalk at the expense of fruit we should select these for our early plantings be cause if there is any check of growth on account of cool and un favorable weather these will be less injured than if the plants are Jess hardy and the temporary backset will often tend to a greater root development which will in a measure correct the undesirable growth of big stalks with little fruit Again we all know that cot ton on light gray lands is much more apt to be killed by late frosts than that on heavier red lands therefore reserve the gray lands as far as possible for the late jlantings It is a good plan not to plant the entire crop at one time It the seasons prove un favorable the whole crop will not be injured in the same degree and when the different fields of cotton come up in convenient succes sion the best plan of thorough and careful cultivation is more easily solved As a rule the early plantings are more fa vorable to the development of fruit than weed The late plant ings on the other hand being encouraged by the warm spring sunshine grow off rapidly and are more easily worked by both hoeDepartment of A gricuxtureGeorgia and plow Another advantage of late planting is that the first crop of grass which already begins to show is killed and thns one plowing less8 necessary in the cultivation of the crop an impor tant item when time presses It is advisable to put a little fertilizer in at the time of plantin J in V FI PlaUt a gd St3rL There is alre up n the seed mtrogen phosphoric acid and potash for the use of the tiny plants in their first stages of development but when the roots begin to search for food it is well to have that which is immedi ately available in easy reach For this purpose from 25 to 50 pounds to the acre of some concentrated fertilizer will be found of great benefit Mix with a little rich earth or thoroughly decom seeds 77 V ShUld DOt 0me iD direct act with the seeds Cottonseed meal is not desirable for this purpose being in jurious it it comes in contact with the seed DIFFERENCE IN THE VALUE OF MANURE QUESTION Will you explain why you speak of some lot manure as beim more valuable than others saved from the same class of anim s wi h th s 7 aH CmP0Sted UDd6r tHe COnditi d with the same ingredients ANSWER This hs beea too littl stdied by the majority of f me ihere a prevg idea that manure is manore ami ir he f0d0f iS viciZde of u ts elements of plant food unimpa red Careful TtyZ 1 77ment have revealed the fact gu late the food of our anmals as to both quantity and quality as to control the fertilizing elements of the manure or i nch in th is elementand the same holds true of phosphoric acid ToSZ At the Corue11 station cel w shown that if anmals were properly fed and sheltered and the manure carefully saved 71 per cent of the potash phosphoric acidAnnual Publication for 1896 63 and nitrogen of plant food was recovered in the manure It has also been shown that poor feed makes a poor quality of manure and that manure exposed in the barnyard for some time before using loses at least half its valuable constituentsyou can thus readily understand that manure varies greatly in its fertilizing value and that in feeding our animals we should study to produce the richest manure and also endeavor by proper feed to produce that quality of manure best suited to the purpose and crop for which we intend to use it FERTILIZERS FOR CORN QUESTION I have my corn land well and deeply broken and have cotton seed meal phosphate and potash to use as a fertilizer In what proportion would you advise me to mix these and is it absolutely necessary to mix before applying What is the best plan of cul tivation ANSWER Without some knowledge of the mechanical condition and qual ity of your land and its previous cultivation as well as the crops which have been grown on it it is a difficult matter to advise you intelligently We can only give in a general way the conclusions which have been derived from experiment and experience As a rule on the majority of farming lands in Georgia we may apply the three elements of nitrogen phosphoric acid and potash in about the proportions which the analysis of the plant calls for but com mercial fertilizers are not the best form from which to obtain the highest results in corn growing In proportion as the land has been thoroughly cultivated and highly manured for other crops the amount of nitrogen may be reduced The best preparation for a corn crop is a highly manured and well cultivated cotton crop and after stable manure the best form of nitrogen has been found to be cottonseed In all the reports of exceptionally heavy yields in corn it is found that the land has been very deeply broken and subsoiled sometimes to the depth of 24 inches This would seem to indicate that moisture perhaps more than fertilizers exer64 Department of AgricultureGeorgia cise a controlling influence in the yield The following make good mixtures Acid phosphate 800 pounds kainit 800 pounds cottonseed meal 400 or acid phosphate 900 pounds cottonseed meal 900 pounds muriate of potash 50 pounds These may be applied separately or mixed before putting in the planting furrow except that the quantity of muriate of potash being smallits dis tribution might be more uniform if mingled with the other ingre dients before applying In either case open the planting furrow with a shovel and if the amount per acre is to be moderate drill it all into this opening fnrrow following with a long narrow scooter to thoroughly mix it with the soil Bed on this and be fore planting run a smoothing harrow up and down the beds Then open the planting furrow in the middle of the bed and drop two or three grains of selected corn good seed is very important every 2 or 3 feet that is if the rows are more than 4 leet apart If the land will bear it make your rows 4 feet apart and drop the corn the same distance The first two workings can be very profitably done with the harrow the first just as the plants begin to pop from the ground and the second after they are well up If the harrow is directed diagonally across the second time in the opposite direction from the first no injury to the plants will result and the incipient weeds and grass will be destroyed even before they appear This will also prevent the formation of a crust and save much unnecessary hoeing All after cultivation should be exceedingly shallow never more than 1 inch using plows which require the fewest trips to the row repeating the work at least every two weeks until the corn begins to buuch for teaselling It should then be laid by The time to sow peas broadcast as a renovating crop is at the last plowing SOJA BEANS QUESTION During the Exposition I noticed in the Georgia building a dis play of soja beans which I was told were a legume of exception ally fine quality for stock feed Please give me all the informa tion possible as to this crop I would like to know how it comAnnual Publication for 1896 65 pares with our fieldpea both as a food and as a renovator of the soil Also when to plant and how to cultivate What is the usual yield per acre ANSWER As an improver of worn soils aud a valuable food for stock the soja bean ranks among our best crops The bean is richer in fat than any of our grains and stock are very fond of the fodder The latter if mixed with corn in the silo furnishes a better balanced ration than the corn alone From the following analysis taken from the United States Agricultural Department reports it will be seen that as a fertilizer and improver of the soil and as a food the soja bean takes rank above our ordinary field or cow pea As a Food Nitrogen Free Ex Protein Fiber Tract Fat Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Soja Beans Green fodder 40 67 105 10 Dryfodder 144 223 383 52 Grain 549 48 283 169 COWPEAS Green fodder 24 48 71 4 Dryfodder 106 201 422 22 Grain 208 41 557 14 As a Fertilizer Whole Phosphoric Plant Nitrogen Acid Potash Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Soja beans 232 67 103 Cowpeas 105 195 52 In explanation of the terms used Protein is the name of a group of materials containing nitrogen It furnishes the materials for lean flesh blood skin muscles ten dons nerves hair horns wool and the cassein and albumen of milk etc and is one of the most important constituents of feeding stuffs Fiber is the framework of plants and is as a rule the most in digestible constituents of feeding stuffs The coarse fodders such as hay and straw contain a large proportion of fiber and are for this reason less digestible than the grains oil cakes etc 5a66 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Nitrogen Free Extract includes starch sugar gums and the like and forms an important part of all feeding stuffs but especially of most grains The nitrogen free extract and fiber are usually classed together under the name of carbohydrates The carbohy drates form the largest part of all vegetable foods They are either stored up as fat or burned in the system to produce heat and energy Fat includes besides real fats wax the green coloring matter of plants etc The fat of food is also stored up in the body as tat or burned in the system to produce heat and energy The yield of soja beans of course varies with the seasons and with the quality of land on which the crop is planted Ou rich land well cultivated it will produce an enormous crop of beans and fodder The rows should be from three to five feet apart according to soil and amount of manure used The culture is very much such as is given to cottonkeeping down weeds and grass and interfering with the roots as little as possible Once a stand is obtained the plant seems to develop regardless of the sea son Standing water does not kill it while drouth seems to check it only temporarily PLANTING CORN THE FIRST TIME QUESTION Is it injurious to corn to plow deep the first time I have not been able to prepare my land as thoroughly as I would like and I want your advice as to which would be best to break it out thor oughly the first time or give it entire surface culture ANSWER If you will examine the roots of very young corn you will find that they extend out a considerable distance very near the surface This horizontal growth will be found to continue for a considerable distance before they begin to sink deeper into the soil Therefore deep plowing at first must necessarily cut some of the small roots but if the land has been poorly prepared or is of the stiff quality which has been packed by heavy rains after preparation we should certainly take the risk of deep plowing the first time The rootAnnual Publication for 1896 67 pruning is certainly less injurious at that period than later on In doing this work be careful not to throw too much dirt to the young corn The old plan of hilling up the corn causes it to throw out a set of roots prematurely A little soil sifted in at i each successive working is desirable and beneficial anything more than that is injurious FERTILIZING SWEET POTATOES QUESTION I desire to know the best fertilizer for sweet potatoes and how much to apply per acre ANSWER It has been found that sweet potatoes require a good deal of nitrogen and potash and not as much phosphoric acid as was once thought to be necessary A good mixture would be 200 pounds acid phosphate 300 pounds cottonseed meal and 500 pounds kainit The amount to be used to the acre depends upon the character of the land upon which you wish to apply it On well prepared laud full of humus or vegetable matter one thousand pounds of the above mixture could be used with profit On lands only moderately supplied with humus a much less quantity of the above mixture should be used and on thin land devoid of humus 200 pounds of the above mixture would be ample PRESERVING SWEET POTATOES QUESTION My ssveet potatoes are now sprouting in the banks I have heard that they can be kept until another crop it made Will you tell me how ANSWER In Southwest Georgia I have kept them for months in the fol lowing manner Spread on any dry board floor a layer of cotton seed 4 or 5 inches think then upon this place a layer of potatoes not letting them touch and first rubbing off the sprouts if any have68 Department of AgricultureGeorgia appeared Then another layer of cottonseed and another of pota toes etc Of course the cottonseed must be dry and must be kept so The potatoes will shrivel somewhat but will retain their sweetness for months I have no doubt that cottonseed hulls or chaff from any grain and perhaps hay would answer just as well as the whole cottonseed I think that absolutely dry sand would also answer the same pur pose TO FIND THE LIVE WEIGHT OF ANIMALS QUESTION Can you give me any reliable method of finding the live weight of animals I have no means of properly weighing them at home ANSWER The following we find given by The Northwest Farmer we have never tested it but it is doubtless approximately correct Multiply the girth in inches just back of the shoulders by the length in inches from the square of the buttock to the point of the shoulder blade divide this proluct by 144 which will give the number of square feet on the surface If the girth measures from 3 to 5 feet multiply the number of square surface feet by 16this will give the weight of the animal If the girth measure is from 5 to 7 feet multiply by 23 if from 7 to 9 feet multiply by 31 If less than 3 feet multiply by 14 Of course the weight will vary a little according to quality and time of the feeding previous to taking the measurement TO PROPAGATE BERMUDA GRASS QUESTION Will you give me a cheaper and quicker plan of propagating Bermuda grass than that of buying the highpriced seed sow ing and waiting for a pasture ANSWER Procure the sod or roots wash out the dirt which is done most effectually and in the shortest time by placing in a stream of runAnnual Publication foe 1896 69 ning waterthen run through an ordinary cutting machine with the knives so adjusted as to chop up fine Sow this broadcast as fur wheat and plow in shallow Of course the land must be pre pared beforehand the more thoroughly the better This is the plan recommended by Howard the sage of grass culture in Geor gia KEEPING KAINIT QUESTION Can kainit be kept for any length of time without loss of its valuable properties ANSWER If the kainit is kept dry it loses very little if any of its fer tilizing properties The objection to keeping it is that it is liable to harden into lumps and before it can be used it becomes necessary to crush it by rolling or pounding as it cannot be properly applied in that condition7a Department of AgricultureGkojw ia MAY MR NESBITTS MONTHLY TALK THE COMMISSIONERS LETTER TO THE FARMERS OF GEORGIA IMPORTANT MATTERS DISCUSSEDCORRESPONDENTS ASKED TO GIVE THE COMMISSIONER THE BENEFIT OF THEIR KNOWL EDGE ON SEVERAL SUBJECTSTWO TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS CORRECTEDTHE ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED DROUTH OF APRIL Agricultural Department Atlanta Ga May 1 1896 Ia the questions seat out to correspondents for this month in addition to the usual series we have embodied the following LIVE STOCK 1 Is there any interest in your neighborhood in the raising and improving the breed of live stock horses mules cows sheep hogs 2 If so what success and what breeds are preferred tor your immediate section 3 Have any experiments been made in the production of milk butter and beef by the use of different feed stuffs 4 What breed and grade of cows seem best adapted to your locality 5 Hasan effort beeu made to establish creameries and if so have they succeeded 6 What breeds of sheep are found best for mutton what for wool 7 What breeds of swine are found most profitable in your locality 8 Is the raising of select breeds of poultry receiving any atten tion If so what kinds are found most profitableAnnual Publication foe 1896 71 TRUCK GARDENING FRUIT 9 Is there any attention given to truck gardening in your sec tion If so what success 10 Does the raising of fruits form a part of your agricultural industry If so what varieties and have they been successfully marketed 11 Are there any insects or diseases which prey upon these and other crops What are they and have any efforts been made to destroy them 12 Have any experiments been made as to the best treatment of wornout lands 13 What is the experience of your best farmers as to the proper rotation of crops naming tiose in use and which have succeeded best NEW CROPS 14 Have any efforts been made to ascertain the value of new crops in comparison with those with which we are already famil iar 15 Please report any matter within your knowledge that bears on any of these subjects and which may be of benefit to the agri cultural interests of the State Our object in introducing them here is to request that every farmer who feels an interest in the improvement of our general agriculture and who has any information on tjielines here sug gested will give us the benefit of his knowledge send us a few lines on a postal card telling us any facts bearing on these subjects which may have come under his observation We wish also to call attention to TWO TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS 1 In the Annual for 1895 issued from this Department there is a typographical error in the article on Terracing page 129 Through an error of the printer the fall given is eight feet instead of three feet the latter is a correct figure A person with some ex perience in terracing would at once understand that the fall was en tirely too great but beginnners might be misled 2 The second error is in the estimate of the percentage of potash72 Department op AgricultureGeorgia necessary in fertilizing corn page 23 The formula as printed reads Nitrogen 2 per cent potash 7 per cent phosphoric acid 6 per centtoo much potash It should be Nitrogen 2 per cent potash 3 to 4 per cent phosphoric acid 6 per cent THE APRIL DROUTH The almost unprecedented drouth of the past month while it has given opportunity for carefully planting the crops has in many cases seriously interfered with their proper germination and early cultivation and also retarded their growth The probable consequence of the long dry spell will be a wet May and much delay in the fight with the grass which will inevitably come and in full force In view of such a contingency and of the impor tance of rapid cultivation of the crops the following plan suggest ed by Director Redding of the Experiment Station is most oppor tune and we give it place here because its suggestions if followed will do much to prevent the dreaded catastrophe of crops overrun with grass when the month of June opens Every experienced farmer knows that if an effectual war is waged during May on this encroaching enemy all subsequent work is comparatively easy During this month all our energies must therefore be directed to combatting its advances RAPID CULTIVATION Many farmers continue to use sweeps and heelscrapes or other comparatively narrow forms of cultivating implements involving much loss of time Progressive farmers very generally understand that the breaking or other deep plowing of the soil should be done before the crop is planted and that the cultivation of the growing crop should be shallow the object being simply to keep the sur face to the depth of an inch or so in a mellow pulverized condi tion To do this most effectively and economically a wide spread ing shallow running implement is required We have found a a very satisfactory tool in the Planet Jr cultivator although there are doubtless others that are equally effective In a fourfoot corn or cotton row the soil already well broken and good mellow condition one trip with such an implement or one time to each row is all that should be given when going overAnnual Publication for 1896 73 the crop A lively mule or horse will easily go over ten acres or even more in a day When using a cultivator that will practically stir the entire width of a fourfoot or fivefoot row it would be poor economy to make a full round trip to each row simply in order to perfectly side each row of plants In such a case the return trip will be almost thrown away In such a case we would proceed thus in either one of two ways Suppose the rows to be four feet wide and running north and south and that the implement to be used is a Planet Jr or other cultivator or a wide sweep that will stir and cover together a width of 42 inches or more First plan Run around every alternate row This will put one furrow or trip in every middle and side perfectly both sides of every alter nate row and stir the entire surface of the field excepting a narrow strip of only a few inches on each side of every alternate row and each man and horse will go over not less than ten acres a day Second plan Side the east or the west either side of every row plowing right and left This also puts a furrow or trip in every middle and stirs the entire surface of the field excepting a strip of a few inches on the west side of every row and each man and horse will also accomplish not less than ten acres in a day In a week the process may be repeated this time alternating the rows or sides of rows If the first plan be adopted run around the rows that were left before if the second plan be adopted side the west side of each row By either of these plans just twice the area may be gone over in a day compared to the usual two furrows to the row plan and the essential objectthe breaking of the finest and stirring of the surface layer of the soilwill be practically accom plished with the expenditure of just half the time and labor and enable the farmer to go over his crop twice as often and make the intervals between stirring just onehalf as long Where the land is very rough or has become packed of course plans must be substituted and the farmer sustains the loss in time and labor R T Nesbitt Commissioner71 Department of AgricultureGeorgia GEORGIA CROPS THE SUMMARY SHOWS AN INCREASE IN COTTON ACREAGE BUT A REDUCTION IN CORN From replies received from hundreds of correspondents to whom questions were sent the following summary of the crop has been made COTTON The increase in this crop amounts to 13 per cent over last year In the great cotton growing sections of Middle and Southwest Georgia the increase is 10 per cent but the average for the State is brought up to 13 per cent by the increase in the northern and southeastern sections of the Slate This increase in acreage over last year does not bring the area in cottoii up to that of 1894 by 7 to 8 per cent The sale of fer tilizers has slightly exceeded that of 1894 and the knowing ones insisted therefore that the acreage in cotton would be greater than that year but the information at this department is that guano has been used more liberally than ever before under corn and other cereals and has also been applied in heavier doses to cotton These reasons would therefore account for the increased sale of fertilizers without any increase in the cotton acreage A dry April has retarded germination in many parts of the State but recent rains have been quite general and 50 per cent of the crop is up with a fair stand CORN I regret to learn that the acreage of corn is from 5 to b per cent less than last year I fear that this is a mistake on the part ot our farmers which can still be remedied to some extent by planting liberally of peas and potatoes The stands of corn are reported good and the laud and crops in good condition though the drouth of April has prevented any very rapid growtht Annual Publication for 1896 10 OATS The acreage in oats is reported for the State practically the same as last year Amount ot the crop sowed in the fall 47 per cent Prospect fair for a good oat crop WHEAT The acreage of wheat for the State is 91J per cent of last year showing a decrease of 8 to 9 per cent North Georgia however where most of the wheat in the State is grown shows an acreage of 97 while it puts the condition and prospect for a crop at 104 per cent as compared with last year SUGAR CANE There is an increase of 2 per cent in this crop with a good stand And as sorghum is reported at 98 per cent of last years crop the prospect is fair that we will have plenty of sugar and H syrup for home use RICE For the State lowland rice which is planted chiefly in the coast counties shows a falling off of 3 per cent while upland rice which grows in every section of the State is dropped to the extent of 9 per cent I regret to see any falling off of this crop which is so easily made and then is so nutritious and palatable to man and beast GROUNDPEAS Groundpeas clover and the grasses hold their own very well showing respectively 99 98 and 99 per cent compared with last year FRUIT STOCK ETC The following questions and replies are the averages for the en tire State FRUIT V What percentage of a full crop of peaches has escaped frost 79 per cent i What percentage of a full crop of apples has set 75 per cent What percentage of a full crop of pears has set 70 per cent What is thegrape prospect compared to an average 97 per cent Acreage of watermelons compared to last year 90percen76 Department of AgricultureGeorgia stock Condition of sheep compared to last year 96 per cent Condition of work stock compared to last year102 per cent dumber of hogs all ages compared to last year102 percent What percentage of Western meat will your county buy as compared with last year 66 per cent SUPPLIES What is the cash piice per bushel for corn May 1st 46 cents What is the credit price per bushel at the same date 64 cents What percentage of a full supply of corn is now on hand 89 per cent What percentage of a full supply of fodder is now on hand 89 per cent To the question as to what breed of cattle is best liked in your county the answer is almost invariably the Jersey and as to hogs the Berkshire and Poland China seem to be the choice of the majority though the Essex also has many friends There is some cholera reported among hogs The pear growers also report the blight on their trees A careful study of the above summary of the crops will show that Georgia is marching in the road she blazed out last year the road that leads to independence and prosperity While there is a moderate increase in the amount of cotton planted that increase by no means indicates that the farmers intend to abandon the raising of home supplies Last year this State planted the largest area of food crops in her history and this year she is planting but little less of any of these crops and in some instances more If a kind Providence will send the necessary rains we do not intend ever again to look to the West for our bread and meat but we fully in tend to raise it at home thus having our cotton a surplus cropAnnual Publication for 1896 77 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS COMMISSIONER NESBITTS INQUIRY BOX FOR THE MONTH IMPORTANT POINTS ON FERTILIZING PLANTING AND CUL TIVATING A SWEET POTATO CROPMORE ABOUT THE FEED ING OF COTTONSEED TO HOGSA GOOD PLAN FOR THE ERADICATION OF JOHNSON GRASS ETC QUESTION Please give me some of the most important points in fertilizing planting and cultivating a sweet potato crop Last year I was very careful in preparing for and manuring my potato cropland had promise of a fine yieldthe vines were healthy and luxuriant but the yield of potatoes was very disappointing Is it poa that the land was too rich to make a paying crop ble ANSWER If you had mentioned specially the kind and quantity of manure used and the quality of the land in which your crop was grown we could perhaps give a more satisfactory answer Speaking in general terms and from our past experience we should say that where potatoes show a luxuriant leaf growth at the expense of tubers it is proof not that the land is too rich but that there is lacking some element of plant food which if supplied would pro mote a more even development of the whole plant The luxuri ant leaf growth indicates the presence of sufficient nitrogen in the soil but the small yield of potatoes shows that in proportion to the nitrogen there was too little potash and phosphoric acid for perfect development The potato is essentially a potash crop An addi tion of acid phosphate and sulphate of potash would have probably wonderfully increased the yield At the Texas Experiment Sta tion a careful series of experiments have demonstrated that the sul phate and not the muriate of potash is the best form of potash for78 Department of AgricultureGeorgia a sweet potato crop In fertilizing your crop if you used stable manure it should have been composted with leaves or some vege table matter and thoroughly decomposed then broadcasted This will supply a sufficient quantity of nitrogen and humus but will lack the right proportion of potash and phosphoric acid At the Georgia Experiment Station it was found that the yield was larger and more satisfactory where commercial fertilizers alone were used If the preceding crop was peas the stubble dressed with lime and turned under will furnish a firstclass foundation for a good crop After this the proportion of sulphate of potash and acid phosphate should be about one part of sulphate to four parts acid and applied in the drill at the rate of 800 or 400 pounds to the acre The land should have been thoroughly plowed but not too deep or else the potatoes may grow long and crooked This is one crop that suc ceeds best on land broken to only a moderate depth with a firm subsoil The crop should for the same reason be cultivated as nearly on a level as possible the old plan of very high hills has been found unsatisfactory As the potato is a tropical plant very little is gained by early setting We should wait for the ground to become thoroughly warm and regulate our planting according to locality Throughout the State May is the month in which the bulk of the crop is planted It is always preferable to put out the slips before rather than after a rainon account of the hard crust that forms around them where the ground is wet at the time of transplanting We have succeeded with the loss of scarcely a plant when the weather was dry by opening the holes pouring in a dip per of water setting the plants deep pressing the wet earth to the roots aud covering with dry earth This may be done very rap idly if the work is systematized The plants should be drawn carefully from the bed and placed at once where they are to re main If kept for any length of time they should be placed in buckets or tubs of water Having opened the holes let one hand go forward pouring in the water a second come with the plants dropping one at each place aud a third follow to press them into the ground and cover with the dry dirt leaving only the top of the slip exposed As soon as the plants begin to grow cultivation should begin and if size and quality are desired the vines should notAnnual Publication for J896 79 be allowed to root between the rows or in the beds If the crop is ntended for the hogs we do not need to exercise so great care in this respect The spring set plants have not the keeping quality of the later settings For this purpose and for seed potatoes the cuttings are preferable These may be taken from the early set tings and a quick plan to set them is to open the furrow on the bed which has been previously fertilized place the cuttings about iij 15 or 18 inches apart in this furrow throw another furrow to them and then tramp the earth firmly to each cutting leaving from 3 to 4 inches out of the ground They too should be cultivated as soon as they begin to grow As stated the cultivation should be as nearly on a level as possible shallow and sufficient to keep down all weeds and grass Hardwood ashes are a good substitute for the sulphate of potash but unless the ashes are at hand in sufficient quantities that isifthey have to be bought they are more expensive than the high grade sulphate of potash A ton of ashes contains only about 100 pounds of potash It is this potash which gives them their value and it is in a form to be readily appropriated by the plants but at the selling prices of ashes and sulphate the latter will be found the cheaper fertilizer ERADICATING JOHNSON GRASS QUESTION I have several patches of Johnson grass in my cultivated fields which I fear will cause me trouble Can you give me any good plan for eradicating it ANSWER On account of its vigorous habit and long and deepgrowing jointed roots Johnson grass has been found difficult to manage where once it has taken complete possession of a piece of land It is even more difficult to subdue than Bermuda because of the more shallow growth of the latter Noticing some time since a small patch in our garden we had as we thought every root and joint carefully dug up and burned and then dismissed the matter from mind A few days since we noticed on the same spot dozens of lit tle spears pushing their way through the rich soil apparently as0 Department of AgricultureGeorgia vigorous as at first About this time we were advised to try the following plan which is said to have beeu entirely successful aud certainly more practical on larger areas than digging up the roots The plan is simply to shave off the surface growth close to the ground repeating the process as fast as the grass attains a height of 6 or 8 inches At first it will reappear apparently as thrifty as ever but after the third or fourth cutting its vigor will diminish and it will finally cease to grow JOHNSON GRASS QUESTION Does Johnson grass make good hay Would you advise me to plant it ANSWER Johnson grass makes most excellent hay if cut at the proper time and stock are very fond of it It also affords a very early aud excellent pasture Hogs are also fond of the canelike roots and no amount of rooting by them injures the grass It should be cut for hay before going to seed for then the leaves and stems are too coarse and woody for use It should be cut when young say when about two feet high and can be cut several times during the season With all that can be said in its favor I advise you not to plant it from the simple fact that when once it gets a foothold it is almost impossible to eradicate it or to keep it from spreading over your own and ueighboring farms There are some who still advocate the planting of this grass because of the large yield aud excellent quality of the hay but there are more who would cheer fully pay a reward to have every vestige of this grass removed from their farms It is claimed that it can be eradicated by pasturing it closely through the summer and then in the fall with a big plow turn up the roots to the winter freezes renewing the plowing once or twice during the winter and then plant and cultivate a hoed crop on the land the following spring My own opinion is that when it once gets a good foothold on a farm it is practically impossible to get rid of it aud almost equally impossible to keep it from spreading over the surrounding countryAnnual Publication for 1896 81 If you have bottom lands liable to annual overflow where no other crop is certain you might put it in Johnson grass for a perma nent meadow and if you will take the trouble to prevent any from going to seed you can confine it to the field you wish to devote it to MANURING AND PLANTING CABBAGES QUESTION Please give me the best manure for cabbages Is it too late to set out plants during the present month ANSWER Cabbages are very gross feeders and if good heads are expected the manure must not be spared The best preparation for the land is well deeomposed lot manure heavily broadcast and plowed in or a green crop treated in the same way Nothing better than cow peas turned under The land should be deeply plowed and the following fertilizer applied in the rows at the rate of about 400 to 500 pounds to the acre and thoroughly mixed with the soil before the plants are put in 700 pounds acid phosphate 250 pounds mu riate potash 300 pounds nitrate soda 75 pounds cottonseed meal The plants may be set at any time after danger of a freeze has passed and even in dry weather if the precaution is observed to plant the roots in damp earth covering with dry earth and then pro tect the plant for a day or two from the direct rays of the sun For early fall cabbage a good plan is to set the plants on land on which a crop of early potatoes was grown Sow the seeds thinly in a plant bed the last of May or first of June After the potatoes are dug thoroughly plow and pulverize the land then open the furrows 3 feet apart put in the fertilizer about 500 pounds to the acre and cover by throwing on two furrows As soon as the plants are ready smooth off the beds and set the cabbages in deeply pressing thesoil firmly to the roots of each plant and leaving only the top leaves exposed HOW TO GET RID OF MOLES QUESTION How can I get rid of moles They are quite troublesome in my garden and I have tried trapping them without success 6a 82 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWER Place in their runs small pieces of meat poisoned with strych nine Another plan is to inject into their runs every 10 or 12 feet about a gill of liquid bisulphide of carbon the fumes from which may either kill the moles or drive them away Dont go near any fire of any kind with the bisulphide as it is exceedingly inflammable COTTONSEED MEAL AS FOOD FOR HOGS QUESTION Can you give me any satisfactory advice as to feeding hogs on on cottonseed or cottonseed meal I have been told by some of my neighbors that it is dangerous others say that if the seed are thoroughly wet they are not injurious ANSWER At the Texas Experiment Station the report from a series of ex periments is that cottonseed either raw boiled or roasted cannot with safety be fed to hogs even when combined with other foods killing them in about six weeks At the Kansas station the following conclusion was reached That cottonseed meal even if fed in small quantities or mixed with other food proved poisonous to hogs They died in from three to eight weeks after being put on this feedthe larger ones holding out the longest But it was also found that the cottonseed meal produced very rapid gains at first and if the hogs were taken off before any symptoms of disease ap peared there were no unfavorable results The experiment indi cated that hogs can be fed for a short time on cottonseed meal with the best results and without subsequent deleterious effects From tests made at the Alabama Experiment Station it is stated that by combining crushed cottonseed with a liberal quantity of green rye green oats green sorghum sweet potatoes or turnips it can probably be fed to pigs and hogs without great danger pro vided the cottonseed is not mouldy or decomposing or allowed to remain in the feed troughs until partially decayed also that the crushed seed can be combined with skimmed or separated milk andAnnual Publication foe 1896 83 fed without probable injury to the hogs It is further stated that after a pig reaches fifty pounds in weight cottonseed or cottonseed meal in combination with corn or cowpeas can be made a profit able ration up to the time of the premonitory symptoms of disease As a rule this period varies from three to six weeks The first symptoms are weakness staggering fever loss of appetite and few if any movements When these symptoms appear the pig should at once be turned into a pasture or the food should be changed to bran slops and corn or other healthy foods These experiments indicate that the cause of the injurious effects of feeding cottonseed meal to hogs is not yet fully understood and until that is the case it is not advisable for farmers to risk losing their hogs by experimenting with this feed however abundant and cheap it may be In the course of time this much discussed ques tion will be definitely settled and until then it would be safe for farmers to await the result now being sought at government expense From time to time we have answered questions on this line and as the experiments progress we shall watch them with great interest and anything of value will be placed before the farmers of the State LICE ON HOGS QUESTION What is the best plan to get lice off of hogs ANSWER The simplest plan to get rid of lice is to put common kerosene on your hogs The easiest way to do this is to feed the hogs in a fence corner on shelled corn and while they are eating by standing on the fence you can sprinkle them all with kerosene from a com mon watering pot This will not only rid them of lice but will clean their skins of all scurf and dandruff Be a little careful about the application of the kerosene as a too liberal use of it will kill the pigs The best way is to apply in moderation and renew it in a week or ten days A little oil or lard added to the kerosene will prevent any injurious effect even to the pigs84 Department of AgricultureGeorgia BEST FORAGE PLANT FOR COWS QUESTION I wish to keep up two milch cows and soil them that is cut for them green stuif and feed them in their stalls What forage plant would you recommend for this purpose ANSWER For this purpose I would unhesitatingly recommend cattail millet called also pearl millet Japan millet and horse millet On rich land this millet makes an astonishingly rapid growth and can be cut several times during the season furnishing a large amount of fairly good forage Sow in drills three feet apart and cultivate as you would corn Six to eight pounds of seed will plant an acre This forage plant has yielded ninetyfive tons of green fod der or sixteen tons of dry hay to the acre FREE MARTINS QUESTION I have a fine Jersey cow who recently gave birth to two twin calves one female the other male Is it true that these calves when grown will not breed ANSWER Heifers thus born seldom breed They are called free martins and are usually raised for beef for which purpose at three to four years of age they seem peculiarly suited A free martin if barren has an oxlike look and is sometimes broken to the yoke It is said that the bulls if used for breeders frequently get free martins so it would not be a good plan to keep your twin bull alf for a breeder however fine his pedigree may be MURRAIN HOLLOWHORN AND HOLLOWTATL QUESTION What are the symptoms of murrain in cattle Is there any cure for it If so what is it What is the remedy for hollow horn and hollowtail Annual Publication for J896 85 ANSWER Murrain is known by various names according to the nature of the attack and the location of the disease Thus it is called black leg black quarter black tongue bloody murrain charbon carbuncular fever etc It is a common disease contagious and malignant and therefore to be dreaded The symptoms are various the following are some of them The animal gets suddenly listless the ears hang down swellings appear usually along the back or neck or on the legs which when rubbed by the hand eel as though air was under the skin The animal lies or stands quietly refusing to move The bowels become constipated and the urine highly colored sometimes bloody The pulse is quick from 105 to 110 beats a minute The animal usually dies in a few hours The disease is most common among cattle under 2 years of age Very little can be done in the way of curing this disease The best treatment is chlorate of potassium in from 2 to 4 drachm doses dissolved in water and given every three hours Whisky ether and quinine are also given where the animal shows great weakness As a rule all treatment is unavailing and death is sure and speedy As for the treatment of hollo whom I will quote from a promi nent veterinary surgeon of Atlanta No time or space will be taken up with this subject as it is really a very wrong idea The cows horn would not be natural if it was not to a certain extent hollow this depends upon the age Worm in the tail or hollowtail is another wrong idea and the habit of cutting the tail is one of the relics of barbarism The horn may be bored and the tail may be split and the cow may get better which she would have done without such treatment and left no scars GRAY LAND GOOD FOR COTTON QUESTION I have twenty acres of land that has been in cultivation six years Last year it was in corn and I broadcasted peas at the last86 Department of AgricultureGeorgia plowing of the corn It is gray land with a good clay subsoil Can I make a bale of cotton to the acre on it by the use of 500 pounds of guano if so how can I do it ANSWER Such land as you describe should make at least a bale of cotton to the acre with as much guano as you propose to use provided it is properly prepared and worked and you have fair seasons upon it To make the crop you expect first break the land deep and thoroughly Lay off your rows four feet apart running twice in the same furrow with a shovel plow to get well down into the ground In that furrow put 250 pounds of any good standard fertilizer Then with a long scooter plow run back and forth in the bottom of this furrow which will thoroughly mix the fertilizer with the soil and also break up the subsoil Repeat this process in the two siding furrows putting 125 pounds of fertilizer in each then finish bedding out as usual This method will necessitate considerable more work than usual before the planting of the crop but you will be well repaid for the expense As soon as your crop is up and will bear it put to a stand leav ing one stalk about every fifteen to eighteen inches Cultivate shallow and often then with fair seasons I will guar antee you a bale to the acre CHINA BERRIES AS AN INSECT EXTERMINATOR QUESTION What properties as a fertilizer and insect exterminator has the china berry ANSWER There is a considerable amount of fertilizing material in china berries mostly nitrogen and if they could be obtained cheaply and in large quantities it would doubtless pay to use them I cannot give you a complete analysis of the berry not having it at hand The berry as far as I know does not destroy insect life but the leaves placed among woolen clothes will by their odor drive away the moth so destructive to such clothingAnnual Publication foe 1896 87 THE CAROLINA CRANES BILL QUESTION I inclose a wild clover which I would like you to name Horses cattle and hogs are fond of it Is it of any value ANSWER The plant is not a clover but belongs to the geranium family It is the Carolina cranes bill Geranium Carolinaum a native of the Atlantic coast region and is usually found on hillsides or in open or barren soil In rich cultivated fields however it often makes a rank growth as a weed It is not usual for stock to eat it unless there is a scarcity of other food It sometimes produces seeds abundantly and quickly occupies the land where it has ob tained a foothold to the exclusion of other species It is an annual making its growth in the spring and usually dying before midsummer in this State It is easily destroyed by cultivation and is of no agricultural value88 Department of AgricultureGeorg A JUNK MR NESBITTS MONTHLY TALK TO FARMERS THE COMMISSIONERS LETTER IN WHICH IMPORTANT MAT TERS ARE DISCUSSEDTHE COMMISSIONER AGAIN POINTS OUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DEEP PREPARATIONDU PVC THE NEXT TWO MONTHS CULTIVATION OP THE CROS SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED FOR EVEN A DAYOUTLOOK ENCOURAGING UUK Agricultural Departmext Atlanta Ga June i 1896 The widespread and longcontinued drouth extendmg through he greater part of two months has sorely tried the endurance and faith of many anxious toilers but while the injury to crops is con siderable the general outlook is much more encouraging than con demns would seem to warrant The oat crop where the prepara tion and fertilization were thorough and the seed sown in the fall has made a fair yield It is only where the seed were hastily scratched in ln the spring that the crop is an entire failure Corn and cotton as a rule have borne the strain with less injury than might have been apprehendedattributable without doubt to the more careful preparation and planting which have characterized our methods IMPORTANCE OF DEEP PREPARATION As we have pointed before if our land is deeply and thoroughly plowed the subsoil being reached and broken we take double chances against disaster from either too much or too little rain In the first case the rain instead of washing over the land carrying de struction n its course sinks into the upper soil and downward to ower depths there to be ready for future demands in the second he surplus moisture having been stored in the subsoil is during long dry spell drawn to the surface by the power of capillary acAnnual Publication for 1896 89 tion aud if we can stop it there by a mulch of finely pulverized soil we will be able to hold it until the thirsty plants can absorb it CULTIVATION OF THE CROPS There are two months yet of unremitting watchfulness and labor before we can pause in our efforts to make our bread by the sweat of our browthe crop must not be permitted to suffer for cultiva tion for even one day if it is possible for us to prevent it As so often emphasized in these columns we must if we would succeed lay aside the slowmoving narrowcutting plows of the past and keep ourselves wide awake to the necessity of rapid work To fol low a mule and plow up and down a row five or six times when one or at most two trips is sufficient seems folly and the man who has tried the wiser and quicker can never be induced to return to the siower plan He realizes that where the land has been thor oughly prepared the one thing needful after the crops have been planted and begin to grow is to keep only the surface stirred and that a spreading cultivator or wide extending sweep is the best and in the end the most economical implement for doing the work sat isfactorily Sometimes at the first plowing of the young crops it is necessary to plow close and deep but after that every hairs breadth we go beyond an inch in depth causes incalculable aud irre mediable injury to the delicate rootlets increasing in destructive ness as we progress downward If only every farmer in Georgia could realize this fundamental principle and put into execution plans for promoting it how vastly would our task be lightened and how surely and greatly would our returns be increased Let us study and plan to work over our crops at least every two weeks and if the periods can be reduced to ten daysso much more will it tend to the satisfactory development of the plants Let the plow ings be done as soon as possible after each rain though these be no grass to kill we should if possible prevent the formation of a crust PEAS While the crop of peas for seed should have been sown during May the main crop for the vines and hay which at last is the most val uable part of the plant should be broadcast or planted in a center90 Department of AgricultureGeorgia furrow in the cornfields towards the latter part of this month One or two pecks of seed to the acre according to the fertility of the land will be about the right quantity The stubble oat and wheat fields will soon be ready for this rescuing renovating developer of our worn lands But we must keep in mind that although there is no agent which will give in fuller measure the needed elements of fertility to our long tried fields we must in order to get the full benefit of these lifegiving properties realize that even peas will not produce a profitable crop on very poor or very carelessly managed land If properly nourished they will gather a full supply of that most expensive element nitrogen but like every other crop if simply scratched in and left to take of itself it will most surely disappoint the improvident worker The stubble fields should not be left one day longer than is absolutely necessary If the ground is in good conditionthat is if the preparation and management of the small grain crops have been such as to leave the land soft and moderately smooththe harrow alone will do very effective work but if the grouud is hard and rough it will be necessary to turn it with a one or two horse turnplow then sow the seed about a bushel to the acre and the fertilizer equal parts of acid phosphate and kainit all at the same time and cover with the har row If preferred and the area is not too great to successfully ac complish it the plan of plowing the field and then sowing in drills is a very good one The rows should be from 2J to 3 feet wide and will require oue or two subsequent plowings Inall cases the above mentioned fertilizers should be used applied at the rate of from 200 to 400 pounds per acre It is true that the pea crop is not an exacting one but the better care and food it receives the bet ter returns it will make Planting of FORAGE CROPS may still continue although the earlier planted crops usually suc ceed best This has however been an exceptionally dry season and in many localities the long continued dry weather has entirely prevented the sowing of such crops Crops for forage have been most successfully raised from June plantings also the large family of millets will yield good returnsAnnual Publication for 1896 91 SPANISH GROUNDPEAS may also be planted this month and make a good crop Although not usually ranked with peas as a renovating crop it belongs to the family of legumes and if the vines are left on the land and only the nuts removed they contribute something to the improve ment of the land SWEET POTATOES The cuttings taken from the earlier planted vines if carefully planted will succeed as well as the rooted slips and the potatoes will be smoother and more eveuly developed and be of good keep ing quality The beds should be thrown up not too high after rather than before a rain and when the land is in good condition The cutting should contain not more than five leaves three is enoughif longer the result will be more but smallersized pota toes Bury all but one eye and press the soil firmly to each cut ting This is one crop which seems to succeed best on land plowed to only a moderate depth for which reason the old high hills have been almost abandoned R T Nesbitt TEXAS FEVER A REMEDY FOR THE DEADLY DISEASE GIVEN BY AN EXPERIENCED DAIRYMAN The following report will be of interest to all dairymen and cattle owners Experiment Ga April 18 1896 Commissioner Nesbitt Atlanta Ga Dear SirAt your request through Director Redding of the Experiment Station I visited the farm of Mr S H Phelan near Greensboro Ga to inspect his herd of dairy cows which were re ported to be dying I found them dying with Texas fever called also in different sectionsSpanish feverAcclimation fever Red water Black water Murrain Yellow murrain and Bloody murrain Twen tyone head of valuable registered Jerseys had died Normal tem perature is 101 to 102 degrees in this disease it rises to 107 to 109 degrees and nearly every case is fatal when the animal is grown or matured92 Department of AgricultureGeorgia The best uptodate remedy is calomel quickly given in two drachm doses to move the bowels then follow with quinine in 30 grain doses three times a day until improvement begins then give iodide of iron in two drachm doses twice a day A postmortem examination of a cow that had died the night previous to my arrival showed the spleen or melt to be much larger than in healthy animals the liver also was enlarged the gall bladder was also enlarged and held in suspension a large quantity of flakes resembling coarse bran The bile in health is limpid fluid containing no solid particles The urine taken from the bladder was the color of port wine or deep claret All of the sick cows previous to November 1895 were kept near Atlanta and had never had any ticks on them About April 1 1896 they were turned to pasture with cows that had been kept on the plantation In about ten days they were all well covered with ticks and the cows from Atlanta began to get sick and die I could not discover anything wrong in the feeding or management Overfeeding of highly concentrated foodespecially cottonseed mealwill bring on a bloody condition of the urine but remove the cause and the animal generally recovers 1 suggested to Mr Phelan that he use in future the welltried preventive of Mr Chopin of Richmond Va who has imported cows from all quar ters of the globe to the infected lands of Virginia and has never lost a single head The following is his preventive 50 pounds common salt 5 pounds copperas 5 pounds saltpetre 5 pounds sulphur Thoroughly pulverize and mix and give one tablespoonful once per day in the leed long enough to get the remedy into the system Samples of urine and gall were taken and sent to Dr D E Salmon Chief of Bureau of Animal Industry Washington D C and he has pronounced my diagnosis correct Respectfully yours H J Wing Dairyman Experiment GaAnnual Publication for 1896 93 I SUMMARY OF CEOPS CONDITION OF COTTON FAVOBABLECOBN NOT DOING SO WELLWHEAT BEING HABVESTED COTTON The condition of cotton on the whole is favorable The long continned dry weather has caused in many instances a poor stand in late planted cotton but the very much larger portion of the crop is up with a perfect stand The drouth that has lasted for two months over most of the State has at last been broken by partial rains The unusual hot and dry weather of May has not been an injury to cotton where there was moisture enough in the ground to cause the seed to germinate and come up On the contrary the young plants are unusually healthy there being an entire absence of lice and sore shin both of which are very hurtful to the stand in wet cold springs In most of the State cotton has been put to a stand and the fields are beautifully clean and free of weeds and grass At this time the prospect for a fine crop in this State is most excellent though as yet it is entirely too early to make any predictions as to the probable outcome July and August are the cottonmaking months and any estimates made before then must be purely guesswork COBN The wonderfully dry spring has retarded the growth of corn and except on well prepared land has given it a backset Where the land was thoroughly and deeply broken corn was not in the slightest degree injured by the drouth continuing to grow and looking vigorous and green the whole time Too much corn is planted particularly by tenants and renters in this State on land poorly prepared Two furrows are thrown together on an opening furrow usually with a small shallow running turnplow then this list is opened and the corn planted the middles being left unbroken for a more convenient season Corn thus planted has suffered from the drouth of course the middles soon became so hard that they94 Department of AgeicultueeGeorgia could not be plowed and could only grow a vigorous crop of weeds which appropriated to themselves what little moisture the soil con tained leaving the corn to twist up and turn yellow Now that rains have fallen this poorly prepared land will be plowed the middles will be well broken and the corn well cultivated from this on But the damage has been done and now it is irreparable The crop has been given a backset from which it can never recover and though with abundant rains such lands may make a fair crop they cannot now by any attention be made to produce as they would have done had the land been well prepared before planting In South and Southwest Georgia the forward planters are begin ning to lay by corn and the prospect is good for a bountiful crop Should we have plenty of rain in June the large acreage planted will insure an abundant supply for the State at large WHEAT The wheat crop is now being harvested and is better thau usual there being no complaints of rust or mildew While the grain might have been a little heavier but for the long drouth on the whole the yield will be good and satisfactory to the farmers OATS This important crop has been seriously injured in every section of the State by the unprecedented dry weather of the last eight weeks Particularly in the southern and southwest portions of the State has this crop suffered In many cases the oats planted in the fall did not get high enough to cut and the spring oats where the drouth has been at its worst will fare but little better The yield of this crop for the State will not exceed 50 per cent of a good crop OTHER CROPS The minor crops such as rice groundpeas sugar cane etc are holding their own in spite of the dry weather and with good seasons ahead promise an abundant yield Not many sweet pota toes have been set out yet but there is plenty of time still to plant a full crop which I trust will be done FRUIT While the dry weather has cut off the strawberry and raspberryAnnual Publication for 1896 95 crops and has caused the falling off of a good many peaches and apples the State will still have a bountiful supply of fruits of va rious kinds The shipping of the earlier varieties of peaches has commenced in South Georgia and will soon be in full blast This is from ten days to two weeks earlier than usual the warm early spring hastening the maturity of all fruits In our last monthly report we placed the acreage of watermelons at 90 per cent as compared with last year This estimate though based upon the reports of correspondents we are satisfied was too high and upon later information we are convinced that 60 per cent of last years acreage is a more correct estimate STOCK The condition of stock throughout the State is good except in a few cases where there have been serious losses of cattle from Texas feverone dairy herd in Greene county alone having lost 27 head of registered Jerseys There have also been some few cases of glanders among horses and cholera among hogs reported to the department Should any diseases of stock be reported by farmers to this de partment it will afford me pleasure to assist them by suggesting remedies and in contagious and malignant diseases to send to their assistance a veterinary surgeonm Department of AgricultureGeorgia QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TTO rnriNQUIRY BXFOR THE MONTHHOW IO PREPARE LAND FOR A CROP OF RICEA SIMPLE RFM fDY FR THE BAG WORMTHE EFFECT OF VVOOO A8HE8 OK ST ETC GRASS FI OCK h TBeZZ QUESTION JTr n ny T e if M8ible hmiy lSe 11L te rce D wr i 4 ANSWER There is no question that you can raise your rice cheaper than you can buy t and every farmer in Georgia should by all means AU lad that Wil1 kecottouor com will make rice bat it preferable to plant it in new ground as the cultivation w 11 then be easer Break your land thoroughly use 200 pounds of any good standard fertilizer bed in three feet rows as you Would forootton open a shallow furrow plant your rice and cover with board You can other plant the seed in a continous row or drop themeght or ten grains in a placeevery 12 to 15 inches Cutva e as you would cotton keeping it free from grass and weeds and with ordinary seasons you should make from 15 to 20 bushel to the acre The great trouble is hulling the rice alter it is made and unless there is a mil in your vicinity you must either snip vour gram to the coast cities to have it hulled or beat it out t home a wooden mrtara very tedious process Small ic mills can be put up for from 300 to 400 and there should be one or more ln every county in the State I know of one Southwest Georga that cleaned or hulled over 1000 bushels of astear where beforeit was started there was very iLfo raised There s no better food tor all kinds of stock as well as poultry and our farmers should give more attention to itAnnual Publication for 1896 GLANDERS AN INCURABLE DISEASE 97 QUESTION Is glanders an incurable disease Some of my neighbors con tend that it is while others say it can be cured ANSWER Glanders is a contagious uncurable disease known in every country and equally as fatal to man as horses and mules Several cases have been reported to this department during the past month and whenever the symptoms described seemed to indicate glauders I have sent a veterinary surgeon to make a diagnosis that the disease might be stamped out promptly I would here caution the farmers against trading for horses or mules with the bands of gypsies that pass through the State Some cases reported this spring may be traced to one of those roving bands of unprincipled horse traders who no doubt scattered the disease along their entire roifte through the State I append the report of one case to which I sent a veterinary surgeon Atlanta May 20 Lomnmsloner Nesbiit On a visit to Sugar Valley I found one gray mare mule 4 years old suffering with glanders in the acute form At my suggestion said mule was killed and burned also Mr T W Dobson consented to burn his barn where said mule had been kept Respectfully H G Carnes V S HOW TO DESTROY THE BAG WORM QUESTION I have in my flower garden a fine tree the Cedrus Deodara or Indian cedar Last year it was invaded by a small caterpillar that killed one of its branches and then webbed up into cocoons I had frequently seen such cocoons before and did not pay any attention to them until about two weeks ago after the butterfly had left the cocoon and was depositing its eggs over the tree Now the tree is being devoured by little caterpillars They are also98 Department of AgricultureGeorgia eating up my rose bushes adjoining the Indian cedar I send you some of the insects with the hope that you will tell me what they are and how I may destroy them ANSWER The insect that is destroying your cedar and rose bushes is the bag worm which feeds upon the foliage of both the deciduous and coniferous trees but seem to prefer the latter where they have a choice Its ravages are sometimes very destructive on shade trees in city streets and parks The simplest remedy for this insect is spraying with London purple or Paris green This should be ione in the early summer when the worms are young THE PROPER TIME TO SOW BURR CLOVER QUESTION When should burr clover be sown Please give some informa tion about the crop ANSWER The germ of burr clover seed being surrounded by the tough burrs they require a longer time to germinate than other seeds they should therefore be sown earlierin July or if conditions are favorable even previous to that time They germinate very slowly the plants not usually appearing before September During the fall and early winter they cover the ground The crop gen erally blooms in April and attains full maturity perfecting its seed in May It then dies down PINE ASHES A GOOD FERTILIZER QUESTION What percentage of potash has pine ashes and what are they worth for manure ANSWER The ashes from pine poplar and other light woods are practically as good for fertilizing purposes containing about as much potash weight for weight as the ashes from the hard woods They are very light however easily scattered by the wind and hard to accumulate They are worth from 6 to 8 per ton as manureAnnual Publication for 1896 PLANTING LATE CABBAGES 99 QUESTION Please tell me when and exactly how to manage late cabbages I have been successful in raising spring and summer cabbages but failed last year with the later plantings Many of the plants seemed to wither and fall over the stem did not seem strong nough to support the weight of the leaves and others failed to head ANSWER Presupposing that you have your land thoroughly and deeply prepared and heavily manured with some highly ammoniated fertilizer we would advise that you delay setting out the plants until the latter part of July if the crop is intended for winter cabbagesif for fall cabbages the plantings of course must be earlier Lay off the beds from 2J to 3 feet and set the plants about 18 inches or 2 feet in the row Judging from your question we sup pose your mistake was in not setting your plants deep enough No matter how long the stem may be the plants should be buried up to the first leaf and the soil formed around them If everything else is in readiness and the ground is not unusually dry we have succeeded very well in starting the plants without a rain by open ing the holes with a pointed stick pouring in water putting the plants in up to the leaf pressing the wet dirt to the roots and covering with the dry In previous articles on this subject we have called attention to the fact that cabbages cannot be raised profitably on poor land nor can such land be put in proper con dition for such a crop in one years time Well decomposed stable manure broadcasted heavily and thoroughly mixed with the soil is a good preparation a heavy crop of cowpeas is also a firstclass forerunner The cultivation should be rapid and complete THE FALL WEBWOBM QUESTION There is a multitude of caterpillars covered with yellowish hair with black heads and two rows of black marks on their bodies now100 Department op AgricultureGeorgia eating the leaves on one of my shade trees Can you tell lre what they are called and give me some remedy for getting rid of them ANSWER From your description the insect is the fall webworm found in all parts of the United States The worms are hatched from eggs of a white moth which deposits them in the early summer on the leaves of various trees As soon as hatched the worms begin to eat the foliage and at the same time commence to spin a protect ive web They grow quite rapidly eating all the foliage except the network of veins in the leaves and as they grow they enlarge the web By the time they are frill grown the caterpillars are over an inch long and covered with yellowish hairs When grown they crawl to the ground where in some sheltered nook or just under the surface of the ground they inclose themselves in a slight cocoon in which they change to the chrysalis state and from which later on they emerge as pretty white moths which begin at once to lay eggs as already mentioned above A good way to get rid of this pest is to cut the web from the tree and burn them up This is easily done because the webs can be so plainly seen They may also be effectually destroyed by spraying with Paris green and London purple COTTONSEED FAILING TO COME IP QUESTION Cau you explain to me why I failed to get a good stand from cottonseed that I know to be goodas seed from the same lot germinated all right at other places I was very careful in the preparation and planting of my land and thoroughly rolled the seed in as much guano and kainit as would stick to them and then put them in with a planter allowing a full amount of seed to secure a good stand ANSWER If you examined your seed as you probably did when they failed to come up you doubtless discovered they had sprouted but that the sprouts were destroyed after starting into growth and we atAnnual Publication for 1896 LIBRARY tribute this to the kainit of which the fertilizer was largely composed rAs long as the seed were in the hull the germ was protected against the effects of the salt but as soon as the sprout burst forth it came in contact with the salt which caused it to wither and die If you had rolled your seed in the fertilizer without the additional kainit their vigorous germination would have been assisted The seed themselves contain a small store of each principal element of plant food enough to start them into healthy growth and if when this is exhausted another supply is at hand ready for immediate use the I tiny plants take it up and are thus more rapidly pushed forward We have often rolled the seed with marked benefit and if you had left off the kainit you would doubtless have secured a good stand j of strong vigorous plants HOW TO KEEP IRISH POTATOES QUESTION Can I keep my Irish potatoes that I will dig in June until next I winter If so tell how to do it ANSWER If you have a good dry cellar there is no trouble to keep all that you can spread upon the floor I am now June 1 eating po tatoes that I dug nearly a year ago I simply spread them on the I cellar floor and scattered lightly over them a little airslacked I lime I have had to rub the sprouts off twice but they are still sound and good to eat I also planted my crop from them the past j spring and I think they are doing as well as any of the shipped a potatoes When I lived in Southwest Georgia my house being i about two and a half feet from the ground it was my custom to spread the potatoes under the house out of reach of any splashing of rainwater on them and they kept just as well as they do in a cellar in North Georgia In keeping them by either plan it is well to look over them occasionally and pick out any that may be spoiling In digging the crop keep the potatoes as much out of the sunshine as possible102 Department of AgricultureGeoegia EFFECT OF WOOD ASHES ON LAWNS QUESTION What effect has wood ashes upon lawns or grass fields ANSWER Ashes from wood are rich in potash which is essential to the vigorous growth of grass Potash strengthens the roots and stems and gives a deeper green color to the grass In theproduction of leaves and seeds ashes do not have so great an effect as nitrogenous li manures The phosphoric acid and lime contained in ashes are also very beneficial to the grasses Ashes should be put upon I lawns only in winter when the fertilizing properties may be grad ually absorbed by the earth to be furnished through the following I spring and summer to the hungry grass roots ACID AND MEAL NOT A COMPLETE FERTILIZER QUESTION I have a twentyacre field gray soil with red clay subsoil It was planted in cotton last year Would it do to put acid phosphate 1 and cottonseed on it for corn this year ANSWER Your acid and meal would not be a complete fertilizer for corn corn like most other plants needing potash If your twenty acres is abundantly supplied with potash then the acid and meal would be sufficient but in any event it will be safer to supply some pot ash A good mixture would be 450 pounds acid phosphate 450 pounds cottonseed meal and 100 pounds kainit In place of the kainit you could use 25 pounds muriate of potash From 100 to 200 pounds per acre COTTONSEED HULLS AS A FERTILIZER QUESTION About how many pounds of ashes will a ton of cottonseed hulls produce How would it do to take hulls and put in furrow in good fresh new land five to six years under cultivation and put ouAnnual Publication for 1896 103 top ot them say 100 pounds of acid phosphate What is the value of cottonseed hulls as a fertilizer ANSWER A ton of cottonseed hulls will make about 57 pounds of ashes It would be of very little benefit to put hulls and 100 pounds of acid phosphate to the acre Of course the phosphate would pro duce some good results and if the soil were very stiff the mechan ical effect of the hulls would be good The hulls decay so slowly that the effect on the crop would hardly be perceptible Cottonseed hulls have but little value as a fertilizer containing only the fol lowing amounts of plant food Nitrogen f of 1 per cent or 15 pounds per ton Potash 110 per cent or 22 pounds per ton Phosphoric acid 2 per cent or 4 pounds per ton NUMBER OF LIVE STOCK IN THE UNITED STATES QUESTION Will you kindly give me the number of the various kinds of live stock in the United States ANSWER The Department of Agriculture at Washington gives the number of horses at 14000000 mules 2300000 oxen and beef cattle 37000000 milch cows 16000000 sheep 45000000 and hogs 52000000 Total value 2420000000 WHEN TO CUT PEAVTNES FOR HAY QUESTION What time should peavines be cut for hay ANSWER When the first peas are about ripe COMPLETE FERTILIZER FOR COTTON QUESTION I have a field that has been sown in oats and peas for four years I want to plant in cotton Have already put 16 bushels of cotton104 Department of AgricultureGeorgia seed per acre aud want to put about 300 pounds fertilizer per acre Please let me hear from you on the subject ANSWER Replying to your question I take it for granted that you have broadcasted the 1G bushels cottonseed per acre and thoroughly and deeply broken the laud while plowing them under If you intend now to apply a complete fertilizerviz one containing nitrogen potash and phosphoric acid I would not advise you to put the entire 300 pounds per acre directly under the cotton 1 better plan would be to put say 150 pounds in the furrow upon which you are going to bed then after listing upon this put the other 150 pounds in the siding furrows 75 pounds in each This plan while requiring a little more labor is verv much preferable to putting the whole quantity in one furrow Get your fertilizer in each case well in the ground and before covering run a long scooter in the bottom of furrow thus breaking the stiff subsoil and thoroughly incorporating the fertilizer with the soil You may be inclined to say This will be too much trouble and wont pay but I assure you that the increased yield will amply repay for the increased labor There is no truer saying in connection with the farm than A crop well planted is half made HOW TO GET RID OF BEETLES QUESTION There are some striped bugs eating up my Irish potato crop They did the same thing last year aud I tried everything I knew to get rid of them but without success If you can tell me a remedy for them it will be much appreciated by myself and neighbors ANSWER There have been many letters received by this department this spring of like tenor to the above and it is evident that the farmers and gardeners of this State will hereafter have to protect their Irish potato crop as they now do at the North and West The striped bugs you speak of are either the Colorado or the blister beetle both of which have become plentiful and permanentlyAnnual Publication for 1896 105 domiciled in Georgia The best remedy for these pests is spraying or dusting the plants with either Paris green or London purple For dusting use one pound of the poison mixed with five pounds of wheat flour and two pounds of fine ashes dry dust or airslacked lime Sift this mixture in the plants when the dew is ou them In sprinkling use a teaspoouful of Paris green or London purple to two and a half gallons of water Use the poisons upon the first appearance of the beetles before they get a good foothold Some potato growers resort to handpicking to get rid of the beetle but it is neither so cheap nor effectual as the use of the ar senites Always be very careful in handling Paris green or Lon don purple as they are deadly poison SOME GOOD ADVICE PRACTICAL AND USEFUL MAXIMS FOR FARMERS WHO ARE JUST STARTING OUT Many young farmers do not know when they are really doing well and frequently when they have made a good start and are in a fair way to distinguish themselves as excellent and successful farmers will sell out This is all wrong Stick to your farm and if you have a good location do not sell out expecting to better it because you are offered a good price If your neighbor can make farming pay on your farm resolve that you can do it as well as he can Plan a system of improvemeut and as your means warrant carry this system out Do not enter into any specula tion either with other peoples money or your own Do not mort gage your farm to buy goods Do not buy fancy stock at enor mous prices without knowing how you will make the investment profitable Do not keep poor stock when you can keep good at the same expense and twice the profit Do not be tempted by high prices to plant excessively of anj7 one crop Ten chances to one the price of that crop will be low at harvest time while the price of the crops you neglect will be high Do not try to grow crops for which your farm is not adapted Resolve and stick to it that if industry and good management will make it so your106 Department of AgricultureGeorgia farm shall be a profitable one Put your surplus earnings into such improvements as will add to the profit appearance and convenience of your farm Make experiments despite what your neighbors may say Make yourselves thoroughly acquainted with the princi ples of agriculture and be guided by them Do not keep more stock than you have pasture for If you own more land than you can cultivate well are in debt or need money to make necessary im provements sell part of your land and use the monev to pay your debts or make your improvementsExchange XRAYS IN AGRICULTURE What is probably the first application of Roentgens rays to the elucidation of an agricultural problem has been effected at Munich nhoto t 7 btained by the a f the Xy the photograph of a pg one day old The outline of the skeleton sys tem s clearly sh An examination of the mage of the gkee X of this young pig makes much more intelligible than would a long dissertation the necessity of a diet rich in phosphatic matter and ite effect upon the perfect development of the osseous sy tern The young animal of which the bony tissues are so imperfectly constituted at the time of birth finds in the maternal milk the nitrogenousand phosphatic ingredients essential to the formation of bone After it is weaned such food as is afforded in cereal grams furnishes it with phosphoric acid the lime and the mag nesa required for the completion of its osseous structures COTTON FUNGUS ENEMIES leafbthl8 TV bTUy fUDgUS eUemieS amon them leaft blight frenchiug damping off or sore shin anthracnose shedding angular spot mildew leaf blight and roo To practical remedy has been found for these diseases There are some effective remedies but they are expensive Grow ottoAnnual Publication foe 1896 ior in rotation with other crops so the same land will not be planted in cotton oftener than once in four years This will starve out fungus enemies The same practice has like advantages for other cropsBulletin Alabama Station ERADICATING NUT GRASS From College Station Texas comes this advice Do not let the seed mature Stir the soil frequently during the growing period The best time to fight both is between midsummer and frost during a dry time Choke it out with a vigorous growing crop After one crop is harvested in the summer prepare the land for another vigorous growing crop Cowpeas and sorghum are good crops for Southern localities to choke out these pests GUARD AGAINST HOG CHOLERA Proper sanitation food aud good care may ward off the cholera In localities where cholera appeared last summer and fall new hog lots ought to be provided and the animals should not be allowed to run in pastures frequented by diseased stock Lots can usually be moved at comparatively small expense Unless precautions of this kind are taken another outbreak may occur at any time108 Department of AgricultureGeorgia JULY COMMISSIONERS LETTER TO GEORGIA FARMERS IMPORTANT MATTERS DISCUSSEDCOTTON AND CORN PRO ZTsTouTrrrrLYMuTiLATioN de ROOTS SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN LAYING BY THE CROP oFrTnEBAEcZpNEToTo ate the mp Department of Agriculture Atlanta Ga July 1896 Under ordinary Conditions this is the month when a wellkept farm shows to the best advantage Our principal crops of corn and cotton are progressng the former toward early maturity the wheat and oat crops beeQ or are Y he forage ps are we uuder way J fe taken no chances but by careful forethought has planned for the preparation planting and cultivation of each crop in its season and now tl t th battle is almost won he may calculate JTreason able certainty on the returns for his years work We make the tt7heT7nt K qUaHfied h0W6Ver the on that the final workings of these crops be characterized by the same judgment and care which have marked the earlier periods LAYING BY COTTON AND CORN welt bulr1 I1 T ma ky l0W maUy a 1oidered wellbult plan In laying by both corn and cotton we should avod any mutilation of the delicate roots as carefullv as we would anynry to that part of the plant which appears abovl tc As a rule corn should not beplowed after the tassel forms but if from prevous mismanagement or untoward season it becomes cessary to break the crust or destroy the weeds and grass whTctAnnual Publication for 1896 109 have sprung up we should to avoid injury to the roots and leave exposed as little surface as possible to evaporation set the plow to run as shallow and as level as possible In plowing at this season we should keep two objects in view to prevent evaporation and to promote the free access of air to the soil with as little root cut ting as possible Of course we should be guided in part by the growth and condition of the plant but deep plowing at this season will almost inevitably cause the cotton to shed its young fruit and the corn to turn yellow We have seen a field of vigorous dark green glossy cotton so pleasant to the eye of the experienced farmer reduced by one days injudicious plowing to such a state of collapse as to appear as if a sudden blight had swept over it Such are the peculiarities of the cotton plant however that a check of this kind is often in a great measure although never entirely repaired But corn once receiving such a setback is irredeemably injured Its season for development is comparatively so short that the utmost care should be exercised in order to promote its perfect growth In plowing cotton at this season some consider tion must be given to the variety as well as the condition of the plant In the largelimbed late maturing varieties the crop should be laid by as early as possible in order to check the leaf growth and encourage the plant to begin taking on fruit for when the plant is growing rapidly it does not often form fruit at the same time On the other hand with the smaller varieties if the crop is in promising condition that is if the development of fruit and foliage is properly balanced the surface cultivation may be con tinued well into August one shallow furrow in the middle being alL that is necessary FORAGE CROPS Let every spare moment be utilized for getting in the various forage crops peas millet foddercorn etc and as the opportunity occurs prepare for sowing clover In almost any locality German clover may be made a profitable crop and in more northern lati tudes the other varieties may also be successfully managed In preparing for clover of all kinds the annual as well as other va rieties the soil must be deeply and thoroughly broken and then110 Department of AgricultureGeorgia harrowed to as fine a tilth as possible Iu the inquiry columns will be found full directions as to making and saving this crop more especially the annual crimson or German variety all of which names apply to the same variety There is also an inquiry as to fill ing a silo and although we have previously replied to repeated in quiries on this subject we again give all the principal points on this truly important subject for although at the South we are blessed with a genial climate and our stock is not confined to shelter during the entire winter ensilage has been found a most valua ble aid in supplementing the regular ration for all farm animals the hog alone excepted CLOVER Where clover has been seeded with the grain crops the mistake is often made of allowing the weeds to spring up after the grain is cut and if nothing is done to check their growth they mature and not only deprive the young clover of that much plant food but by developing a full supply of seeds lay the foundation for a bigger and more troublesome crop another year To prevent this seeding run over the field with a mower when the weeds are about half a foot high and before the seeds have formed Set the mower so as to take off about half their growth This will pre vent them from seeding and the fallen tops will act as a mulch and shade to the young clover a very important consideration in our climate WEEDS on ditches terraces fence corners and fence rows should also be prevented from seeding Select every favorable opportunity during the late summer and early fall and cut them down be fore the seeds are formed The labor of doing this now is far lighter than if the work is put off until a younger heavier and more widely disseminated crop springs up to interfere with another years work PEAS The difficulty of obtaining seed peas is one evidence that farmers are beginning to appreciate the importance of this crop to the improvement of the land as well as the feedino 0fAnnual Publication foe 1896 Ill stock Everywhere we see evidence that they are taking hold of this work in earnest but it cannot be urged too often that no corn crops should be laid by without sowing peas either broadcast or in the middles over the entire field Also work over the wheat and oat stubbles and sow the peas broadcast or if time and other work are pressing run off the rows about two and onehalf or three feet apart plant the peas and break out the middles later as opportunity occurs If practicable apply equal parts of kainit and phosphate at the rate of about 200 pounds to the acre This will increase the growth and vigor of the peas and they in turn will gather a supply of nitrogen and humus two most important agents in reinvigorating our hardrun and overtaxed fields Besides these two important offices they also serve to shade the land and keep down the weeds In our climate bare lands steadily retrograde The alternate blistering heat and washing rains deprive them of untold and uncalculated amounts of plant food Any crop which will cover the land will serve to arrest this steady drain but for the above reasons leguminous crops are to be preferred THE LATE CROP OF IRISH POTATOES is becoming a very important item in our fall trade Full direc tions have heretofore been given for preparation planting fertiliz ing etc When one does not care to take the trouble to bed the potatoes in order to secure sprouted seed the Lookout Mountain furnishes a variety which is sure to produce a good stand It is peculiarly adapted for fall plauting and produces abundantly SWEET POTATOES may be set out during the entire month using cuttings from the vines which produce the smoothest best keeping potatoes The cuttings should not be too long three eyes are sufficient for rapid rooting The longer cuttings will produce a greater number of potatoes but the quality and size will be inferior FALL OATS AND RYE Dont put off until the last moment sowing oats and then hur riedly and superficially scratch in a crop which of all others has112 Department of AgricultureGeorgia proved most valuable to the farmer The present year has again illustrated the fact that the spring sown crop cannot be relied on but that the fall crop if properly prepared for and sown early enough is almost certain Prepare the land thoroughly to be ready to begin sowing in September The value of rye as a reno vator a grain food for stock during the winter months and an ac cumulator of humus is not generally fully appreciated While not as valuable as peas if sown on the pea stubble it will take hold of the work where the peas left off and continue it through the winter It is a very hardy crop and if sown in the cotton fields does much to prevent the wasting and washing of the cleanly cultivated soil SORGHUM nay still be planted to advantage The Early Amber is best for the late plantings It is exceptionally good for fattening hogs and f cut before the seeds fully form mav be fed with profit to all farm animals only being careful to regulate the amount as like all other green foods it is injurious if given in unlimited quan titles PASTURES often fail at this season and while the hot dry weather may seem sufficient reason to many for this failure very often it is the result of too close grazing The stock are turned on day after dav in discriminately and no thought is given to the fact that any plant will at last fail if its foliage is continually destroyed The grass is given no time to repair the daily damage and the consequence is that being eaten off as fast as it tries to put out a fresh growth it finally gives up the fight and our midsummer pastures become brown and bare It is here that the green crops of sorghum for age corn peas clover come in as a most valuable supplement and feed systematically will save the pastures and in the fall the abundant growth which has sprung up on them will give the ani mals a good start and save the use of much of the stored winter R T NesbittAnnual Publication for 1896 CONDITION OF CROPS 113 GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN CORNCOTTON PROMISES WELL WHEAT AND OATS HARVESTED COTTON This the chief money crop of the Southern States at this time promises well The plant at this time is large and healthy and blooming has commenced unusually early in most sections of the State As a rule the crop is fairly clean though here and there a report comes of grassy fields There are many complaints of lice but the plants have attained such size that these cau do no great amount of harm Though the crop looks unusually well for this date still it is too early to make any predictions as to the ultimate yield All men who raise cotton know that July and August are the months that tell the tale and until they are safely passed there is no certainty of a large yield CORN There has been a great improvement during June in this crop The dry weather of April and May had induced but little growth and given the blades a yellow cast Through June however we have had good rains and corn has grown rapidly and assumed its usual rich dark green color The prospect is good in all sections of the State except in isolated cases where from lcal drouth over small areas or from want of work the crop will be cut off WHEAT AND OATS have both been harvested the former turning out better than usual though I regret that but little was planted in the State The oat crop proved a failure not over 50 per cent of an average crop This failure must be attributed to the severe spring drouth extending through April and May Much of the oat and wheat stubble has already been sowed to peas and turned under and this with the now almost universal practice of sowing peas broadcast at the last plowing of corn is indicative of a determination on the part of our farmers to keep up the fertility of their lands 8aHt Department of AgricultureGeorgia OTHER CROPS Sugar cane sorghum groundpeas all doing well and so is rice both upland and lowland An unusually large crop of sweet po tatoes has also been planted With a few more weeks of seasona ble weather the farmers will again be blessed with an abundant provision crop FRUIT The fruit crop has this year disappointed expectations A fair crop of both peaches and apples was promised but the unusually dry spring and the unchecked attacks of various insects caused most of these fruits to fall and the crop will be short The various insect enemies of all fruits have become so firmly established in this State that we can no longer expect a good crop unless we re sort to a proper spraying of the trees Where this course has been pursued this year a good crop has rewarded the grower The acreage in melons was greatly reduced this year aud good prices should be realized for this crop Grapes promise abundant yield STOCK The condition of all kinds of stock is unusually good throughout the State Some cases of glanders among horses have been re ported and upon the advice of the department the owners have promptly destroyed them Our farmers should use every care in buying stock and only from responsible parties The roving bands of gipsy horsetraders frequently palm off diseased animals on unsuspecting farmers aud they should not be permitted to ply their rascally vocation in the StateAnnual Publication for 1896 115 QUESTIONS AND ANSWEES COMMISSIONER NESBITTS INQUIRY BOX FOR THE MONTH OF JULYGENERAL RULES FOR APPLYING FERTILIZERS TO DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF LANDHOW TO DESTROY PARASITES IN STOCKCURE FOR GRUBS IN THE HEAD OF SHEEPCURING CORN CROP ETC QUESTION Can you give me some idea about applying plant food to dif ferent qualities of land Of course I know that no specific rules can be given but in a general way I would like to have some re liable guide so that when I begin to make my estimates for fertil izers I may not apply certain kinds where not needed or leave off au important constituent where most necessary I know that I have wasted hundreds I may say thousands of dollars by an in judicious use of various plant foods which if properly applied would have been money in my pocket Even at this late day I wish if possible to obtain a clearer knowledge of certain princi ples of which I was lamentably ignorant ANSWER It may be set down as a general rule that unless land has a rea sonable amount of humus no commercial fertilizer will succeed well This isthe one grand mistake that most Southern farmers have made We have sedulously cultivated most of the humus out of our lauds paid very little attention to rotation of crops or other means for replacing it and then depended on commercial fertilizers to do the entire work We should make this question of the needs of the different crops one of earnest study Having learned their requirements and habits of growth we become better qualified to regulate their relations in our general farm manage ment and thus secure ourselves against the mistake of planting in succession two or more crops on the same land which absorb very much the same amounts as well as the same qualities of plant116 Department of AgricultureGeorgia food By a careful regulation of this succession of crops we can in great measure control the constituents in most soils and also get the very best returns from elements of plant food which too often by thoughtless cultivation are prevented from doing their best service or allowed to waste altogether Your question is com prehensive because the needs of the land are so intimately associ ated with the needs of the crops that we can scarcely discuss one without including the other The Cornell Experiment Station givessome general rules for applying plant food to the ordinary classes of lands of which the following are some of the principal points Reclaimed low land rich in vegetable matter is likely to be rich in nitrogen but defi cient in phosphoric acid Well drained high land particularly on exposed locations is more likely to be deficient in nitrogen than in phosporic acid A small growth of leaf or stalk if the plant is otherwise favorably developed indicates a deficiency of nitrogen For instance a large yield of plump bright grain from a small or moderate size stalk indicates an abundance of phosphoric acid and potash in the soil and a lack of nitrogen On the other hand a redundancy of leaf and stalk with a small light grain indicates an abundance of nitrogen and an insufficient amount of phosphoric acid and potash As a rule plants having the greatest leaf devel opment require the most potash Farm manures that have been well cared for and protected contain about twice as much nitrogen as phosphoric acid and therefore land that has received recent liberal applications of barnyard manures is not apt to be deficient in nitrogen In purchasing commercial fertilizers it is well to re member that highgrade goods give more plant food for their cost than low grade Soils that contain an abundance of lime do not need much phos phoric acid but require potash If the soil is not rich in lime acid phosphate is the best form as well as the cheapest source of phosphoric acid If cotton is the crop to be grown the less solu ble and less expensive brands give as good results because the plant continues its growth through a long season But for corn grain or any quickly maturing crop it is important to use theAnnual Publication for 1896 117 more soluble forms Nitrogenous fertilizers are expensive and are not needed on soils which produce a good stalk or leaf growth but if the plants are weak and small give them nitrogen Cottonseed meal and nitrate of soda are the best forms for general use If large amounts of fertilizers are to be used apply broadcast before planting if only a limited amount apply in the drill and run a long narrow scooter in the same furrow to thoroughly mix the fertilizer with the soil In the limits of an article like this we can only touch on the most important points of this farreaching subject It is one ever new and ever developing If where con ditions are suitable we would grow peas it is not yet too late to sow them cut the hay turn under the stubble and before plant ing put on our fertilizers which can be applied more heavily be cause of the humus furnished by the peas we would soon beable to produce more satisfactory and better paying crops This system holds good for cotton corn and all small grain crops Cowpeas should be sown on all land uot in other crops and if they are never gathered they make a good return in their improvement to the land though a better one if the vines are utilized for hay and the stubble turned under Our decision as to whether we will apply our fertilizers in the drill or broadcast must be influenced by the kind of crop and special local conditions If the crop needs the stimulus during its first stages or only a small quantity is used then drill in a part of the fertilizer with the seed otherwise broadcast if the quantity warrants this plan Materials which are readily soluble may be scattered over the surface Of these there are nitrate of soda sul phate of ammonia soluble phosphates and soluble potash salts Others not so easily dissolved are better well mixed through and beneath the soil They then become more rapidly soluble and are also better retained in the soil Of these there are dried blood bone meal fish scrap etc The first class are better applied just as the crop is ready to utilize them or they may leach out of the soil before the plants can take them up The second class in which we may also reckon stable manure cottonseed meal and certain potash compounds as well as soluble phosphates should be applied to the land before the crop commences its growth118 Department of AgricultureGeorgia SALT TO DESTROY PARASITES IN STOCKGRUBS IN SHEEP QUESTION I notice that my sheep and cattle the young lambs and calves particularly aie every year after being turned on the pastures affected with some disease which often causes them to droop and in some cases die I can assign no certain cause for this trouble the pastures are abundant and there is a stream of pure running water in easy access Can you suggest any cause for this Is there any certain cure for grub in the head of sheep ANSWER We should judge from your description that your cattle need salt Every pasture no matter how well manured or how flourish ing is more or less infested with the germs of parasitical diseases The eggs or larvaj of the parasites are deposited on the young tender grass and are taken into the stomachs of the animals while feeding Salt is about the only practical means which we can use to prevent injury from their attacks Salting once or twice a week will not be sufficient Salt is as much a necessity to animals as to man and should be placed where they can have daily access to it A little copperas mixed in the salt about twice a month in the pro portion of one part to ten of salt has been found beneficial An occasional dose of sulphur is also good For the grub prevention is the only sure and paying remedy If the cattle are provided with a place where they will be protected from the sun during the hot months they will escape in great meas ure the attacks of the flies Thick woods or a dark shed will furnish this protection and sheep thus sheltered will have almost entire immunity from grubs in the head It is well however to watch them both old and young and once or twice a month syringe out their nostrils with turpentine and linseed oil equal parts An ex perienced sheepman says the best way to do this is to insert the syringe three or four inches up the nostril give a quick syringe and let go the head at once In a short time treat the other nostril the same way Tarring the nostrils has also been used with encourag ing success It is better to spend some effort in the use of preven tives than to waste our time and strength in endeavoring to re move the grubs after they have obtained a firm footholdAnnual Publication for J896 119 AN INQUIRY ABOUT LICE QUESTION Our cotton plants are covered with lice Some spots have turned red and the leaves crisp up Can you suggest a remedy ANSWER It is not often that any poisonous remedies are used against cot ton lice which in some seasons do a great deal of damage to the stand of cotton They flourish most during the cool nights of spring A remedy highly recommended and doubtless better than the arseuites is tobacco Make a decoction by boiling refuse to bacco stems or dust in water or by pouring boiling water over them Reduce the strength of this decoction by the addition of cold water until there are two gallons of water to every pound of tobacco used Sprinkle on the plants affected The kerosene emulsion can also be used successfully against all the aphides or plant lice family Of course care must be taken that the emulsion is very thoroughly mixed as free kerosene is very likely to kill the leaves it gets on Rapid cultivation frequently does good either by knocking off and covering up many of the lice or by inducing such a vigorous growth as to hide or quickly repair their ravages The cool nights of May generally bring these lice and as a rule they disappear before the hot sunshine and warm nights of June PREVENTIVE FOR THE HORN FLY QUESTION Is there any sure preventive for the horn fly If so please give it through your inquiry columns ANSWER The eggs of the horn fly are deposited in freshly dropped cow dung in which the larvae develop During hot weather the change from egg to fly may be completed in two weeks They may be kept off of cattle by the application of fish oil to which a little carbolic acid is added The application should be very light and repeated every four or five days This keeps off the flies but does not kill them They may be killed by the use of tobacco powder120 Department op AgricultureGeorgia dusted on the cattle along the back neck and tail and at the base of the horn A good authority recommends the fish oil for the belly udder and other parts of the body where the tobacco cannot well be applied and the powder for the other parts of the animal The larvae can be destroyed by scattering the droppings of the cow each morning so that they will quickly dry up preventing the development of the eggs The same end may be attained by mix ing plaster with the manure in the stable or lot CUEING THE CORN CROPSHREDDING QUESTION Can a small farmer succeed in shredding his corn crop after he lias saved it in the shocks I mean is it practical for him to cut it up without a machine It seems to me a most tedious and ex pensive job I would like to cure my corn in this way as I am fully aware of the superior advantages of the plan but I am de terred by the trouble of getting it properly cut and stored ANSWER Until we can have some arrangement similar to that for harvest ing our grain crops that is until the machines can be carried to the small farmers the plan of cutting and curing the corn stalk and all with a view of shredding will not be found practical Farmers who plant large areas in com will find a machine an economical investment but small farmers although they may understand that much of the most valuable constituents of our crop are lost by our wasteful methods of stripping off the fodder and ears and leaving the bare stalks standing yet cannot afford the expense of a machine Until these machines come into general use on the same plan as our public gins and threshers the man of small means must bide his time He may however avoid much trouble from cut worms by cutting down the stalks and using them in the bedding for his stock The standing stalks furnish a breeding place and protection for the worms and if these are plowed into the laud with the stalks when turned under they often destroy the crop We trust the time will come when we will never see a corn stalk left stand ing in our fields but the whole plant stalk blades and ears will be applied to the more economical usesAnnual Publication for 1896 121 PLANTING FALL TURNIPS QUESTION Please tell me how to get my laud ready for a fall crop of tur nips what kiud ofmanure to use aud how to prevent injury from the turnip fly which I have found very troublesome and destructive when the plauts begin to grow ANSWER Break your land thoroughly and deeply leaving it well pulver ized and free from clods Use well rotted stable manure if you can get it aud thoroughly incorporate it with the soil Plant in the drill and cultivate rapidly if you expect fine turnips They are generally too crowded in the drill and should be left at least a foot apart to attain fine size It is exceedingly difficult to guard against the ravages of the fly as they frequently destroy the young plants as soon as they appear above the ground To prevent this as soon as you discover the turnips coming up dust them heavily with a mixture of equal parts of plaster and wood ashes air slacked lime from oyster shells has also been used in the same manner by market gardeners Sprinkling wood ashes or lime on the ground as soon as the seed is sown is also recommended by some SEVERAL REMEDIES FOR LICE ON COTTON QUESTION I inclose you some bugs which as you will see are injuring the cotton A great many have recently made their appearance in this section They stick so fast to the leaf that they will pull in two before they will let loose Please tell me what they are and how to get rid of them ANSWER The bugs you send are called lady bugs or lady birds of which there are several varieties They are friends to the farmer and fruit raiser and should never be injured Your cotton is being damaged by lice aud the lady bugs are present because they live on aphides or plant lice wherever they can find them whether on122 Department op Agriculture Georgia the cotton plant or on the leaves of the various fruit trees or elsewhere The larva of the lady bug when about to transform to a pupa attaches the end of its abdomen to a leaf when shortly the skin splitting at the back of the head permits the beetle to come out leaving the shedded skin firmly attached to the leaf The only practicable remedy for the lice on cotton is to encourage raPd growth of the plants thus enabling them to endure and survive the attack of the lice This can be done bv judicious fertilizing and frequent plowing after the plant is up In small or what we farmers call fancy patches of cotton spraying with strong soap suds weak lye or tobacco water not very strong would be productive of good but these remedies could not well be ap plied on large fields CRIMSON CLOVER QUESTION What is the best month to sow crimson clover What time should it be cut and how shall I manage to have it reseed itself Does this crop improve the land to the same degree as peas and other varieties of clover ANSWER September and October according to locality are the best months to sow crimson clover The ground must be put in first class condition and if necessary kainit and acid phosphate ap plied Sow and roll as for other clovers Just as the heads begin to show in the spring it may be cut or it may be grazed and if the cutting is stopped or the cattle taken off in March it will again spring up perfect seed and dying down scatter them over the land where they will remain dormant until September when the young clover will again come into life and gradually recover the Jand As a leguminous plant it is fully as valuable as peas or other varieties of clover HORSE SUFFERING FROM INDIGESTION QUESTION I have a horse seven years old does very little work gets plentv of corn and fodder eats heartily yet is poor all the time Can hear his stomach roaring often seems drowsy sweats easily Can you give me some remedyAnnual Publication for 1896 123 ANSWER Your horse is suffering from indigestion caused probably by irregular teeth which do not properly masticate the food and the stomach then cant digest it Examine teeth and if they are sound and smooth the indigestion then proceeds from some other cause Change food often feed green stuffa pasture would greatly benefit him Give plenty of salt and a tablespoonful of the following morning and evening in feed Powdered gentian 1 ounce Powdered mix vomica 1 ounce Common baking soda 2 ounces Under this treatment your animal should improve TO KEEP WORMS OUT OF DRIED FRUIT QUESTION How can I keep worms out of dried fruit in the summer season ANSWER The worms that appear in your dried fruit are probably hatched from eggs deposited during the process of drying the fruit in the open air on dishes and trays The egg being deposited I know of no plan by which you can prevent its hatching Possibly if the sundried fruit before being put up for the summer could be subjected to a high artificial heat for a short time the vitality of the eggs might be destroyed and your fruit be free from worms The best plan is to dry your fruit in an evaporator where no in sects can reach it to deposit their eggs Then as soon as dry pack in boxes or tie up in paper bags and keep in cool dry place Fruit thus treated will never have any worms will be better fla vored better colored and will sell for more than that dried in the sun FERTILIZING SUGAR CANE QUESTION I have low gray sandy land in sugar canenot bottom land I put freely of stable manure in the drill when planting cane which is now the best I ever saw I want to make it do all it can so please advise me as to the best fertilizer to apply in the siding fur rows at the next plowing124 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWER Your land having already had a liberal dose of stable manure at planting time which has thus far pushed forward the growth of the cane should uow receive 300 to 400 pounds of cottonseed meal in the sding furrows The nitrogen in the meal seems to be especially adapted to pushing forward and developing all members of the grass family to which sugar cane belongs In addition to the large percentage of nitrogen thereis from 2 to 3 per cent of phosphoric acid and 1 to 2 per cent of potash in cottonseed meal MELANOSIS IN COWS QUESTION I have a cow in a strange fix knots swell up in her flanks or just in front of her shoulders or just under her ears from as big as your fist to as big as a mans head She is losing flesh rapidly I lease name the disease and is it catching ANSWER The trouble with your cow is called melanosis It is usually found in white cattle or horses It is a morbid deposit of the pigment or coloring matter in the blood giving rise to tumors It is not contagious and it is not advisable to cut out the tumors as others will appear in different places It is a very rare disease and is always fatal TEATS COVERED WITH WARTS QUESTR N I have a fine Jersey heifer 18 months old with her first calf One of her teats is nearly covered with warts and they are rough and sore giving trouble in milking How can I take them off ANSWER The quickest aud bestway to get rid of the warts is by the use of the knife afterwards applying acetic acid to the exposed raw places for four or five days Of course you will have great diffi culty m milking her for a few days after cutting off the warts and they are not very troublesome it might be better to defer cutting them until she goes dryAnnual Publication foe 1896 125 AUGUST TALK OF THE COMMISSIONER TO FARMERS CROPS OF THE STATE DAMAGED BY HEAVY AND CONTINUED RAINSFARMERS AGAIN URGED TO PLANT FALL IRISH POTA TOESTHE COMMISSIONER ADVISES THE SOWING OF PEAS AND MILLET ON OVERFLOWING LAND Agricultural Department Atlanta Ga August 1 1896 The heavy and continued rains throughout the State succeeding the protracted drouth have worked some damage to the crops The fields at one time phenomenally clean now begin to show some grass and weeds and cotton has suffered both from the wet weather and the cool nights causing a too rapid growth and a dis position to rust When the steady sunshine comes again it may become necessary with late cotton on account of these conditions to plow this crop again the rams having prevented the work at the proper time but it should be done on a level and so shallow that no injury is done the roots which now penetrate in all direc tions very near the surface Ordinarily when the first of August comes if the crops are in good growing condition no further work is needed At this seasou we are anxious that the energies of the plant should be directed to producing fruit rather than foliage We know that stirring of the soil produces the latter Therefore if the cotton has attained a good size and there is not enough grass to seriously interfere let the plows stop Keep the SWEET POTATOES clean and with a hoe or fork loosen the vines that may have taken root in the middles They will only form small inedible potatoes each one of which detracts that much from the main vine If the patch is intended for hogs however it does not make any material difference if the vines are left to root at will126 Department of AgricultureGeorgia FALL IRISH POTATOES should also be planted We have repeatedly referred to the iml portance which this crop is assuming and have given full directions for those who wish to try it and havent the experience necessary to make it a success As a strictly fall potato the Lookout MounI tain stands as yet without a superior They will produce a practiJ cally perfect stand which is an undertaking of some difficulty with the ordinary spring grown seed but they cannot be used for thed early spring crop as their powers of reproduction seem dormantl until a later period Therefore if the fall crop is planted with a view to raising seed for the early spring market potatoes from those dugl last month should be used under conditions to which we have herel tofore referred at length FODDER PULLING Until some economical plan is perfected by which the entire plant stalk blade ear shuck and top can be saved and housed we are compelled to continue the timehonored but expensive pro cess of fodder pulling Under this plan much of the actual value of the corn crop one of our principal resources is absolutely lost wasted in the fields The machines at present in use for cutting up and storing the entire product are too expensive for private use except in the case of extended farm operations but when the far mers have solved the question of saving the whole crop without the unnecessary waste of any part of it doubtless the necessary machinery to store and preserve it will be at hand This has been the history of agriculture and it holds good in every department of our work The Englishman who used the first drill for sowing seed only excited the jeers of the incredulous onlookers whose comment was that he was sowing pepper out of a cruet In England today the drill is universally employed aud the farmers wonder how they have ever managed without it It is an encour aging sign that inquiries on this and many other subjects connected with the development of our industry are being received from dif ferent quarters The time may have been when anything was con sidered good enough to farm with but that day has passed The conviction that careless farm methods do not pay is becoming more firmly grounded each dayAnnual Publication for 1896 127 PREPARATION FOR FALL CROPS The most that can be done this month is to prepare for crops that are to be planted later on Success with these crops means that we give them a good deep seed bed and plenty of food On poor hard soils it is useless to make the attempt By care in the selec tion of seeds and soils and by judicious preparation and manuring any farmer may have an abundance of forage during the winter If we have stable manure nothing gives a better founda tion and on this we may build with commercial fertilizers Clov ers red and white and winter grasses thrive best on stiff soils Of the latter orchard and red top are better adapted to our soir and climate than blue grass Bermuda if grown with the white clover furnishes a most excellent combination neither interfering materially with the other The Bermuda is shallow rooted and a hot weather plant the clover deep rooted and attaining its best growth in the cooler months On sandy or light soils none of these clovers or winter grasses succeed well On this quality of land it is better to plant crimson or burr clover They are hardy and properly managed will hold their own against all odds If the stock is taken off or the cutting stopped by the first of April the clover seed will mature and scatter over the ground The land can then be put in late corn or in peas and when these crops are taken off the September rains will cause the dormant clover seed to spring into life and soon cover the ground with another crop which will furnish good grazing or cutting during the winter Rye and barley are also suited to light lands and furnish splendid green food for winter use All manure for these crops should be thoroughly worked into the soil and the land brought into the best condition by repeated plowiugs harrowiugs and rollings From the first to the middle of September is about the time for seeding sow liberally cover lightly and roll The land for sowing wheat should have been selected before this and kept as far as possible free from weeds and grass as wheat does best on clean land Wholesome unadulterated homemade flour is a blessing and the manure for a wheat crop and the stubble after the crop is cut furnish both food and hu128 Department of AgricultureGeoegia mus on which to build future crops and the latter assists in preventing washing of the land Dont delay sowing the fall oats which in nine cases out of ten succeed better than the spring sown grain Be careful to select Southern grown and wmter raised seed On general principles it is well to sow in gram or grass every acre on the farm which can be so utilized The work can go on from the first of September and with fa vorable seasons continue into December and once accom plished acts as a safeguard against washing and consequent leaching of the soil Besides the harvested crops furnish a residue of humus for succeeding crops SOWING PEAS AND MILLET ON OVERFLOWED LAND We have had several inquiries as to the advisability of sow ing peas and millet on the bottom lands which have been over flowed by the recent heavy rains Our reply has been invari ably that it be done at once We are now engaged in sowing a rich bottom on which the corn has been drowned out in these two crops and if the seasons are suitable will gather an abundant harvest of splendid hay The millet lessens the diffi culty of curing the peavines and together they form a first class feed TOOLS AND IMPLEMENTS which have been in use to make this years crop should not he left to rust and ruin in the fields Good work cannot be done with tools m such condition and not only this but they require extra power to work them It is less trouble and expense to clean them off now and put them under shelter than to strug gle with them rusty and out of order in making another crop or to buy new ones With a little care the old ones will do just as good work R T Nesiutt Comm issionerAnnual Publication for 1896 129 CROP CONDITIONS TOO MUCH RAIN IN JULY PROVED AN INJURY TO COTTON IN SOME SECTIONS COTTON Too much rain through July has injured this crop in many portions of the State The early planted cotton that came up promptly is good having grown finely and fruited well On the other hand the cotton that was planted late or was late in coming up on account of the dry April and May has not and is not doing well While it has grown rapidly and made a large weed it has not fruited correspondingly A good deal of rust also has developed in the cotton fields particularly on sandy aud flat lands In the southern counties of the State picking has begun the crop being a few days earlier than usual The indications now are for a good yield and a full average crop CORN Another bountiful crop of this valuable cereal is assured for the State While in some portions of the commonwealth the crop is cut off by dry weather in most counties the yield will be as heavy as it was last year and again as in 1895 Georgia will not have to look to the West for her bread and meat The heavy rains of the past month have caused overflows inmost of the rivers and creeks and much of the bottom land corn has in that way been injured or totally destroyed Most of the crop throughout the State has been laid by clean of both grass and weeds Fodder pulling has commenced in South Georgia but daily rains render it almost impossible to save any in good condition WHEAT AND OATS Not much wheat planted in the State but the yield of that planted was very satisfactory Oats in many cases were an entire failure and the crop in the aggregate was very short130 Department of AgricultureGeorgia We can never count on a full oat crop when planted in the winter or spring The true time to plant oats in Georgia is from the middle to the last of September according to locality Wanted properly at that time they will survive four out of five winters and yield good crops FIELDPEAS I think there are more fieldpeas planted than ever before The farmers seem fully awake to the importance of planting this valuable renovator of the soil and now wherever you bo in the State you will find the fields that were in oats or wheat sowed to peas and peas growing all through the corn fields broadcasted or drilled there at the last plowing This is just as it should be and indicates that the fanners have determined to ennch their lands without relying solely on commercial fer tuizers CANE AND SORGHUM These important crops are both in fine condition well ad vanced and promise a bountiful yield Without a drouth in the next few weeks homemade syrup will be abundant in Georgia next fall and winter RICE The crop of lowland rice is unusually promising and if the equinoctial storms pass without damage the yield will be grati fying Upland rice has also done well but there is not enough planted Every farmer should plant at least a patch of this valuable grain with the same regularity that he plants his other ci ops GROUNDPEAS SWEET POTATOES ETC These crops are all doing well except in certain limited areas where there has been a deficiency of rainAnnual Publication for 1896 131 FRUIT Excessive rains in July have injured the various fruit crops seriously causing peaches melons and grapes to rot Still the supply of these fruits seems to be fairly abundant and the mar kets are well supplied at very reasonable prices I find many of the peaches affected with the curculio and our fruit grow ers should take more pains to get rid of this enemy so destruc tive to their crop STOCK The condition of all kinds of stock is reported as good throughout the State but little hog cholera prevailing and the prospect fine for a full supply of homemade meat Some cases of glanders have been reported to the department but the ani mals have been promptly destroyed and it is hoped that the disease has been stamped out132 Department of AgricultureGeorgia QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS INQUIRY BOX FOR AUGUSTMUCH INFORMATION FURNISHED HOW TO DESTROY WILLOWS GROWING ON CREEK BANKSTHE BEST TIME TO PREPARE A HOTBEDREMEDY FOR TICKS ON COWSHOW AND WHEN TO KILL BERMUDA GRASSTHE JERSEY AS A DAIRY COW QUESTION Please give me the best plan to kill Bermuda grass Shall I begin now or would it be best to wait until later ANSWER The late fall or winter is the best time to begin operations to destroy a Bermuda sod Have a sharp turning plow and set it to run about three or four inches deep The object is to go just deep enough to get under the mat of roots and turn them over exposing them to the drying influences of sun and air As soon as they are somewhat dry run the harrow over the Held This will drag many roots to the surface where they will dry more thoroughly The horse rake can now gather them into winrows and when dried sufliciently to tire they should be burned Repeat this through the winter as oppor tunity occursfirst the plowing then the harrowing lastly rake into winrows and burning When the spring opens plant the land in some cleanly cultivated crop and when this is taken off put in a quickly growing smothering crop as cowpeas or later rye oats wheat if the ground is in fine tilth crimson clover or vetch While Bermuda is dreaded by many farmers on account of the difficulty of eradicating it we would if we had a wellset pasture of Bermuda hesitate a long time before we would decide to destroy it It is peculiarly adapted to our climate and both as a green food and for hay ranks among the first Like ever other green thing it improves under cultureAnnual Publication for 1896 133 and with plenty of food but will also make a brave fight for existence even under the most adverse circumstances With cowpeasand Bermuda and the assistance of such fertilizers as we can save or buy we ought to in time be able to fill up the washed places and cover our worn red hills Howard an authority on the grasses of the South says To destroy Bermuda grass run a coulter or narrow bull tongue through it then set a turning plow to run very shallow and turn the sur face over but not under This exposes the roots to the cold and frost which will certainly kill it as it will sugar cane HOW TO PREPARE A HOTBED QUESTION Can you give me some dots as to how to prepare a hotbed Also tell me when is the proper time to prepare one and sow seeds to secure early spring plants ANSWER Throw out the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches in a space as large as desired Around this and on top of the ground set 12inch planks supported in place by stakes and firmly joined at the corners You now have a pit about two feet deep On the bottom of this spread fresh undecomposed horse manure and leaves to the depth of 12 inches Tramp this solid and over it spread three or four inches of fine rich woods earth This will bring the bed up to about eight inches of the top of the boards Make the cover of oiled canvas or glass and have it to fit closely to exclude the cold air In a short time the decomposing horse manure will cause the temperature of the bed to rise rapidly so high indeed as to kill the germs of any seeds which may be planted in it Ko seed should be sown until the heat subsides which may be tested by inserting sticks at three or four different points and leaving them for twenty four hours When withdrawn their heat is a sure index of the temperature of the bed and we should be guided accordingly The time for preparing the hotbed varies with locality In the far South January and February or even December will not be found too early farther north February or March134 Department of AgricultureGeorgia TO PREVENT THE ESCAPE OF AMMONIA QUESTION How shall I prevent the escape of ammonia from my manure pile and also from my stables That it does escape I am con vinced as more than one sense bears testimony to the fact ANSWER The most popular absorbent of ammonia is fine ground land plaster or gypsum Any lowgrade potash salts will also pre vent the escape of the ammonia If either is sprinkled in the stable daily it will prevent any disagreeable odor arising from the decomposing manures As to which should be used de pends very much on the land on which the manure is to be applied If the hind needs potash then use kainit which con tains about 12 pounds of potash to the 100 pounds or some other potash salts Where the land needs lime use plaster Woods earth is also a good absorbent TO DESTROY GROAVTH ON CREEK BANKS QUESTION I have tried vainly to kill some willows growing on creek banks but they invariably spring up again from the stump and instead of one stem send out several luxuriant shoots Can you give me any certain plan of destroying them without the yearly vexation of seeing them multiply instead of die ANSAVER We suppose that you have committed the error of cutting down the willows during the growing season when the effect is as you describe to encourage a fresh and perhaps more vigorous and also more troublesome growth A better plan is to girdle the trees about three feet from the ground and then peel the bark down to the ground and leave it hanging there If no strips of bark are left growing on the trees they will be thoroughly killed to the rootsAnnual Publicationfor 1896 135 A REMEDY FOR TICKS ON COWS QUESTION My cows are troubled with ticks the first time in my expe rience that they have appeared in any considerable numbers and I am at a loss as to how I shall get rid of them Please tell me some remedy not too expensive which will be effective ANSWER L At the Texas Experiment Station various tests have been made and the following was found to be the most effective Cottonseed oil gallon place this in a suitable vessel over a slow fire then add J tumblerful of dead oil and the same of pine tar Stir together and when the tar is melted remove from the fire When cool it is ready to apply and one appli cation is usually found sufficient to destroy the ticks in 24 hours If not thoroughly effective apply a second time After a little practice one can judge accurately of the amount neces sary to do the work in one application The dead oil is noth ing more nor less than crude carbolic acid and costs about 30 to 50 cents per gallon according to quantity The cost of the other materials is nominal If the theory that the ticks trans mit fatal diseases holds good it is very important that they be destroyed TO STIMULATE THE GROWTH OF CABBAGE QUESTION How should I encourage my fall cabbage to quick growth Last year they were healthy looking plants but grew so slowly that they had not thoroughly headed when cold weather came ANSWER Doubtless your land was not rich enough Cabbages are gross feeders and unless the land is very rich or made so they will not produce good hard heads even where allowed plenty of time The land should not only be filled with plenty136 Department of AgricultureGeorgia of vegetable matter by broadcasting stable manure or plowing under green crops but a commercial fertilizer with full per centage of nitrogen phosphoric acid and potash should also be added and this should be thoroughly mixed with the soil in the rows before the plants are set out After being set out if their growth is not satisfactory a top dressing of nitrate of soda from J00 to 200 pounds to the acre will be found a won derful stimulant It should be applied just before a rain THE JERSEY THE BEST QUESTION Another year I expect to keep two or three good cows I will have ample and comfortable accommodations and first class food What breed would you advise me to invest in ANSWER All things considered we believe the Jersey oilers the great est inducements as a dairy cow She can adapt herself to most situations and on the same food her butter product will be greater than that of any other breed She is not adapted for beef her frame is small but as a milk and butter machine she has no superior In the past few years the more general intro duction and grading of this breed has caused prices to fall and at the present time the possession of fullbred Jerseys need not be limitedto men of large means A tine cow can be bought today for far less than the price demanded even a few years ago and graded cows onehalf threefourths or even four fifths Jersey can be bought at very reasonable figures BLACK RUST QUESTION There is a disease that is killing my cotton and already the stand is seriously injured I send you some stalks andhope that you can give me the name of the disease and some remedyAnnual Publication for 1896 137 ANSWER After a careful study of the plants you sent I am satisfied that they are suffering from what is called black rust In some points the leaves bear a resemblance to what is called frenching and they also have a likeness to leaf blight A microscopic examination is frequently necessary to distin guish these diseases one from the other Black rust is due to the combined effects of several microscopic plants called fungi which growing within the leaves of the cotton plant destroy the living tissues Man theories have been advanced relative to the black rust in cotton Some say that it is due to the physical condition of the soil or to a want of some fertilizing ingredient The subject has not yet been sufficiently investigated but it is certain that the disease has been destruc tive on good land well fertilized Another common theory is that black rust is due to atmospheric conditions This is an error though it is true that certain conditions of the amos phere conduce to the growth of the fungi Wet weather con tinued for a long time is unfavorable to the cotton plant but is favorable to the growth of the parasites which cause black rust There is no remedy for this disease when its makes its appearance and some years it is very destructive By a rota tion of crops which would bring the land in cotton only once in three years it is thought by many that cotton would be less liable not only to this disease but to others which now attack it yearly The constant cultivation of the same land in cotton year after year enormously increases the parasites and fungir which feeding upon the cotton plant cause it to sicken and die By a judicious rotation of crops I believe that such diseases as frenching blight mildew root gall and rust might almost be obliterated while on the contrary our present style of planting encourages their growth as well as their virulence THE COTTON MOTH QUESTION I send two moths which I think lay the eggs that produce the cot ton worm Am I correct and if so how shall I best fight the worms138 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWER The moths you sent are as you supposed the cotton moth the forerunner of the dreaded caterpillar While as yet there have been no complaints of caterpillars the wet weather of the past month is very favorable to their development and I daily expect to hear of their appearance in the cotton fields Upon their first appearance active warfare should be waged against them This can be done successfully and cheaply with either Paris green or London purple One pound of either of the above arsenites mixed with twenty pounds of flour and ten pounds of cottonseed meal will suffice to dust over an acre of cotton This can be applied by inclosing a half peck at a time of the above mixture in a bur lap sack and shaking over the cotton plants whiie walking rapidly between the rows This should be done soon in the morning while the dew is on the leaves and must be repeated after rain if the worms are still present The poison should be very thor oughly mixed with the dilutents Wood ashes would do as well perhaps better than the cottonseed meal to mix with the flour The sieves very commonly used iu some parts of the country arc too wasteful of the material using from 50 to 75 pounds to the acre It is not so much the quantity but the even distribution of the poison that is desired In some parts of the West the plants are poisoned by attaching a bag containing Paris green to each end of a pole 6 to 8 feet long balanced from the pommel of the saddle The rider passing down the cotton rows the poison is dusted over the plants at each step of the animal he rides This is probably the most rapid way of distributing the poison At the end of the days labor the animal should be well washed to get rid of any particles of poison that may adhere to him So cheaply and so thoroughly can the cotton caterpillar be destroyed that no farmer can have any excuse for letting them eat up his cotton crop SELECTING SEED CORN QUESTION Would you advise that seed corn be selected in the field or is it just as well to select the fine ears after the corn is housed MyAnnual Publication for 1896 139 plan has always been to keep boxes or barrels handy and in taking the feed corn out of the crib to reserve the very fine ears by throwing them into these receptacles ANSWER In selecting seed corn we should reserve not only the finest ears but these should be taken from the best stalks After the corn is gathered and thrown into the crib we of course can form no idea of the stalks on which the best ears were grown and therefore it is the safest plan to select the seed from the field as the crop is gathered This may be done by going through the field select ing the finest ears on the most vigorous and best developed stalks The ears should not only be large but well formed alsothat is the same or nearly the same size from tip to tipwell filled at the ends as well as in the middle the cob small and the grains wedge shaped that is much smaller at the bottom than at the top If not practicable to gather the seed corn first then have a box in the wagon and as the crop is gathered throw the selected ears in this If you do not make the selection yourself dont trust it to the judgment of the ordinary farm handdelegate it to some one on whose discrimination you can depend In the matter of seed corn fanners as a rule do not realize the importance of careful selection By actual test it has been shown that good seed will make a differ ence of several additional bushels to the acre To keep up this advantage the seed should be selected every year and not once in three or four years In making selections select from stalks with two ears FORMULA FOR BORDEAUX MIXTURE QUESTION Please tell me if the Bordeaux mixture will protect from mil dew and blights and if so how shall I make it ANSWER The Bordeaux mixture is very beneficial in preventing the at tacks of fungi and blights and is made according to the following official formula of the United States Department of Agriculture 140 Department of AgricultureGeorgia la a barrel that will hold 45 gallons dissolve six pounds of cop per sulphate using 8 or 10 gallons of water or as much as may be necessary for the purpose In a tub or half barrel slake four pounds of fresh lime When completely slaked add enough water to make a creamy whitewash Pour this slowly into the barrel containing the copper sulphate solution using a coarse gunny sack stretched over the head of the barrel for a strainer Finally fill the barrel with water stir thoroughly and the mixture is ready for use Prepared in this way the cost of one gallon of the mix ture will not exceed 1 cent the price of copper sulphate being 7 cents per pound and lime 50 cents per bushel In all cases it is desirable to use powdered copper sulphate as it costs but little more and dissolves much more readily It is highly important also that fresh lime be used By the addition of Paris green or Lon don purple to the Bordeaux mixture you will have an excellent insecticide and fungicide combined For plums peaches and other stone fruits you can add two ounces of Paris green to 45 gallons of the Bordeaux mixture without injury to the leaves For other fruits use from three to four ounces of either Paris green or Lon don purple to 45 gallons of the Bordeax mixture IRISH POTATOES QUESTION Can I make a second or summer crop of Irish potatoes and if so where will I get seed ANSWER There is no trouble to make a second or late crop of Irish potatoes provided you go about it the right way It used to be the custom to throw back the small potatoes and cover them while digging the crop depending upon them to come up and produce a second crop This was very unsatisfactory as the stand was generally poor and the yield small Of late years the following much better plan has been successfully followed Select from the first crop after they have been dug two or three weeks mediumsized smooth tubers and bed them as youAnnual Publication for 1896 141 would sweet potatoes only using no manure and covering only about two inches in dirt From the middle of July to the first of August in Middle Georgia take up these bedded potatoes and plant whole only those that show signs of sprouting Plant as you would in the spring getting down as deep as possible into the ground but covering shallow not more than two inches deep After the potatoes are up work the dirt to them grad ually Potatoes thus made keep readily through the winter and make the best of seed for spring planting and are even in great demand from the Northern States as being particularly hardy and healthy There has recently come into notice a variety of potato called the Lookout Mountain which seems to be peculiarly adapted to summer planting These need not be bedded and may be cut to seed pieces as is usually done in spring planting I quote what our Experiment Station says of this potato The Lookout Mountain is a potato said to have originated in Northwest Georgia as its name indicates and is probably a seedling from the Hoosier which it much resembles and which shares to some extent its remarkable keeping qualities It is quite large oblong and of excellent quality pure white mealy and of unsurpassed flavor and rich ness It will not do well planted as a spring crop but seems to be especially predestined for its present missionsummer planting Its growth is extremely upright and vigorous with dark green foilage almost entirely exempt from the inroads of the macrosperium fungus It may be obtained of H H Arrington Seedsman Summerville Chattooga county Ga at prices no greater than those ruling in season for the different standard varieties THE GRAPEBERRY MOTH QUESTION I send you some grapes I find them stuck together in bunches of three or four They look like they are ripening but upon examining them I find they have been bored into by some kind of insect What are they and how can J get rid of them 142 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWER The grapes are injured by the grapeberry moth fender mis botrana The injuries inflicted by this insect are not always easily distinguished from the black rot The grown moth is an active small bluish colored insect that lays her eggs late in May or in the early part of June These hatch in a few days and the worm at once begins to eat into the grape The last of June or the first part of July the grapes that are attacked begin to show a discolored spot at the place where the worm entered Upon opening such a grape you will finda very small white worm with a brownish head It feeds on tbe pulp of the grape and as it grows if one grape is not sufficient for its sustenance it will fasten others to the one it has destroyed by means of silken threads and bore into these one after the other eating the pulp of each one As it matures it become darker and finally spins its cocoon on the leaves of the vine whence it emerges in about twelve days a little bluish colored moth Remedies The only remedies now known are clean culture gathering and burning the fallen leaves in winter and picking off and destroying all infested fruit BEETLES INJURING GRAPEVINES QUESTION I send some bluish colored beetles that are injuring the bud and leaves of my grapevines Will you tell me their name and give a remedy ANSWER The bluisbed colored bugs are known as the grapevine flea beetle They do their greatest damage by boring into the buds upon their swelling in the spring though they continue feeding on the leaves afterwards The females lay on the un der side of the leaves clusters of yellow eggs which in a few days hatch out small darkbrown colored larvge These at once begin to devour the foilage and when in large numbers soonAnnual Publication for 1896 143 leave only the ribbed skeletons of the leaves When fully grown which takes about four weeks they leave the vine enter the ground form earthen cocoons and change to yellow ish pupae In about three weeks these are transformed into the perfect beetle which again attack the leaves and lay eggs for another brood of larvae The best remedy is spraying with Paris green one ounce to 20 gallons of water They can also be destroyed with pyrethrum or insect powder The beetles are quite sluggish on cool mornings and may then be collected on sheets by jarring the vines The cheapest and beat remedyr though is the Paris screen144 Department of AgricultureGeorgia SEPTEMBER MR NESBITTS TALK TO THE FARMERS MONTHLY LETTER OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE THE COTTON CROP CUT OFF AT LEAST A THIRD BY THE IN TENSE HEAT AND DRYNESS OF THE PAST TWO MONTHSFARM ERS CONSIDERING THE EXPEDIENCY OF HOLDING THEIR COT TON FOR HIGHER PRICES ETC Department of Agriculture Atlanta Ga September 1 1896 Lookiug over the cotton fields today one scarcely recognizes them as the same which were a month ago laden with the promise of an abundant crop At that time the plants were in luxuriant growth although the crop as a rule got a late start in the spring the following seasons were very propitious and thus the farmers had ample opportunity to accomplish the first workings promptly therefore when the needed rains in June began everything was fa vorable and from that time the crop continued to improve so steadily that the prospect for a heavy yield was nevermore promising On all sides the crop was greeted by the glossy dark green of the rapidly maturing plants The bottom crop was maturing and the middle and top crops fast forming when the drouth of July and August began This has been so fierce and so long continued that in many instances particularly in the late planted cotton fields the ground is covered with the forms and youug bolls of the mid dle and top crops and a large percentage of the more mature bot tom crop which still clings to the stalks has been prematurely forced open by the intense heat and dryness The results are an inferior staple and a stained sample Under these conditions which are not confined to our own Statebut are even intensified in Texas Mississippi Alabama Louisiana and Arkansas the cer tainty of a short crop and consequent high prices seem a foregone conclusionand many farmers are consideringAnnual Publication foe 1896 145 THE ADVISABILITY OF HOLDING COTTON for better prices than are now quoted To give positive advice on this question is as risky as predicting the weather or standing se curity for the amiability of a Georgia mule Each individual farmer must be guided by his own judgment and by circumstances which render his selling at an early day important or immaterial to his own business interests The visible supply of cotton is very short and the crop is certainly cut off at least a third if not more but on the other hand spinners are overcrowded with goods many of the mills have shut down or are working on shorter time added to which the financial crisis renders all predictions as to the prob able outcome extremely uncertain Speculation also controls the market to a great extent EARLY AND LATE PLANTED COTTON What is of equal importance to us and a lesson which we can take to heart and study with profit is the superiority of the crop on the early planted and well prepared cotton fields over that which was carelessly prepared for aud planted late Even the in experienced eye can detect the difference at sight On my own farm I insisted that a portion of the cotton crop should be planted earlyand though some of the tenants did the work under pro test they are today rejoicing that in these fields at least a part of the fruit remains Where the cotton was planted early land well and deeply prepared and manuring judiciously donethe per cent of grown bolls is very encouraging The lesson to be learned is that having attended to the preliminaries of thorough preparation it is safer to make one two or even three plantings with intervals between than to trust our entire crop to one plantingand also that careless methods do not pay We not only take greater chances on some portion hitting the seasons properly but by planting at intervals the ease of handling the crop is greatly increased because the cul tivations of each planting will follow each other in such order as to avoid the unprofitable rush which is inevitable when all are pressing for attention at the same time The same may be said of the gathering146 Department of AgricultureGeorgia INCREASING THE YIELD OF LINT to each pound of seed cotton is another subject for profitable study and progress By systematic work on this line the sugar beet has been made to yield double the proportion of sugar that it once did Wheat corn oats barley all have by the same careful methods of saving and selecting seed judiciously applying fertilizers and thorough preparation aud cultivation been made to increase the proportion of grain as compared to stalk chaff etc Cotton is equally susceptible to improvement A few farmers have realized the importance and the profit of this work and from much of the improved seed which they have placed on the market we gain a more wellbalanced plant aud a larger yield of lint but the ma jority of farmers even those who have invested in these high priced seed too often suffer them to lapse into mediocritythrough carelessness after selection The seed for the succeeding crop is taken indiscriminately from the seed pileor if certain pickings are selected there is no distinction made as to the mature and im mature bolls all are thrown into one common pile and naturally when planting time comes the inferior seed stand an equal chance with the good The hoe hand can mark no difference in the plants which spring from perfect or from inferior seed and often the former is sacrificed in the process of bringing the crop to a stand to give place to the latter CAREFUL SEED SELECTION is always important but much more so this year than usual be cause of the number of immature boils which have been forced open by the long drouth The average proportion of lint to seed in the usual run of cotton is about onethird that is about 100 pounds of lint to 300 pounds of seed cotton although we have known the amount of lint to be considerably increased Any pro cess of preparation fertilization and cultivation which will in crease the ratio of lint without a corresponding increase in the other parts of the plant will do much to reduce the cost of pro duction which should be our constant aim It is known that an excess of nitrogen will produce a luxuriant weed growth with aAnnual Publication foe 1896 147 diminished yield of fruit It is also shown by analysis that the lint is largely composed of potash Keeping these facts in mind and also remembering that to attain its highest benefit the plant food for cotton must be in immediately available condition we must conclude that the potash in our fertilizers for cotton should be abundant and available while the ammonia and phosphoric acid though equally available should be more restricted as to quantity otherwise we develop the plant where we do not need it that is in stalk foliage and seed and restrict its production of lint which is just the reverse of what we desire to accomplish As long as we have to use these artificial fertilizers to produce our cot ton we should certainly study to use them to the best advantage in order to gain a large yield of lint with a comparative small pro portion of the other parts of the plant Another subject to which we should give more attention is the BALING OF OUR COTTON The Savannah Cotton Exchange has sent out the following circular letter which is of importance to cotton planters For the past few years complaints from Europe as to the condition of American cotton bales have steadily increased and so much so was this the case this year that the Liverpool ex change issued a circular imposing a penalty on all cotton that was not up to a certain standard as to condition By the most urgent effort the penalty has been postponed for another sea son but in the meantime all handlers and packers of bales should strive for an improvement At a convention held in Augusta in April last at which Charleston Savannah and other cities were represented the fol lowing resolutions were adopted as recommendations to the ginners and packers of cotton That the bales should be well covered with a good quality of bagging weighing not less than two pounds to the yard That each bale should be tied with six ties of the standard size148 Department of AgricultureGeorgia That the bale should be made in boxes measuring 28 inches in width by 58 inches in length A uniform bale of 28x58 inches can be easily attained at a very small expense by nailing strips of wood in boxes that are now larger Bales of all one size will certainly facilitate business and be a benefit to every one in the trade but especially so to the freight steamers and such cotton will undoubtedly command a less rate of freight which really goes to the seller You are therefore requested to comply with the foregoing recommenda tions and thus assist in improving the condition of the Ameri can cotton bales The penalty referred to was imposed by the Liverpool Cotton Association and was a deduction of five pounds from the weight of each bale found to be covered with inferior bagging and ties or in otherwise bad condition This association also recommends the size mentioned above 28 inches wide by 58 inches long This uniformity in size will facilitate handling and transportation vessels will be enabled to store more cot ton in the same soace which will lower freights and result in higher prices in our home markets A reform in this matter would thus result in direot benefit to us the producers Very few farmers realize that there is at present a deduction made on account of the bad condition in which American cotton reaches the Liverpool market and that this loss falls directly on themselves It is deducted before the price is fixed THE COTTON TIE TRUST Learning that a combine is in force to wring from the farm ers a heavy aggregate expense in the increased price of cotton ties I as the representative of the farming industry of Georgia and in compliance with numerous appeals from farmers have set on foot inquiries as to the practicability of using wire as a substitute Had the trust advanced the price in moderation no complaint would have been made but to more than double the price of ties without any corresponding advance in their costAnnual Publication for 1896 149 and to endeavor to force this additional price from the farmers when they were considered powerless to prevent the gouge has excited universal indignation The wire ties while costing less than the steel are of lighter weight and therefore bring the farmer less in the final disposal of his cotton but the almost universal feeling seems to be that the greed which would thus seek to rob the farmers should be rebuked and that the wire tie should be used even if it costs a little more The following will give the farmers a clear idea of what has been and what is still being done to circumvent the plans of this trust which is endeavoring by such unfair methods to force over 1500000 from the cotton planters of the South TPIE COTTON TIE TRUST Atlanta Ga Aug 3The State Department of Agriculture has taken hold of the cotton tie trust and will make investiga tions for the purpose of finding a substitute for the ties that have been cornered Commissioner R T Nesbitt today issued the following man ifesto on the subject To the Farmers of Georgia and the South A few years ago we were confronted by a gigantic monop oly the bagging trust which tried to force from the farmers thousands of dollars which they in their depressed condition could ill afford to lose By united efforts on the part of the farmers this evil was averted and the octopus which had fast ened itself on the agricultural industry was destroyed Today we are confronted by similar trouble The manu facturers of cotton ties have formed another great combination and without any cause except to gratify an unlawful greed have agreed to raise the price of their goods 100 percent If the price of iron had advanced there might be some reason for this action but iron was never cheaper and the same may be said of coal and labor The fact is simply that an effort is being made to force the farmers of the South to contribute millions to swell the profits of a powerful combination of manufacturers150 Department of AgricultureGeorgia The farmers are in good condition just now to fight this trust They have their provisions there are few debts to be met until later and therefore no pressing necessity to force their cotton on the market I would advise that they hold meetings iu every section of the South and denounce this attempt to de fraud them of their earnings At the same time let them ad vise together as to what isthe best way to meet this new enemy Meanwhile this department will make investigation as to sub stitutes for cotton ties that will meet the requirements of dura bility and safety Signed R T Nesbitt Department of Agriculture After careful investigation and the reception of encouraging letters from farmers in all sections we issued the following Atlanta Ga August 21 To the Farmers of Georgia This department has been investigating the question of substitut ing wire ties for the flat ties heretofore used in baling cotton and I believe now that a satisfactory solution of the question has been reached I now urge upon the farmers of this and the other cotton growing States to meet together in their respective counties and devise plans for securing wire ties If necessary delay packing your cotton for a short time in order that you may get the wire ties The following letters explain the matter The ties used by Mr George W Truitt are made by the Continental Wire Com pany Laclede building St Louis Mo They weigh 18 pounds to the bundle and are offered at 50 cents a bundle 30 ties on the cars at St Louis in car loads lots or 60 cents in smaller quantities The ties recommended by the Farmers Alliance Exchange of South Carolina can he purchased from Washburn Moen Manu facturing Company 241 Pearl street New York They weigh 37 pounds to the bundle and will cost 90 cents a bundle laid down in Atlanta Any further information desired will be cheer fully furnished upon application to this department K T Nesbitt CommissionerAnnual Publication for 1896 151 Mr Truitt writes that the wire ties are a success in every par ticular and Mr Duncan manager of the Farmers Alliance Ex change of South Carolina urges its adoption at once Many other letters indicate that it has been given a favorable reception and has stood tests as to strength durability and injury to bagging The heavier wire is preferred WORK FOR THE MONTH Push the fattening bogs Every pound of flesh gained as the weather grows colder is made at additional expense Hogs which are already for the knife the first cold spell make the best and cheapest meat Give them variety of food and see that they are kept in clean quarters with plenty of pure water to drink Give an occasional dose of copperas and keep ashes and salt mixed dry where they can easily reach it Fall oats should be sownthe land well prepared and fertilized Also put in the crops of rye and barley Where the location is suitable the grasses and clovers should also be sown They require rich land and a fine deep seed bed Gather the cotton as carefully as circumstances will admit The prematurely opened boll will require more care than is usual Dont gin when damp and dont leave exposed to the weather R T Nesbitt Commissioner152 Department of AgricultureGeorgia CONDITION OF THE CROPS THE COTTON CROP WILL NOT BE AS LARGE AS WAS EXPECTEDGOOD PRICES COMING COTTON The bright prospect of a month ago has vanished and the pres ent outlook is about as poor as it could be The rains of July pro duced a vigorous growth of weed and during that month the plants were taking on fruit rapidly and the outlook was encourag ing for a large crop About the first of August the rains ceased and then followed several weeks of the hottest weather ever ex perienced in the State In addition to the heat came drouth causing the plants to shed leaves forms and even young bolls So hot and dry has the weather been that many of the bolls have opened prematurely resulting in great loss It is difficult to esti mate the damage to the crop Rains now cannot add any fruit to the plants but might enable the half grown bolls to mature A very conservative estimate would be 25 to 30 per cent off from what was promised on August 1 From the bad reports from all the cotton growing States the present outlook is for a crop but little if any in excess of the last If this estimate is correct cotton should bring from 9 to 10 cents a pound to the farmer and I be lieve that price will be reached whenever Liverpool recognizes the disaster that has befallen the crop CORN The very fine promise of a month ago relative to this crop has been somewhat curtailed by the drouth and heat of August The greater part of the crop was secure when the drought came but a considerable amount of late planted corn has been injured and even that which was planted in good time would have filled out and made heavier corn had the heat and drouth been less severe Nevertheless the State is blessed with a crop sufficiently large for all ordinary purposes and there will be no need to import corn for man or beast Fodder pulling is over except in the more northern counties and this valuable product has been saved in fine conditionAnnual Publication for 1896 15a SORGHUM SUGAR CANE ETC These crops though injured by the heat are in fairly good con dition and promise an average yield Grinding of the former will very soon commence in North Georgia SWEET POTATOES ETC Sweet potatoes will be abundant though in some cases those planted late will make nothing Gardens as a rule have burnt up and very few turnips have been sowed the lack of moisture rendering it impossible to properly prepare the ground Ground peas and rice have both made fair crops being well advanced to ward maturity before the August drouth came FRUIT The Georgia fruit crop except apples has all been marketed and at prices which probably left a fair profit to the growers STOCK Condition good all over the State with very few reports of sick ness of any kind Plenty of corn has a tendency to keep stock in good order and healthy and following the fine corn crop of last year the department has noticed a great diminution in the reports of cholera and other diseases among hogs and hollowhorn hollow tail etc among cattle154 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES COMMISSIONER NESBITTS QUESTION BOX FOR THE MONTH A SIMPLE PLAN OF ASCERTAINING THE NET WEIGHT OF HOGSHINTS TO BARN BUILDERSHOW TO BRING UP WORN SANDY LAND TO A BETTER STATE OF FERTILITY WORMS IN FREESTONE PEACHES QUESTION 1 I have a piece of worn sandy land that I wish to bring up to a better state of fertility I have just sowed it in peas after manuring it with ashes and acid phosphate and breaking it deeply How shall I proceed further 2 I have a tenacre piece of ground with a branch on one side of it I think with a ram I could irrigate this land at a cost of 200 to 300 I want to raise truck Do you think I could do so successfully 3 This land will make 1000 pounds of seed cotton to the acre Is it good enough to at once commence putting it in garden truck 4 Will it do to sow scarlet or crimson clover behind the cotton pickers in the fall 5 What place in Georgia ships the most garden truck ANSWER 1 On your worn sandy land just sowed in peas June 1 the plan will be to cut the peavines for hay about October 1 or sooner if ready Then thoroughly break the laud applying per acre about 200 pounds of acid phosphate and 100 pounds of cottonseed meal there will be enough potash in the soil if you applied a liberal dressing of ashes recently and sow the crimson clover harrowing it in Next spring you should harvest a good crop of clover hay and at the same time your land will be much betterAnnual Publication foe 1896 155 than at present both the peas and the clover having collected and added nitrogen to the soil Eepeat the rotation of peas and clover again next year and your land should then be in condition to pro duce fair crops You will notice that by this plan while building up the land you will at the same time be getting remunerative crops of peavine and clover hay I would not advise the sowing of rye with the clover as it would be of no benefit 2 I do not think it would pay you to attempt to irrigate ten acres by the use of a ram and tank I know that you could not d3 it at an expense of 200 or 300 and I doubt whether you could do it at all by that system as it would take an immense amount of water to irrigate ten acres in truck I think if you could arrange to put the ten acres in strawberries and also to water them if necessary it would pay you better than anything else We frequently have a dry May like the last when strawberries fail for want of water and in such an event if you could water yours they would certainly prove profitable 3 If your laud is full of humus you might at once engage in raising truck with the liberal use of fertilizers If the land is devoid of humus you had better put scarlet clover on it this fall to be followed by peas next spring 4 I dont think it a good plan to sow scarlet clover behind the cotton pickers on land that must be tramped and packed The ground on the contrary should be thoroughly prepared and fer tilized and the clover seed harrowed in about the last of Septem ber 5 Savannah ships more garden truck than any other place in the State and some of the truck growers there have made a good deal of money in the business They have however the advantage of low freights by rail or steamship and can put their products in the Northern markets much cheaper than you can Before engaging in the truck business I would advise you to visit Chattanooga where they raise a vast quantity of strawberries as well as garden truck of various kinds Examine well the methods and the crops cultivated by the successful men in the business and then decide upon your courseiSH Department op AgricultureGeorgia HAY CAPSHOW THEY ARE MADE QUESTION I save a good deal of hay each year but some years it is badly damaged by rain would it pay me to get hay caps and how are they made ANSWER There is no question as to the service rendered bv the hay caps in stormy weather and they are used by many good hay makers at the Worth To make them buy common brown sheeting 60 inches wide Cut this into squares and sew the edges all around over a stout cord leaving a loop of the cord at each corner about 6 inches long by which it can be fastened to the ground Make your hay cocks some 5 or 6 feet high and about 4 feet wide at the base ThroW the caps over the hay cocks and pin them at each corner with a wooden pin driven into the ground If a g00d coating of boiled hnseed oil is applied to the caps they will last longer and um water better If care is taken of them they will last 10 or 10 years Hay caps are also made now of paper and many pre fer them to those made of cloth Either kind will answer the pur pose they are made for and to a hay maker are well worth their DROPPINGS FROM THE POULTRY HOUSE QUESTION I have always been in the habit of keeping the droppings from the poultry house during the summer months in boxes or barrels and appvlng them the following fall or spring to any place which I wish to make especially rich But I find that they become hard and after having applied it is sometime before they are thorough ncorporated with the soil Will you for the benefit of myself and other poultry raisers tell me of some plan by which I may onceveTJl 7 Cnditi0D aUd at the Same time rend a once available for any crop I may plant Annual Publication for J 896 157 ANSWER Your plan of keeping the droppings in boxes or barrels is of course preferable to leaving them in the poultry houses where they not only affect the health of the fowls but furnish a breeding place for several forms of insect life more or less injurious Before the droppings are placed in the barrels mix them with an equal amount of dry earth to which has been added kainit in the pro portions of a peck to each bushel of earth Then place in the barrels and keep damp not wet until needed The soapsuds from the family washing are excellent for this purpose When the time comes for applying to fall crops the mixture will be found in fine condition to be immediately taken up by the crops During the winter and early spring the best plan is to broadcast the droppings as fast as gathered up and chop or harrow them into the soil This will prevent them from becoming hard and the necessary chemical and mechanical changes will at once begin HOW TO BUILD A GOOD BARN QUESTION I intend putting up a nice barn Am a young farmer just start ing out and would be glad if you would give me a few important points to be looked after in order to secure a comfortable and con venient barn ANSWER The location of your barn is of the first importance It is easy to make additions and add conveniences but if the situation is bad the defect can never be remedied Build on a hillside and you can so arrange as to have second story on a level with the wagon way which is a great convenince in driving in and out and in unloading and storing the crops It may also be arranged to have a level drive way which adds greatly to the expedition and ase with which the feeding the handling of the manure and other operations may be carried on The situation should also be selected with a view to convenience that is within easy access from the fields and also the dwelling without being too near the latter158 Department of AgricultureGeorgia While good drainage to prevent dampness or standing water is important it is equally important to prevent washing Too often we see the rich dark streams from our barnyards borne off to the nearest watercourse to be swept beyond our reach when a little care and forethought would enable us to preserve and add these wasted but precious elements to our hardrun fields If possible the barn should be protected from the cold north winds although at the South this is not a matter of so much moment as in the colder regions of the higher latitudes Having determined on these main points examine different plans and settle on that which suits you best allowing for ample room and also having an eye to an attractive and inviting appearance to which a little whitewash adds a wonderful percentage WORMS IN PEACHES QUESTION I have four clearstone peach trees they were well fruited The fruit should ripen from July 1 to 10 The peaches have all fallen off before ripening and every peach has from one to four worms in it What are they and how can I prevent tbem ANSWER The insect that has ruined your peaches is the curculio which is a small brownish beetle and attacks indiscriminately all the stone fruits This beetle lays its eggs just under the skin of the peach and in four to eight days the eggs hatch out a soft foot less grub with a horny head which commences to eat its way at once to the center of the peach It will remain from three to five weeks in the peach when the injured fruit usually falls to the ground and the grub then burrows from four to six inches in the earth where after remaining about three weeks it becomes a beetle and issues forth to again begin its destructive round As a rule the fruit containing this grub falls to the ground before ma turity though this is not always the case It requires constant care to get rid of this pest They have a habit when alarmed of folding their legs close to the body and dropping to the groundAnnual Publication for 1896 159 there remaining motionless as though dead By taking advantage of this habit many can be destroyed by giving the tree a sudden blow and catching the beetles in a sheet spread for the purpose then burning or mashing them to death Repeat this frequently When possible it is also well to let hogs and poultry have the run of the orchard as they destroy most of the grubs before they bury themselves in the ground Spraying is also recommended with a very weak solution of Paris green say 1 pound to 400 gallons of water to which add several gallons of lime water The foilage of the peach is very easily injured and I would suggest the other remedies as the surest and least dangerous MUCK FOR COTTON QUESTION Would it be a good plan to open a deep furrow put muck and leaves in and cover them with another furrow and then in the spring bed on it and plant cotton What kind of fertilizer shall I use for poor sandy land where cotton fires badly ANSWER It would not be advisable to use the muck as you suggest Fer mentation of the muck is necessary to make its ingredients avail able as plant food To get the best results you must compost it with stable manure which would result in a fermentation which would bring inert materials into available forms and improve the mechanical condition of both the muck and the stable manure One load of manure to three loads of muck of good quality will make a compost which some authorities contend is as good load for load as manure Now you can either use this compost as you would lot manure or if you wish a stronger fertilizer add 500 pounds of acid phosphate and 50 pounds of muriate of potash to each 1450 pounds of the compost Your cotton fires no doubt for the want of humus in the soil and the humus must be restored before you can hope to prevent the firing of the cotton by the use of fertilizers According to the best authorities humus supplies nitrogen to the plant it im160 Department op AgricultureGeorgia bibes and absorbs and holds water and the vapor of water it improves the texture of many soils And it absorbs and holds ammonia and the salts of ammonia as well as various other sub tances Moreover by its slow decay humus supplies carbonic add for the dissolving of plant food To replace the humus in your soil you must plant rye this fall to be turned under in the spring follow that with a crop of peas fertilizing at the same time with 100 pounds acid phosphate and 50 pounds of kainit to the acre Gather the peas and let the vines remain upon the land The following spring put in cotton if you wish and using the above fertilizer I am sure you would make a good cotton crop After that rotate your crops in such a manner that you will not have cot ton on the same land oftener than once in three years Plant more small grain more fieldpeas etc and in this way you can keep up the fertility of your soil and make crops that will be a pleasure and a profit CURE FOR LAMP AS QUESTION My horse has a swelling of the bars on the roof of the mouth called I believe lampas Can I cure it without burning with a hot irou which seems to me a needlessly cruel operation ANSWER Never permit the cruel and brutal practice of burning the roof of mouth for lampas This method is still pursued in some sections but it is an evidence of ignorance and cruelty This con dition is frequently due to teething in young horses sometimes in old horses to indigestion and it frequently occurs when a young horse is taken from grass and fed on grain Generally this swell ing will get well without any treatment but should the inflamma tion be great enough to interfere with mastication then lance where the most swelling appears Afterwards wash the mouth two or three times a day with a solution of alum and water Keep this up for three or four days feeding on grass or ground corn or oats and your animal will get wellAnnual Publication foe 1896 161 GRAFTING AND BUDDING QUESTION Please tell me in grafting or budding does the new growth take the nature of the stock on which it is grafted or of the tree from which the scions were taken ANSWER A grafted tree is an instance of blended growth As the emi nent authority Storer says The leaves and stems of the graft are nourished by food taken in from the soil through the roots of the stock while the roots and other tissues of the stock are supported in their turn by food taken in from the air through the leaves of the graft The graft however retains the nature of the tree from which it was taken the stock being only the medium for furnish ing it with nourishment from the earth IRISH POTATOES QUESTION Living in the latitude of Macon could I plant Irish potatoes in the spring follow with peas cut the vines off and then sow turnips in time to mature Will pomegranates grow from the seed or how are they best propagated ANSWER It would not be impossible for you to make a crop of potatoes peas and turnips the same season with a very early spring and a very late fall to help you out Under ordinary conditions you could not do it and would have to content yourself with potatoes or peas followed by turnips The pomegranate is easily propa gated by cuttings layers suckers or seeds The seed should be planted soon after the fruit is ripe or but few of them will vege tate DIVERSIFIED FARMING QUESTION Are there any statistics to prove that diversified farming is the safest and most profitable 11 a162 Depaetment of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWER The United States census for 1890 shows that 98 percent of the farms sold under mortgage were devoted to only one or perhaps two crops while of farms upon which several crops were grown only 2 per cent were thus disposed of This fact should be a strong argument in favor of diversified farming TO ASCERTAIN NET WEIGHT OF HOGS QUESTION Please give me a simple plan to ascertain the net weight of hogs ANSWER Under usual conditions that is when the hogs are in moderately good order fourfifths of the gross weight is about equal to the net weight that is substract onefifth from the weight of the hogAnnual Publication foe 1896 163 OCTOBER LETTER OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS DISCUSSEDCOTTON NOT THE ONLY CROP THAT WILL SUFFER AS A RESULT OF THE LONG DROUTHTHE SOWING OF SMALL GRAINS GRASSES ETC UNAVOIDABLY DELAYEDTHE ADVANTAGES OF FALL PLOWING Department of Agriculture Atlanta Ga October 1896 FALL CROPS The consequences of the long drouth are not confined to the cotton crop The land has been in such parched condition that no preparation for the usual fall crops could be made The small grains grasses clovers which should have been pre pared for in August and early September and sown in the lat ter month have been unavoidably delayed and unless the seasons are unusually favorable from the present date the farmer will be disappointed in his seeding of these fall crops We should not however be discouraged but take advantage of every available opportunity and put in as large areas of these necessary crops as circumstances will admit Dont make the mistake because time is pressing of too hurried prepara tion and seeding An acre well prepared and fertilized will be worth several times as much as a far larger area sown in the oldtime careless method FALL PLOWING The cotton fields being cleared so much earlier than usual will give farmers the opportunity so rare in cotton lands of testing the value of fall plowing Last fall we turned over164 Department of AgricultureGeorgia with a twohorse plow several acres of stiffland on which there was a heavy growth of vegetable matter leaving the furrows flush that they might get the full effect of the air the frosts and the rains Could those who doubt the advantages of fall plowing have followed each successive step in the management of the crops grown on these acres they would no longer urge objections to the plan From the outset when the spring preparations began this land was easier to manure During the time of preparation when other fields became too hard to plow these were still manageable and all during the cultivation of the crop it Las been much easier to keep the mulch of flnely pulverized soil on these than on less favored spots Today although these crops have suffered in common with every other green thing from the effects of the protracted dry spell the yield is superior and the plants in better condition than elsewhere On all heavy lands underlaid with the stiff clay subsoil fall plowing is above value The greatest need in our section for the successful production of crops is a sufficient supply of moisture during the long hot months when the usual summer drouth prevails And there is no more certain method of supplying this moisture on demand than by storing it up in the subsoil If fall plowing is properly done the subsoil being loosened so as to receive and absorb the winter rain we form a reservoir underneath the immediate surface When the hot dry weather of summer begins the moisture gradually ascends and when it comes in reach of the thirsty roots it is imme diately absorbed by them and goes to nourish the drooping plants Let a farmer make the experiment with a small patch of land and mark the difference between the plowed and the unplowed plats even in the winter months Where the land is left hard when the winter rains fall the water instead of sinking into the land penetrates only the surface and when it runs off which it will inevitably do it often carries with it much of the surface soil in many cases fertilized at heavy expense Let him mark that on the deeply plowed plat we have the double advantage of retaining both the water and theAnnual Publication for 1896 165 previous elements of fertility Another advantage of fall plow ing is that a man and a mule will accomplish more satisfac tory and more thorough work in the pleasant fall weather than when the busy days of spring come There is time to do the work carefully and completely no crops are pressing for attention and each furrow can be most effectively run Another fact which makes fall plowing most important is that every acre of such land contains in its subsoil an amount of phosphoric acid and potash which is more than suffi cient to supply the needs of any crops that may be grown on them for an indefinite number of yearsbut in their present condition these elements are not available It has been proved over and over again that when these unavail able elements are brought to the surface and exposed to the action of the air and the frosts and the rains they are converted into available plant food It seems folly for a farmer to run up such heavy bills with the fertilizer merchants when by putting his plows in deep and bringing to the surface a small portion of these heretofore unappro priated elements he can each year supply his crops with the same portion of the necessary plant food as well as hold the moisture for further use The prairie lands of Mississippi were at one time thought to be almost inexhaustible but there are acres and acres in that State from which the rich top soil has been ruthlessly skimmedand now that the hard subsoil has been reached the farmers instead of break ing this and releasing the stores of plant food confined there are turning to commercial fertilizers to supplement the thin layer of top soil which remains And this is but a repeti tion of the agricultural history of older Southern States Georgia farmers are just beginning a thorough investigation of this important question and each year we see new converts added to the list of those who make fall plowing a study and a success As before mentioned we have an unusually favor able opportunity this year for testing this question Cotton picking will doubtless be over early in this month and labor166 Department of AgricultureGeorgia will be abundant and cheap The fields which are usually occupied until the last month of the year now offer no hin drance to experimentation on this line Let us give a few of these hardrun acres a chance to recuperate their wasted stores We would rejoice to see every farmer in the State try it if only a half acre on this plan and report results at this office Put the plow in deep and bring a little of the subsoil to the surface If there is a coating of vegetable matter dont turn it entirely under leave the furrows at an angle of about 45 degrees Dont bring up a large quantity of the subsoil and leave it flat on the surface there to harden and bake The plan is to go gradually deeper and deeper each yearbring up a small quantity of the subsoil to the surface leaving it there for the forces of nature to complete the work of disintegration and decomposition On sandy lands this plan is not admissi ble they require different treatment It is only on heavy clay lands having stiff clay subsoils that the full benefits of fall plowing may be realized Dont leave the sweet and Irish POTATOES in the fields until the tops are killed by frost In a measure the keeping qualities of the potatoes are injured and moreover after the first frost we are apt to have rains which prevent the saving of the potatoes in a perfectly dry state an absolute necessity if we would preserve them successfully through the winter months It is also important that they bekept dry If the straw earth or other covering becomes damp it should be removed and dry material substituted FEEDING FOR MANURE AND FOR BEEF In the inquiries for this month is one of great importance and interest as to the merits and costs of different foods in producing manure fat and flesh The study of these questions indicates an advance in our system of agriculture and those who inquire into and investigate this subject will discover that our methods have been illadvised and wasteful and that for aAnnual Publication for 1896 167 given amount of food judiciously used we can produce a much more profitable return in both meat and manure than has here tofore been customary THE COTTON TIE TRUST is also inquired into by a farmer who wishes to know the his tory and cause of the recent fight made against the combine which has forced up the price of ties beyond all reasonable limits We have replied at length in order to show the farmers how they have been fleeced and to put them on guard against a repetition of the same tactics another year The trust has made several hundred thousand dollars out of the farmers which prompt and united effort could have prevented R T ISTesbitt Commissioner CONDITION OF CROPS CONTINUED DROUTH INJURES COTTON THE CORN CROP LIKELY TO BE SHORT COTTON Condition worse than at last report on account of drouth through September With reasonably fair weather the crop will be entirely gathered by the middle of October A full estimate of the yield would be 60 per cent of an average crop for this State and from seven to seven and a half millions for the entire crop The price should be and I think will be higher CORN This crop is injured more than was supposed a month ago and in some portions of the State the supply will be short I therefore urge upon those farmers who know they will be short of stock feed to save everything possible in the way of forage viz peavines groundpea vines and hay of any kind And also to plant rye patches and early oats that by these means168 Department of AgricultureGeorgia they may supplement their corn crops and he saved from buy ing corn and fodder In most of the counties in this State there is a sufficient supply of corn made FALL CROPS Such as potatoes sugar cane peas sorghum etc have been injured seriously particularly the three first Sorghum has turned out fairly well while the grinding showed a lack of juice the long drouth had eliminated nearly all the water from the sap and very little boiling was required to convert it into syrup Sweet potatoes peas and cane will be shorter than for many years past indeed in many places these crops might be called a total failure WHEAT AND OATS A large acreage should be planted in these grains this fall The early gathering of the cotton crop will enable those so dis posed to prepare thoroughly and plant with care a larger crop than usual of these two important cereals one or both of which should be planted on every farm in the State STOCK The condition of stock continues to be good and doubtless there will be more hogs killed this winter than for many years past This is as it should be Our farmers should never relax their efforts to make their farms selfsupporting then and then only will they be truly independentAnnual Publication foe 1896 169 ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES OCTOBER QUESTION BOXTHE HITT WIRE COTTON TIE CERTIFICATES FROM COMPRESS COMPANIES WHO SAY IT IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THE OLD FLAT TIETHE FER TILIZING PROPERTIES IN A TON OF COTTONSEEDHOW TO DESTROY LEAF FOLDER QUESTION What has become of the wire cotton tie in which we as farmers should be much interested We have heard nothing of them recently and suppose from this that you have been unable to secure a substitute that would answer all the purposes of the flat tie We as farmers would like to know if we will be compelled to submit to the imposition of the cotton tie trust another year ANSWER Owing to the rapidity with which the crop has been gathered and also to the fact that most merchants and ginners had already purchased a supply of the flat ties it has been impossible to introduce the wire tie generally this season The first ones tried did not give entire satisfaction but you will see from the following certificates that the improved Hitt wire tie double strand and patent buckle is not only a substitute but is consid ered superior to the flat tie in many respects A bunch of these weighs 50 pounds and costs 110 at present prices The flat ties weigh 45 pounds to the bunch and costs 135 We trust that farmers will read these certificates and investigate the merits of these new ties Any questions addressed to the Department of Agriculture Atlanta will be cheerfully an swered The Brunswick compress where the ties were tried is one of the largest in the South The certificate speaks in no uncer170 Department of AgricultureGeorgia tain tones as to the superiority of the wire tie The ties will be on exhibition at the Agricultural Department and we would be glad to have farmers come in and examine them The two additional certificates are from two different compress companies in Albany Ga Brunswick Ga September 23 To Whom it May Concern I am now handling cotton upon which Hitts wire tie and patent buckle has been used and having had twentyrive years experience in stevedoring and compressing will say that I can highly recommend the Hitt device to the public as being in every way far superior to the flat bands and buckles heretofore used 1 It is cheaper hence the planter gets a benefit 2 Wire bands will not break and can be tied just as quickly as the flat ones hence the compress people are benefited 3 Wire bands can be tied tighter than flat bands which means a greater density and as there will be no broken bands the cotton arrives at destination in much better condition than if it had been compressed with flat bands thereon hence the shippers are benefited in two ways first by lower ocean rates on account of increased density and secondly by having cotton reach destination in better condition than if pressed by flat bands 4 There are no sharp ends of bands to cut the hands of laborers when handling cotton compressed with the Hitt device hence the steredores will prefer wire bands upon cotton Underwriters should make a reduction in insurance rates on cotton with wire bands upon it and no doubt they will when they are generally used as in case of fire wire bands will stand more than double the heat of flat bands without break ing hence a great deal more cotton will be saved in bales than if it were in the loose condition as loose cotton burns very rapidly Respectfully A F Churchill President The Brunswick Terminal CompanyAnnual Publication foe 1896 171 Brunswick Ga September 24 Hon R 1 Nesbitt Commissioner of Agriculture Atlanta Ga Dear SirI forgot to mention in my letter of yesterday to you that I have had considerable experience in the use of wire bands upon cotton I have used them in the past when doubling cotton putting two bales together under great press ure in our Brunswick compress Necessity compelled me to use wire as the flat bands would not hold double bales Wire bands will not cut the bagging of cotton bales when two bales are pressed into one let alone upon single pressed bales I have proved this fact from practical experience and I make this statement without fear of contradiction Further more the tensile strength of wire is far more than tensile strength of flat bands hence there will not be any broken bands or burst bales when tied with wire which must cer tainly be a benefit to everybody who is interested I cannot discover any disadvantage in the use of the Hitt device but vice versa it has an advantage over the flat band in every particular Very respectfully yours A F Churchill President The Brunswick Terminal Company Albany Ga September 24 To Whom It May Concern In a trial of the Hitt bale tie at our compress we find it altogether available for compress requirements It secures the bale at the density to which the press reduces it fully as well as the band tie Respectfully Albany Compress Company H Nott Parker Secretary and Treasurer Albany Ga September 24 Dear SirAfter having tried the Hitt bale tie I find theDepartment op AgricultureGeorgia strength of the tie and its method of buckling entirely effective J Yours truly TTr Albany Cotton Compress J K Whitehead Manager A irdernfoQthTeSe ti63 ln Cai l0ad l0ts dressed to James A Ferrell 253 Broadway New York will meet with prompt response r l HARVESTING UPLAND RICE QUESTION I have a half acre in upland rice which is very fine When wil it be at the proper stage to harvest and how should it be gathered ANSWER The proper stage for harvesting is when you find the straw turning yellow and the grains well filled out in the heads You can cut with a reap hook tie in bundles at once and hang on poles hek up by props at the ends or you can cut and lay upon the 8 Ubble to dry after which it can be put in small stacks Should you hang on poles a weeks exposure will be sufficient and you can then house until ready for threshing Dont bind m bundles when the dew is on the straw VALUE OF COAL ASHES QUESTION I have a quantity of coal ashes which I do not like to throw away if there is any value in them either as a fertilizer or as a oset J0U teH me theJ aie VaIliaWe f0r either PU1 ANSWER Coal a9heS may contain a slight quantity of phosphoric acid but if so the amount is so small as to be of no practical value The ashes may be used to improve mechanical conditions of ery heavy soils which contain vegetable matter They areAnnual Publication for 1896 173 also of use as an absorbent and may be placed around fruit trees with advantage In all cases they should be fine and dry and sifted PLANTING ONIONS QUESTION I have an acre of good hammock land now in peas I wish to plant this laud in onions as soon as the peas are taken oft After broadcasting well rotted stable manure over the ground will it require any commercial fertilizer If so what kind and how much What variety of onion seeds would you advise How many seed will it require Where can I get reliable seed ANSWER Your land should be deeply broken and harrowed and re harrowed until the soil is thoroughly pulverized This careful preparation in addition to heavy manuring is essential to the successful raising of onions In addition to a liberal applica tion of well rotted stable manure you will find it advantageous to add at least 500 pounds of cottonseed meal and 500 pounds of kainit half of which should be broadcasted and half applied in the drill The onion likes a heavy dose of nitrogen and is also fond of potash and salt both of which it will get from the kainit In your latitude below Savannah to have early onions on the market you should sow the seed in a seed bed from Sept 1 to Sept 15 When the young plants are three or four inches high transplant them taking care to retain all the root fibres if possible set out in rows eighteen inches apart and four to five inches in the row This should be done imme diately after a rain to insure the plants from dying In trans planting press the small bulbs firmly into the ground The Bermuda or the Italian varieties are best to plant from the seed in this latitude Five pounds of seed should furnish enough plants for an acre and good seed can be obtained from any of the leading seed growers such as Landreth Buist or Hender son Dont fail to have your land rich and well prepared if you174 Department op AgricultureGeorgia wsh for success The causes of most of the failures in onion culture and indeed in all truck growing have been poor prep aration of the soil or insufficient manuring or both BULKY PORTIONS OF A FERTILIZER QUESTION The question is often asked What are the other ingredi ents of a fertilizer not included in the analysis as published and may not the pure materials given in the analysis be pur chased alone and a great saving in freight be made ANSWER This question so often asked by farmers is so well answered by the North Carolina Experiment Station that I give their answer Take for an example a fertilizer with 964 per cent available phosphoric acid 239 per cent ammonia and 3 05 per cent potash These three added together only make 15 08 out of 100 parts Of what is the remaining 8492 per cent composed The following table answers this question Moisture rtn Available phosphoric idZZZZZZ J T In80luWe 168 Nitrogen in the ammonia Q Potash 3 05 Volatile and organic matter 000 Sulphate of limeZZZZZZZ1 1500 Lime combined with phosphoric acid n 00 Silica 300 Chemical salts m Miscellaneous 336 Total 10000 The above represents an ammoniated fertilizer The moist ure and organic matter are necessary to accompany the material furnishing the nitrogen or ammonia Nitrogen is a gas and must be held in combination and considerable bulk is neces sary depending on the kind of material used Lime must be present combined with phosphoric acid and sulphate of lime isAnnual Publication foe 1896 175 derived from the union of sulphuric acid added to the phos phate of lime to make it more soluble The chemical salts are generally combined with the potash The silica is found with the phosphate An acid phosphate is made up of phosphoric acid combined with sulphate of lime the largest constituent necessarily pres ent as explained above moisture and miscellaneous STRAWBERRIES VS POTASH QUESTION I planted an acre of strawberry plants last spring on a freshly clearedup piece of ground The dry year has retarded the growth of the plants very materially except where I had burnt the trash heaps in clearing up On these spots the plants are as vigorous as in a favorable season Did the potash in the ashes cause the vigorous growth What per cent of potash is there in ashes from burnt tan bark What would be their com mercial value per ton ANSWER The potash in the ashes undoubtedly caused the fine growth of the strawberry plants which being rendered more vigorous than those not on the ash piles sent their roots deeper and far ther in search of food and moisture and so when drouth came they were in better condition to retain their vigor and resist the effects of dry weather There is usually from three to eight per cent of potash in the ashes from burnt tan bark of course I mean unspent bark and they are worth from 4 to 8 per ton according to their purity and freedom from sand and other foreign substances I will give you another reason for the plants growing as you de scribe When you burned the trash heaps the heat killed all the seeds of grass and weeds in the ground under the fire and when your strawberry plants were set out their growth was never retarded by grass and weeds as perhaps the others had been176 Department of AgricultureGeorgia SOWING WHEAT QUESTION How deep should wheat be covered to produce the best crop borne of my neighbors argue in favor of shallow and some of deep covering Which is considered the best a bearded or a beardless wheat ANSWER Many experiments have been made to find out the proper depth to plant wheat and it has been demonstrated that from 3 to U inches is the depth to insure the largest yield Some prefer the beardless and others prefer the bearded wheat I think the bearded varieties suit our soil and climate best but are not the most popu lar in this State r TO PREVENT A COW FROM SUCKING HERSELF QUESTION Do you know any way to prevent a cow from sucking herself ANSWER Many plans have been suggested to put a stop to this bad habit that some cows have The best plan I have heard of is this viz put a pair of straight hames on the cows neck just in front of the shoulders and another pair just back of her horns Nail to these two pairs of hames two stout strips of wood on each side of her neck This will effectually prevent her from sucking herself and will not prevent her grazing An animal addicted to this habit had better be fattened and butchered for beef for in all probabil ity when you remove the side bars you will find the habit as strong as ever b PLANTING CABBAGES QUESTION I am preparing to plant several acres of land in winter cabbages for Northern markets The land is fair sandy loam with good red clay subsoil Now tell me what is the best commercial fertilAnnual Publication for 1896 177 izer I can use how much ought I to use per acre where can I get it and what will it cost me cash ANSWER Cabbages are very gross feeders and need a fertilizer rich in all the elements of plant food Well rotted stable manure is the best fertilizer for cabbages as indeed it is for almost all plants In the absence however of stable manure commercial fertilizers are used very successfully You want a mixture carrying 7 to 8 per cent of nitrogen 6 to 7 per cent of potash and 7 to 8 per cent of available phosphoric acid You should use 1500 to 2000 pounds to the acre broadcasted and from 400 to 500 pounds in the drill You can get such a fertilizer put up by any of the guano facto ries and it will cost you in the neighborhood of 40 a ton Dont forget to tear that clay subsoil all to pieces if you want to make fine cabbages FERTILIZING PROPERTIES OF COTTONSEED QUESTION I have a quantity of cottonseed for which I am oifered 700 per ton Will it pay me to accept that price or are the seed more valuable to the farm as a fertilizer Please tell me the fertilizing properties in a ton of seed and their value ANSWER I have always endeavored to convince the farmers of Georgia that it would not pay them to sell their cottonseed at 700 per ton 10J cents a bushel The haul of the seed must be counted against the farmer and cannot be estimated at less than 100 per ton leaving him 600 per tonor less than 9 cents per bushel As meal is selling for about 1800 per ton you will be giving three tons of seed for one of meal Let us compare the value of three tons of seed to a ton of meal in fertilizing properties 178 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Phospho Pot Nitrogen ric Acid ash lbs lbs lbs In a ton of whole seed 614 204 334 In three tons1842 612 702 In a ton of cottonseed meal1416 560 360 Thus you see that the three tons of seed contain of nitrogen 426 pounds of phosphoric acid 52 pounds and of potash 342 pounds more than the ton of cottonseed meal worth in the aggre gate 640 When you sell your seed do not do it for less than 15 cents per bushel or 1000 per ton for when you sell for less you are simply giving away valuable fertilizing material and not only giving it away but furnishing a team and hauling it to the pur chaser yourself In the above calculation no value has been given to the mechanical effect of the whole seed when used as a fertilizer though every farmer knows that in using the whole seed he adds considerable humus to the soil and renders stiff tclay soils more friable and easier of cultivation TO DESTROY THE LEAF FOLDER QUESTION I have a number of vines that are affected with the leaf folder What will prevent them and will they do much damage to vines this late in the season I also have some vines affected in a man ner that I do not understand I send you some sample leaves Is it not the rose chafer What shall I do to remedy the mat ter ANSWER The best method of destroying the leaf folder is to crush them suddenly within the leaf with both hands To prevent their appearance however is less troublesome provided the neighboring grape growers unite in the effort The chrysalis is formed withiu the folds of the leaf and by going over the vineyard in the autumn before the leaves fall and carefully picking and destroying all those that are folded and crumpled the supply for the following year will be cut off This remedy though very effective will avail but little unless all in a neighborhood unite in it I do not thinkAnnual Publication fok 1896 179 theleaf folder will injure your vines this late in the season September 10 but you should take steps to reduce their numbers for another year The leaves sent are injured by the grape leaf hopper and not by the rose chafer The former attack the thin leaved varieties of grapes in preference to those with thicker leaves like the Concord etc They fasten their beaks in the leaves and suck the juices until at length the leaves become sickly yel low and prematurely dry giving the vine the appearance it should have at the approach of winter The most promising remedy yet discovered is to dust the leaves with pyrethrum insect powder or tobacco dust in the early life of the leaf hopper before they have acquired wings Millions of them may be destroyed by this means After they acquire wings there is no remedy yet known that has much eifect upon them CHICKENS SUFFERING FROM ROUP QUESTION Can you tell me the disease and give me a remedy for iny sick chickens several of which are affected as follows A thick offensive discharge from the nose heads swollen the eyes often closed great weakness and constant thirst ANSWER Your chickens are suffering from roup which is very fatal unless prompt measures of relief are taken The sick fowls should at once be removed from the flock and placed in dry warm quarters Warm soft food in which a teaspoonful of sulphur for a dozen fowls has been mixed should be given them Alittle cayenne pepper or powdered ginger should also be mixed with the food three times a day Wash the head and nostrils with castile soapsuds and then with weak alum water several times daily Syringe the nostrils and throat daily with a solution of one part of chloride of soda to two of water Should they show no improvement under this treatment you had better kill and bury or burn them180 Department of AgricultureGeorgia It is easier to prevent roup than to cure it Warm dry shelter in bad weather fresh pure water to drink cleanly and nutritious food no crowding together in large flocks and active measures kept up to prevent lice and filth will insure your chickens not only against roup but also against many other diseases to which poultry are subject RICE AS STOCK FEED QUESTION I have a field of upland rice that has a very fine growth of stalk It is now heading out and as the heads appear they dry up the stalk Can you tell me why this is Should I cut the rice now what kind of stock feed would it make ANSWER Not knowing all the conditions relating to the soil rainfall etc it is difficult to give a satisfactory answer to the first ques tion It is possible that the soil is so dry that the plants can advance no further towards maturity or it may be that the land was enriched with a fertilizer not properly balanced and that in its growth it has exhausted the plant food necessary to make the grain and has so come to a stand still By all means cut it for stock feed as both mules and cattle will eat it greedily If the heads have not filled at all it will make fine long forage and if the heads are partly filled it will be of course that much better MARE TROUBLED WITH URTICARIA QUESTION I have a pony mare 10 or 11 years old She has had some thing like itch for three or four years First appears as itch then in hard whelks has been getting worse every summer almost disappears in the winter There is no eruption She seems perfectly well and hearty otherwise Can you tell me what is the matter and give me a remedy Annual Publication for 1896 181 ANSWER Your horse is troubled with urticaria an itching skin trouble due usually to high feeding with insufficient exercise It is neither dangerous nor contagious Give her six drachms of Barbadoes aloes made into a pill reduce her feed give her more work and the disease should soon disappear TO REMOVE WARTS QUESTION I own a fine colt two years old that has a large wart on its hind leg on the knee joint I cut it off once and applied pulverized bluestone but it has grown out again The colt is a valuable one and I would like to know how to get rid of the wart It is as large as a mans fist ANSWER Cut off wart again and apply acetic acid daily until cured You should have no trouble in removing it permanently by this means It is always best to remove warts before they grow so large as the operation then would be less painful and a cure more easily effected LOSSES m LIQUID MANURE An English chemist points out the fact that in every ten gallons of urine there will be found as much nitrogen as is contained in seven pounds nitrate of soda thirtyfour pounds of bonemeal or one hundred and twentyseven pounds of white turnips This puts in a comprehensive way the loss that occurs when liquid manure is permitted to drain or soak away A farmer would certainly not throw away a bag of ground bone Yet he may thoughtlessly lose more than enough liquid manure to pay for the bone By the use of absorbents he may save all of the urine including the water or by using plaster he may let the water go and save only the nitrogen In any case it is just as much a mistake to let the liquid manure escape as it would be to throw a ton of fertilizer into the brook Exchange182 Department of AgricultureGeorgia NOVEMBER COMMISSIONER NESBITTS TALK TO FARMERS MONTHLY LETTER OP THE COMMISSIONER OP AGRICUL TUREATTENTION CALLED TO THE CONDITION OF CROPS ON LANDS SUPPLIED WITH HUMUS IN CONTRAST TO THOSE WHERE COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS ALONE WERE DEPENDED UPON TO FURNISH ELEMENTS OF PLANT GROWTH Department of Agriculture Atlanta Ga November 1 1896 Our accounts for the year 1896 must soon be made up In summing up these accounts and in taking a general review of farm operations for the past year there are certain facts which stand out in bold relief It is from these that we should deduce conclusions to be remembered in planning for and man aging the crops another year The immunity of the early planted cotton from many of the disasters which befell the later plantings we have already referred to but we wish now to call attention to the condition of the cotton crop and indeed of all crops on lands supplied with humus in contrast to those where the commercial fertilizer alone was depended upon to supply all the elements of plant growth But we hear some farmers say the commercial fertilizers profess to contain all these elements and if this is true why need we supply any thing else except the necessary preparation and cultivation of the land This is in a measure reasonable Reliable fertilizers do contain all the main elements of plant growth but in order that plants may appropriate these elements to the greatest advantage in the proper development of stalk foliage and fruit certain conditions of the soil are absolutely necessary some of the most important of which areAnnual Publication for 1896 183 moisture a deep seed bed a finely pulverized surface All of these may be largely supplied by judicious plans of preparati on and cultivation but every experienced farmer knows how mucH easier these conditions are reached if there is plenty of vegeta ble matter in the soil In such protracted drouths as we have suffered from the past season the contrast in the crops is even more marked In September of the past season many cotton fields were bare of both leaves and green bolls while on lands well supplied with humus the frost which came about the middle of October found the plants still covered with leaves and a top crop of bolls maturing At this writing all further growth has been checked but even now the appearance of these plants is altogether different from those on lands from which almost every vestige of vegetable matter has been used up Let us examine into some of THE USES OF HUMUS and we will at once understand the wonderful effects its presence exercises on all plant growth But before we enter into this subject we must first understand that by the term humus we mean decaying vegetable matter This is of course at first unavailable but by gradual decomposition it becomes not only available itself but in the process of its own decomposition forms combinations by which the surrounding soil is also decomposed Nearly every soil is rich in the mineral elements of plant food but in such form that we cannot appropriate them to our use As an agent for unlocking these valuable stores humus cannot be too highly valued The process is partly as follows The decomposing vegetable matter or humus is constantly generating carbonic acid which is known to be a powerful solvent of mineral substances The carbonic acid thus formed uniting with the soil water becomes the power ful though silent agent by which we breakdown and dissolve immense deposits of plant food otherwise useless because insoluble in water alone184 Department of AgricultureGeorgia EFFECTS OF HUMUS ON DIFFERENT SOILS Another benefit derived from humus is its mechanical effect on different soils It loosens stiff clay soils increases their power to take up water from rains and also to absorb moisture and gases from the atmosphere On loose sandy soil its office is to bind it togethermake it more compact This will pre vent the rains from carrying off the available plant food and enables the soil to hold whatever moisture there may be depos ited in it A porous soil of this kind when filled with humus has also the power in very large degree of absorbing moisture from the air This may be illustrated at any time by an examination of such soil but is more marked during a drouth or early in the morning Lands which are well filled with humus whether they be stiff clay lands or the lighter sandy soils do not suffer from drouth to the same degree as lands destitute of vegetable matter and the stiffest clay soils well supplied with humus rarely bake or crust even during a drouth WATERHOLDING POWER OF HUMUS The addition of humus to the soil not only increases its power of absorption from the atmosphere but during dry weather the soakage in the subsoil is constantly returning toward the surface where the humus will hold it and prevent its escape into the atmosphere The amount of water needed for healthy plant development cannot be reduced without injury to crops but we may by the use of humus and other means notably shallow surface cultivation and destruction of all un necessary plants and weeds which also draw on the water supply control for the use of our growing crops the reserve supplies of moisture which would otherwise be evaporated into the atmosphere or appropriated by grass and weeds That HUMUS IS A SOURCE OF NITROGEN has also been proved This is the case more especially from peavines and clover when plowed under but is measurably true of all decaying vegetationAnnual Publication foe 1896 185 HUMUS ABSORBS HEAT By darkening the soilhumus certainly increases its power to absorb heat This is a very important fact to those who real ize the necessity of pushing forward their crops in the early spring HUMUS IS NOT FAVORABLE TO INSECT LIFE The carbonic acid gas which is being generated in all lands supplied with humus is known to be destructive to insect life This is perhaps the main reason that crops on fresh land are freer from blight and disease than on old land where commer cial fertilizers alone have been used for several successive years with the result that nearly every vestige of humus has disap peared from the soil RYE as an improver of the land takes almost the same place in win ter that peas do in summer It also prevents washing It may be sown all through the fall and is a valuable green food for stock during winter Turned under during early spring it contributes a large share of the needed humus to the soil Even the natural growth of WEEDS AND GRASS which spring up after every cultivated crop can be turned under and made to do duty in manufacturing plant food for future crops Dont wait for heavy frost to destroy the most valuable constituents in these spontaneous crops but turn them under as soon as possible Treated thus they will not only decom pose but if the furrows are only partly turned they will keep the soil open and porous and prevent washing by gathering up the winter rains and storing them in lower depths If the veg etable growth is very heavy an application of lime will be found to hasten decomposition It also helps to liberate other wise unavailable materials contained in the soil In executing this186 Department of AgricultureGeorgia FALL PLOWING lay off the beds across the fall of the land so that the water will not run in the line of the plow and wash away the soil If this precaution is observed washing will be checked and the water will eventually reach a lower level by a slower and less destructive process It will thus be seen that in SUPPLYING LAND WITH HUMUS we are furnishing one of the most needful as well as most im portant helps to our agriculture because we give the land be sides the actual plant food which we put into it the power to appropriate and supply to our growing crops the lockedup ele ments which it already contains It is not yet too late to sow WHEAT but every effort should be made by cross plowing harrowing and rolling to put the land in the very best possible condition OATS may also be sown In the Atlantic and Gulf States the crop stands a better chance to escape winter killing when sown late than in higher latitudes The protracted drouth prevented the early seeding of this crop and many farmers will take the chances now As a general rule however it is safer when the sowing is so long delayed to defer it until after Christmas All of these green crops furnish more or less humus to the soil but rye more especially is an improver of the land Where it is possible all unoccupied land should be seeded in some one of these green crops Few farmers have carefully studied this question of protecting their lands from washing and from de terioration It should be their aim to secure both these condi tions at the smallest possible cost If the wonderful processes of nature are observed and her laws carefully followed in pros ecuting this important workin other words if we will give her the necessary raw materials at the proper timeshe will atAnnual Publication for 1896 187 once take hold of them and begin the important work of con verting them into valuable plant food to be ready for the de mands of the spring crops The work of COMPOSTING all available materials should be steadily gathered all during the winter One can scarcely employ his spare time more profitably than in gathering up and preparing to give back to his land some part of what he has been taking from it year after year The stables should be supplied with bedding and the accumulated manure liquid and solid should be removed as often as necessary If not composted or put under shelter it should be hauled at once and spread on the land rather than allowed to lose some of its most valuable constituents by being thrown out into the open barnyard FATTENING HOGS should not be kept after they are in condition for good pork The plan is to push them now to be ready for the first cold spell We have generally found that pork killed before Christ mas stands a better chance for keeping than that killed later We cannot expect the best quality of meat unless all the details of cleanliness and comfort are attended to See that there is plenty of clean food and pure water and that the pens are kept free of filth E T Nesbitt Commissioner188 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES COMMISSIONER NESBITTS QUESTION BOXPLANTING OATSWHY SO FEW SHEEP ARE RAISED IN GEORGIAMORE ABOUT THE WIRE COTTON TIEJERUSALEM ARTICHOKES AS A FOOD FOR HOGS AND HOW TO PLANT THEMIMPORTANCE OF THE SE LECTION OF GOOD SEED PLANTING OATS QUESTION I want to plant a large oat crop Would you advise me to plant it all now What kind of seed oats would you recom mend ANSWER On account of the frequent winterkilling of oats I would advise planting half your land now and the rest of your crop in the spring In this way you do not take the risk of having all your crops killed and are moderately sure of at least a partial crop If your land is rich or if you propose to fertilize I would recommend the wintergrazing oat They stand the cold better than any other variety and ou good land will make you a fine crop Sow from a bushel and a half to two bushels per acre Should you not be able to get these or if your land is only fairly good sow the Texas rustproof oats and for fall sowing always use seed from fall sown oats as they are without doubt more hardy than seed from those sowed in the spring For your spring planting use the Burt oat sowing at least a bushel and a half to the acre The Burt oat is very light and therefore not as valuable for feeding as other varieties but it grows off rapidly and matures early and there is more certainty of a crop from them than from any other variety when sowed in the spring Dont be afraid to fertilize your land for the oat cropAnnual Publication foe 1896 189 for none responds more readily to thorough preparation than this the cheapest and best food crops for our horses arid mules After taking off the oats next summer dont fail to plant the land in peas and thus keep up the fertility of your fields i x i a rr QUESTION Why is it that in Georgia many parts of which State are peculiarly adapted to sheep raising there are so few sheep raised One would suppose that if properly managed it could be made a most profitable business ANSWER In Southern Georgia there are a good many sheep raised Several years ago one of the largest sheep owners reported that he clipped annually ninety cents worth of wool from sheep which cost him only fourteen cents a head in expenses There is only one reason why sheep husbandry is not one of the lead ing industries of the State and that is there is no law for their protection against the dogs which roam at will through the country It has been said by men of experience that one acre well sodded in Bermuda grass will support five sheep nine months of each year This was on ordinary land which had not yielded profitable returns in other crops For the remain ing three months we have other crops such as rye turnips bar ley potatoes and the hardy native grasses all of which can be grown in abundance The sheep more than pay for their keep in the increased fertility of land on which they are folded One hundred sheep regularly folded will fertilize eight acres of land to such a degree as will enable it to double the crops produced on it Besides the added value to the lands in the droppings we have the crop of wool and the increase of the flock which last may be reasonable calculated as ninety per cent of the whole Nor are these all The character of the crops required to support the sheep are just those needed to recuperate our toooften exhausted lands Bermuda is particularly adapted to these lands and the grass roots serve to hold the soil to190 Department of AgricultureGeorgia gether and prevent the washing aAvay of the accumulating vegetable matter Many worn fields could be thus reha bilitated that now offer no encouragement to cultivation in other crops We trust the day will dawn when the present difficulties in the way of successful sheep raising will be removed and instead of about 500000 the present number of sheep in the State Georgia will contain at least 3000000 or 4000000 Our mild winters and early spring give us many advantage of which growers north of us are deprived In some sections of the State the sheep receive no attention beyond the annual clip ping and until the price of wool was so much reduced they were even under this careless management found profitable If more attention were given to raising crops for them to improv ing the breeds and to the general care of the flocks there is no reason except the one mentioned why sheep raising should not be made profitable in our section An experienced sheep raiser in Southeastern Georgia once said to me that it was cheaper in that section to raise a sheep than a chicken because a chicken had to be fed while the only attention the sheep re ceived was an occasional salting HOW TO TELL THE AGE OF SHEEP QUESTION How can I tell the age of sheep ANSWER By examining the front teeth The first year eight small teeth make their appearance The second year the two middle ones are shed and two teeth of much larger size take their place The third year two other small teeth are shed one on each side of the two center teeth and they are replaced by two large teeth thus giving them four large teeth in front on each side of which are two small pointed ones In the fourth year this process is repeated the animal then having six large teeth in front flanked on each side by one small tooth In the fifthAnnual Publication foe J896 191 year the last of the small teeth are lost and are replaced hy large ones thus giving them eight large front teeth In the sixth or seventh year they generally begin to drop out and if not they will begin to break or show signs of wearing WIRE TIES QUESTION I notice that there is much complaint from compresses as to the wire ties with which some of the cotton has been baled Are these the same ties of which you speak in your last months report or are there other patents on the market ANSWER There have been several ties used all more or less unsatis factory on account of the inflexible quality of the wire light weight and inconvenient methods of fastening Most of these are single large wires without buckles or other means of fasten ing quickly and securely The Hitt patent wire tie to which we called attention last month consists of two flexible wires with patent buckle which can be quickly and securely adjusted and weighs fifty pounds to the bundle Wherever this has been tried it has proved not only equal but superior in many re spects to the flat tie Had it been patented earlier in the sea son there is no doubt that it would have been largely used but it was perfected too late to be used on this years crop Many merchants ginners and compress companies had laid in a stock of the flat ties and were not willing to try the wire It will however be given a thorough test during the present season at compresses in the different sections of the South and another year it will doubtless be a strong com petitor against the flat tie Besides the reasons given by compress men for its adoption is the fact that no special machinery is required for it manufacture192 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ARTICHOKES TO FATTEN HOGS QUESTION Are Jerusalem artichokes good to fatten hogs If so how are they planted ANSWER A few years ago the Jerusalem artichoke seemed to he mak ing its way into favor with the farmers but of late little is said about it It is highly recommended as a fattening food not only for hogs but also for horses cattle or sheep It costs but little to raise them they will grow on almost any soil if not wet They are said to yield two or three times as much as po tatoes and they are easily stored and kept With these advan tages I think they should be planted more largely The great objection urged against them is the difficulty of getting rid of them once they are planted but my opinion is that a few hogs confined to the patch of artichokes would soou find every tuber that had been overlooked in gathering They may be planted in drills three feet apart and two feet in the drill Plant whole small tubers and cut the large ones as you would Irish potatoes Cultivate as you would corn They do best on a rich mellow light soil and the land should be pre pared and manured as you would for Irish potatoes This plant is a native of Mexico but has been cultivated in Europe for more than two centuries It grows from five to eight feet high and is a hardy perennial I hope you will plant at least a patch and report result to this department TURNING UNDER DEAD GRASS QUESTION Where I planted corn this year I have a heavy coat of dead grass Would you advise burning this off or turning it under Will not the burning of the grass kill most of the seed and benefit me in that way Annual Publication for 1896 193 ANSWER By all means turn under the dead grass instead of burning it off It is to a small extent a fertilizer and if it does no other good it at least aids mechanically in loosening up and making the soil more porous so that air and moisture can more easily reach the roots of plants The burning of the grass would undoubtedly kill some of the grass seed but the heat is too shortlived to kill them all and next spring when cottonhoeing time comes you would not miss those ruined by the lire Lay it down as a general rule never to burn off your fields but always turn under all vegetable matter even if it is dry and dead and the more you can turn under the better for your land especially if it is a stiff clay FERTILIZING PEACH ORCHARDS QUESTION Should peach orchards be fertilized and if so what would be a good formula ANSWER It has not been very usual for our peach growers to fertilize their orchards with special reference to the trees and their fruit As a rule the fertilizing has been done to promote the growth of ome crop requiring shallow cultivation such as cotton or ground peas and the fertilizer applied to these crops between the rows of peach trees has usually been considered enough for the trees with perhaps the addition of a little ground bone applied immediately around the tree This plan is not conducive to either healthy trees or fine fruit Fertilizing the peach orchard is as essential to suc cess as fertilizing the garden or the cotton field As you would not expect to make fine cabbages or onions on poor land neither need you expect fine peaches from an impoverished and worn out soil Fertilizing the peach trees not only improves the fruit both in size and flavor but it gives vigor and health to the trees and thus to some extent enables them to resist the attacks 13 a194 Department of AgricultureGeorgia of insect enemies always ready to pounce upon and destroy any tree that shows signs of loss of vitality or strength Nitrogen potash and phosphoric acid are as essential to the perfect growth of peach trees as they are to any of the cereals The use of large quantities of nitrogen should be avoided as an excessive growth of leaves and wood would be the result with deteriorated fruit Gen erally speaking sufficient nitrogen can be supplied by planting peas in the orchard annually and giving them clean cultivation If however the trees show want of vigorous growth apply from 75 to 100 pounds of nitrate of soda or its equivalent in cottonseed meal or dried blood per acre Potash may with great benefit be used liberally on land devoted to peaches especially after the trees have commenced to bear This can be supplied by muriate or sulphate of potash by kainit or by ashes While phosphoric acid is perhaps of less importance on most lands than potash it should by no means be omitted if you wish to improve both the health and the fruitfulness of your peach trees Late experiments seem to prove that proper manuring not only adds greatly to the crop but also to the life of the tree To illustrate this one of the most profitable peach orchards in New Jersey received annually 200 pounds nitrate of soda 200 pounds ground bone 200 pounds acid phosphate and 200 pounds nitrate of potash This from the time the trees were three years old until now they are twelve years old with no signs of decay where the average life of a peach tree is only eight years The following figures taken from the New Jersey Experiment Station report will show the yield with and without manure The yield without manure 18841893 Inclusive 10 years average per year The yield with complete chemical manure Baskets per acre 003 Baskts per acre 1834 18841893 inclusive 10 years average per year You will thus see that by the proper use of fertilizers the crop was increased 300 per cent annually During the ten years theAnnual Publication foe 1896 195 fertilized orchard received 250 pounds of nitrogen 560 pounds of phosphoric acid and 750 pounds of potash In your case supply the nitrogen by sowing peas and you will only have to buy the potash and acid phosphate HINTS ON BREAKING LAND QUESTION My crops are all gathered I have sowed my oats and wheat now would lt not be a good idea for me to break my land for next years crop ANSWER Your crops being all gathered by all means start at once to break your laud for another year Many of our farmers when then crops are housed make the serious mistake of waiting until spring before starting their plows This mistake fre quently results in serious loss for should the spring be dry the ground packed by the heavy winter rains becomes so hard that it la impossible to break it properly and the result is that they are forced to plant on poorly prepared ground The old adage that a crop well planted is half made is perfectly true therefore take time by the forelock and go to work at once preparing your land for another crop In doing this work dont follow the too common plan of simply scratching the surface as it were but get your plows deep into the ground bringing to the surface if possible not less than an inch of the subsoil upon which the sun has never shone At the same time turn under everything that is on the surface such as grass cornstalks cottonstalks peavines etc Burn nothing except in exceptional cases where on very rich land the cotton stalks have grown so large that burning is necessary to get rid of them J Our farmers as a rule do not appreciate the importance of this deep fall plowing The advantages of it are numerous and important Among others I regard the deepening of the soil as most important Should you turn to the surface in the196 Department of AcxRicultureGeorgia spring an inch of the red clay subsoil it would probably be baked into clods by the heat of the sun interfering with the growth and proper cultivation of the crops through the entire season Turned up however in the fall this subsoil becomes disintegrated by the frequent freezings and thawing and when you plow your land in the spring it becomes thoroughly incor porated with the top soil adding to its depth and fertility and thus insuring you better crops You see at once that if this process is repeated annually you will in a few years have a deep mellow soil capable of withstanding drouths and in a condition to hold the rain that falls upon it There are other advantages in fall plowing which make it desirable The grass cornstalks etc which are turned under now add to the fertility of the land whereas by spring their fertilizing properties have been largely exhausted by evaporation and by leaching rains Then again land that is deeply plowed at this season will not wash so badly as that that is left untouched Another very important gain is that your fields will be in fine tilth for your spring preparation for planting and while your neighbor perhaps will find his ground at that time so hard that he cannot plow it yours so treated will be as mellow and friable as an ash bank These advantages of course apply chiefly to stiff lands for where the soil is a deep sand ten to twelve inches perhaps to the subsoil I can see no advantage in fall plowing except the single one of getting the grass etc turned under while yet they have some fertilizing properties I trust that the farmers of this State will generally try fall plowing at once this year being particularly favorable for it the crops having been gathered so unusually early I am fully satisfied that it needs but a fair trial to become the rule in stead of the exception as at present INSPECTION OF GUANO QUESTION Is guano inspected at the factories in bulk or where do the inspectors get their samples Under the present inspectionAnnual Publication foe 1896 197 system is there much room for fraudulent guano to be sold in Georgia ANSWER 3 Some years since it was the practice for the inspectors to take samples from the guano in bulk in the factories but tbat method has been positively prohibited by order of this depart ment Now the inspectors take samples wherever they find the goodsin the warehouses in the farmers wagons on the farms or in freight cars The manufacturers of course cannot know from what sacks samples will be taken and are there fore compelled to make their goods equal to the guarantee that the law requires them to brand on their sacks 1 will say here however that from my acquaintance with the guano manu facturers I consider them as honest and honorable in their busi ness dealings as any men in the State and the suspicions en tertained against them is in most cases entirely unfounded The manufacturers are required by law to notify this depart ment of every shipment made by them giving the name of the goods shipped to whom sent and the number of sacks in the shipment They are also required by law to have a tag on each sack or barrel in which they ship their goods which shows that said goods are registered with this department These tags cost the manufacturers 10 cents for each ton of guano sold This trifling expense adds nothing to the cost of the goods to the purchaser and yet the aggregate amount received from the sale of tags pays the salaries and expenses of the in spectors the salaries of the State Chemist and his two associ ates the salaries of the Commissioner and his clerk and in addition to all this turns over a large amount to the public school fund This State uses more commercial fertilizer than any other State in the Union indeed almost twice as much as any other and the mode of taking samples and making analyses affords better protection to the farmers than the methods adopted in any other State Were there no inspection or analyses made the State would be flooded with worthless fertilizers which the farmers could not distinguish from honest198 Department of AgricultureGeorgia goods The inspectors are all sworn officials of the State and are selected for their fitness for the work The safeguards thrown around this business in this State are so many and so carefully prepared that there is practically no chance for worthless fertilizers to be sold within our borders without de tection To show the great increase in the fertilizer business and consequently the greater necessity of careful inspection I append a table showing the number of tons inspected for each of the last twentyone seasons Season of 187475 Season of 187576 Season of 187677 Season of 187778 Season of 187879 Season of 187980 Season of 188081 Season of 188182 Season of 188283 Season of 188384 Season of 188485 Season of 188586 Season of 188687 Season of 188788 Season of 188889 Season of 188990 Season of 189091 Season of 189192 Season of 189293 Season of 189394 Season of 189495 Season of 189596 wZ T fo61780 tons 4864800 tons 5531600 tons 7582400 tons 9317800 tons 8504900 tons 11058300 tons 15242400 tons 12532700 tons 12537700 tons 15184900 tons 17015300 tons 16070500 tons 16607808 tons 20800739 tons 20286936 tons 28811230 tons 30673500 tons 29634200 tons 30751930 tons 31561200 tons GOOD SEED FOR PLANTING QUESTION Is the selection of good seed for planting as important as many think ANSWER Good seed is the very first requisite for a good crop but a great number of farmers are very indifferent on this pointAnnual Publication foe 1896 199 seeming to think that any seed of a given plant will produce a good crop There could be no greater mistake For instance take seed of oats or wheat that has been cut when the grain was only half ripe and what is the result There is an im mediate deterioration in the crop the yield diminishes and smut and rust are greatly increased Let your seed for plant ing be always fully matured and ripened that the resulting crop may have in it but few imperfect plants Seed corn should not be selected in the crib but in the field where the stalk as well as the ear can be seen and where by judicious and per sistent selection great improvement in size of ear and early maturity can be attained There is much room for improve ment in the way we select our cottonseed for planting and with more care in this respect we could considerably increase our cotton crop STOCKING A FISH POND QUESTION On my farm I have just completed a fish pond covering about an acre and from one to six feet deep How can I get some fish to stock it and what kind would you recommend ANSWER Captain J D Edmondson of LaGrange is the Fish Superin tendent of this State and you should write to him on the sub ject Carp and tench have been the fish most usually selected for our ponds on account of the ease with which they thrive and multiply but they are poor fish for the table and I would recommend for your pond the black bass or trout and the bream both of which are very fine table fish and being very game afford much sport in the catching If the government does not distribute these last you might find out from the Fish Superintendent where they can be obtained The speckled catfish is also a good pond fish200 Department of AgricultureGeorgia BALKING HORSES QUESTION How do horses acquire the habit of balking and can they be cured of it ANSWER The balking habit in horses is not a natural or inherited one but is taught them through bad or careless driving When first acquired by exercising great care this fault may be cor rected Never whip a balky horse or use any harsh means whatever to subdue him Nothing but gentle means will avail anything towards effecting a cure When this bad habit is once thoroughly acquired it is considered incurable and the animal is rendered almost worthlessAnnual Publication for 1896 201 DECEMBER THE QUESTION OF FERTILIZERS ONE THAT IS INTERESTING EVERY CONSIDERATE FARMER THE ECONOMY OP HOMEMIXINGCOMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE NESBITT IN HIS MONTHLY TALK TELLS HOW TO GET THE VERY BEST RETURNS FROM OUR SOILS AT THE LEAST POSSIBLE COSTFAIR SUPPLY OF HUMUS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY State Agricultural Department Atlanta Ga December 1 1896 FERTILIZING ROTATION SOILS ETC The question of fertilizers is just now one in which every thoughtful farmer is interesting himself not only as to their price and the feasibility and economy of mixing them at home but also as to the kinds needed by our different qualities of land and best suited to the most perfect development of our various crops A careful study of principles of plant growth and of fertilizers and a practical application of these principles to our lands and to our different crops will certainly mean money to those farmers who take the trouble and the time to make the investigation As uo two crops take from the soil exactly the same elements in exactly the same proportions it follows that to get the very best out of our land we must study the compo sition of our soils as well as the demands of the crops to be grown on them Owing to the principle just mentioned that different crops make different demands on the soil it is an established fact that a carefully planned and executed rotation of crops exercises a powerful influence in enabling us to get the very best returns at the least cost and at the same time add to instead of diminish the fertility of our lands Our first inquiry202 Department of AgricultureGeorgia should be as to the general qualities and needs of our lands and to ascertain these we are compelled to STUDY OUR SOILS We all know that the three principal elements nitrogen pot ash and phosphric acid are absolutely essential to plant growth and that while our lands as a rule supply all that is needed of the lesser elements these predominating elements have been in a greater or less degree exhausted from our surface soils at least To resupply these in the best and most economical manner is the most important subject which we have to con sider In beginningthis investigation we may lay it down as an invariable rule that land will not give profitable returns without a fair supply of humus or decayed vegetable matter on which to build our supply of plant food Lands which have been recently cleared or those where a careful rotation alternating with green and leguminous crops has been practiced usually contain an abundance of humus but unfortunately on a ma jority of Georgia farms the longcontinued clean cultivation of corn and cotton without alternating with any humusgiving crop and the leaving of these bare lands to the washing leach ing action of winter rains and spring floods have all combined to deprive them of their last vestige of vegetable matter If we keep in mind that no commercial fertilizer can give the best returns without humus and if we realize that the destructive effect of drouths is in great measure due to its absence we will at once set about supplying this necessary humus by every means in our power There is nothing better for this purpose than stable manure and its beneficial effects after one applica tion may be observed for several years but we can only obtain this in limited quantities and therefore we have to cast about for other available humusmaking materials Cottonseed for clay soils and cottonseed meal for sandy soils are excellent but are expensive A well considered system of rotation using green or leguminous crops first for forage and the residue to be plowed under for manureis less costly and on the wholeAnnual Publication for 1896 203 more satisfactory Here again it is necessary that we be thor oughly familiar with the peculiarities of the soils with which we have to deal Many soils have become so much worn and in such poor condition being hard and dry that it is folly to attempt to plant even cowpeas as a renovating crop On these lespedeza has been found to do well It will grow where peas will not and by an application of cottonseed meal may be made to do well on almost any soil On land which is in better condition cowpeas are a better paying renovating icrop Their growth is heavier their roots are larger and pene trate more deeply into the soil thus bringing to the surface more of the mineral elements which are locked up in the subsoil and when these roots are left in the land they furnish more of vegetable matter to be converted into humus On richer laud there is no better renovating crop than clover Its system of large strong roots extending in every direction and penetrating deep into the subsoil often reaching down several feet make it peculiarly valuable but it is exacting It will not do well on saudy land but requires either clay land or lighter land underlaid with a stiff clay subsoil Nor will it succeed on land which is not thoroughly drained It has not the power of the cowpea to forage for a liviug and having ob tained enough for its own needs to leave a generous share for the use of succeeding crops Clover will only grow on land of good quality where ample food is furnished ready for its im mediate use but once wTell set it gives back without stint all and more than it has received Where the soil is rich in lime melilotus has been tried and found to be incomparable as a fertilizing crop Its roots are larger and extend deeper into the soil than any other renovat ing plant and those dying at the end of the second season and decaying furnish a large quantity of valuable plant food It will not grow except on soils well supplied with lime but where this is present in abundance though the land be appar ently barren melilotus will grow and flourish and for such lands is the best renovating crop known204 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Crimson clover hairy vetch rye all occupy important places among our renovating crops and besides their direct benefit to the land in collecting nitrogen possess the power of carrying on their great work during the winter months thus furnishing green food for farm animals at a season when most other crops are dormant or dead and covering and protecting the land for a period of several months when it is peculiarly liable to injury Ou our ordinary lands and under present conditions rye perhaps is the crop most used first because of its preeminent ability to hunt for food and again because it may be sown up to and even into the present month The clover and vetch require early seeding aud also that the laud be of good quality and brought to a fine mechanical condition The seed are also more expensiveand just now that is one of the main difficulties in the way of a more general trial of the vetch It is comparatively new and the seed are scarce and high but those who have tried it pronounce it incomparable as a renovating plant A very recent publication from the United States Department of Agriculture recommends it in the highest termsstates that it has been grown successfully in all parts of the country and has proved to be hardy in the moist coastal regions of Washington the dry prairies of South Dakota and the rich loamy soils along the gulf In our own State the common vetch has been tried for years with eminent success The hairy vetch is hardier and in all respects more desirable The seed of hairy vetch should be sown at the rate of a bushel and a half to the acre from the latter part of April to the middle of May for sum mer forage aud from the middle of August to the middle of Sep tember for winter forage The nutritive value of the hay is very high The yield usually varies from one and a half to four tons per acre according to the fertility of the soil We would be glad for farmers whenever possible to try if only a limited area in this crop and report results to this department We have said enough as to these renovating crops to emphasize the important fact that they should form the foundation for any system of fertilizing which we may adopt and that their rotation withAnnual Publication for 1896 205 other crops is also of the utmost moment in reclaiming our worn lands The next step of importance is to decide on the proper FERTILIZERS to select for our various soils and crops to be used in conjunction with these renovating crops and with a judiciously chosen crop ro tation in building up our lands If we could by judicious man agement and feeding produce all the manure we need on our farms this question would be forever settled but this has been found im possible Under present conditions the need for commercial fer tilizers is real but the enormous sums spent for this artificial plant food may be considerably reduced if we apply ourselves to more care fully considered and more judicious methods Our great mistake has been that we have depended entirely on commercial fertilizers to supply the gradually diminishing fertility of our farms whereas they should be regarded and used only as adjuncts to a careful sys tem of manuring and rotation They have always been found to give best results when the soil is well filled with organic matter and as mentioned before this condition can be best maintained by a system of green manuringthat is planting leguminous crops cutting a part for stock feed and turning under the residue for land feed GENERAL RULES FOR FERTILIZING In buying our fertilizers two points should engage our attention and studythe needs of the land and the needs of the crop to be grown A few of the most important facts bearing on these two questions are all that may be attempted in the limits of this article but the farmer who interests himself will find that there is a wide field for investigation and that the variations of results according to different plans of management and difference in soils and local conditions are almost limitless As a general rule however it will be found that our sandy soils will require all three elements nitrogen phosphoric acid and pot ash while clay soils usually contain some portions of the mineral elements A soil rich in humus is sometimes lacking in the min206 Department of AgricultureGeorgia eral elements A limestone soil generally contains a good deal of phosphoric acid Of course the most certain way of finding out what the soil needs is to make the soil itself answer the question by experimenting with different crops and different fertilizers but as a general rule farmers are averse to undertaking these experi ments regarding them as too complicated and too expensive They have preferred to trust to luck and have lost thousands of dol lars by following one fixed rule of fertilizing for all crops and all lands alike R T Nesbitt Commissioner SOURCES OF FERTILIZING MATERIALS QUESTION Please give me a few hints on fertilizers and the best way to select them I must confess to deplorable ignorance on this im portant subject and often I am confused by the multiplicity of terms used in designating the different plant foods I have almost decided to try mixing my fertilizers at home but am somewhat at a loss as to the best brands to buy for the purpose Would I run any risk in buying the concentrated materials or are they of uni form value as to contents and availability In buying the fertil izers already mixed is there any sure way by which I can at least partially judge of their merits ANSWER It is the law of Georgia that each manufacturer register with the State Department of Agriculture the sources from which his nitrogen is derived This has a more important bearing on our success or failure with different crops than most farmers are aware Before purchasing any commercial fertilizers farmers should carefully inform themselves as to the sources from which the three principal fertilizing elements contained in them are de rived and their availability for the different crops to be grownAnnual Publication for 1896 207 The following important facts are condensed from a valuable bul letin by Professor Vorhees and we trust are in such form as to arrest the attention of thinking farmers and also aid them in se lecting the best and most suitable materials for the various crops to which they are to be applied SOURCES OF NITROGEN All materials containing organic nitrogen must undergo a change before the nitrogen becomes available as plant food and the time needed for this change varies with circumstances The material may be hard and dense or the treatment it has received may delay the natural decay or it may be associated with other substances which tend to prevent the necessary changes This causes organic nitrogen to differ in its degree of availability not only from the material which furnishes it but from the treatment that material has received The most val uable sources of organic nitrogen are dried blood dried meat concentrated tankage dried fish refuse from fish oil and can ning establishments and cottonseed meal These products also furnish more or less phosphoric acid Other materials which are less desirable as sources of nitro gen are leather meal horn and hoof meal wool waste felt waste etc These decay so slowly that they are of doubtful value unless the object is to gradually increase the fertility of the soil rather than to secure immediate returns Commercial nitrogen in the form of sulphates and nitrates is extremely soluble in water and while very valuable is liable to be washed out of the soil if applied too heavily or before the plants are ready to take it up In this form nitrogen should be applied after the crop begins its growth and is then at once taken up by the plants while the organic nitrogen may or may not be used up by the crop depending on whether conditions are fa vorable for the changes it must undergo before it becomes en tirely available208 Department of AgricultureGeorgia SOURCES OF PHOSPHORIC ACID The phosphoric acid of commercial fertilizers occurs in three forms Soluble that is that which is easily taken up by plants because readily soluble in water reverted or that which is insoluble in water but readily used by plants and that which is soluble only in strong acids and therefore is taken up very slowly by plants All three of these forms are derived from materials called phosphates Organic phosphates are those containing organic or animal matter mineral phos phates are those which contain no animal matter Of the for mer bone in its various forms is the chief source Of the lat ter the river and land phosphates of South Carolina the soft pebble and rock phosphates of Florida and the mine phos phates of Tennessee are those with which we are not familiar The mineral phosphates are insoluble and have to be treated and acted upon by strong acids before they become available as plant food They are first ground to powder and then mixed with strong sulphuric acid which changes the insoluble phos phoric acid to the soluble form They then become super phosphates This name is applied to any material containing soluble phosphoric acid as its chief element and of course those containing the greatest amount are the most valuable The soluble distributes itself in the soil and goes to the roots of the plants while the reverted remains where it is placed and the roots of the plants must come to it An important fact to remember is that phosphoric acid is not washed from the soil iTbecomes fixed by combinations with lime iron and other mineral substances Bone or organic phosphates are more valuable than the mineral because of their greater tendency to decay and because they may be used directly on the soil without other treatment than the grinding necessary to make them more easily available The finer this grinding the more valuable the product because very fine ground bone is more easily acted on by the forces which cause it to decay and thus it becomes more quickly available Another fact which addsAnnual Publication foe 1896 209 to the value of bone phosphates is that they contain consider able nitrogen Pure raw bone usually averages about 22 per cent of phosphoric acid and 4 per cent of nitrogen In boiled or steamed bone not only is the bone made finer but it is softer and acts more quickly than if it is merely ground By boiling or steaming the percentage of nitrogen is reduced while the phosphoric acid is increased Steamed bone is therefore much richer in phosphoric acid than raw bone Tankage is a bone product which contains consider able nitrogen The amount is variable depending upon the proportions of bone and meat used in its preparation Tank age is not used as much as bone Of the other phosphates derived from bone bone black bone ash etc are much less valuable than the forms already mentioned Superphos phates made from animal bone contain nitrogen in addition to phosphoric acid and are therefore often called ammoniated superphosphates SOURCES OF POTASH All forms of potash are soluble in water and are considered as about equally available but it is important in selecting any form of potash to specially consider its suitability to the crop to which it is to be applied For instance it has been demon strated that muriate of potash has an unfavorable effect on to bacco potatoes and certain other crops which is not the case when other forms of potash are used Our chief source of pot ash salts are the German mines from which we obtain the kai nit muriate and sulphate of potash and other forms in general use Kainit which has obtained such favor in recent years is a crude product of these mines and contains besides potash common salt and magnesium sulphate It contains on an average about I2J per cent of actual potash The muriate and sulphate of potash are more concentrated They are man ufactured from the crude forms and contain about 50 percent of actual potash In purchasing the ingredients for home mixing of fertilizers 14 a210 Department of AgricultureGeorgia the following may be depended upon to furnish a uniform amount and form of certain constituents no matter where se cured and for that reason they are regarded as standards Ni trate of soda sulphate of ammonia dried blood superphos phates and potash salts all come under this head and like other articles of trade have a certain commercial rating R T Nesbitt ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES COMMISSIONER NESBITTS QUESTION BOX FOR THE MONTH PLANTS THAT ARE POISONOUS TO THE HUMAN TOUCH HOW TO UTILIZE TERRACESREMEDY FOR THE CABBAGE PLUSIASOME POINTS ON PURCHASING FERTILIZERS THE AMOUNT OF SUGAR MADE FROM BEETS QUESTION Will lucerne or alfalfa grow in the sandy soils of the wire grass section of Georgia If so what is the proper time to plant and how much seed is needed for an acre ANSWER Alfalfa should do finely in South Georgia under proper con ditions as it delights in a light sandy loam which however must not be underlaid by a stiff subsoil impervious to water The subsoil must be penetrable by the roots of the plant which sometimes reach to the depth of ten or twelve feet At the same time the soil below the surface must not be water sobbed as it is termed or alfalfa will not thrive upon it With the above conditions of a well drained sandy loam with a per meable subsoil you are ready to raise alfalfa successfully pro vided you follow directions If your subsoil is deficient in lime it will be essential to success to apply a liberal dressing say 100 to 150 bushels to the acre as lucerne will not do wellAnnual Publication foe 1896 211 on land deficient in this fertilizer In addition to lime yon will need a complete fertilizer rich in nitrogen potash and phosphoric acid and it must be applied with a liberal hand as alfalfa will give a very poor return on land that is not rich in all the ingredients of plant food AVith your land now highly enriched break it and subsoil it as deep as possible the deeper the better Then harrow and reharrow until you have it thoroughly pulverized and free from clods You are now ready for planting and I would urge you not to broadcast the seed as is so often recommended for if you do the weeds and grass are almost sure to choke out the young alfalfa and you give up the experiment in despair Plant in rows 20 to 24 inches apart and usefrom 20 to 25 pounds of seed to the acre You know the importance of a good stand in any crop and with alfalfa you want the plants thick enough to hold their own against the grass and weeds which are sure to spring up with them Plant about the last of September or the last of February As soon as the plants are up well commence the cultivation eradicating all weeds and grass and keeping the ground mellow by frequent stirrings Cut when 16tol8inches high and after that cut as often as necessary not allowing it to go to seed and it will soon cover the ground and keep down the weeds For hay it should be cut when the first flowers ap pear It should improve up to the fourth year and after that will yield you four to five tons of the best of hay annually for many years provided of course that you keep out the weeds The hay is equal to or even better than clover and is much relished by stock If your soil is suitable I would recommend that you try it COTTONSEED FROM A NORTHERN LATITUDE QUESTION Do you think there is any benefit to a farmer in South Georgia getting cottonseed from a more northern latitude 212 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ANSWER The farmer in South Georgia would undoubtedly increase his yield of cotton if every three or four years he would get his planting cottonseed from a point 200 or 300 miles north of his farm The farther south the plant is carried the greater the tendency to run to weed as it is termed namely to make a large growth of wood and leaves at the expense of the fruit This is clearly shown in the coast regions of Mexico where frost is unknown or very rare there the cotton plant grows to a small tree in size bearing however but few bolls filled with inferior lint Our farmers as a rule pay too little attention to the selection of their planting seed especially cot ton It is my opinion that if every farmer would in person or through a trusty hand go through his cotton fields and pick the bolls only from the best stalks of cotton and from these save his planting seed the crop would soon be increased at least 25 per cent without any increase in acreage Those farmers who by careful selection of seed have so improved their cotton that they make usually a bale to the acre and readily sell their seed for a dollar a bushel began the improve ment in the way I have indicated and keep it up continuously in order to prevent deterioration of their seed If you will follow the plan suggested you will not need to send anywhere else for cottonseed but will soon find your crop materially in creased and yourself famous for having the best cottonseed in your section The same theory holds good in selecting seed corn Go through your fields before gathering your crop and select for seed the best ear from such stalks as have two or more well matured ears Continue this practice for several years and you will find your corn has become more prolific and that the yield has preceptibly increased Year by year we should strive for improvement and not be content to continue in the old ruts made by our fathers They cultivated our lands when they were fresh and made good crops under any circum stances Now however conditions are changed and a farmerAnnual Publication for 1896 21c must be wideawake and progressive or he cannot hope to make anything but meagre crops FERTILIZING QUESTION I have got 2000 bushels of cottonseed 100 barrels of ashes from the slab pit and 100 barrels of ashes from the furnace In addition I have 50000 pounds of horse manure I want 3our advice how to use this in a compost I can get kainit or acid phosphate My cotton dies with the black root What can I use to stop it ANSWER In consequence of the uncertain value of the ashes it is not an easy matter to give a satisfactory answer to your question Ashes vary from 1 to 5 per cent in phosphoric acid and from 1 to 20 per cent in potash according to circumstances The ashes from the slab pit have of course had rains upon them and are undoubtedly more or less leached making those in the bottom of the pit much richer in potash than those nearer the top In consequence they must be thoroughly mixed before using so that the potash may be equally distributed through out the mass Assuming that your ashes carry 8 per cent of potash and 3 per cent of phosphoric acid I would suggest a compost made of 600 pounds of ashes 600 pounds of cotton seed and 800 pounds of acid phosphate This would give you a fertilizer containing about 650 per cent of phosphoric acid about 33 of potash and about 1 per cent of nitrogen If your land is in the habit of causing rust in the cotton crop you had better add 150 pounds of muriate potash to the above which would give you a fertilizer with nearly 7 per cent of potash The black root in cotton is hard to deal with and difficult to subdue No doubt the best plan is to rotate your crops bring ing cotton on the same field not oftener than once in three or four years By this plan you can at least diminish the damage from this disease and sometimes entirely eradicate it Con214 Department of AgricultureGeorgia eerning the horse manure I suggest that you add 2000 pounds of it to 2000 pounds of the above described compost and after mixing thoroughly apply say from 500 to 600 pounds to the acre for cotton This should make you a good crop should the necessary work and rain accompany it PURCHASING FERTILIZERS QUESTION The farmers in my neighborhood have formed a club and would like some points from you on buying fertilizers as cheap as possible Give us some suggestions ANSWER There are two ways open to individuals or clubs to get their fertilizers The one most generally followed is to buy their goods already mixed by the factories with the guaranteed analysis branded upon the sacks This plan saves the farmer some labor toth of head and hand and consequently is the most popular The other plan is to buy the ingredients yourself either as individuals or in clubs and do the mixing yourself This plan will impose upon you some thought and some labor but will enable you to save from 2 to 4 a ton on your fertil izer bill This is the plan adopted by many of the shrewdest and most successful farmers of the State and if adopted by allT would save about 1000000 annually to the farmers of Geor gia If now you want a cheap fertilizer for corn or cotton such as you have usually paid 18 to 20 for buy the following ingredients and mix them thoroughly before using Acid phosphate 14 percent available 1200 lbs Cottonseed meal nitrogen equal to SJ percent ammonia 300 Kainit 12 per cent potash 300 Total 1800 lbs The cost of the material should be at wholesale prices about 15 not including the cost of mixing which should not exceedAnnual Publication for 1896 215 a half days wages of one hand Another higher grade fertil izer for corn or cotton would be the following Acid phosphate 14 per cent available1300 lbs Blood nitrogen equal to 16 per cent ammonia 300 Kainit 12 per cent potash 400 Total 2000 lbs Cost of materials for above mixture should be at wholesale prices about 1660 per ton while the usual selling price is about 22 a ton Add to the cost of the above materials a half days wages of one hand Some farmers demand afertilizer of a higher grade contain ing more nitrogen and more potash This demand can be easily supplied but of course will cost more money The fol lowing Acid phosphate 14 per cent available 1300 lbs Blood nitrogen equal to 16 per cent ammonia 400 Muriate of potash 50 per cent potash 300 Total 2000 lbs would give you a fertilizer of a very high grade the ingredients of which would cost you about 21 at wholesale prices but for such goods the usual selling price is about 26 You can get all the ingredients for making your fertilizers from any of the large manufacturers and I suggest that your club discuss the matter find out just how much they want and then buy it in carload lots They will make a decided saving by this plan The mixing must be thoroughly done and all lumps broken up The prices given above for materials for fertilizers does not in clude freight which on an average will not add more than a dollar or a dollar and a half per ton to the amount given One advantage in buying mixing and using the higher grade goods is the saving in freight For instance dried blood is usually twice as rich in nitrogen as is cottonseed meal and muriate of potash is four times as rich in potash as is kainit consequently to get a definite amount of nitrogen or potash the freight charge would only be half as much on blood as on cottonseed216 Department of AgricultureGeorgia meal and onefourth as much on muriate of potash as on kai nit Before mixing screen the materials with a common sand screen to get out the lumps which can then he easily crushed I have repeatedly urged the farmers of Georgia to mix their own fertilizers and I trust that this season a great many will follow my advice PLANTING OF TERRACES QUESTION Is there no way that I can utilize my terraces I have a good many and I have been thinking that something might be planted on them ANSWER Of course you can plant your terraces in various crops and you are wasting some good land if you are not doing so Some farmers plant their terraces in fruit trees particularly plums but I think this a poor plan as the tree soon branches out and prevents plow ing right up to the terraces without injury to the trees Where terraces are near the house I have seen fine strawberres raised upon them and I think they would be excellently adapted to growing raspberries or blackberries The roots of any of these fruits would be useful in binding the terraces and thus preventing their washing away I think though that on the whole sorghum or cattail millet or chicken corn would be the best crops to put on the terraces The roots of either of these would offer great resistance to any tendency of the terraces to break and any of these could be cut green for soiling or could go to maturity for seed or grind ing and in both cases their roots would be left in the soil render ing it difficult to break the terraces with even very heavy rains Of course this planting of terraces is best done before they become old packed and well sodded with grass Then they are better let alone for any disturbance in the way of cultivation would only weaken and injure themAnnual Publication foe 1896 217 HORSE SUFFERING FROM HEAVES QUESTION I have a fine young horse which has lately developed a short wheezing cough and when driven out of a very slow gait seems to breathe with difficulty his breathing then being short and fast What ails him and what can I do to cure him ANSWER Your animal undoubtedly is suffering from what is called heaves or broken wind This disease is caused by ruptured or enlarged air cells of the lungs and is consequently incurable as no medical science can repair these bursted cells The best you can do is to lessen the evil by paying strict attention to the food of the animal Dont give large quantities of hay or fodder but feed liberally of oats with a small quantity of fodder The idea is to distend the stomach as little as possible as to do so in such cases is always harmful Always dampen the oats and fodder before feeding Bran mashes are also good By feeding carefully as suggested the trouble will be to some extent alleviated and the animal rendered more serviceable though you can never hope for a cure CABBAGE PLUSIA QUESTION Inclosed find some worms and a moth which produces them The worms have seriously injured our cabbages and turnips eating off the tops Please name them and give a remedy against them ANSWER The insect is called the cabbage plusia It works great injury to many garden crops but especially to cabbages and turnips The female moth dark gray in color with a bright spot near the mid dle of each front wing deposits her eggs either singly or in clus ters on the upper surface of the cabbage leaves The eggs soon hatch and the young worms begin at once to devour the leaves218 Department of AgricultureGeorgia and bore small irregular holes in the cabbage head In this sec tion there are several broods of this destructive insect each season The moth usually fly at night but may sometimes be seen flitting about during a cloudy day To get rid of them dust upon the plants pyrethrum insect powder mixed with three times its bulk of flour They may also be destroyed by spraying with kerosene emulsion POISONOUS PLANTS QUESTION Are there any plants poisonous to the human touch ANSWER Fortunately there are but few plants that cannot be handled with impunity The poisoning or poison oak a climbing vine is one of these Few persons can handle this plant without finding them selves poisoned and some are so susceptible to it that if they even pass near it they are affected Then there is the poisonous sumac the sap of which getting on the skin will cause painful blisters Some varieties of mushrooms are also very poisonous even to handle and cause death if eaten There are quite a number of plants that are poisonous if eaten and doubtless many mysterious cases of death among the cattle might be traced to this cause SUGAR MADE FROM BEETS QUESTION How much sugar is made annually from beets in Europe How much in this country ANSWER During the season of 189495 there was made in Germany 1850000 tons in Austria 1050000 tons in France 790000 tons in Belgium 285000 tons in Holland 90000 tons in other countries 106000 tons a total of 4847000 tons In the same year the product in the United States was 267000 tonsAnnual Publication for 1896 219 I THE LAW GOVERNING THE INSPECTION OF FER TILIZERS AND FERTILIZER MATERIALS On the 19th of October 1891 an act the full text of which is heieby given was approved by the Governor The hearty cooperation of manufacturers dealers and their agents in complying with the provisions of the law will obviously render their dealings with the department more pleasant and at the same time will better enable the Commissioner to give an efficient service and will aid him more readily to detect any spurious article that is sought to be imposed upon the people of the State and in protecting the farmers at the same time to protect the honest manufacturer and dealer AN ACT To amend and consolidate the laws governing the inspection analysis and sale of commercial fertilizers ch emicals and cottonseed meal in the State of Georgia and to repeal all other laws and parts of laws in conflic t therewith and for other purposes Section I Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Georgia hat all manufacturers of or dealers in commercial fertilizers or chemicals or cottonseed meal to be used in manufacturing the same who may desire to sell or offer for sale in the State of Georgia such fertilizers chemicals or cotton seed meal shall first file with the Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of Georgia the name of each brand of fertilizers or chemicals which he or they may desire to sell in said State either by themselves or their agents together with the name of the manufacturer the place where manufactured and also the guaranteed analysis thereof and if the same fertilizer is sold under differ ent names said fact shall be so stated and the different brands that are iden tical shall be named Sec II Be it further enacted That all fertilizers oi chemicals for manu facturing the same and all cottonseed meal offered for sale or distribution in this State shall have branded upon or attached to each bag barrel or package the guaranteed analysis thereof showing the percentage of valuable elements or ingredients such fertilizers or chemicals contain embracing the following determinations Moisture at 212 deg Fahper cent Insoluble phosphoric acidpercent Available phosphoric acidper cent Ammonia actual and potentialper cent Potash K2 Oper cent The analysis so placed upon or attached to said fertilizer or chemical shall be a guarantee by the manufacturer agent or person offering the same for sale220 Department of AgricultureGeorgia that it contains substantially the ingredients indicated thereby in the percen tages named therein and said guarantee shall be binding on said manufacturer agent or dealer and may be pleaded in any action or suit at law to show total or partial failure of consideration in the contract for the sale of said fertilizer chemical or cottonseed meal Sec III Be it further enacted That it shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Agriculture to forbid the sale of either of the following Any acid phos phate which contains less than ten per centum of available phosphoric acid any acid phosphate with potash which contains a sum total of less than ten per centum of available phosphoric acid and potash when the per cents of the two are added together any acid phosphate with ammonia which contains a sum total of less than ten per centum of available phosphoric acid and ammonia when the per cents of the two are added together any acid phosphate with ammonia and potash which contains a sum total of less than ten per centum of available phosphoric acid ammonia and potash when the per cents of the three are added together that no brands shall be sold as ammoniated super phosphates unless said brands contain 2 per cent or more of ammonia And also to forbid the sale of all cottonseed meal which is shown by official analy sis to contain less than 7 per cent of ammonia Nothing in this act shall be construed to nullify any of the requirements of an act entitled an act to require the inspection and analysis of cottonseed meal Sec IV Be it further enacted That all persons or firms who may desire or intend to sell fertilizers chemicals or cottonseed meal in this State shall for ward to the Commissioner of Agriculture a printed or plainly written request for tags therefor stating the name of the brand the name of the manufact urer the place where manufactured the number of tons of each brand and the number of tags required and the person or persons to whom the same ia consigned the guaranteed analysis also the number of pounds contained in each bag barrel or package in which said fertilizer chemical or cottonseed meal is put up and shall at the time of said request for tags forward directly to the Commissioner of Agriculture the sum of ten cents per ton as an inspec tion fee whereupon it shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Agriculture to issue tags to parties so applying who shall attach a tag to each bag barrel or package thereof which when attached to said bag barrel or package shall be pnma facie evidence that the seller has complied with the requirements of this act Any tags left in possession of the manufacturer or dealer at the end of the season shall not be used for another season nor shall they be redeem able by the Department of Agriculture Sec V Be it further enacted That it shall not be lawful for any person firm or corporation either by themselves or their agents to sell or offer for sale in this State any fertilizer chemicals or cottonseed meal without first registering the same with the Commissioner of Agriculture as required by this act and the fact that the purchaser waives the inspection and analysis thereof shall be no protection to said party so selling or offering the same for sale Sec VI Be it further enacted That the Commissioner of Agriculture shall appoint twelve inspectors of fertilizers or so many inspectors as in said Com missioner s judgment may be necessary who shall hold their offices for such terms as said Commissioner of Agriculture shall in his judgment think best lor carrying out the provisions of this act The greatest compensation that any one inspector of fertilizers shall receive shall be at the rate of one hundredAnnual Publication foe 1896 221 dollars per month and his actual expenses while in the discharge of his duty i as such inspector It shall be their duty to inspect all fertilizers chemicals or cottonseed meal that may be found at any point within the limits of this State and go to any point when so directed by the Commissioner of Agriculture and shall see that all fertilizers chemicals or cotton seed meal are properly tagged Sec VII Be it further enacted That each inspector of fertilizers shall be provided with bottles in which to place samples of fertilizers chemicals or cot tonseed meal drawn by him and shall also be provided with leaden tags numbered in duplicate from one upward and it shall be the duty of each in i spector of fertilizers to draw a sample of all fertilizers chemicals and cotton seed meal that he may be requested to inspect or that he may find unin spected and he shall fill two sample bottles with each brand and place one leaden tag of same number in each sample bottle and shall plainly write on a label on said bottles the number corresponding to the number on said leaden tags in said bottles and shall also write on the label on one of said bottles the name of the fertilizer chemical or cotton seed meal inspected the name of the manufacturer the place where manufactured the place where inspected the date of inspection and the name of the inspector and shall send or cause to be sent to the Commissioner of Agriculture the samples so drawn by him an nexed to a full report of said inspection written on the form prescribed by said Commissioner of Agriculture which report must be numbered to corre spond with the number on said sample bottles and number on the leaden tags placed therein and it shall also be the duty of said inspectors of fertilizers to keep a complete record of all inspections made by them on forms prescribed by said Commissioner of Agriculture Before entering upon the discharge of their duties they shall take and subscribe before some officer authorized to administer the same an oath faithfully to discharge all the duties which may be required of them in pursuance of this act Sec VIII Be it further enacted That the Commissioner of Agriculture shall have the authority to establish such rules and regulations in regard to the in spection analysis and sale of fertilizers chemicals and cottonseed meal not inconsistent with the provisions of this act as in his judgment will best carry i out the requirements thereof Sec IX Be it further enacted That it shall be the duty of the Commissioner i of Agriculture to keep a correct account of all money received from the inspec tion of fertilizers and to pay the same into the treasury after paying out of said sum the expenses and salaries of inspectors and for the tags and bottles i used in making such inspections Sec X Be it further enacted That all contracts for the sale of fertilizers or chemicals in the State of Georgia made in any other manner than as required by this act shall be absolutely void provided that nothing in this act shall be construed to restrict or avoid sales of acid phosphate kainit or other fertilizer material in bulk to each other by importers manufacturers or manipulators who mix fertilizer material for sale or as preventing the free and unrestricted shipment of these articles in bulk to manufacturers or manipulators who mix fertilizer material for sale Sec XI Be it further enacted That any person selling or offering for sale any fertilizers or chemicals without having first complied with the provisions of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction222 Department of AgricultureGeorgia thereoi shall be punished as prescribed in section 4310 of the code o Georgia Sec XII Be it further enacted That all laws and parts of laws in conflict with this act be and the same are hereby repealed 1 With the provisions of the above law the Commissioner requests that all manufacturers and dealers in commercial fertilizers chemicals and other fertilizer material immediately comply AVhile the law itself is sufficiently explicit to be thoroughly understood to facilitate its operations the following form is prescribed REQUEST FOR REGISTRATION To R TJtsbitl Commissioner of Agriculture Atlanta Ga You are hereby requested to register for sale and distribution in the State of Georgiamanufactured by at THE FOLLOWING IS THE GUARANTEED ANALYSIS BRAND OF THE Moisture at 212 Fahper cent Insoluble phosphoric acidper cent Available phosphoric acidper cent Ammonia actual and potentialper cent Potash K2 0per cent The ammonia is in the form of Theis put up inof lbs each It is identical with In consideration of being allowed to sell and distribute the above brand be fore the official analysis thereof is madeagree and bind to cancel all sales thereof and forfeit all claims for purchase money therefor if after the official analysis is made the Commissioner of Agriculture shall prohibit its sale in accordance with law 2 Under section 4 relating to requests for tags in order that no delay may occur in shipments the manufacturer or dealer need not notify the Depart ment at the time of the request for tags of the name of the purchaser or consignee but must notify the Commisssioner in writing of every sale or con signment on the day in which the same is made This notice must dis tinctly state the brand of the fertilizer or the name of the chemical or fertil izer material and the number of tons together with the name of the pur chaser or consignee and their places of residence It must request inspection and contain an agreement to cancel all sales thereof in the event the Com missioner shall prohibit its sale in accordance with law The following form may be used substantial compliance with the above rule being regarded as sufficientAnnual Publication foe 1896 223 NOTICE OF SALES AND CONSIGNMENTS AND REQUEST FOR INSPECTION To R T Ncsbitt Commissioner of Agriculture Atlanta Ga You are hereby notified thathave this day made the follow ing sales and consignments and request that the same be inspected J 03 a 03 oS 1 V m it 3 o o oS P p g a 6 a cB Iz i 6 0 In consideration of being allowed to sell and distribute the above before the official analysis thereof is madeagree and bind to cancel all sales thereof and forfeit all claim for purchase money thereof if after the official analysis is made the Commissioner of Agriculture shall prohibit its sale in accordance with law Manufacturers and dealers by this rule are not required to delay shipment in order that the inspection may be made but are required to see that their goods are properly tagged the inspection being made while the fertilizer or fertilizer mate rial is in the hands of the purchaser or consignee 3 All orders for tags must be sent direct to this department and the request must be accompanied with the fees for inspection at the rate of ten cents per ton for the fertilizer or fertilizer material on which they are to be used Manufacturers and dealers or their agents may request tags in such quantities as they see fit but each request must state distinctly the brand or brands on which they are to be used with the number of tons of the brands or of each of said brands It is not necessary that the fertilizer or fertilizer material be actually on hand at the time the request is made but manufacturers or dealers can order such a number of tags as they may need during the season bearing in mind that no tags carried over will be redeemed by the department In the event that more tags are ordered for any brand than it is ascertained can be used on the sales and consignments of that brand by proper notice with the consent of the Commissioner the tags can be used on another brand put up in packages or sacks of the same weight and sold or consigned the same season 4 If a fertilizer be offered for registration inspection or sale branded as either of the following Ammoniated Superphosphate Ammoniated Dissolved Bone Ammoniated Guano Guano Fertilizer or other words implying that the same is an ammoniated superphosphate the224 Department of AgricultureGeorgia guaranteed analysis must claim that it contains not less than two per cent of ammonia actual or potential 6 That part of section 3 excepting from the operations of the act an act to require the inspection and analysis of cottonseed meal leaves the inspec tion of that article under the Calvin bill which requires that all cottonseed meal for whatever purpose to he used be inspected It is therefore necessary and is required that a request for inspection be sent to the Commissioner and that the inspection be made in the hands of the manufacturer dealer or their agent or if shipped in the State at some convenient point before the meal is sold or distributed In all cases fees will be sent direct to the Commissioner who will immediately order the nearest inspector to make the inspectionAnnual Publication for 1896 225 CALVIN BILL COTTONSEED MEAL A bill to be entitled an act to require all cottonseed meal to be subjected to analysis and inspection as a condition precedent to being offered for sale and to forbid the sale in this State of such cottonseed meal if it be shown by the official analysis that the same contains less than 7 per centum of ammonia to prescribe a penalty for the violation of the provisions of this act and for other purposes Section I Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Georgia and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same That from and after the passage of this act it shall not be lawful for any person or persons to offer for sale in this State any cottonseed meal until the same shall have been duly analyzed by the State Chemist and inspected as now required by law in the matter of all fertilizers and chemicals for manufacturing or composting purposes nor shall it be lawful to offer such cottonseed meal for sale in this State if it be shown by the official analysis that the same contains less than 7J per centum of ammonia provided that the provisions of this act as to the per centum mentioned in this section shall not apply to meal manufactured from sea island cottonseed but the Commissioner of Agriculture shall upon the pass age of this act fix and make public a minimum per centum which shall con trol as to the cottonseed meal referred to in this proviso provided further that if any cottonseed meal shall not analyze up to the required per centum of ammonia the same may be offered for sale as secondclass meal provided the analysis be made known to the purchaser and stamped on the sack Sec II Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid That there shall be branded upon or attached to each sack barrel or package of cottonseed meal offered for sale in this State the true analysis as determined by the State Chemist and the number of pounds net in each sack barrel or package Sec III Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid That it shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Agriculture to take all steps necessary to make effective the provisions of sections 1 and 2 of this act Sec IV Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid That any person or persons violating the provisions of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction shall be punished as described in section 4310 of the code of 1882 Sec V Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid That all laws and parts of laws in conflict with this act be and the same are heieby repealed Approved July 22 1891 15 a226 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ELLINGTON BILL No 1GS An act to regulate the sale of fertilizers in the State to fix a method for determining the value of the same and for other purposes Section I Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Georgia and it is hereby enacted by authority of the same That from and after the passage of this act it shall be lawful for any purchaser of fertilizer from any owner thereof or agent of such owner to require of the person selling and at the time ofsale or delivery to take from each lot of each brand sold a sample of its contents Sec II Be it further enacted That said sample so taken shall be mixed to gether and placed in a bottle jar or such other receptacle as the purchaser may present It shall then be the duty of such purchaser and seller to deliver said package to the Ordinary of the county who shall label same with the names of the parties and of the fertilizer Sec III Be it further enacted That said Ordinary shall safely keep said package allowing neither party access to the same save as hereinafter pro vided The Ordinary shall receive a fee of ten 10 cents from the party de positing such sample for each sample so deposited Sec IV Be it further enacted That should said purchaser after having used such fertilizer upon his crops have reason to believe from the yields thereof that said fertilizer was totally or partially worthless he shall notify the seller and apply to the Ordinary to forward the said sample deposited with him or a sufficiency thereof to insure a fair analysis to the State Chemist without stating the names of the parties the name of the fertilizer or giving its guaranteed analysis the cost of sending being prepaid by the purchaser Sec V Be it further enacted That it shall be the duty of the State Chemist to analyze and send a copy of the result to said Ordinary Sec VI Be it further enacted That should said analysis show that said fertilizer comes up to the guaranteed analysis upon which it is sold then the statement so sent by the State Chemist shall be conclusive evidence against a plea of partial or total failure of consideration But should said analysis show that such fertilizer does not come up to the guaranteed analysis then the sale shall be illegal null and void and when suit is brought upon any evidence of indebtedness given for such fertilizer the statement of such Chemist so transmitted to the Ordinary shall be conclusive evidence of the fact whether such evidence of indebtedness is held by an innocent third party or not Sec VII Be it further enacted That in lieu of the State Chemist should the parties to the contract agree upon some other chemist to make said analy sis all the provisions of this act shall apply to his analysis and report to the Ordinary Sec VIII Be it further enacted That should the seller refuse to take said sample when so required by the purchaser then upon proof of this fact the purchaser shall be entitled to his plea of failure of consideration and to sup port the same by proof of the want of effect and benefit of said fertilizer uponAnnual Publication for 1896 227 innocent holder or not Smd Suit is h by an Approved December 27 1890 Special attention is called to Sec I Requiring seller to take the sample bEC II Requiring purchaser and setter to deliver oackaetnn x Sec VRequmng cost of sending being prepaid by purchaser REMARKS OX THE ELLINGTON BILL Unless the law is complied with and samples are taken rfwrcfiwer and seller and kept in cha f rhln j 6 Presence of not make the analyses IfThe samn fint 11 8tEte Chemist wil1 and kept in charge by the 2 taken m the presence of the seller ing it with dirt could cause thP J T u absenceof the seller and mix cally dealer by adding SnTe lT nd Ve a swindle an honest farmer mgredlent8 r titntrng another sample conld wnlirTStf S t0 their guarantees This is eZZZtsl JH f T f purchaser nor seller should have pJZtoZZZl SpSxr1issihtbe seainrith wax f ai1 is advisable that it shou d be done A f V T n require il rt of the names of the two parties the r6Crd shuld be kt by the Ordinary the sampes shouFI uT red t ken and gUarantee and be put upon the bottles When thVSTi Md CrreSP0lding nuber should should be scraped oheltbZHT Tttl T8 placed in another bottle and numbered m Sample ehould b prevent samples getting mfxeThOrfir J reCOrd bk to county on the packa whenshippingwThVS T Mme f the county the package belonm TffZ m hemSt may know to what which are sLt to thitTce b CZaSZlT Sam where it is from ailmg to wrlte on e package228 Department of AgricultureGeorgia REPORT OF THE CHEMIST Laboratory op the State Chemist State Capitol Atlanta Ga September 1 1896 Hon R T Nesbitt Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of Georgia Dear SirThe fertilizer season just closing has been one of unusual char acter in the history of the department The largest number of brands of fertilizers offered for sale in Georgia during any one year have been put upon the market during the past season The largest number of tons of fertilizers sold in Georgia during any one year have been sold for this years crop Georgia is the largest consumer of fertilizers of any of the States of the Union She has become almost as large a user of these materials as the two States which rank next to her put together This enormous consump tion of fertilizers made up under so many different brands necessitates a great number of chemical analyses to determine the character of the goods offered for sale The farmers of the State are studying the subject of fertilizers and fertil ization of crops with deep interest and are appreciating more and more fully the importance of the intelligent use of fertilizers The enormous mul tiplication of brands is not for the best interests either of the manufacturer or the farmer A healthy increase in the number of brands commensurate with an increase of the number of manufacturers and of new and desirable combinations is unobjectionable but it is not wise for a manufacturer to put up goods by a certain formula and sell them far and wide over the State under many different names The objection to this is obvious A farmer may buy a certain brand of goods and find it totally unfitted for his land and the crop he wishes to raise naturally he desires no more of that brand although it may contain all the plantfood guaranteed it is not suited to the peculiar conditions of his crop or his land lie wishes to try something else He goes to another dealer and buys a different brand thinking he is getting a change If it happens to be the same old brand under another name his crop suffers accordingly and his faith in fertilizers is much shaken He certainly would not have bought the same goods a second time if he had been aware of their identity A wrong is thus put upon him Many dealers desire to appear as manufacturers and have their own special brands made for them These brands are sometimes made one season by one factory ami give satisfaction another manufacturer comes along and offers to make him the goods for next season with the same guarantee for less money he accepts the offer and the goods will reach the guarantee but with far les margin than the others and probably made up with different materials The purchaser tries them the first season and is pleased he tries them the second season and is disappointed he is told that the goods are all right as shown by their work the first season and that the weather and other adverse causes are accountable for his poor crop In this way he is often unfairly persuaded to use the brand a third season Some manufacturers are accustomed to consider their brands as simply formulae containing certain amounts of available phosphoric acid ammoniaAnnual Publication foe 1896 229 and potash varying the source of these substances as best suits their pocket books or convenience This is eminently unwise as a given brand should represent a certain amount of plantfood from definite sources A farmer who faas successfully used a fertilizer ammoniated with blood certainly is not treated fairly if sold the same brand next season ammoniated with nitrate of soda without his having any knowledge of the change We believe that it would be wise to inaugurate a definite system in regard to the matter This should be done by requiring each manufacturer when he registers a brand with the Commissioner of Agriculture to give the kind of materials to be used in it If a manufacturer desires to vary the ma terials of a brand according to the market prices he can so register it that is state that it may be composed in part of all the specified ingredients or a portion of them to meet the given guarantee It would not be just to require a manufacturers formula but it is right that a farmer should know whether the brand he used successfully last season is made up of the same materials this season or secures its ammonia and potash from some other source This is a matter of great importance to the farmer who wishes to secure the best results for the money upon his crop on his land A reasonable number of brands should be allowed to each manufacturer any excess over such number should pay a proper fee to the State Chemist for each brand to enalbe him to accomplish the work necessary to keep up with the increasing number of brands It has only been by working fourteen hours a day for a large portion of the year that he has kept pace with the present large number of brands And the number of brands grows larger each year During the past season there has been an unusual number of samples sent direct to the State Chemist under the provisions of the Ellington bill This hill gives most complete protection to any farmer who doubts the character of the fertilizer purchased The sample is taken in the presence of buyer and i seller and given in charge of the ordinary of the county If the buyer finds the crop results unsatisfactory he notifies the ordinary who sends the sam I pie without the name of the brand or the name of the manufacturer or I the name of the buyer or the name of the seller to the State Chemist who makes the analysis free of charge The amount of work done during the season of 189596 was as follows Acid phosphates with ammonia and potash complete fertilizers 926 Acid phosphates with ammonia 4 I Acid phosphates with potash i 79 j Acid phosphates 141 Potash salts 33 Fertilizers under provisions of the Ellington bill 27 Cotton seedmeals 58 Minerals 151 Substances not otherwise enumerated 162 1681 Very respectfully George F Payne State Chemist230 Department of AgricultureGeorgia VALUATIONS For Available Phosphoric Acid Ammonia and Potash for Season of 1S95189 Available phosphoric acid3J4 cents a pound Ammonia or its equivalent in nitrogen 11 cents a pound Potash434 cents a pound If calculated by units Available phosphoric acid 65 cents per unit Ammonia or its equivalent in nitrogen 2 20 per unit Potash 85 cents per unit The relative commercial value which is given each fertilizer is calculated from the above figures with an addition to each of 260 per ton to cover in spection sacks mixing and handling To calculate the commercial value of a ton of a given fertilizer bear in minu that a ton weighs 2000 pounds and one per cent of this is twenty pounds If a goods contain one per cent of available phosphoric acid this will be twenty pounds of available phosphoric acid in a ton Twenty pounds of available phosphoric acid at three and a quarter cents a pound will be sixty five cents for each per cent contained in a ton or sixtyfive cents per unit as it is generally designated Ammonia being eleven cents a pound each one percent or twenty pounds in a ton will be worth 220 Potash being four and one quarter cents per pound each one per cent or twenty in a ton will be worth eightyfive cents To illustrate this take a sample containing Available phosphoric acid1000 multiply by 65 6 50 Ammonia 260 multiply by 220 5 72 Potash 200 multiply by 85 1 70 Inspection sacks mixing and handling 2 60 Relative commercial value16 52 These values represent approximately the comparative original wholesale cost of the goods and not their retail prices To estimate the approximate re tail value one should add the freight to his particular market from the chief points of distribution in the State and a fair profit on the cost of the goods It is well to bear in mind that goods are sold very close for cash but when sold on time dealers are compelled to charge full prices to cover interest cost of collection and bad debts It is impossible to fix exact values for an entire season upon mercantile goods subject to the fluctuations of the market hence these values while considered fairly approximate are to be regarded as relative and not as abso luteAnnual Publication for 1896 231 WHOLESALE CASH PRICES OF FERTILIZER MATERIALS January 1896 These are the Substances from which Ordinary Commercial Fertilizers are Manufactured mixing handling freight sacking etc increasing the cost of the finished product Phosphate Rock free on hoard Charleston S 0 per ton 2 75 to 5 3 50 Peace River Fla per ton 3 00 to 3 50 Land Pebble 70 Phosphoric Acid per ton 4 00 to 4 25 Sulphuric Acidin bulk50Bper ton 6 50 to 7 50 Acid Phosphateper ton 0 50 to 8 45 Acid Phosphate sold by the unit of available Phosphoric Acidper unit 50 to 65 To obtain the price of a given acid phosphate multiply the per cent of available phosphoric acid by the price per unit One ton of ground phos phate rock and one ton of sulphuric acid will make two tons of acid phos phate The cost of available phosphoric acid at 65 cents a unit is 3J cents a pound Blood dried red high grade with nitrogen equivalent to 16 per cent ammoniaper ton 28 80 Blood dried low grade with nitrogen equivalent to 14 per cent ammoniaper ton 23 1 Tankage High gradeper ton 18 00 to 19 CO Low gradeper ton 17 00 to 18 00 Fish Guano or Fish Scrap dried free on board at the factoryper ton 19 00 to 19 50 Fish Guano or Fish Scrap acidulated free on board at the factoryper ton 9 00 to 9 50 Bones roughper ton 19 00 to 20 00 groundper ton 24 00 Bone Meal steamedper ton 22 00 Bone Black Refuseper ton 18 00 to 18 50 Sulphate of Ammonia containing about 24 to 25 per cent ammoniaper ton 44 00 to 49 00 Nitrate of Soda containing nitrogen equivalent to about 19 per cent of ammoniaper ton 35 00 to 37 00 Cotton Seed Mealby carloadcontaining nitrogen equiva lent to about 8 per cent ammoniaper ton 18 70 Kainit containing 1200 per cent potash K20 at Savan nah Ga in lots of less than 25 tonsper ton 11 00 to 13 75 Kainit containing 1200 per cent potash K20 invoice lots as to portper long ton 2240 lbs 8 55 to 9 80 Muriate of Potash containing about 5100 per cent potash K20 at Savannah Ga in lots of less than 25 tons per ton41 00 to 52 00 Muriate of Potash containing about 5100 per cent potash K20 invoice lots as to port per long ton 2240 lbs 35 00 to 36 00 Cottonseed Hull Ashes averages about 2275 per cent potash K20 but varies from 10 per cent to 42 per cent per ton 16 00232 Department of AgeicultobeGeoegia These prices give a fair idea of the value of fertilizers in large wholesale lots The phosphate rook is quoted F 0 B at the mines the freight to any given point will have to he added to give the wholesale value at such place Sulphuric acid is given at New York quotations but sulphuric acid is prob ably made as cheaply in Georgia as at the north as acid phosphates have been sold in the State in bulk so low as to warrant this presumption Blood tankage bones boneblack sulphate of ammoniaand nitrate of soda are quoted at New York prices But as most of the blood tankage and bones comes from the western markets they are probably delivered almost as cheaply in Georgia as in New York City Fish scrap is quoted at the factory The freight rate on fertilizers from New York to Savannah is from SI60 to 200 per ton so 200 added to the fish scrap prices would give about cost at Savannah With these figures as a basis the value of the plantfood in these materials taking the prices for large quantities is as follows Available phosphoric acid ob cents cents tained from phosphate rock per ft i to 3 per unit 50 to 60 Ammonia or its nitrogen equiv alent in the form of blood per ft S4 to 9 per unit 165 to 180 Ammonia or its nitrogen equiv alent in the form of Sulphate of Ammoniaper ft 1io 22 per unit 245 to 250 Ammonia or its nitrogen equiv alent in the form of Nitrate of Sodaper ft 9 to 9jV per unit 184 to 192 Ammonia or its nitrogen equiv alent in the form of Cotton seed Mealper ft 11 per unit 220 Potash K20 in the form of Kainitper ft y2 to 4 per unit 70to 90 Potash K20 in the form of Muriateper ft 3 to 4TV per unit 64 to 82 Potash K in the form of Ashes of Cottonseed Hulls per ft 3 per unit 72 As tankage bones fish scrap and boneblack refuse contain phosphates as well at nitrogenous matter they would not be treated fairly if valued on their nitrogen aloneAnnual Publication for 1896 233 The Percentage in Ordinary Fertilizing Materials of the Three Plant Foods Most Easily Exhausted from the Soil is as follows s o 3 o H Per Cent of Available Phosphoric Acid Thii subtracted from the total Phosphoric Acid present will leave the Insoluble Phosphoric Acid Per Cent Ammonia Calculated from Nitrogen present o 5 Acid Phosphates Soft PhosphatesBlood 1200 to 2000 1986 190 1200 825 2274 10 00 to 1900 207 1200 to 1700 800 to 1400 880 4 63 2480 1900 800 to 900 450 to 650 Tankage 540 315 800 Fish dried UottonSeed Meal 280 250 180 Sea Island Cotton Seed Meal 150 11 00 to 13 00 Muriate of Potash 885 10 40 114 151 170 70 10 17 17 109 41 31 51 50 Cotton Seed Hull 775 2275 Ashes Anthracite 10 AshesBitunious Ashes limekiln 40 120 Ashes wood 1 27 Ashes wood unleached 525 Ashes city cre 130 35 53 121 72 67 70 1 8S 72 52 237 00 59 68 Muck 15 Cattle Excrement 10 Horse Excrement Human Excment 35 25 Swine Excrement 13 Sheep Excrement Cattle Urine 15 49 1 50 Human Urine 17 07 01 30 32 20 83 Stable M a nure 2 26 60 Barnyard Manure 34 234 Department of AgricultureGeorgia FRUITS AND THEIR PRESERVATION FOR EXHIBITION PURPOSES By Dr George F Payne FCS State Chemist of Georgia From Druggists Circular Many substances have been suggested and tried for the preservation of fruits for exhibition purposes with more or less success It is possible to preserve the most delicate fruits and berries but it is a matter of extreme difficulty to preserve at the same time all of their magnificent coloring as well as to prevent either their shrinking or bursting To preserve the natural size of some fruits it is important to prepare a preserving fluid of the same specific gravity as the juice or must of the fruit A must spindle or other specific gravity spindle for liquids heavier than water can be used for this purpose The juice of the fruit should be squeezed out and its gravity taken and the preserving fluid should be made to correspond with it by the addition of sugar a beer saccharometer which can be purchased for 75 cents is well suited for taking the specific gravity of the juices of the fruits Each degree upon its stem represents one ounce of sugar in each 100 ounces of the solution when made up with water A gallon of water contains 128 fluid ounces or weighs about 133 avoirdupois ounces hence each degree on the spindle indicating 1 per cent of sugar or one ounce in the hundred will mean ounces of sugar in the gallon Then a juice of 10 degrees is equivalent to 13 ounces of sugar in the gallon Test the gravity of your solution after mixing to see that you are correct The less the gravity of the solutions the more inclined will be the fruits with skins to swell so a little shortage on the sugar is only inclined to make the fruit look large too little sugar may cause them to burst The specific gravities of the juices or must of some of our best known fruits when ripe are as follows in the degrees of the saccharometer DewberriesAbout 1 degree Tomatoes 4 decrees Strawberries 5 to 6 Raspberries 7 to 8 Huckleberries 8 Plums 10 Mulberries 8 Peaches s to 10 Apples 10 to 12 Pears 10 to 12 Cherries 12 to 15 Crapes 11 to 15 Scuppernongs 13 The specific gravities of the juices of fruits vary considerably and it is better to verify these figures than to take them for granted the juices of green fruits contain less sugar than when ripe where one cannot secure enough juice or must to take the specific gravity it can be fairly approxi mated by assuming the gravity of some similar fruitAnnual Publication foe 1896 235 In making up the solutions it is advisable to use distilled water if it can be secured and if not accessible rain water freshly caught in a clean tub or bar rel will be excellent Pure spring water or artesian water boiled and cooled in most cases will be probably next best If well water is used it should also be boiled and cooled All fruits before being put into the containers should be washed gently in pure water after being placed in the bottles let it drain a few minutes then pour off the water and add the preserving fluid If a half or an inch layer of melted paraffin is slowly poured on top of the fluid it will harden and make an excellent top covering For this paraffin covering ordinary paraffin candles are well suited They are also admirably adapted for sealing the jars which must be done by rub bing the warm paraffin thick upon the stopper then warming to incipient melting and inserting quickly and firmly and allowing to cool and set before moving The stoppers can be removed at any time by gently warming the neck of the jars or bottles The stoppers should also be bound down with twine or preferably tied over with cloth or paper Fruits should be picked immediately after attaining their full size and color so as to secure the greatest firmness possible consistent with its proper representation If convenient the stems should be retained on the fruits On the label the name of the variety of fruit should be always given if possi ble and the date of gathering A number of different materials and formula have been tried to establish which are the best for preserving fruits for exhi bition purposes We have found no perfect formula and one no matter how good will not serve for all fruits without a proper adjustment of its specific gravity for the fruit intended to be preserved Strawberries Cover with ninetyfive per cent alcohol and allow to stand some two of three months The alcohol will extract the chlorophyll from the sepals and the red coloring matter from the berry itself These oxidize into a brown color which leaves the alcohol of a corresponding hue and of course utterly unfit to be exhibited in that condition After standing for some time this alcohol is poured off and the berries rinsed off lightly by pouring on a little more ninetyfive per cent alcohol which is poured off and the jar filled with fresh ninetyfive per cent alcohol which has been colored pink either with cochineal or fuchsin The berries when thus treated are far firmer than when first put up and retain their shape and size excellently but not their color Use nothing but the alcohol and coloring matter Sugar is not neces sary in the case of a berry of the structure of a strawberry which is really made up of a multitude of little fruits Peaches Plums Cherries and Currants Salicylic acid1 ounce Sodium salicylate2 ounces Sugar34 pounds Water5 gallons Pears and Light Colored Grapes Sodium bisulphite8 ounces Water1 gallon Use no sugar as the sodium bisulphite makes fluid of high enough gravity236 Department op AgricultureGeorgia Dark Colored Grapes and Other Dark Colored Fruits Formic aldehyde aqueous solution2 ounces Sugar1 pound Water1 gallon Apples Strong fresh sulphurous acid aqueous solutionQ ounces Sugar5 ounces Water1 gallon The specific gravity of each one of these solutions can be readily adjusted by putting in more or less sugar as the fruit may be green or very ripe The above strengths however are about correct for the average fruits It is scarcely necessary to add that fruits preserved as above are rendered unfit for edible purposes by the chemicals employed and are intended for exhibition onlyAnnual Publication foe J96 237 COMMERCIAL PLANTFOOD WHAT IS MEANT BY THE WORDS MOISTURE INSOLUBLE PHOSPHORIC ACID AVAILABLE PHOSPHORIC ACID AMMONIA ACTUAL AND POTENTIAL AND POTASH IN THE ACT GOVERNING THE INSPECTION AND ANALYSIS OF FERTILIZERS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA Moisture at 212 Degrees FallThis means the water cr dampness which can be driven out of the fertilizer by drying it at a temperature of 212 degrees of the Fahrenheit thermometer scale 212 degrees Fah is the temperature of boiling water Fertilizer materials contain a varying amount of water which has been absorbed in several ways according to the character of the mate rial All vegetable and animal products contain a certain amount of water as neither vegetable nor animal life can exist without it all vegetable and animal materials are found to contain it in various percentages Substances dug from the earth like phosphate rock naturally contain a certain per centage of water due either to rainfall or moisture from other natural sources Sulphuric acid which is so largely used in the manufacture of acid phosphates contains considerable moisture as steam is one of the necessary materials in its manufacture Insoluble Phosphoric Acid and Available Phosphoric AcidPhosphoric acid as put upon the market for plantfood usually exists in one of three forms or a combination of either two or all three of said forme The condition in which phosphoric acid is usually found in commercial fertilizers is in the form of either of these three materials Tricalcium phosphate dicalcium phosphate and monocalcium phosphate These three calcium phosphates also have the common name of phosphates of lime as lime is a calcium oxide Tricalcium phosphate is usually spoken of as bone phosphate in com merce Phosphate rock as dug in the mines of South Carolina Florida and Tennessee contains its phosphoric acid in combination with the lime in such a way as to form tricalcium phosphate The phosphoric acid which exists in this combination in ordinary phosphate rock is insoluble in the waters of the soil and when this is the case it is called insoluble phosphoric acid This raw untreated phosphate rock in its action on the crops is not identical with true bone phosphate as found in the finely ground bonemeal as we have found by actual analysis that there is considerable available phosphoric acid in such bonemeal and that there is none in the ordinary untreated phosphate rock What is determined as phosphoric acid is really a phosphorus oxide It is known chemically as phosphoric anhydride or phosphorus pentoxide and is abbreviated or symbolized by the letters and figures P205 meaning two atoms of phosphorus to five atoms of oxygen This is what is called in all fertilizer analyses phosphoric acid but to be really phosphoric acid it has to combine with the elements of water Three molecules of lime calcium oxide and one molecule of phos phoric anhydride socalled phosphoric acid P205 make one molecule of tricalcium phosphate238 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Two molecules of lime calcium oxide one molecule of phosphoric anhy dride socalled phosphoric acid P2Oa and one molecule of water make two molecules of dicalcium phosphate One molecule of lime calcium oxide one molecule of phosphoric anhydride socalled phosphoric acid P205 and two molecules of water make one molecule of mouocalcium phosphate Three molecules of water and one molecule of phosphoric anhydride socalled phosphoric acid P205 make two molecules of true phosphoric acid or orthophosphoric acid Two molecules of water and one molecule of phosphoric anhydride make one molecule of pyrophosphoric acid and one molecule of water and one molecule of phosphoric anhydride make two molecules of metaphospho ric acid The phosphoric anhydride in the tricalcium phosphate is insoluble in soil waters as above stated and is called insoluble phosphoric acid The phos phoric anhydride in dicalcium phosphate is soluble in soil waters and is called reverted phosphoric acid The phosphoric anhydride present in mono calcium phosphate is soluble in water and is called soluble phosphoric acid The phosphoric anhydride in true phosphoric acid is also soluble in water and is also called soluble phosphoric acid In the analyses of fertilizers all of the phosphoric anhydride which can be dissolved out of the fertilizer with water is determined and is called soluble phosphoric acid This as stated above gives all of the phosphoric anhydride present in the form of mono calcium phosphate and of free phosphoric acid After the water has dis solved all of the phosphoric acid it can obtain from the fertilizer the resi due is treated with a neutral solution of ammonium citrate of such a strength as to represent the solvent powers of soil waters After the fer tilizer has had all of the dicalcium phosphate dissolved out of it by this solution the residue is treated with strong nitric and hydrochloric acids which dissolve out all of the remaining phosphoric acid which exists as tricalcium phosphate In this acid solution the phosphoric anhydride is determined and gives us what is called the insoluble phosphoric acid Then in another portion of the fertilizer the whole of the phosphoric acid is dissolved out with strong nitric and hydrochloric acids and deter mined This gives the total phosphoric anhydride or what is known as the total phosphoric acid To obtain the amount of phosphoric anhydride present as dicalcium phosphate we subtract the insoluble phosphoric anhydride from the total phosphoric anhydride and this gives the total available phosphoric acid or the soluble and reverted phosphoric anhydride from this amount the soluble phosphoric anhydride is then subtracted this leaves the reverted phosphoric anhydride or reverted phosphoric acid as it is called The available phosphoric anhydride is the soluble phosphoric anhydride and the reverted phosphoric anhydride added together as they are both soluble in the waters of the soil and available as plantfood The use of sulphuric acid with phosphate rock is to break up the combi nation of the lime calcium oxide with the phosphoric anhydride the sulphuric acid combines with the lime calcium oxide and forms calcium sulphate or sulphate of lime replacing the phosphoric anhydride and leaving less lime in combination with it and thus producing dicalciumAnnual Publication for 1896 239 phosphate monocalcium phosphate and phosphoric acid as the case may he depending upon the amount of sulphuric acid added Manufacturers avoid an excess of sulphuric acid as it rapidly destroys the sacks and also makes an acid phosphate which is wet and sticky The words acid phosphate refer to the fact that these phosphates are acid phosphates of lime they are acid with phosphoric acid and if no excess of sulphuric acid has been used there is rarely any appreciable evidence of free sul phuric acid present it being all combined with the lime as sulphate of lime or calcium sulphate On this account ordinary acid phosphate usually contains a considerable percentage of sulphate of lime Sulphate of lime is sometimes known as gypsum and also as landplaster Ammonia Actual and PotentialSubstances which contain combined nitrogen are valuable as plantfood whether in the form of nitrates ammonia salts or organic nitrogen The nitrogen of our atmosphere exists in an uncombined form it only being mechanically mixed with the oxygen Kitrogen as it exists in the atmosphere is in an inert form and most plants do not readily assimilate it from the air and it is a moot point as to whether any plants directly assimilate nitrogen from our atmosphere It may be possible that all plants secure a small amount in some way from the air but there is no positive proof of such being a fact Plants of the natural order of the leguminosse or thellegumebearing fam ily such as peas beans clover and the iike certainly indirectly obtain nitrogen from the atmosphere The chief amount of nitrogen which they secure has been traced to certain bacteria which thrive upon the surface of the roots of these plants These bacteria assimilate nitrogen from the atmosphere and this nitrogen which they have combined chemically in their organisms is taken up from them by the roots of the plants It is prob able however that all of the combined nitrogen which we have available to us as plantfood has been won from the nitrogen of the atmosphere this however has been by the long processes of time Agriculturists can secure large amounts of available nitrogensby planting leguminous crops and ploughing them under as a source of nitrogenous material but for chemical fertilizers we are limited to those substances which already contain considerable amounts of nitrogen in a combined form The sym bol used for nitrogen by chemists is the letter N the symbols for ammonia are KHj H standing for hydrogen hence one atom of nitrogen and three atoms of hydrogen make a molecule of ammonia The atomic weight of nitrogen is 14 times that of hydrogen hydrogen being 1 hence 14 pounds of nitrogen and 3x1 or 3 pounds of hydrogen make 17 pounds of ammonia hence every 14 pounds of nitrogen is equivalent to 17 pounds of ammonia The Georgia State law requires the statement of the amount of nitrogen present to be in the form of ammonia actual or potential actual meaning real ammonia and potential meaning of the same strength and power as ammonia that is the nitrogen present calculated to ammonia as it is the nitrogen in the ammonia that is valuable as plant food and the nitrogen in other materials which is also valuable for that purpose Cottonseed meal is usually spoken of as having from 8 to 9 per cent of ammonia but the nitrogen in it really exists in organic com bination and not in the form of ammonia Ammonia salts are readily soluble in water and so are the salts of nitric acid The nitrates furnish240 Department of AgricultureGeorgia very quickly available nitrogen of fully equal value to the nitrogen fur nished by the salts of ammonia Both of these forms of ammonia are more quickly available to the plant than when it is in organic combina tion as in cottonseed meal and in blood but they furnish nitrogen so quickly and in such a concentrated form that in many cases the cotton seed meal and blood is preferred Potash ir20In chemical fertilizers our supply of potash is chiefly derived from the potash salts of the Stassfurt and Anhalt mines in Ger many There is also a limited supply secured from ashes but these hardly figure to any degree in chemical fertilizers The potash salts chiefly sold as plantfood are potassium chloride or muriate of potash potassium sul phate and kainit Kainit is an impure salt of potash containing potash equivalent to about 23 per cent of potassium sulphate the balance is largely common salt The metal potassium is known to chemists as ka lium and the capital letter K stands as a symbol for kalium or potassium The letter O is used by chemists to designate oxygen and the symbols K0 are used to designate kalium oxide or what is the same thing potassium oxide which is designated in the Georgia law as potash Two atoms of kalium unite with one atom of oxygen to form kalium oxide or what we call potash The kalium present in either muriate of potash sulphate of potash kainit or any other substance is determined and figured to this definite standard of K20 or potash The kalium in muriate of potash is combined with chlorine and in the sulphate of potash the kalium is com bined with sulphuric anhydride The word potash is a coined word from pot and ashes referring to the first source of potash which was the ashes from under the pot and the name has clung to this material as one of our English words The Germans use the word kalium much more generally than do Englishspeaking people to designate the metal potas sium The symbols used by chemists are the same all over the world but the common names for chemicals vary greatly if every languageAnnual Publication for 1896 241 ANALYSES OF SOME SUBSTANCES SOLD AS CREAM OP TARTAR BY DR GEORGE F PAYNE FCS From Druggists Circular Pharmacists as a class are aware of the fact that a number of drugs are often adulterated by various parties who supply cheap goods Particularly is this the case in such drugs and chemicals as are sold in grocery stores and other establishments which are not licensed pharmacies The pro fession of pharmacy in the United States occupies a strange and remarka ble position with colleges of pharmacy unsurpassed by those of any other country and strict examining boards in almost every State to pass which requires long study and experience yet the dear public still regard the pharmacist as simply a merchant and one whose professional services have no monetary value In the sale of cream of tartar as well as of some other drugs many pharmacists have found that their sales have steadily decreased instead of increasing as they should with the passing years and added population The public think Cream of tartar is cream of tartar and if the drug store charges fifty cents a pound we can get it at the grocery store at forty cents The Bard of Avon sang Whats in a name that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet This may have been true in the days of Shakespeares lean apothecary as regards odors and it may have been true then of names also but certainly as regards names during hese modern times things do not seem as sweet by some names which they more rightly deserve as they do by the names under which thev masquerade J The general impression in regard to the enormous profits made by the pharmacist is no doubt to blame for a considerable amount of the adul teration practiced The desire to sell cheap drugs and to use them as a leading card by various establishments has been catered to very liberally by the adulterators There is no business which can long charge an ex cessive and unreasonable profit upon its sales without other firms soon coming in and bringing matters down to a fair and moderate profit The pharmacist with his great responsibility the time required in dispensing his small individual sales his expensive help and a number of other causes finds his net profits small indeed where if only the cost of drugs was considered they would seem large The modern pharmacist has long since accepted the condition which insists upon his profits being compared upon the same basis with those of either the grocery store or the depart ment store and regulates his prices accordingly When however he is met by the sale of adulterated or substituted goods the position he is placed in is a most unjust one indeed A customer came into a pharmacy and asked for a good diuretic to use in a case of dropsy Cream of tartar was recommended He purchased a small package and left the store after securing directions how to give it A few weeks afterwards he again entered the store and complained that the cream of tartar was not doing good like it did at first and won dered why somethingwas not recommended which would keep up the242 Department of Ageicultuee Georgia good effects He was informed that he could uot expect the small quantity of cream of tartar purchased to last any length of time and that he cer tainly could not have been using it as directed or it would have been con sumed in a few days He replied Oh as soon as the package of cream of tartar I bought from you gave out I purchased what I wanted to use from a grocery store as I could get so much more for the money 1 thought cream of tartar was cream of tartar and did not see why the gro cery store could not sell just as good cream of tartar as the drug store This illustrates with what the pharmacist is sometimes brought in contact The sales of cream of tartar in the drug stores of some sections have cer tainly decreased for a number of years and the business in cream of tar tar in the grocery stores has largely increased and so has dyspepsia The pharmacistis expected to keep the best drugs and chemicals and yet the thoughtless public expect him to sell them in competition with articles sold by people who are utterly incompetent to judge of their purity and who are ofttimes totally indifferent as to what they are so long as they are cheap and satisfy the customer The pharmacist cannot afford to sell an article which is not true to name as his business would be injured as it should be by any such proceeding He is however put at a great disad vantage by the unscrupulous whether in his own profession or in other lines of business Adulterations can be detected and checked when the proper legal ma chinery is available In the State of Georgia we have an excellent law upon the subject of the adulteration of drugs Our greatest need now isi funds to enforce that law A bill for this purpose was presented before the last legislature and passed the Finance Committee of the House unanimously and would most probably have become a law if the time had been ade quate for it to reach a final vote before the adjournment which proved not to be the case Analyses are given below of eleven different samples of cream of tartar ten obtained from grocery stores in various portions of the State and one sample from a drug store Out of the ten samples purchased from gro cery stores five samples contained absolutely no cream of tartar what ever two contained less than 57 per cent one less than 80 per cent and two only were samples of firstclass cream of tartar This socalled cream of tartar is frequently sold by the jobber in handsome ornamented tins at the rate of twenty cents a pound and retailed by the grocer at forty cents a pound when it is considered that it is chiefly made up of dried alum and acid calcium phosphate there seems to be an enormous profit for some one In the samples examined however it was found that there was not only a substitution of dried alum and acid calcium phosphate for the cream of tartar but that the substitutes themselves are in some cases adulterated to the extent of 75 per cent with terra alba and starch Many merchants who would scorn the idea of adulterating goods them selves frequentlv buy the doubly adulterated combinations of others It is strange the way some persons feel in regard to adulterated articles Some as stated above do not scruple to buy and sell adulterated goods whileinwardly conscious that they are not what they should be beyond that they do not care to inquire Others again who would scorn the thought of mixing a cheaper powder with a dearer one to reduce its priceAnnual Publication for 1896 243 think nothing of weakening adulterating their liquid preparations as far as they feel safe to go Some queer ideas of right and wrong come to one when he begins to substitute or adulterate or to use short measures The bold way in whicli some adulteration is practiced is shown in the appended analysis the neutralizing power expressed in sodium bicarbonate being less than J of what it should be in samples 2 3 4 and 8 These so called cream of tartars strange as it may seem are bought and used by the people when their weakness and general worthlessness would seem so apparent Many of the determinations made are not given in detail as it will be more graphic to give the percentages of the substitutes as they probably existed when mixed together The phosphoric acid was deter mined in each of the three different forms iu which found and calculated to monocalcium phosphate bicalcium phosphate and tricajcium phos phate and the total of the three added together Sample No 1 from a Pharmacy at Atlanta Oa Per Cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate9S5G Calcium tartrate84 Moisture and undetermined60 10000 Sample No 2 from a Grocery at Atlanta Oa Per Cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate00 Dried ammonia alum 696 Calcium sulphate terra alba6069 Starch1541 Moisture and undetermined1694 10000 Neutralizing power in sodium bicarbonate cold test 1026 hot test 1126 Sample No 3 from a Grocery at Atlanta Ga Per Cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate 00 Dried ammonia alum 696 Calcium sulphate terra alba 6062 Starch 1593 Moisture and undetermined 1649 10000 Neutralizing power in sodium bicarbonate cold test 1040 hot test 1126 Sample No 4 from a Grocery at Atlanta Ga Per Cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate00 Potassium suphate22 Calcium phosphates 810 Calcium sulphate5922 Starch2306 Sodium sulphate 130 Moisture and undetermined 610 10000 Neutralizing power in sodium bicarbonate cold test 891 hottest 1193244 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Sample No 5 from a Grocery at Columbus Oa Per Cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate9960 Calcium tartrate00 Moisture and undetermined40 10000 Sample No 6 from a Grocery at Columbus Ga Per Cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate5584 Calcium tartrate00 Free tartaric acid 262 Starch3407 Moisture and undetermined 747 10000 Sample No 7 from a Grocery at Columbus Ga Per Cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartratet 9720 Calcium tartrate 00 Moisture and undetermined 180 10000 Sample No 8 from a Grocery at Austell Ga Per Cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate 00 Calcium phosphates 905 Potassium sulphate 09 Calcium sulphate 5954 Magnesium sulphate 261 Sodium sulphate 83 Insoluble matter 293 Moisture and undetermined 2495 10000 Neutralizing power in sodium bicarbonate cold test 551 hot test 840 Sample No 9 from a Grocery at Marietta Ga Per cent Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate 00 Calcium phosphates 56 62 Potassium sulphate g5 Calcium sulphate 4 49 Starch 32 n Sodium sulphate j j Insoluble matter jg Moisture and undetermined 4 06 10000 Neutralizing power of sodium bicarbonate cold test 4083 hot test 4923Annual Publication for 1896 245 Sample No 10 from a Grocery at Marietta Ga Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate gg rf i892 Moisture and undetermined j 40 10000 JNeutrahzing power in sodium bicarbonate cold test 3747 hot test 3747 Sample No 11 from a Grocery at Marietta Ga Cream of tartar potassium bitartrate OO Calcium phosphates iqs7 Calcium sulphate 2880 Starch 44 ol Sodium sulphate Moisture and undetermined 1112 10000 246 Department of AgricultureGeorgia THE WATERMELON AN ASH ANALYSIS GIVING THE MINERAL SUBSTANCES IT TAKES FTJOM THE SOIL DR GEORGE F PAYNE FCS An investigation of leading characteristics and distinctive features of important crops is a subject of deep interest and study to agricultural chemists The principal crops of the world have been widely studied from various points of view There is however an important crop of our sec tion which has been comparatively little investigated The crop to which we refer is that of the watermelon It is not a crop that is widely grown even in our own country with great success It is this very reason which makes it a desirable crop to handle in Georgia as the watermelon in this State attains finer flavor crispness juiciness and sweetness than any where else in the world The amount of plant food which is taken out of the soil by most crops has been pretty fully studied but as far as we are aware no one else has ever investigated the watermelon in this direction Upon analysis of two mediumsized watermelons cut up and mixed together we found them to contain just of 1 per cent of pure ash calcu lated as free from carbonic acid The exact figures were 3338 which ia our calculations we will round off into an even J which it practically is The composition of watermelon ashes is as follows Sulphuric anhydride 441 per cent Calcium oxide 554 per cent Magnesium oxide 674 per cent Potassium oxide6118 per cent Sodium oxide 431 per cent Silicon dioxide 215 per cent Phosphoric anhydride1025 per cent Chlorine 494 per cent Iron sesquioxide48 per cent Total10000 per cent A good average crop of watermelons is considered to be about onehalf carload to the acre though much larger crops than this are sometimes made Large watermelons are also considered desirable hence in consid ering what is carried off from the land by the removal of the crop it is well to consider how much would be taken off by a large crop as it is the large crops which we desire to produce and if plantfood is not present in sufficient quantities for the production of such a crop we know that our wish is an impossibility We have before us a report of a crop of water melons upon an acre of land which is an unusually large one but which was weighed up in the presence of disinterested witnesses and sworn to by them as being honestly grown upon an acre and correctly weighed This crop weighed 39766 pounds Onethird of 1 per cent of such a crop would be pure ash and consequently the mineral plantfood taken out of an acre of land by such a crop would be as followsAnnual Publication for 1896 247 Sulphuric anhydride sulphuric acid 585 pounds Calcium oxide lime 734 pounds Magnesium oxide magnesia 893 pounds Potassium oxide potash 8109 pounds Sodium oxide soda 571 pounds Silicon dioxide silica 285 pounds Phosphoric anhydride phosphoric acid 1359 pounds Chlorine 655 pounds Iron sesquioxide 64 pounds 13255 pounds Of the mineral substances taken out of the soil by such a crop the pot ash aud the phosphoric acid are those which are most quickly exhausted soils do not always contain them in large amounts and crops usually require a large comparative percentage of these two materials Sulphuric acid lime magnesia soda silica chlorine and iron usually exist in sufficient quantities in most soils for all ordinary crops with the possible exception in some cases of lime and probably magnesia In the case of lime how ever the addition of fertilizers containing phosphoric acid usually supplies this deficiency as the acid phosphates of the market are made from cal cium phosphate and these phosphates treated with sulphuric acid result in a mixture of sulphate of lime and acid phosphate of lime The two min eral substances potash and phosphoric acid are then the ones to be chiefly considered In the crop mentioned above to replace the phosphoric acid and potash carried off from one acre by the melons alone not taking into account the vines and roots would require Acid phosphate 13 P205 100 pounds Muriate of potash 50 K20160 pounds A fair crop of melons upon good land however is usually considered to be about onethird of the above large crop or about onehalf carload If we estimate then the amounts of phosphoric acid and potash required for an average crop of fair character such a crop will take from the soil ma terials to replace which will require about Acid phosphate33 pounds Muriate of potash53 pounds This will give about 4J pounds of available phosphoric acid to an acre and about 27 pounds of pure potash to an acre The usual goods on the market guarantee about 10 per cent of available phosphoric acid and about one per cent of potash The use of 300 pounds of such goods upon each acre of watermelons furnishes 30 pounds of available phosphoric acid or about 6J times as much as is needed to replace what is carried off by the watermelons It also furnishes about 3 pounds of potash which is only oneninth of what is carried off by the crop removed This being the case it shows with what advantage and economy the watermelon grower can replace a large proportion of his phosphoric acid with potash It may be true that the plant cannot take up the phosphoric acid which becomes re verted in the soil with the same facility with which it can the potash which is soluble in water Reverted phosphoric acid while it is not soluble248 Department of AgricultureGeorgia in pure water is soluble in soil waters containing as they do carbonic acid and vegetable acids It is very likely that phosphoric acid on account of this reversion is not always taken up quite so readily as potash and for this reason a larger amount would be necessary than what seems to be the case at first glance To offset this however potash salts on account of their extreme solubility in water are easily removed from porous soils The watermelon thrives particularly well in sandy loams which are much more likely to lose their potash by leaching on account of its solubility than they are their reverted phosphoric acid which is not soluble in pure water and hence less likely to be carried off by heavy rains on account of such heavy rains decreasing the usual amount of soil acids such being the case it would be necessary to at least return to the soil the amount of phos phoric aeid and potash carried off by the crop or probably more of each if we expect to secure even an equal crop the next season To compensate however for the loss of potash by leaching and the possible changing of part of the phos phoric acid to less available forms it is always safe to add an increased amount of the two substances over that which has been removed especially as it is impos sible during a season for the plant roots to reach every particle of the available plantfood present in the soilAnnual Publication foe 1896 249 SOIL ANALYSES A LETTER IN REGARD TO THEM Atlanta Qa December 3 1895 M B C Americus Oa Dear Sir Yours of November 25th at hand It would be a most un scientific proceeding for me to attempt to tell you how to raise two bales of cotton to the acre on soil which I have never seen and of which I only have the chemical analysis to guide me The mechanical condition of the soil is a most important matter as well as the character of the subsoil besides the combinations of sunshine and rain probably exercise more influence than the fertilizers themselves Many years ago when Leibig first promulgated his idea that soils could be analyzed and the exact thing that was wanting returned to them the agricultural world went wild over the suggestion Calmer thought and investigation quickly proved the insufficiency of such a plan It is true chemists cau procure and determine everything of which a soil is com posed but to state positively how much of each ingredient will be availa ble is impossible it depending largely upon the seasons sunshine and rain being most important factors soils are also undergoing constant change depending on the rainfall and the demands of the vegetation sup ported by them Certain plants also require certain food and have more or less ability of securing it from various compounds This being the case it makes the study of the soil in reference to given crops a most com plicated one when everything bearing upon the matter is taken into consideration We know that plants vary in their ability to secure food from the same materials While this is known and taken advantage of as far as possible there is much in this respect to be learned before we can have exact figures for the various plants and their ability to secure food from the different ingredients occurring in the soil An investigation of the subsoil is also important if the study of the soil capabilities is to be gone into some plants penetrating with their roots from five to six feet or more The subsoil also has a great influence upon the moisture supplied to the plants Even with equal sunshine and rain similar lands with dissimilar subsoils will differ widely in their yield of the same crop The first function of the soil is to act as a support to the plant the next is to feed it with water then comes its content of plant food and bacteriological conditions By the addition of chemicals furnish ing proper plantfood good crops can be raised in such substances as pow dered glass or powdered gold or other materials which will support the plant mechanically By sustaining them mechanically plants have even been successfully raised in water containing proper plantfood Baked and washed sand is used in many experiments and to these are added the proper plantfoods Within certain hounds it is the practice of many farmers to regard their poor lands as not containing appreciable amounts of plantfood as far as nitrogen potash and phosphoric acid are con cerned and fertilizing them accordingly Wellposted farmers take advantage of the fact that leguminous crops250 Department of AgricultureGeorgia are able to utilize the nitrifying bacteria and through their medium can obtain nitrogen from the air On this account clovers peas etc can par tially dispense with this valuable material except in small quantities to start off the crop A plant can be analyzed and in this way one can learn exactly what it takes out of the soil It is also easy enough to state of just what a given soil is composed but to say how much plantfood can be secured from such a soil by a wishedfor crop is impossible When certain materials exist in ample quantity within the soil we can within certain bounds allow for such substances but it is hardly safe to allow too liberally One can readily figure from the analysis of the plant what a given crop will contain but not what is needed in the soil for it to attain full development because there will be much plantfood placed upon the soil which the roots of the crop will be unable to reach This of course will require an increased amount of plantfood It is also a fact that plants can feed more readily and more greedily during good seasons than bad ones conse quently if only enough fertilizing materials are added to the soil to supply the plant during the regular even season such supply would not be ade quate to supply the usual demands caused by unusual vigorous growth during the limited periods This point is better understood when the fact is taken into consideration that many fertilizers cannot yield their fertil izing materials all at once but do so gradually and while a certain quan tity may be well suited for good seasons the same quantity may not be so well suited for irregular seasons I should advise you to use a fair supply of potash in your fertilizer say in the proportion of 8 per cent phosphoric acid 3 per cent of ammonia and 3 per cent of potash if for cotton As to the amount of fertilizer you should use this will depend upon the depth and condition of your soil and its proper preparation To raise two bales of cotton to the acre economic ally will require close study not only of the soil itself and its needs but the local material of which you can avail yourself cheaply It is possible to raise enormous crops upon the most barren sandbed in Georgia but of course it would require an adequate supply of humus to the soil to secure the proper retention of moisture and an appropriate addition of plant food to feed the crop I have an acquaintance who bought an acre of land of a very poor char acter for which lie paid 500 By very heavy fertilization he raised upon it in one season 987 bushels of onions The same acre furnished him the next season nearly 1000 bushels of potatoes I have another acquaintance who raises 600 and upwards of asparagus to the acre but the amount of fertil izer he uses would astound you He simply regards his soil as a conserva tor of moisture and a mechanical support for his plants and says that he cannot expect big crops without high fertilization He spent 25000 for fertilizers upon each acre Get your land in good tilth and use ample fertilizers with due regard to the requirements of the plant and with these two problems to study you will have an opening for many lines of investigation How to bring up your land most economically by availing yourself of cheaply accessible re sources is a subject for careful thoughtAnnual Publication for 1896 251 Soil analyses are usually considered of little value upon cultivated lands to any one except possibly the owner of that exact field The Department of Agricult ure at Washington is now making soil tests of the soils in some of the States but require virgin soils and cooperation of the experiment stationsas the results upon the cultivated soil can be only of an immediate local value Very respectfully Geo F Payne252 Department of AgricultureGeorgia FERTILIZER FOR TOBACCO AND IRISH POTATOES Mr M T D Newnan Ga Jf AfJIBrYUrS f the 21Stat hanrL Both toba and Irish pota to need a large quantity of potash in the form of sulphate of potash Mtanate of potash makes potatoes watery and keeps tobacco from burning 300 lbs sulphate of potash t 1300 lbs acid phosphate 300 lbs of blood 100 lbs cottonseedmeal This will make one ton which will contain phosphoric acid 845 nitro gen equivalent to ammonia 287 potash 750 This will give you a very high grade fertilizer which of course will cost more than the ordinarv fer Wrs of the market The proportions however being right you can use the same dollars worth of it with better results than with the ordinarv goods J I send you by even mail our last bulletin which gives a number of cheap fertilizers Bear in mind to use sulphate of potash however instead of muriate of potash for tobacco and Irish potatoes You ask how to calculate the formula for fertilizers when the per cents only are given I really do not understand exactly what you wish me to answer for ma given formula which only gives us a per cent of availa ble phosphoric acid ammonia and potash it is essential to know the sources from which they are derived and the richness also of the ingre dients for instance we use as ammoniates cottonseed meal blood tank age fishscrap ammonium sulphate sodium nitrate and a number of other things We also obtain potash from kainit muriate and sulphate as well as from ashes of various kinds Available phosphoric acid is usually obtained from acid phosphates but the vary in their per cent of available phosphoric acid according to the kndof rock from which they have been made All of these materials are sold upon guarantee and to calculate a recipe from given percentages it is simply necessary that we should know the kinds of materials that you wish to use To illustrate how the calculations are made if you have a goods that has 2 per cent of ammonia in it and you know that 8 per cent cottonseed meal is to be used in it then of course as2 per cent is onefourth of 8 per cent you use onefourth of a ton or 500 lbs of cottonseed meal is to be in each ton and so on with the other ingredients This I surmise will give you the information you desire Yours respectfully George F PayneAnnual Publication for 1896 253 DOMESTIC FERTILIZERS THE INTELLIGENT MIXING OF FIRSTCLASS FERTILIZERS UPON THE FARM BASED ON VALUATIONS OF 18941895 The use of formula which produce cheap and almost worthless fertilizers is poor economy It is a loss of time to the farmer and his help in the actual handling and manipulation and a still greater loss in the poor results upon the crops Good fertilizers cheaply ohtained though apparently higher in price per ton secure given results far more economically In this article we will not discuss the sub ject of leguminous crops and mucks and the valuahle results to he obtained by their conservation and intelligent handling in connection with stable yard manure and composts but will confine ourselves to formula composed of the commercial plant foods In these formula we will give the approximate retail values of the mate rials These values of course vary with the markets and location Any farmer can secure actual selling prices for his location and flgUre the exact cost on his own farm At wholesale cash prices the materials can be secured still more cheaply See the articles on Wholesale cash prices of fertilizers and on Composts FORMULA NO 1For Cotton and Corn Acid phosphate 14 per cent available1200 lbs 840 pr ct avl phs acid Cotton seed meal nitgn equal 8Jpr ct am 500 lbs 212 pr ct ammonia Kainit 12 percent potash 300 lbs 180 pr ct potash 2000 lbs or one ton COST OF MATERIALS Acid phosphate1200 lbs at 13 00 a ton Cottonseed meal 500 lbs at 16 00 a ton Kainit 300 lbs at 12 00 a ton 7 80 4 00 1 80 Cost not including onethird days labor in mixing 13 60 per ton Wholesale cost value as calculated by Department 14 96 per ton Usual selling value of such goods 20 00 per ton FORMULA NO 2For Cotton and Corn Acid phosphate 14 percent available1300 lbs 910 pr ct avl phs acid Blood nitrogen equal to 16 pr ct am 300 lbs 240 pr ct ammonia Kainit 12 per cent of potash 400 lbs 240 pr ct potash 2000 lbs or one ton cost of materials Acid phosphate1300 lbs at 13 00 a ton 8 45 Blood 300 lbs at 32 00 a ton 4 80 Kainit 400 lbs at 12 00 a ton 2 40 Cost not including onethird days labor in mixing15 65 perton Wholesale cost value Department valuation 16 60 perton Usual selling price 22 00 perton254 Department of AgricultureGeorgia FORMULA NO 3For Cotton and Corn Acid phosphate 14 per cent available1300 lbs910 per cent available phosphoric acid Blood nitrogen equivalent to 1G per cent of ammonia 200 lbs160 per cent 250 per cent ammo Nitrate of soda nitrogen equiv nlu alent to 18 percent ammonia 100 lbs 90 per cent Muriate of potash 50 per cent of potash 100 lbs250 per cent potash Muck woods earth or rich soil 300 lbs0 2000 lbs or one ton COST OF MATERIALS Acid phosphate1300 lbs at 13 00 a ton 8 45 Blood 200 lbs at 32 00 a ton 3 20 Nitrate of soda 100 lbs at 38 00 a ton 190 Muriate potash 100 lbs at 42 00 a ton 2 10 Muck woods earth or rich soil 300 lbs at 00 a ton 00 Cost not including onethird days labor in mixing 15 65 Wholesale cost value Departments valuation 16 96 Usual selling price 22 00 This formula is made up with a moderate amount of nitrate of soda to give the plants a good strong start The muck woods earth or rich soil may be left out in this formula if desired The percentages of all the ingredients are thus in creased and the cost per ton It can be used by the farmer with equal outlay per acre by proportionally decreasing the amount used as the percentage of plant food increases FORMULA NO 4For Peaches Plums and Pears Acid phosphate 14 per cent available 700 lbs Blood nitrogen equal to 16 per ct ammonia 300 lbs Double manure salt sulphate of potash and magnesia with 27 per cent potash 360 lbs Muck woods earth or rich soil 640 lbs 490 pr ct avl phos acid 240 pr ct ammonia pr ct potash 2000 lbs or one ton cost or materials Acid phosphate700 lbs at 13 00aton4 55 Blood300 lbs at 32 00 a ton 4 80 Double manure salt360 lbs at 24 00 a ton 4 32 Muck woodsearth or rich soil at 00 a ton 00 Cost not including onethird days labor in mixing13 67 Wholesale cost value Department valuation 15 21 This formula can be made much higher grade by simply leaving out the muck woods earth or rich soilAnnual Publication for 1896 255 FORMULA NO 5For Peaches Plums and Pears Acid phosphate 14 per cent available 700 lbs490 pr ct avl phos acid Blood nitrogen equal to 16 per et Ammonia 300 lbs240 pr ot ammonia Muriate of potash 40 per cent potash196 lbs490 pr ct potash Muck woods earth or rich soil804 lbs0 2000 lbs or one ton cost of materials Acid phosphate700 lbs at 13 00 a ton 4 55 Blood300 lbs at 32 00 a ton 4 80 Muriate of potash196 lbs at 42 00 a ton 4 12 Muck etc 00 Cost not including onethird days labor mixing13 47 FORMULA NO 6For Peaches Plums and Pears Acid phosphate 14 per cent available675 lbs473 pr ct avl phos acid Cotton seed meal nitrogen equal to 8J per ct ammonia525 lbs223 pr ct ammonia Kainit 12 per cent potash800 lbs480 pr ct potash 2000 lbs or one ton COST OF MATERIALS Acid phosphate675 lbs at 13 00 a ton 4 39 Cottonseed meal525 lbs at 16 00 a ton 4 20 Kainit800 lbs at 12 00 a ton 4 80 Cost not including onethird days labor in mixing 13 39 This formula has no muck or other filler as the crude materials are such that correct proportion can just be gotten into the goods to make them properly exceed the 10 per cent of total plant food which is considered the lowest limit for com mercial fertilizers This formula contains a total of 1176 per cent of plant food All of these fruit formula meet the State requirement of 10 per cent of available plant food yet they do not force a fruitgrower to use a cotton fertilizer when he can obtain better results for his money by using a different character of fertilizer In these formulae he gets a fair amount of potash which he needs most instead of the usual excessive amount of phosphoric acid in proportion to the potash present Yet the fertilizer does not cost him any more money Cotton and corn require large proportionate amounts of phosphoric acid but the peach pear and plum require a greater use of potash for the best results MIXING The mixing is best done by spreading out the materials in layers on top of each other and cutting through the layers with a hoe and mixing as the compound is cut down The use of a bricklayers sand screen enables one to make a better mixture George F Payne F C S256 Department of AgricultureGeorgia COMPOSTS AND THE UTILIZATION OF MATERIALS FOUND UPON THE FARM IN COMBINATION WITH COMMERCIAL CHEMICALS FOR FER TILIZING PURPOSES EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS WRITTEN BY DR G F PAYNE THE STATE CHEMIST IN REPLY TO INQUIRIES IN REGARD TO THE MIXING OE CERTAIN FERTILIZING MATERIALS Composts have a certain value upon most lands beyond their actual plant food as they contain much humus and are on this account great conservators of mois ture Sandy lands hold moisture much better when the spongelike humus is present and heavy clay soils are made lighter and more porous by its presence Its dark color also makes a lighter colored soil warmer by its coloring power Thw is easily illustrated by laying down a piece of white cloth and a piece of black cloth upon snow in the winter or powdered ice in the summer and noting how much quicker melting takes place under the piece of black cloth r Atlanta Ga January 16 1805 W C W Darktown Ga The principle of composts is to ferment the organic matter which you have in the shape of muck leaves litter etc To do this one of the simplest plans is to treat the material with manure Put one load of manure to every three loads of your leaves and drift Keep enough litter in your stables to absorb the urine which is very valuable also After you have mixed your materials together it is well to cover them up with earth or litter It is claimed that such a compost load for load is as good as manure To get the best results you wish to make the material ferment as the fermen tation brings inert materials into available forms and improves the mechanical condition of the mass Avoid hauling the materials as much as possible as hauling is expensive So ocate your compost heaps that the hauling of the materials from the first until their final distribution on the fields will cost as little as possible If you wish a stronger fertilizer than this and desire to use chemicals in addi tion the following would be suitable Acid phosphate 500 lbgCogt Muriate of potash 50 bg 0omPst1450 lbs 2000 lbsAnnual Publication for 1896 257 If you desire morenitrogenous material you can use the following Acid phosphate 340 lbsCost2 75 Cottonseed meal 165 lbsCost 1 42 Muriate of potash 30 lbsCost 60 Compost1465 lbs 2000 lbs 4 74 January 30 1895 R H M Fralona Heard Co Ga Yours of the 21st at hand in which you state that you have cow stall and stable manure and wish to make a complete fertilizer having also some ashes and cotton seed The fertilizer is desired for cotton To construct a complete fertilizer one must consider the percentages of avail able plant food in the materials he wishes to use Manure while not a concentrated fertilizer can be considered in most cases as a complete one with an excess of nitrogen Ashes are particularly rich in potash if they are wood ashes and unleached Coal ashes are almost valueless Cotton seed is a complete manure but with an excess of nitrogen You have here three ingredients furnishing ample nitrogen and potash To mix them to the best advantage there should be a further quantity of available phosphoric acid added as that present in the three ingredients you desire to use is not sufficient to properly balance the potash and nitrogen Manure contains about T3 per cent of nitrogen about T2ff per cent of potash and about T2y per cent of phosphoric acid Cotton seed contains about 3 per cent nitrogen about 1 per cent of potash and about 1 per cent of phosphoric acid Ashes contain about 5 per cent of potash and 150 per cent of phosphoric acid when unleached If leached they run down to about 1J per cent of potash To each ton of manure of 2000 pounds add Cotton seed200 lbs Ashes unleached 150 lbs Acid phosphate400 lbs Mix well The cotton seed can be killed before mixing by allowing them to get wet and go through a heat the fermentation killing them This mixture will weigh about 2750 pounds and will contain from these ingredients Nitrogen Potash Phosphoric Acid 2000 lbs manure 6 lbs 4 lbs 4 lbs 200 lbs cotton seed 6 lbs 2 lbs 2 lbs 150 lbs ashes 7J 2 400 lbs acid phosphate 56 12 lbs 13J lbs 64J lbs This is equivalent to about Nitrogen44 per cent Potash48 per cent Phosphoric acid233 per cent 17 a258 Department op AgricultureGeorgia January 24 1895 G M D Carrollton Oa Yours of the 19th at hand in which you state that you have some fine muck and pine straw as well as cotton seed stable manure and rich earth around the lot and that you would like me to advise you how to make them into a fertilizer In composting muck pine straw etc it is desirable that the materials ferment To bring this about add one load of manure to every three loads of muck or pine straw mix well and cover with earth to keep out the rain The fermentation which takes place breaks down the structure of the organic material and permits the plant food to assume conditions in which it is much more available Such a compost when well rotted or ripe is claimed to be load for load of equal value with manure The value of a compost however must depend not only on its ripeness but upon the materials used In saving the manure it would be well worth while to provide means for pre serving the liquid excrement at the same time This can be done by means of the pine straw liberally used as an absorbent or by means of a drain If your muck is sour it would be advisable to use a small quantity of lime to correct its acidity but not enough to render it alkaline as excess of free lime will drive out ammonia If you desire to compost your cotton seed manure and muck use one load of cotton seed two loads of manure and four loads of muck mix well and cover with earth To use the pine straw use three loads of it to one load of manure cover with earth and let stand until fermented January 30 1895 J W R Summerville Chattooga County Ga Yours of the 25th at hand I inclose you a copy of a letter of mine written a few days ago answering some of the same questions as yours One load of manure to three loads of leaves well mixed and covered with earth to keep out rain will ferment and make a good fertilizing material It should be ripe or well rotted before using if possible so the earlier started the better it will be I inclose Bulletin 29 in regard to comparative value of whole cotton seed and cotton seed meal You ask if it will pay to sell whole cotton seed at 12J to 15 cents a bushel and buy cottonseed meal in place of it for fertilizing purposes By referring to page 14 of Bulletin 29 you will see the comparative fertilizing values of the whole seed and the meal One ton of whole seed contains fertilizing materials which are equivalent to 880 pounds of meal One ton of whole seed at 12J cents a bushel and 67 bushels to the ton will be worth 837 One ton of whole seed at 15 cents a bushel will be worth at 67 bushels to the ton 1005 Cotton seed meal now sells at 15 a ton and 880 pounds of it are equivalent in fertilizing power to one ton of the whole seed then as the cotton seed meal costs 75 cents per hundred pounds at 15 a ton 880 pounds would be worth 660 Hence at these figures there would be a difference in your favor if you got eitherAnnual Publication for 1896 259 12 or 15 cents a bushel The difference is not large and whether it is enough to pay for hauling to and from the mill and the time consumed will depend upon the distance and other expenses of handling July 3 1895 S C H Victory Ga Tours of the 30th of December at hand Kainit contains about 12 per cent of potash Muriate of potash contains about 50 per cent of potash or about 4 times as strong as the kainit If you wish cheap hauling you should buy concentrated fertilizing chemicals You can buy muriate of potash at about 4000 a ton prob ably a little higher in less lots than a ton As a fivedollar combination of fertilizers I suggest the following No 1 Muriate of potash containing 50 per cent37 lbs at 54000 a ton of potash 0 74 High grade acid phosphate con taining 18 per cent of phos phoric acid 280 lbs at 1500 a ton 2 10 Nitrate of soda sometimes called Chili saltpetre containing ni trogen equivalent to 19 per cent ammonia 95 lbs at 4500 a ton 2 14 Muck or woods earth or marl 1588 lbs 00 2000 lbs 4 98 If you wish an ammoniate not quite so quick as nitrate of soda and less iikely to fire on all shallow soils you might use the following No 2 Muriate of potash 37 lbs 74 High grade acid phosphate280 lbs 2 10 Dried blood 16 per cent t2 lbs 2 15 Muck woodsearth or marl1571 lbs 00 2000 lbs 4 99 If you desire to use sulphate of ammonia as an ammoniate the following for mula will answer No 3 Muriate of potash 37 lbs 74 High grade acid phosphate 280 lbs 2 10 Sulphate of ammonia 8000 a ton 54 lbs 2 16 Muck woods earth or marl1629 lbs 00 2000 lbs 5 00 No 1 will give you from the chemicals alone Potash92J per cent Available phosphoric acid252 per cent Ammonia90J per cent260 Department of AgricultureGeorgia No 2 will give you from the chemicals alone Potash92i per cent Available phosphoric acid252 per cent Ammonia89J per cent No 3 will give you from the chemicals alone Potash 92i per cent Available phosphoric acid252 per cent Ammonia67J per cent The filler which you use whether of muck woods earth or marl will add some thing to this if well selected The sulphate of ammonia is a more expensive ammoniate than either blood or nitrate of soda You write that you will have to pay eight cents a pound for it This is a very high price for it If you find any of the chemicals higher priced than figures given above use about 75 cents worth of your potash compound about 210 worth of your acid phosphate and about 215 worth of your ammo niate and then use your muck woods earth or marl to make the balance of the ton and you will strike about the proper proportions for your 500 a ton fertilizer January 28 1895 G R H Bremen Ga Dear SirTours of the 28th received in which you inquire what would be advisable to mix with 2 tons of cow lot manure and 50 to 75 bushels of cotton seed to make a good fertilizer for corn sweet and Irish potatoes This will be a good proportion Cow manure 2 tons Whole cotton seed 1 ton or 50 to 75 bushels Muriate of potash1C0 pound Acid phosphate1500 pounds If you have any muck leaveswood litter or rich woods earth you can mix about an equal quantity with the above cover with earth to keep out rain and let it go through a heat or ferment July 20 1895 J L H Pelham Ga Yours of the 17th at hand Both ground raw bone and dissolved bone would be good yet both are lacking in probably the most important ingredient in the culture of grapes Ground raw bone usually contains between 3 or 4 per cent of nitrogen and 20 odd per cent of phosphoric acid Of this phosphoric acid only about J is in an immediately available form In the dissolved bone if really true dissolved bone there would be a good percentage of nitrogen and of available phosphoric acid but the dissolved bone of the market is usually simply acid phosphate so it is quite important to know which you are using As a matter of economy in fertilizing it will of course depend upon the price of materials Cot tonseed hull ashes and ground bone mixed together in equal parts would make an admirable fertilizer for the vines If you wish to use acid phosphate or socalled dissolved bone I would suggest the following Acid phosphate800 lbs Blood500 lbs Sulphate of potash700 lbsAnnual Publication for 1896 261 This would make one ton and will give available phosphoric acid 5 per cent nitrogen 4 per cent and posash 11 per cent Grapes require considerable more potash than they do of either phosphoric acid or nitrogen This formula can be varied if you desire to use other forms of potash or nitrogen Cotton seed meal for instance can be used in place of blood Cotton seed hull ashes kainit or muriate of potash can be used in the place of sulphate of potash In doing this however the weights should be so adjusted as to bring about a proper per eentage A formula which contains an equal amount of nitrogen and phosphoric acid and an amount of potash equal to both is well adapted to your purpose Such a fertil izer is also suited to peaches or pears January 26 1895 S C Delia Ga Yours of January 25th at hand in which you request a fertilizer formula to en able you to compost your cotton seed ashes canebrake soil and manure Mix ii the following proportions Canebrake soil 2 jons Manure ton Cottonseed 600 lbs Ashes 450 lbs Acid phosphate 1000 lbs Mix well cover with earth and let it go through a heat or fermentation January 22 1895 W E H Colquitt Miller County Ga Yours of the 14th at hand If you desire a fullstrength goods the following formula will prove satisfactory being made of the materials you wish to use Acid phosphate1200 lbs cost about 7 80840 per ct av phos acid Nitrate of soda 250 lbs cost about 5 00237 per ct am Kainit 00 lbs cost about 1 80180 per cent potash Muck marl or rotten leaves 250 lbs 2000 lbs 14 60 II you wish a cheaper fertilizer add more of the last ingredient If you desire a stronger one leave out the last ingredient Muriate of potash is a more concen trated form of potash than kainit and costs less for freight and for the actual pot ash in it Kainit contains about 12 per cent of potash and muriate about 50 per cent Farmers can save money by clubbing together and buying acid phosphate in bulk for cash and making their own fertilizers It is difficult to farm successfully in most sections of Georgia without the use of fertilizers but it is allimportant to secure the best fertilizers at as close figures as possible Acid phosphate can now be bought in bulk for cash at 850 a ton Cottonseed meal can now be bought in bulk for cash at 15 a ton Muriate of potash can now be bought in 12ton lots for cash at 42 a ton At these figures the materials for an average fertilizer of the market will be 262 Department of AgricultureGeorgia 1400 lbs acid phosphate containing 14 per cent avail phos acid at 850 a ton 5 95 620 lbs cottonseed meal containing nitrogen equivalent to 8i per ct am at15aton 3 90 80 lbs muriate of potash containing 51J per cent potash at 42 a ton 1 68 Making a total of 2000 lbs at a cost of 1153 containing the following percentage of plant food per ton Available phosphoric acid980 per cent Ammonia221 per cent Potash 20G per centAnnual Publication for 1896 263 FERTILIZERS FROM THE FARMERS STANDPOINT There are but few intelligent farmers who deny the value of science to agricul ture in fact we might say that there are no intelligent farmers who do not ac knowledge the importance of scientific knowledge in their work for science is knowledge the comprehension and understanding of truth or facts Scientific men endeavor to systematize all facts and knowledge as much as possible so as in this way to bring out other unknown facts A theoretical farmer is not always a scientific one Theory means a doctrine or a scheme of things which terminates in speculation or contemplation without a view to practice Hence the theoreti cal farmer is often deservedly laughed at by the practical farmer A practical farmer in his successful efforts in agriculture is simply carrying out the wellknown facts of chemical and physical science Every successful farmer is to some extent a scientific man as his work is conducted upon the basis of scientific facts In the study of the requirements of the various crops it has been developed that besides the three important requisites ol air water and sunlight there are certain ingre dients also extracted from the soil which though small in quantity are of vital importance Most ordinary soils contain a sufficient supply of these materials with the exception of phosphoric acid nitrogen and potash and these three ma terials being often lacking in certain soils and also quickly exhausted from those of much fertility constitute the substances chiefly used as fertilizers The use of fertilizers whether profitable or not depends upon a number of conditions Farmers as a rule agree that with a fair season the use of fertilizers pays them an excellent profit upon their investment yet a good understanding of the facts or science involved in the matter enables one to get a far better return upon his out lay than would be the case if he does not study the matter thoroughly Some crops require a greater proportionate amount of one or the other of these mate rials An intelligent use of this fact alone is of much value We will not go into a discussion of this at present however as we wish to speak more upon the subject of what is called the complete fertilizer that is a fairly proportioned combination well adapted for all crops and for use by those least versed in scientific fer tilization The ordinary commercial fertilizer of the market is well adapted to our average field crops the average of the complete fertilizers sold in Georgia last season being 9 per cent available phosphoric acid 2J per cent ammonia and 2 per cent potash which at the calculated values of the de partment were worth 51850 per ton but for which small buyers of course had to pay a larger amount probably about 2200 per ton While these mixed fertil izers are most excellent it is incumbent upon the wideawake farmer to become more familiar with the materials used in making these fertilizers and thus learn to buy them to the best advantage We will not enter in this article into the pro portions of the various ingredients used in making complete fertilizers but wish to call attention particularly to economical business management in securing the proper materials We first take phosphoric acid it is considerably cheaper to buy this in the form of acid phosphate than in the form of mixed fertilizers Acid phosphate of good quality can be bought at some of the factories in this State as low as 850 per ton This however is in quantity and for cash and to secure any such price it would be necessary for a number of farmers at a given point to act in concert Nitrogen can be secured very cheaply in the form of cottonseed meal blood and tankage Cottonseed meal if used as a cattle food first and a fer264 Department op AgricultureGeorgia tilizer afterwards loses but about 6 per cent of its raanurial value and if thus used is a remarkably cheap source of nitrogen Blood can be bought sometimes for less per unit for its nitrogen content than can cottonseed meal this is offset in cot tonseed meal to a small extent by the amount of phosphoric acid and potash present the percentage of phosphoric acid in cottonseed meal being slightly larger than that in blood Blood may sometimes be higher per nitrogen unit than cottonseed meal on account of the market and freight Potash is usually purchased in the form of kainit or muriate of potash the prices for which are fixed annually by the potash syndicate in Germany At the ordinary cash market price for these materials the farmer can buy them and mix them at home with consider able economy as such materials as cotton seed meal acid phosphate and kainit an be mixed with comparative ease by putting down in layers one upon the other cutting through the layers with a spade and then throwing upon a sand screen It is advisable that the kainit should be crushed quite fine as otherwise the potash will not be as thoroughly disseminated There is one source of potash which is available to some extent in this State which is not sought after as its value deserves and that is cottonseed hull ashes The mills readily sell every ton they produce most of it being shipped to a distance The quotation during the season of 18941895 on these ashes was only 1600 per ton The material at such a figure it only containing 22 per cent potash which is a fair average furnishes potash more cheaply than it can be bought either in the muriate or kainit except in very large quantities Some cottonseed hull ashes it is true run a little lower than this but many of them run very much higher some as high as 40 to 42 per cent of potash thus making them a correspondingly cheap source of this valua ble material In addition to this percentage of potash cottonseed hull ashes also contain 7 to 8 per cent of available phosphoric acid and a small amount of insoluble phos phoric acid If we take the average cottonseed hull ashes and figure them as con taining 7f per cent of available phosphoric acid and 22J per cent of potash thay would be worth as a manure 2440 per ton if calculated at 4 cent per pound each for the available phosphoric acid and potash At 1600 per ton if of good aver age character they are a remarkably cheap source of phosphoric acid and potash when these two materials cost 4 cents per pound in other substances which is about the present price It seems strange that when this material can be bought at 1600 per ton a single ton of it should be permitted to go out of the State Muck is another easily obtained material of value as a fertilizer Muck depends upon its nitrogen content fr its fertilizing value Mucks however are very un certain in their composition The average muck does not contain more than 1J per cent of ammonia when calculated from the nitrogen present This would be worth only about 340 per ton if estimated by other nitrogenous materials There are mucks however which run as high as 3J per cent This would make a value of 700 per ton at 2 per unit The amount of phosphoric acid and potash usually present in mucks is very small Nitrogen in muck is not quickly available and should go through a process of heating or fermentation to make it so This is done in the manufacture of compost One load of manure to three loads of muck if covered with earth and allowed to ferment until ripe makes a valuable fertiliz ing material the combination being claimed load for load of equal value to the manure Such a compost however would be overrich in nitrogen and would give better returns for the outlay of time and money if used in combination with phosphoric acid and potashAnnual Publication for 1896 265 Another valuable source of nitrogen is leguminous crops which are those which bear legumes or pods such as peas beans clovers and the like They have the remarkable power of rendering nitrogen from the atmosphere available as plant food This is done through the medium of certain microbes which grow upon the roots of these plants and are found in large numbers in the little nodules which ad here to the roots After the peas or beans are gathered as they are too valuable to use as a fertilizer the vines should be allowed to dry thoroughly and then plowed under If plowed under green they are liable to render the land sour The roots as well as the tops of all leguminous plants add largely to the nitrogen ous fertility of the soil and their use is one of great economic value to the farmer As the nitrogenous materials of fertilizers are worth in the market about two and a half to three times as much for each percentage of nitrogen present as is an equal percentage of either phosphoric acid or potash the conservation of nitrogen is of great importance George F Payne P C S State Chemist266 Department of AgricultureGeorgia INJURIOUS INSECTS They may be divided into two divisions or classes according to their manner of selling 1 Biting or chewing insects include all those perfect or imperfect forms which bite and consume substances upon which they feed 2 Sucking or piercing insects include all of those perfect or imperfect forms which pierce their food substances with a beak and suck out the sap or juice from beneath the surface Insects that belong to the first division and like the potato bug eat the leaves may be easily destroyed by Paris green or London purple applied to the food sub substance either in a powder or a liquid If on the other hand like squash bugs plant lice and other insects belonging to the second division thev suck the sap from the plant causing it to wither and die poison will have little effect on them because we cannot apply it to the inside of the plant where they get their food Most of this class of insects may however be easily destroyed with remedies like Insect Powder or Hellebore Thes powders kill by contact when applied to the insects themselves Such insects have breathing holes distributed over their bodies It is usually claimed that powdered substances should be applied in the morn ing when the plants are wet with dew while this may may have its advantages it is not always necessary as it may in most cases be applied at any time in the day hut never when the wind is blowing hard In using Paris green or London purple or Hellebore the following rules should be observed The poison should be kept in a safe place and plainly labelled Poison Do not distribute the poison with the hands Always keep to the windward side of the plants or trees when applying the powder or liquid Do not use them upon leaves or fruits that are soon to be eaten Give the rain a chance to wash it off Never apply it to fruit trees when in bloom as the poison will kill the bees so necessary to the formation of the perfect fruit Paris green and London purple may be diluted with a cheap quaility of wheat flour which is probably the best substance for the purpose on account of its adher ing to the plants and being more readily eaten than other substances Land plas ter is also recommended or a mixture of half and half 50 pounds each of flour and plaster to 1 pound of poison is about the proportion when used in a dry form on potato plants fruit trees etc To use in a small way mix about ounce poison with one quart of flour or plaster It can be applied to great advantage by the use of a powder gun When used with water the following proportions are recommended For potatoes one pound poison Paris green or London purple to 100 gallon of water For apple trees one pound poison to 150 gallons of water For pear plum and cherry one pound poison to 200 gallons of waterAnnual Publication for 1896 267 For peach one pound poison to 300 gallons of water The Paris green or London purple should he mixed into a smooth paste before adding the water The mixture must be applied in a fine spray so as not to deluge the foliage and should be well stirred while being used White Hellebore is a vegetable substance which will kill certain insects both by poisoning and contact and is used successfully against currant worms rose and cherry slugs Its principal value however is that of destroying currant worms To use whale oil soap dissolve onehalf pound of soap in about one quart of water then add from four to live gallons of cold water and apply every other day with garden syringe or an ordinary watering pot For the trunks and branches of trees use thicker and apply with a brush KEROSENE EMULSION FOR DESTROYING PLANT LICK aphides Kerosene Oil2 gallons Water1 Soap whale oil preferredJ pound Dissolve the soap in the water by boiling Take from the fire add the kerosene and churn rapidly with a force pump or stir and whip briskly with a paddle or old broom until emulsion is complete One gallon of this emulsion to 25 or 30 gallons of water and mixed well will kill most plant lice For bark lice use one gallon of the emulsioD to nine gallons of water For peachtrees during the dormant season the solution if necessary can be used as strong as one gallon of emulsion to five gallons of water For hardy rose bushes one gallon of emulsion to ten gallons of water will be safe Instead of using whale oil soap and water in making the emulsion sour milk can be used if desired Kerosene oil2 gallonj Sour milk1 gallon Make emulsion as described above and use the emulsion when finished with the same amounts of water as that made with the use of soap268 Department of AgricultureGeorgia COTTON SOME INTERESTING FACTS IN REGARD TO THIS IMPORTANT PRODUCT COMPILED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES BY DR GEORGE F PAYNE FCS OUR COTTON CROPPRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION Texas because of its enormous area produces more cotton than any other Statemore in fact than any foreign nation and nearly as much as all the world outside of the United States The following circular diagram shows the annual cotton crop of the world by countries of production The United States manufactures only about onethird of its own cotton crop as is shown by the following sphere divided into segments indicating its distribution among the various countries of theworld Annual Publication foe 1896 269 The total cotton crop of the United States in 1889 was 7311322 bales and the entire value was about 374000000 In 1892 the crop was the largest ever raised up to that date reaching a total of 9035379 bales but its market price per pound was so much less than that of 1889 that its aggregate value was smaller The average value of the cotton crop is about onetenth that of our entire agricultural product The cotton crop of the world is about 9256000 bales this is manufactured in various countries as followsthe figures representing bales of 500 pounds each MANUFACTURED COTTON OF THE WORLD Great Britain3060 000 Sweden 56000 France 620000 Netherlands 48000 Germany 756000 Belgium 104 000 Russia 738000 Switzerland 104000 AustriaHungary 470000 UnitedStates2020000 ItalV 304000 India 566000 SPain 210000 Sundries 200000 Total 9256000 bales From Frank Leslies Illustrated Weekly consumption has rapidly increased in the United States since the above was written The ibo o COTTON Commercial Cotton Crops by States for the Commercial Year beginning Sept 1st and ending with August SM Texas Indian Territory and Oklahoma Georgia Mississippi Alabama South Carolina Arkansas Louisiana North Carolina Tennessee Florida 18951896 18951894 18941893 18931892 18921891 990000 079000 860000 830000 664000 620000 430000 384000 252000 48000 7157000 3276000 1300000 1200000 1000000 800000 850000 600000 465000 350000 60000 9901000 2059000 112500 916000 925000 750000 625000 400000 425000 275000 50000 755000 l 2108000 940000 755000 740 000 635000 535000 340000 367000 235000 45000 6700 000 2400000 1200000 1250000 1075000 780000 800000 635000 480000 350000 65000 9035000 U H O Q W o a a w H Q H O a oAnnual Publication for 1896 271 COTTON VALUE OF OUR COTTON EXPORTSTHEIR PREEMINENT IMPOR TANCE IN THE FOREIGN EXCHANGES OF THE UNITED STATES ALSO VALUE OF TOTAL COTTON CROP FOR A SERIES OF YEARS The exports of cotton from the United States far exceed in value those of any other product In the settlements of balances due by our country abroad our exports of cotton are indispensable for we can rely upon the money from our exports of cotton every year while no other product of the soil can be depended upon with the same certainty Total1 79102048 C3 O Q M Hfl 187677 187778 187879 187980 188081 188182 L88283 1883S4 188485 1885S6 188687 188788 1888S9 188990 189091 189192 189293 189394 3030835 3360254 3481004 3885003 4589346 3582622 4766597 3916581 3947972 4336 203 4445302 4627502 4742347 4906627 5847191 5933437 4445338 5287887 171118508 180031484 162304250 211535905 247695746 199812644 224921413 197984295 198744802 206879697 205243843 220928551 235171655 250567334 290441840 257044546 188604133 206264608 o u O o H o oo c o a ij E l 4474069 4773865 5074155 5761252 6605750 5456048 6949756 5713200 5706165 6575691 6505087 7046833 6938290 7311322 8652597 9035379 6700365 7549817 3855295254 116829641 252602340 255768165 236586031 313696452 356524911 304298744 327938137 288803902 287253972 313723080 298504215 336433653 344069801 373368164 429792047 391424716 284279066 294495711 5689563107COTTON Sources of the European Cotton Supply and the Percentages Furnished by the Several Contributing Countries 188788 188889 188990 189091 189192 Average of 5 years Per cent of whole American Contributions in Tons 1063000 1093000 1155200 1255900 1221100 1158200 702 Indian 270000 306000 339900 295600 226400 287600 174 Egyptian 138200 131000 144500 193200 202300 161800 9S Brazilian etc 56800 1528000 47000 1577000 33400 35300 37200 42000 26 Total European Fupply 1673000 1780000 1690000 1649000 100 M g a H O t Q S Q a f w S Q w wAnnual Publicationfor 1896 273 COTTON r DATES OF EARLIEST KILLING FROST IN THE COTTON BELT OF THE UNITED STATES Compiled from the Records on file at the Office of the Chief of the Weather Bureau Washington D C except were noted Season of 189091 Season of 189192 Season of 189293 Season of 189394 North Carolina Charlotte Wilmington Raleigh Goldsboro South CarolinaCharleston Columbia GeorgiaAtlanta Augusta Savannah Columbus Rome FloridaJacksonville Pensacola Alabama Auburn Mobile Montgomery Mississippi Vicksburg Oxford Louisiana NewOrleans Shreveport TexasGalveston Palestine San Antonio Fort Worth ArkansasLittle Rock Fort Smith TennesseeMemphis Nashville Chattanooga ca v s s 53 O e s JJ Oct 20 Oct 29 Oct 28 Oct 28 Nov 30 Nov 7 Oct 20 Oct 21 Nov 18 Nov 18 Oct 23 Nov 18 Nov 18 Oct 24 Nov 18 Oct 21 Oct 19 Oct 28 Nov 30 Oct 20 No frost Nov 17 Nov 18 No report Oct 23 Oct 7 Oct 23 Oct 16 Oct 16 Oct Oct Oct Oct Nov Oct Oct Oct Nov Nov Oct Nov Dec Nov Dec Oct Nov Oct Dec Oct Dec Dec Nov Nov Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct Oct 31 Nov 17 Oct 30 Oct 17 Nov 25 Oct 30 Oct ie Oct 31 Nov 16 No report Oct 16 Nov 25 Dec 4 No report Nov 16 Oct 31 Nov 15 No report Jan 2 Nov 15 Jan 24 Nov 15 Dec 15 No report Nov 15 Oct IB Oct 16 Oct 16 Oct 17 The United States Weather Bureau has no record of observations at Dallas Sherman or Denison Tex Cotton merchants at Shreveport Little Rock Fort Smith Memphis Nash ville Augusta Atlanta Charlotte and Raleigh report the cotton plant not killed in their sections in 189192 until some time after the dates given above for killing frost274 Department of AgricultureGeorgia AVERAGE DATE OF CLOSE OF COTTON PICKING As Reported by U S Department of Agriculture States Season of 1888S9 Season of 18S990 Season of 189091 Season of 189192 Season of 189293 Season of 189394 Dec 12 13 12 Nov 27 Dec 1 13 7 9 19 11 Dec 9 12 11 Nov 24 Dec 12 14 9 13 18 12 Dec 15 Dec 10 8 4 Nov 20 Dec 2 10 12 4 12 12 Dec 1 1 Nov 27 15 28 Dec 3 4 15 10 5 Dec 2 23 12 5 13 15 16 10 16 15 1 Nov 28 14 28 30 Dec 4 Nov 29 Dec 5 1 Dec 10 Dec 12 Dec 14 Dec 6 Dec 7 Dec 2 Average date for 188283 Dec 20 for 188384 Nov 29 for 188485 Nov 25Annual Publication foe 1896 275 COTTON COTTON CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATESDATES TO COM MENCE PREPARATIONS AND TO BEGIN AND FINISH PLANTING PICKING ETC ETC 5b a S ft o Average Yield n b ua Lint Sj o O as Cotton o2 per Acre 1 1 bi 2si o 01 J as per a g 2 Of 3 Sf oS SS Census of 1890 hun 2 g m dredthsof D D D D D a bale No Carolina Feb 25 Apr 15 May 10 Sept 1 Dec 10 to 1 29 So Carolina Mar 5 Apr 15 May 7 Augl5toSept1 Dec lto 1 Dec IRJto 1 38 Georgia Feb 1 Apr 10 May 1 Aug 15 to 20 36 fan 20 Apr 1 May 1 Aug 10 Dec lto 25 Feb 1 Apr 5 Mav 10 Aug 10 to 20 Dec 15KtolrV 33 Mississippi Feb 1 Apr 5 May 10 Aug 10 to 20 Dec 15 1 tO 1ft 40 Louisiana Feb 1 Apr 1 May 10 Aug 1 to 15 Dec 15 1 to 1 ft 52 Texas Jan 15 Mar 15 May 10 Dec 20 1 to 1ft 37 Arkansas Feb 15 Apr 15 May 15 Aug 15 to 20 Jan 15 1 to 1 ft 41 lenressee Mar 1 Apr 15 May 15Sept 1 to 10 Jan 15 to 1ft 25 fThe staple of Florida Uplands is referred to In the portion of Texas north of latitude 3050 the dates for preparing land planting aud picking are about four weeks later than the dates given above The staple of Texas Cotton ranges trora to 1 inches in length in diffjient sections of the State Cotton grown on the uplands of Alabama Mississippi Louisiana and Arkan sas has a staple of i to 1 inch That from Bottom and Swamp lands averages 1 to 1I inches A good deal of Extra or Fancy Staple Cotton with staple measuring If to 1 inches is grown in these States These Extra Stapled Cottons known as Benders Peeler Allen etc together with the Cotton from the Bottoms make the average length of staple about as given in the above table LONGSTAPLE OR SEA ISLAND COTTON IN SOUTH CAROLINA The usual date to begin preparing land isFebruary 1 begin planting is April 1 finish planting is May 1 begin picking isAugust 25 finish picking isDecember 10 yield of Seed Cotton per acre is500 lbs Lint 125 lbs average length of staple is If inches extremes of short and longstaple are1J to 2 inches The dates for planting etc are somewhat earlier in Georgia and Florida The South Carolina Seaisland Cotton is of rather better quality than that grown in Georgia and Florida276 Department of AgricultureGeorgia SEAISLAND COTTON CROPS EXPORTS AND UNITED STATES CONSUMPTION O o a o o O o 5 02 z a c 0 a o ft oX a o a o o to Ol Q fc Co X CD o C CD a H H W a c Sbe 5 ai UP 187175 8139 187576 7598 187677 10832 18777S 11675 187879 10214 187980 11300 188081 16950 188182 20992 188283 16898 18S384 16762 188485 23526 188586 23501 188687 29991 188788 22614 188889 22471 188990 23918 189091 22214 J 89192 17059 189394 19107 1074 2121 2558 3556 2052 3420 3179 6049 3126 1399 4327 5780 6411 8304 12000 13629 29613 30576 39367 7308 4722 4933 6249 7133 10142 14868 10796 16591 7329 12588 8497 8735 8561 9618 9256 16306 11499 2578 166 74 29 30 202 24 25 94 11 16687 14515 1835 21510 19601 24862 35021 37862 36709 25490 40452 37778 45137 39479 44089 46803 68133 59134 61052 13139 11591 11865 12594 10456 13729 20259 22303 21565 12166 18422 14748 25216 1869S 21515 25991 34300 24778 33385 1907 1345 1369 3701 2242 3hl 4136 2453 1892 1413 3143 1680 1435 1915 1811 2251 4823 2653 4636 2192 1915 4068 6451 6688 9389 11270 14762 13573 11674 17358 19973 20515 19560 20132 19124 26602 32279 23516 COTTON CULTURE IN INDIA DISTRICTS Beugal Oomrawuttee Broach Dhollera Cornptah and Dharwar Madras etc Wpstorn u May aid j June August ept Oct 5 M ft 3 S3 c3 June 15 to 30 July 1 to 15 Aug 15 to 30 Oct Nov Oct Nov Jan1 to Feb 15 Feb 15 to Mar 15 April C be tSa CO 2 Sjs G a fill Oa MOC Dec NTOV Dec j March 1 April April Mar i May April Juno May Sj1 Short y2 LongtoJ4 tol Short LougJto 1 Preparation of land is before the rains the break after the first rainfall being availed of to plant Planting is generally completed by July 15th but should heavy rains in July wash away the seed replanting may be done up to August 15th In the Madras Western districts planting is later being after the setting in of the northeast monsoon In the other districts the planting is upon the setting in of the southwest monsoonAnnual Publication foe 1896 277 CulhvationThe methods of cultivation are very primitive and rude Everything is done by hand and no commercial fertilizers are used The only fertilizing done is turning under the soil the old cottonplants which have remained in the field from the previous season This makes good manure and is about the only kind available GinningBroach and Dharwar and some Dhollera and Oomrawuttee cottons are ginned at ginning factories but in other districts the great bulk of the crop is ginned by the cultivators who avail of the services of their families to handgin their crops Ginning factories are increasing but there are several growths of cotton to which the machine gin is un suited Planters sell as a rule to middlemen who resell the cotton at the nearest market town Here it is purchased by shippers to the large export mar kets or by the agents of export houses Some few cultivators cart their cotton to the nearest market for sale CompressingProbably threefourths of the crop is now compressed at the interior towns but cotton from the Broach Dhollera and Dharwar districts is still sent to Bombay loosely packed to be compressed at that port All cotton shipped to Europe and the greater part of that sent to China is in bales fastened with iron bands or ties On an average 4 bales say 1568 pounds net go to the ton of 40 cubic feet but some presses make 100 bales to equal 21 tons measurement Plantations are generally small ranging from 5 to 30 acres in extent but there are some larger plantations cultivated by hired labor YieldThe average yield is thought to be about 70 pounds of lint cotton per acre Acreage in all India is estimated at about 17000000 acres for 189394 COTTON CULTURE OF EGYPT Preparations for the crop begin in February or March Planting is done in March and Aprilsometimes up to 10th May which is the latest Picking begins in September and is usually finished by December 1 though it sometimes lasts until January 1 Ginning is usually done at ginning factories in the interior towns The ginneries are mostly owned by interior cotton merchants and the large exporting houses Yield averages about 340 pounds lint cotton per acre Staple varies in length being from 1 to 1 inches Planters sell usually at the nearest town though they sometimes snip to Alexandria Compressing is usually done in Alexandria by steam compressors Shipping season practically begins in September and ends with May Acreage in 188687 908000 acres in 18878 868000 in 188889 1047000 in 188990 885000 in 189091 888000 in 189192 863000 in 189293 950 000 in 189394 1000000278 Department of AgricultureGeorgia COTTON CULTURE OF BRAZIL PreparationThere is but little preparation as the fields are not plowed Planting is from December 15 to June 1 according to location and cir cumstances Picking begins as early as July in some sections and in others does not end till February In the Pernambuco district plants generally have open bolls on them all the year round Ginning is usually done at the plantations and for the past twenty years chiefly by sawgins greatly to the injury of the staple Staple averages 1 to 1 inches with some growths as short as f inch and others as long as 1J inches The cotton ginned with the roller gin hn the best staple Shipped from plantations in bales weighing about 160 pounds Planters sell usually at the nearest town Acreage and Yield per AcreNo accurate information obtainable on these points Tree CottonThis variety also known as Crioulo or Marauhao cotton attains a height of 15 to 20 feet and will yield well for two or three years and if properly cared for perhaps four years It produces a better quality of cotton than the herbaceous varieties grown in Brazil and while the yield is smaller it suffers but little from caterpillars which are very destructive to other kinds The bolls are large containing seventeen seeds The cotton when ripe does not protrude from the bolls Yield of Lint from SeedcottonTree cotton 3J pounds cotton with seed yield 1 pound lint cotton herbaceous cotton 3 pounds cotton with seed yield 1 pound lint cotton The tree cotton is not cultivated as extensively as the herbaceous kinds it being less profitable on account of the smaller yield and greater expense in picking THE CONSUMPTION OF EGYPTIAN AND PERUVIAN COT TON IN THE UNITED STATES A B SHEPPERSON Although the United States produced in 189293 about twice as much cotton as the combined crops of India Egypt Brazil Peru Turkey and the West Indies they nevertheless imported more Egyptian and Peruvian cotton than during any previous season Sending cotton to America would seem very much like carrying coals to Newcastle yet the importation of these foreign cottons is increasing and for obvious reasons they do not especially conflict with American cotton Indeed the use of Egyptian cotton has been beneficial inasmuch as it has developed a profitable busi ness in manufactures for which American cotton is not so well suited Egyptian cotton has a long strong silky staple from 1J to If inches in length It is especially adapted for thread fine yarns fine underwear and hosiery such as Balbriggan etc and for goods requiring smooth finAnnual Publication for 1896 279 ish aud high luster It gives to fabrics a soft finish somewhat like silk goods and this character together with its luster makes it desirable for use in cottonmixed silk goods It is claimed that dyed and printed goods made of Egyptian cotton retain their color and luster longer than fabrics made of American upland cotton Egyptian cotton is not as fine as South Carolina seaislands and of course does not bring so high a price but for such purposes as I have indi cated it is better than American upland cotton and it sells in Liverpool about a penny a pound higher It is put up in compressed bales weighing about 750 pounds gross and is sold at actual net weight During the season of 189091 nearly 19000 bales were shipped direct from Alexandria to the United States besides 5000 bales from Liverpool The first direct importations from Alexandria were made during that season all previous importations having been from Liverpool The largely increased use of Egyptian cotton by American spinners in recent years is greatly due to the untiring efforts of Mr Fr Jac Andres of Boston formerly of New York to bring its advantages to the attention of manufacturers Mr Andres was the first American merchant to import direct from Alexandria and his importations in 189091 exceeded those of all others The imports of Egyptian cotton into the United States for seasons ending August 31 are as follows 188788 5792 bales 188889 8430 bales 188990 10470 bales 189091 23790 bales 189192 27739bales 18929342475 bales 18939433606 bales Bough Peruvian cotton so called to distinguish it from a fine grade of cotton grown in the southern part of Peru and which never comes to this country has a strong rough woolly crinkly staple about If to 1J inches long As it is of the tree cotton variety such as grows in Brazil it is entirely free from sand or dust and is usually very clean and well handled The loss in carding does not exceed two percent and the loss in spinning owing to the length and strength of the staple is very trifling It is called vegetable wool and when carded its resemblance is so close and its characteristics so strikingly similar to wool that it would readily be taken for wool even by a dealer When woven into goods along with wool the cotton fibers cannot be determined with any certainty except by using chemical tests This cotton is sold exclusively to manufacturers of woolen goods for the purpose of mixing with wool It reduces the tendency of the goods to sbrink and at the same time it causes a very considerable shrinkage in their cost I cannot learn of any sales of this cotton to cotton mills It is all used by manufacturers of woolen goods underwear and hosiery who doubtless put it where it will do the most or the least good depending upon whether the matter is viewed from the manufacturers or the wear ers standpoint The crop of rough Peruvian cotton varies from 15000 to 50000 bales and the greater part of it goes to Great Britain It is put up in bales of about 180 pounds The importations into the United States for calendar years January 1 to December 31 since 1885 have been as follows 1885 14 bales 1886 843 bales 1887 2493 bales 1888 4279 bales 1889 7650 bales 1890 9500280 Department of AgricultureGeorgia bales 1891 10515 bales 1892 13000 bales 1893 24000 bales 1894 about 19000 bales If the framers of the McKinley tariff had known of the peculiar quali ties of this cotton it would doubtless have been subjected to a good round duty in the interest of the woolgrowers of the United States New York December 1894 THE COTTON CATERPILLAR A B S The cotton worm aZetia argttlacea is a true moth having the four reg ular stages of growth viz first the egg second the larva or worm third the chrysalis fourth the moth Eggs are laid by the female moth singly on the under side of the lower or larger leaves of the cotton plant They are first deposited usually in May or early in June and rarely more than three or four to a leaf though later in the season the upper surface of the leaves receive a share of eggs and larger numbers are found on the leaves The eggs are usually hatched in three or four days but the time varies with the temperature and a longer period is required in the spring and fall than in summer Moisture favors hatching Frost as well as extreme heat destroys the vitality of the eggs WormThe worm molts five times and the term of larval existence varies from one to three weeks Until after the second molt it remains on the under side of the leaf After the third molt it moves toward the top of the plant feeding on the tender foliage While preferring the leaves it will eat the bolls and all parts of the plant even barking the stems The worm does not thrive on anything but the cotton plant It moves by its thread or web and also springs from plant to plant the maximum spring being about two feet ChrysalisHaving obtained full growth the worm webs up forming a cocoon usually within the roll of a leaf sparsely lined with silken meshes The chrysalis state lasts from about a week in midsummer to three weeks in cooler weather The average time is about fifteen days The worm does not burrow in the ground and chrysalids are never found below its surface Moth is nocturnal and as a rule flies only at night During the day it flies for short distances when disturbed The female begins to lay in from two to four days after issuing from the chrysalis and lays an average of four hundred eggs during the season Its natural food is the juice exuding from the glands upon the midrib of the leaf and at the base of the blooms and bolls of the cotton plant but it also feeds upon fruits of all kinds as they ripen Migrations of MothsUntil the worms are numerous enough to badly riddle the leaves the moths continue to lay their eggs in the neighborhood of their birth then they begin to migrate and appear in numbers everyAnnual Publication for J896 281 where and at lights far distant from the cotton fields The time for mi grating varies but is rarely until after the third generation of worms or about July 1 in Southern Texas and later in higher latitudes Migrations are more common in the fall months and the moths fly on cloudy days as well as at night HibernationThere has been much diversity of opinion upon this sub ject but the investigations of the United States Entomological Commis sion seem to establish fully the fact that the aleiia never hibernates as egg larva or chrysalis but survives the winter only in the moth state and in the southern part of the cotton belt perishing in other sections with the approach of cold weather The hibernating sections seem to be more in the Southwestern than in the Atlantic States Caterpillars are usually more numerous after severe and steady winters than after mild and changeable ones Under the former conditions the moths remain torpid until early spring but with mild winter weather they are aroused to activity only to perish from lack of nourishment at that season The moth hibernates under the shelter of rank wiregrass under the ibarks of trees in decayed logs and in the timbers of buildings ginhouses etc Number of BroodsThe first generation appears about May 1 in the ex treme South In Southern Texas as many as seven generations are pro duced during the season The first and second generations are confined to restricted areas often not exceeding a few acres The third generation becomes more widespread and the moths produced from it so numerous that they begin to migrate This generation appears in Southern Texas the latter part of June and in South Alabama and Georgia somewhat later This is usually called the firstbrood in those sections but it is simply the first which has attracted notice The subsequent generations be come under favoring conditions more and more numerous widespread and destructive In the northern portion of the cotton belt the number of broods is fewer and varies according to the date of the first appearance of the moths from further south and other circumstances There is in creasing activity in development until July and thereafter decreasing In midsummer from the laying of the egg to the development of the moth takes but three weeks while earlier and later in the season it may take twice as long The average time from the egg of one generation to that of another is about a month The worm is seldom noticed and never in great numbers until the plant begins to bloom Conditions Favorable to Growth of CaterpillarsLow alluvial lands where the plants are luxuriant and thrifty are the earliest places visited by caterpillars This rule is of general application Moist atmosphere is favorable and dry weather unfavorable to their development Warm rains cause them to multiply rapidly while dry hot weather is not only de structive to worms and chrysalids but prevents the eggs from hatching A hot dry spell generally puts an end to the caterpillars DestructivenessIn years of severe injury the crop upon some planta tions may suffer from 25 per cent to almost total destruction while upon other plantations the loss will be trifling The greatest average of loss is in the more southern portion of the belt where from climatic causes the worms appear earlier and develop a greater number of broods In the northern portion of the cotton belt the caterpillars sometimes282 Department of AgricultureGeorgia appear so late that they do more good than harm by removing the superabund ant foliage thus admitting the sun to the bolls and hastening their maturity Natural enemies to caterpillars are domestic fowls birds spiders beetles wasps ants etc Blackbirds ricebirds and ants are probably the most active and de structive enemies Preventive measures most generally adopted are the free use of poisons by pprinkling them in powdered form or spraying them over the plants Paris green is probably the poison most used and has usually proved effective when ap plied properly and in timeAnnual Publication foe 1896 283 SELECTIONS FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE 20TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GEORGIA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY HELD IN THE CITY OF GRIFFIN AUGUST 5th and 6th l896 ANNUAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT Ladies and Gentlemen and Membersof the Georgia State Horticul tural Society Few kindred associations can claim a more successful record than that over which I have been honored to preside since its organiza tion twenty years ago and it is with sincere pleasure that I am again permitted to greet you and to express my appreciation for the in terest you have manifested towards the continued success usefulness and long life of your society I am rejoiced to see in this assembly many of our oldest members who participated in its early work and I desire thus publicly to ac knowledge their faithful support in our endeavors to build up an association whose aims are the fostering of a higher education and the promoting of an industry which brings untold benefit to our country In behalf of our society I extend the right hand of fel284 Department of AgricultureGeorgia lowship to those friends and coworkers in a humanitarian cause whose solicitude for our aims has induced them to come from dis tant homes to participate in our deliberations and give us their aid and results of their practical and scientific experience in matters horticultural and thus increase the usefulness of this session We thank you for your cooperation and when you again return to your own abodes we trust that you will carry with you the assurance that your Georgia friends have a warm place in their hearts for all men of science and education who are animated with that spirit that knows no selfishness but look only to the good of all and the ele vating of the standard of human happiness and welfare of commu nities A brief resume of the work of this society may be of interest to those of you who have not heretofore attended its annual sessions and show after an existence of twenty years the rapid strides of hor ticulture in Georgia The first session was held in the city of Macon on August 16 1876 pursuant to a call issued by the charter members and the so ciety organized upon the basis of a stock company whose object and business shall be to promote and encourage the science of horti culture in all its branches by the most feasible means and if prac ticable to establish and maintain or endow one or more Horticul tural Schools or Colleges in said State and prescribe the course of instruction therein and to hold annual or semiannual fairs or ex hibitions and to do anything or things which in their judgment tends to foster and encourage said science and to promote the prac tical application thereof Twentysix persons were present and 142 shares of the value of 10 each were immediately subscribed The provisions of the char ter allowed the capital stock of the society to be of the sum of 50000 An excellent exhibition of 300 platesof fruits and a large quantity of kitchen garden products was a noted feature of this gathering of fruit growers and was the nucleus from which the subsequent elab orate exhibitions of the society received their impetus A consti tution and bylaws were adopted and the Georgia State HorticulAnnual Publication foe 1896 285 tural Society began its legal existence and its progressive career of usefulness The second session was also held at Macon on August 11 and 12 1877 with a roll of 72 stockholders 3 annual and 11 honorary members The exhibition of fruits was remarkable for the large variety and the excellent quality of products Among the classes exhibited were 46 varieties of grapes filling 200 plates 50 varieties of apples 40 varieties of pears a large number of peaches figs plums walnuts and two varieties of oranges grown in open air culture in Thomas county making an aggregate exhibit of upwards of 600plates of fruits The LeConte pear was represented by a few late ripening speci mens its season of maturity being past in Southern Georgia The discussions were eminently interesting aud the fruit and vegetable catalogues carefully revised and amended The third session was also held at Macon with an increased at tendance and with an array of fruit on the exhibition tables that surpassed in quantity and variety that of the former meeting Grapes were conspicuous by 54 varieties A large proportion of the session was devoted to the discussion on fruits aud the catalogue again carefully gone over The fourth session was again held at Macon with a good attend ance The fifth and sixth convened at Atlanta with a large attendance The Elberta peach was first exhibited by its originator Mr L H Rumph on August 4 1881 At the latter session it was found that the original plan under which the society had been governed was no longer possible The primary object of establishing a school of horticulture had to be abandoned because a sufficient sum of money necessary for that purpose could not be depended upou and a reorganization under a new charter was agreed upon one that would be more in unison with the changes that had occurred since its first organization The seventh session was held at Macon on August 1 and 21882 and a new constitution and bylaws adopted as well as a new char ter under whose provisions the society has since been governed286 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Clause No 12 of the bylaws which reads as follows was unan imously adopted No medal diploma or money shall be awarded by the society as a testimonial of excellence for any fruit plant flower or vegeta ble offered for exhibition The verdict of the special committees shall be the highest commendation of the society This action of the society was looked upon by our leading horti cultural publications as a hazardous experiment contrary to the usual custom of horticultural societies in general Some prophe sied that it would destroy all future interest of exhibitors and eventually end all attempts for a fruit and plant exhibit and would watch this experiment with considerable interest Instead of diminishing the quantity of material presented at our subsequent exhibitions and predicting an early demise of our asso ciation the contrary result has fulfilled the anticipations of the framers of that clause of the bylaws and dispelled the friendly crit icism of our distant friends Every exhibition that was held after the adoption of the new bylaws has not only shown an increased amount of material offered but the most earnest desire on the part of the citizens of every community where sessions were held to vie I with each other in their efforts to make their exhibition surpass that of the previous year This spirit of friendly rivalry where every f fruit grower and amateur horticulturist did his best to help in the I combined exhibit is the best evidence that our people look upon the ethics and labors of this society as the best means to advance I the material and educational interests of our State and are satisfied I with the praise their individual exhibits of fruits and flowers re I ceive from those who attend these annualreunions Wehaveavoided I complaints and recriminations from those who in entering their I products for competition and expected a money premium or a medal I failed to receive the award to which they considered themselves I entitled Being thus disappointed their subsequent interest in fu I ture exhibitions is lost as well as their further cooperation in the I work of that society But this desirable result would not have been accomplished with I out the great interest which the ladies of Georgia God bless themAnnual Publication for 1896 287 have always manifested in the success of our organization and its annual exhibitions In the succeeding years the sessions were held as follows At Barnesville in 1883 at Macon in 1884 at Augusta in 1885 at Fort Valley in 1886 at Dalton in 1887 at Thomasville in 1888 at Griffin in 1889 at Fort Valley in 1890 at Quitman in 1891 at Rome in 1892 at Athens in 1893 and at Cuthbert in 1891 Owing to the universal failure of the fruit crops in 1894 it was de cided to omit the annual session of that year To refer again to the influence which your society has caused in the gradual development of onr fruitgrowing industry is useless its past work is its record It has never deviated from its primary objects and if we continue to follow our past course it should live as long as the principles that prompted its organization Many of our citizens who are prevented from attending your session eagerly look upon your deliberations as a guide for their horticultural ventures You will therefore find many objects for discussion that will eventually benefit others Among those to which I respectfully call your attention are FARMERS INSTITUTES which should be held as frequently as possible and in numerous sections of our State These afford the best means to educate our people living in isolated localities in the best methods of fruit growing and truck farming that their avocation may be less irk some and more remunerative The expense connected with holding a farmers institute is infin itesimal if compared with the benefit thev bring to the communities where they are held They are especially needed in fruitgrowiug districts where lectures upon various topics connected with this industry could be delivered and thus suggest means to protect the crops from insect depredations fungous diseases and other infor mation given which is always more practically impressed upon us when delivered by the word of mouth of a practical man of science than by the perusal of a periodical While all progressive horticulturists read more or less of what is conveyed through the288 Department of AgricultureGeorgia medium of the press it is nevertheless an undeniable fact that the average denizen of our usual districts does not read enough and some of those who do so to a certain extent fail to carry out the suggestions thus attained At the second session of this society in 1877 the late John Stark Chairman of the Fruit Committee of the Second Congres sional District stated in his report In Randolph county a here tofore unknown fungous growth shows itself around the collar of the peach trees Scraping it off and adding ashes has proved a successful remedy for it In the same county the oyster shell louse has also given much trouble and the application of such remedies as are recommended have failed to be effectual I frequently receive letters from fruit growers in our State de scribing the presence of the trouble described by Mr Stark and asking what should be done to prevent it from killing their trees Yet here is a remedy suggested in print nearly twenty years ago and published by our society and totally lost sight of Had this been mentioned in a farmers institute the information would have been more general and likely acted upon The presence of the oyster shell louse upon fruit trees was made public at the same time still today many of our fruit grow ers are surprised to find their trees becoming diseased and dying out and ask for the cause and remedy The preservation of what remains of the forest area in Georgia is a momentous question and I trust will be carefully considered during this session I am satisfied that the longer our State and local board of edu cation omit from the curriculum of our public schools the ELEMENTARY STUDY OF BOTANY so long will the youths of our rural districts be deprived of a most important knowledge which is a necessary adjunct to successful horticulture and agriculture A lawyer a physician a minister of the Gospel must all undergo a special course of studies which must fit them for the successful prosecution of their profession Yet a farmer or fruit grower is given no adequate opportunities inAnnual Publication for 1896 289 our public schools to learn the first principles of vegetable physi ology or the elements of agricultural chemistry which are so neces sary to know in his prospective pursuit This is a question that interests every one of us who has the welfare of our agricultural progress at heart The State is very generous in its appropriation to the public school fund and in most of our counties a liberal tax levy is added The course of studies as prescribed in some of the intermediate grade of schools includes Botany but so far as I have been able to ascertain it is found only on paper and no actual instruc tion is given But these are only a few of the subjects which will come before you during this session many others will doubtless be mentioned during your deliberations and give ample opportunities to make this reunion a most successful one in the history of this Society Your labors for the public good and the entire freedom from a political bias have been recognized by the various railroad corpo rations of our State as worthy of their material support These corporations appreciate the influence you have brought upon the increase of fruit and vegetable products and have generously granted you the courtesy of free transportation over their lines To the Southern Express Company you are also indebted far the free transportation of the fruits and vegetables which form a con spicuous part of our exhibition We owe in a measure the flourishing condition of our society and its financial status to the liberality of these corporations aud as a return for their substantial aid we can only say that an in creased fruit and vegetable product will give them in future ample material for transportation A benevolent Providence has spared the lives of the members of this Association It is therefore that I am spared the sad duty to record the loss of any of our associates and pray that you may long continue to enjoy the blessings which are a just recompense for your efforts in promoting the welfare of your fellowmen 19 a290 Department of AgricultureGeorgia SOME POINTS ON PLANTING President Berckmans VicePresident A J Williams will now present the first paper upon our program and in this con nection I desire to say that all essays are only an opening for general discussion as this accomplishes the object in view which is to elicit the most reliable information from our members and en able us to make the report of our proceedings of benefit to our State MR WILLIAMS PAPER If in presenting these points a few tillers of the soil in the cultivation of gen eral farm crops or in either of the branches of horticulture are stimulated to make further experimental observation then I have contributed a mite in furthering the objects of this society What I shall assert as facts or as ideas in theory is intended in part at least as suggestive and inviting attack by practical experi ment in everyday life as growers of plants and as I desire not to mislead any one criticism in this convention is solicited As germane on entering the discussion of my subject I relate two very nearly coincident circumstances In January 1809 I bought one hundred and fifty apple trees Two years thereafter I had occasion to take up one row of these trees and while there was nothing very noticeable in the trees above ground the difference in the growth of roots for the two seasons was great a result evidently of the different depths at which they were set out One tree having been set with the collar or point where the roots branched out well up to the surface of the ground had a fine sys tem of new roots Another one set eight or ten inches deeper had made fair growth above ground but the stem or body was largest at the surface tapering down smaller quite abruptly to the natural collar where it was but little if any larger than when set out and was very poorly supplied with new roots The two trees were of the same variety and perhaps exactly alike when set in the or chard The deep set one had the advantage in moisture until the other could have time to throw out new roots but soon would have began to fail in vigor and ere long if standing at all would have been but little better than a cumberer of the ground About the same time I planted a field of corn so deep that the covering was several inches below the general level of the ground while just across the fence my neighbor planted his corn on ridges considerably above the average level The fertility of the two fields was about the same and with about equal culture My neighbor made much the better crop As I could find no other cause for my failure to make a full crop I was forced to the conclusion that it was the result of too deep planting and becoming interested I started out on a line of investigations to satisfy myself as to what is the proper depth or amount of covering on seed trees and other plants The object being to discover one of na tures laws it was quite natural that I should be led to observeAnnual Publication for 1896 291 DAME NATURE S MODE OF PLANTING of the uncultivated trees and plants Some of the seed as acorns and nuts being heavy fall straight to the ground and some others have wings not unlike that of some insects and they spin their way to the earth Others are dropped by birds and still others have berths in tiny air ships that sail in the gentle zephyrs In these several ways seed are scattered in every directioneverywhereplanted on the surface with or without the light covering as may be the result of accident Upon the earths surface seed are exposed to the action of all the elements neces sary for preservation incubation so to speak and germination Simultaneously the ascending and descending axis push out from the germ of the seed Exactly at this point is the juncture of root and top no part above the seed being of the nature of roots or below that point the nature of top As roots are that part of plants that grow in the ground and tops that part that grows above ground then the seed should be planted at the surface or as near it as is possible to insure germination Nature intends for the seed to be the center or base from which to grow at the beginning and even so from that point through life As roots grow downward entirely if a tree is planted too deep it must for ever remain too deep It is true that often that part of the ascending stem below the surface will make feeble effort to throw out brace roots but they are weak and nothing like those normally growing out from the natural brace or center root However I will say that some of the inside growers are perhaps not injured by too deep planting of seed because from their manner of growth they are relieved of abnormal conditions of these I mention corn as possessing this quality equal to or greater than any other Independent of the depth to which the seed is cov ered the plant comes to surface and there establishes itself by sending out roots from that point If a layer of dirt is spread in the space over the roots and around the stem soon a new set of roots are thrown out above at the surface and by them the plant continues to grow the first set and that part of the stem be coming dormant and useless except as to help to hold up the stalk and as often as a like application of dirt is made a like result follows What I have said I lay down as a rule with but few exceptions in seed plant ing which is propagation by procreation In other modes of propagation it is modified The object in planting cuttings being to produce new plants they should ap proach as near as possible those from seed therefore there should be but one bud at or near the surface with the shortest length below possible to insure moisture enough to sustain life until roots are formed If in transplanting rooted ones they are found to have been planted too deep with roots growing from more than one point the upper set being strongest it is sometimes best to cut off all below especially so with grape vines An illustration of this may be seen in Fullers Grape Culturist I repeat that in transplanting the proper depth must be kept in view If it is a tree or other perennial to be removed when dormant or at perfect rest then there are other points to be observed First Sponpioesrootlets Fibrous or hair roots die on exposure to air and should be cut off Second It is better to cut off roots than to cramp them or bend them out of their natural position292 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Third The tree being compelled to adapt itself to new conditions begin life anew should be cut back root and branch severally that may grow into a new tree adapting itself perfectly to the new situation If the tree to be treated is of more than one seasons growth and large of course more roots and top must be left cutting roots at points as far back as will suit to get a strong set of new roots avoiding making cut too large to heal over and tops as far back as buds of the last seasons product can be left to produce symmetrical tree When trees to be transplanted have roots of only one seasons growth and very small as is usually the case with June budded peaches it is well to trim clean leaving short stumps of side roots with the tap root cut to suit convenience in setting Many short articles have been written on the subject of whole and section root grafts a majority of writers I believe favoring whole root grafts as best I conclude that the scions with the section roots reach deeper than is best for natural root development and the disadvantage is more from this cause than in the length of roots The grafts should be set in very high beds and the dirt worked down in the early cultivation so as to bring the surface on a level with the point of union The reason for this mode of propagating is because the kinds so worked will not succeed as cuttings hence the best roots are not obtained when the scion occupies the root space just below the surface Like cuttings grafts should not be encumbered with more material than just enough to produce strong plants President BerckmailsIt seldom falls to my lot to give to this society a greater treat than by introducing to you as I now do Professor L H Bailey of Cornell University New York Pro fessor Bailey has kindly consented to make some remarks upon the work in which he is engaged Professor BaileyAll I have to say at this time will be some general remarks in regard to certain horticultural work in which the North has been engaged It has been my fortune to come to Georgia expecting to be pleased with the countryexpecting to see a country of great natural advantages I have been fully satisfied for many years that the interior of Georgia is destined to become an important factor in the fruitgrowing industry of our country It seems to me that Georgia has all the natural advantages for fruit growing being especially adapted to fruits we cannot grow in the North and which you can get on our markets when our fruit has not much more than shed its blossom It strikes me that your State should have more of its population engaged in the business of fruit growing itself I was much impressed with what Mr Phinizy said about horti culturists being engaged in the study of small things and I wish toAnnual Publication for 1896 293 impress thoroughly upon your minds that all this looking after small things is the education of the farmer In the hills of Central New York where the farmers have been growing grass for many years the farmer is scared to death if he receives a telegram while a man in a fruit growing district unless he gets three or four tele grams a day as to the state of the market etc thinks something has happened The horticulturist is engaged in a variety of pur suits and his ideas are thereby more expanded than those of a man who has simply grown one crop Another reason why horticul turists are in general a better type of men than those who grow a few agricultural crops is that they have had their attention fastened upon particular things as well as upon a variety of thingsthings that have perplexed them and when a country is afflicted by such a pest as the apple scab which threatens almost to deplete some parts of Western New York where apples are raised in large quan tities it means simply that a man has got to hustle He must get ahead of the scab or the scab will get ahead of him It is a ques tion of the survival of the fittest That man who is not quick enough to catch the scab fungus is that man who is not going to grow apples I was very much impressed with what your worthy President said about the advantages of reading In the North the long win tersof which we occasionally give you a touch to let you know how it feelsleave us but a short season within which to make a crop The Northern farmer during this forced period is obliged to hasten his work and to exercise ingenuity and forethought in the storiug of fuel and supplies to last him through the rigorous winter months But it is during the winter months that he does his reading Then is the time when he goes to the institute where he gets full of ideas of fighting the curculio and other pests and no sooner does the first bug show his head in the spring than he is fter him Of course I know nothing about the fruit growing and horticul turists of Georgia and what I say may be wide of the mark But there is one thing that you do need and that is more direct State aid for the purpose of assisting educational work throughout the districts Some four or five years ago the grape growers of294 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Chautauqna county N Y were troubled with their vineyards and they wrote to the experiment station for aid in the investiga tion and suppression of the diseases The reply was that we had already made our arrangements for the complete disbursement of the funds in hand that it had been laid out in expenditures for the general good and we could not take up any part of the public funds to satisfy local needs unless very pressing that if we did other parts of the State would ask the same thing and we could not systematize our work But nothing daunted these people applied to the next legislature through their representatives for a grant of money for the purpose of doing the desired work in their vine yards This amount of money eight thousand dollars was given with very little if any opposition and in the face of the factthe only instancethat the institution did not ask for it or show its willingness to take the matter in hand This eight thousand dol lars was expended and the work seemed to be satisfactorily done The next year the people asked for sixteen thousand dollars and the institution made no effort to further it and never made an inquiry as to the progress of the bill and did not know what was being done until the sixteen thousand dollars was given again and last year sixteen thousand dollars was asked for by the people and given again This simply goes to show to what extent this matter of State aid is being carried in New York I do not wish to go into the details of the work of this institution except to say to you that the people are thoroughly interested and fully appreciate it When they are suddenly overtaken with some difficulty they do not always sit down and write but they may telegraph for aid There are so many diseases that it is beyond the power of any one man to be an expert in them all so we have various experts A few days ago the army worm invaded Western New York We sent out fifty or more telegrams of from fifty to one hundred words each to different parts of the infected section explaining what to do If John Jones telegraphs that the army worm has attacked his back lot we telegraph him just what to do and with the same care as we do to Tom Brown whose orchard extends over hundreds of acres If every man does not get the information it is his own faultAnnual Publication for 1896 295 The 24th of this month we shall begin schools in Western New York holding them daring the latter part of August and the month of September We have local shows of fruits and in con nection with them a two days session of school During the thirty days and by having from two to three gangs of workers we make considerable progress What are these schools Simply like the meetings you have here except that the particular interests of the locality are observed What is the chief horticultural industry in Griffin Say that it is grape growing Then we shall have a grape school here Is there any particular fungus that has attacked the grapes of this section Then that will be the principal topic of discussion If there is a man in the country who is an expert in that line we shall get him We shall have a whole session devoted to blackrot to brownrot another to spraying There is no effort at display simply direct practical information dispensed not only by experiment station officers but by men of practical experience in the vineyards who have made a success in the line of discussion During September we shall put two or more men in each of the twentytwo counties that fall under the constituency of this experi ment station bill During October taking the Chautauqua grape belt and other regions we shall put a gang of men into the field and hold oneday sessions in the country school districts and we shall go from school district to school district and from country church to country church and in that way reach the people It does little good for me to talk to you you come here already informed The men that you have left at home are the men that ought to be here They will not come here They will not come to our larger gath ings but we can take this thing directly home to them What we do is to wake them up and not let them alone until they get out of their old ruts President BerckmansAfter the very entertaining talk we have had from Professor Bailey we will now go back to the subject of the paper read by Mr Williams There were a great many points suggested in that paper with some of which you may concur and you may dissent as to some of his views Mr Williams is now ready to defend any position that may be assailed You address ing Mr Williams spoke something about root grafting Has it296 Department of AgricultureGeorgia been your experience that whole root grafting is better than section root grafting Mr WilliamsI do not want them too long or too shortthat is my experience I do not know that I have any special knowl edge of the subject There are others I am sure among us a great many who know more of the subject of my essay but I thought it was an important question for an essay and I felt it was something we ought to talk about and I presented it in a little different way and a little more forcibly in order that it might elicit discussion not that I know more about it than others but that I might learn something of it myself I know there are others here whose ex perience on this line will be very valuable As to amount of root as I have said I do not think that is alto gether a question of the length of the root but that it is more in the depth at which the graft is set I am not to be understood as favoring whole root grafting or on the other hand as favoring sec tion root grafting If the root is very short the scion would have to go too deep in the ground and when the root is longer it would not be necessary to put the scion so deep in the ground It is well known to yourselves that trees are as distinct in the root formation as they are in bark You may graft a scion on a root and if that root is fully and freely developed the roots and top are very similar I do not know but I am of the opinion that if root space were as ac cessible and the roots as well distributed through the soil the roots might be almost a counterpart of the tops That is perhaps going too far into details In other words when a seed is planted the root system is sent down from the seed all below the depths at which the seed is planted are roots all above tops and the point in question is really the depth at which the seed should be planted President BerckmansProfessor Bailey you have had some ex perience on this subject and your deductions from the same plan will hold good here While the locality may be different the principles are the same and the principle being the same the re sult will be the same no matter from what point of view we ob serve it Mr WilliamsI want to say that I have only taken two or three days within which to prepare this essay and I desire that you conAnnual Publication foe 1896 297 sider it simply as a basis for discussion I too am anxious to hear from Professor Bailey Professor BaileyIn regard to this matter of root grafting we have made a great number of experiments during many years As for myself I have pretty well formed notions upon the philosophy of it I wish to say in the first place that it is not a difference of root grafting or budding that is I do not believe that the mere fact whether the propagation be grafting or budding makes any ma terial difference It is all a matter of the way in which the root is cut and that is all a matter of the stock and not a particular way in which the top is put to the stock You will find that if the root is cut about a foot or a foot and a half there will branch off from that small fibrous roots five or six in number Ordinarily this whole system will branch off about equally on all sides and there will be approximately an even distribution Of course there are excep tions If you cut this root in two in the middle you have de stroyed a part of this symmetrical arrangement When you put this root back in the soil the remaining strong roots ordinarily be gin to grow rapidly resulting in a onesided development Now if this root be stripped of all those parts which may die before the tree is planted then new roots will have to start and you will find that new roots will start at the end All main roots do not start to grow symmetrically but with more or less deviation and after they have grown for a time you will see that they have long and pronged roots extending from the end of this main root The longer the main roots the more symmetrical the side roots will be the shorter they are the less symmetrical Now this would seem to be true theoretically and it is true practically in a great majority of instances The difference between the ordinary socalled whole root and piece root depends entirely upon the length of the original piece As a general rule then the longer the stock the more uni formly is the root system developed the shorter the more pronged I am thoroughly convinced there has been fraud committed in the name of whole root trees which are made from short or piece roots Now the question recurs Are whole root systems more desirable than piece root formations I do not know that they are I simply know that they are unlike the other kind of trees298 Department of AgricultureGeorgia I think I can tell them from the growth of the top We have varieties of piece root of whole root and of budded I should use entirely for our condition budded trees Upon my own farm I am planting budded trees and I know when I buy those trees that I get trees with a better developed root system Of course I do not meau by this to decry the practice of grafting Some prefer grafted trees But when you come to analyze it it comes down to the length of the original piece and that is the kernel of that whole question President BerckmansI am very glad to hear Professor Bailey give his views and experience on this subject they corroborate my experience You in New York are in an apple country Ours is not There is no better apple section in the United States What we look after in the planting of a tree is to have one that is healthy and the more roots the more vigorous and therefore we want one put upon a whole stock We have other men among us whose ideas may differ What have you to say on the subject Mr Miller Mr MillerI do not know that I have much to say on the sub ject I prefer a budded tree for the apple As regards grafting upon whole roots and piece roots if I was narrowed down to a choice I would take the ground grafted tree with as long root as I could get YOUNG MEN EMBARKING IN HORTICULTURE AS A AVOCATION By E P JOHNSON SMITHV1LLE GA In selecting a vocation in life for ourselves and our children we are too apt to allow the question of moneymaking to occupy too large a place in our considera tion It is true we must support ourselves by our labor and at first thought we are apt to say we will choose an occupation in which our labors will be best rec ompensed But there are a number of occupations that an honest moral man would de cline to follow however lucrative such as retailing spirituous or intoxicating drinks conducting lottery establishments and other methods of gambling man ufacturing adulterated foods etc NoteA fuller discussion of this particular question may be found in the Authors Nursery Book third editionAnnual Publication for 1896 299 There are other menial seryile occupations that destroy manly independence that no true man would select for himself or for his son But do we always properly estimate the importance of a lifes vocation in the development of a man We are here in the world not simply to exist and subsist but also in a more important sense to grow It is not enough for us to earn by our chosen vocation a subsistence a compe tence but we should select one that will conduce to our healthful development physically and morally for we are so constituted that there is no such thing as re maining stationary we must either advance or retrograde In horticulture in the raising of garden vegetables of fruits of trees and flowers we may secure the best most natural most appropriate physical exercise in the open air not necessarily excessive exercise such as tends to stiffen the muscles and break down the system but a gentle exercise such as strengthens and enlarges every part of the physical man There may be some exercises in horticulture that are a little trying to some of the muscles such as weeding and hoeing that may somewhat stiffen the muscles of the back but such obstacles but serve to stimulate faculties which devise implements to facilitate the operation Horticulture does not exact so severe exercise as does agriculture henoe its effects upon the physical system are more salutary When we come to the developments of the mental powers what vocation can we mention so well calculated to educate the senses to excite reflection reason and awaken high resolve as tilling the earth the mellow teeming earth from which all things proceed the vegetable creation trees and shrubs and plants in close association with bird and beast and insects even and where can all of these con ditions be more perfectly realized than in a garden We do not limit our meaning simply to the kitchen garden where a few vege tables are grown for the farmers own table but would include also the fruit gar den the flower garden and the landscape garden In these a man can find plenty of moderate agreeable and healthful exercise without it being necessarily exces sive To the true lover of nature there is a real pleasure in turning over with a plow or spade the mellow prolific earth in raking and fireing and cleaning it of all sticks clods and stones in drawing with line and marker the straight rows then in planting the tiny little seeds watching their germination observing the best conditions for their germination watching their growth the conditions that best promote their growth the obstacles to be overcome devising the best means of overcoming obstacles and then observing the inflorescence and the develop ment and maturing of the fruit If this earth and all it contains and sustains is the creation of intelligence and purpose it must follow that it is something more than the mere sustainer and dwelling place of man that it is to a great extent the source and means of his development in every part of his being Therefore why should it not be the natural rational way for man to develop all the powers in herent in its nature by following in his daily vocations six days in the week and ten to fifteen hours in the day the gradual process of nature He first examines the unorganized soil breaks it up pulverizes it to fit it for the germs of organic life He learns that basides the soil the germ requires to commence growth warmth and moisture he plants the living germ and watches its growth the process of its creation some of these vegetable growths are suit able for direct food for man others must first pass through higher more complex300 Department op AgricultureGeorgia organizations and be prepared by the digestive organizations of brute animals for the use of man The young horticulturist receivesdaily practical lessons in bot any including vegetable physiology in the very obstacles he encounters his mind is stimulated to greater advancement The poverty of the soil leads him to study its wants its chemical composition and he becomes a practical student of chemistry If he goes a little further and studies the original formation of the soil from the disintegrated rocks he becomes a practical student of geology The appearance of insect enemies force him to study entomology the impor tant influence of heat and frost moisture and drouth upon the growth of vege tation leads to the study of meteorology Thus step by step he becomes familiar with the science into which the study of the material world and its forces are divided If he will in connection with his own observations and investigations avail himself of the researches of the great minds the world has produced as recorded in books he may easily become a scholar with a trained educated intellect The horticulturist has every incentive to become a thinker and we think that any one who will attend a con vention of horticulturists will be convinced that he is a thinker Then we think there is much in the pursuit of horticulture that has a tendency to expand the moral nature familiarity with the laws of evolution gives him exalted conceptions of the creative force working through those laws and of those beneficent ends towards which the activities of the universe are tending Nowhere is that physical exercise more natural health ful or agreeable than when performed in the open air surrounded bv natural ob jectsnatures creations These are some of the duties and responsibilities and also some of the pleasures of the horticulturists If the highest happiness that man can enjoy consists in making others happy he must realize something akin to it who is instrumental in making the vegetable world prosperous Therefore we say let the man who is about to select a vocation for his son or let a young man about to choose a vocation for himself consider the advantages of horticulture The PresidentMr Johnsons remarks were very happy but they were only the opening wedge The topic is ready for your discussion You to Mr Johnson seem to have covered the sub ject fully STRAWBERRIESVARIETY TESTS OF 1896 Mr President and Members of the Georgia State Horticultural Society You are all doubtless well aware that in an extensive variety test whether of fruits vegetables or field crops the results are surprisingly varied from year to year and it will not do to found a definite conclusion upon the basis of any one seasons tests With cotton for instance in six years tests at the Georgia Expe riment Station the same variety has never yet won first place twice Last year we tested 240 varieties of Irish potatoes This year we planted 75 of the best of these 250 Among the first 12 varieties giving the largest yield this year I find but two of the first 12 in last years listand so it goesAnnual Publication fob 1896 301 Therefore to claim that the results of the variety tests of strawberries at the Georgia Experiment Station for 1896 are conclusive and suffice to recommend for general use the varieties therein signalizing themselves is much further than I am prepared to go I can only say that these themselves were most carefully con ducted and in the main extremely satisfactory from the point of view of an ex perimenter and that I am ready to indorse those varieties proving best in these tests as promising no moreand to advise the individual test by members on a small scale only of those not well known as standards until they prove their value in each respective locality Our season was an extremely dry one From the first day of April to the first day of June we had only 157 inches of rainfall and the drouth while not affecting the earlier or perhaps to any great extent the midseason berries proved injurious to all later varieties which did not in consequence hold up in proportion to their true value Our rows of each variety were 104J feet long and the figures herein given are the result of the pickings in pounds and fractions thereof The test covered 80 varietiesmost of them old standards but quite a number of them new introduc tions Of the very early berries the first twenty in point of productiveness were as follows VERY EARLY BERRIES Pickings before May 2first twenty berries in their order 1 Georgia Triumph716 2 Hoffman 712 Lady Thompson595 Meeks Early 417 Michel 386 Cloud828 Stanton319 Feicht No 2215 Lovett 208 10 Wilsons Albany207 11 Daniel Boone197 12 Bidwell193 13 Jessie185 14 Chairs176 15 Beecher 164 16 Accomack141 17 Sadie135 18 Rio121 19 Brandywine112 20 Sharpless 111 The berry leading the list I have for the want of a better name christened at least temporally Georgia Triumph My predecessor the late Gustave Speth had it entered in his plat four years ago simply as Triumph I had not examined it closely before replanting but supposed that Triomphe de Grand was meant and so listed it on resetting the plat To my surprise and that of our VicePresident Dr Hape who examined it this spring it proved to be an entirely different berryat least in our opinion It was not Triomphe de Grand but a berry we lid not know and which has turned out by far the earliest of all our varieties as veil as the most productive of them slightly outranking Hoffman in this respect while it is a far better berry The following is a brief description Plant a vigorous rather tall grower leaf large healthy dark green blossom medium to large perfect plants in profuse bloom on April 3 berries medium to large round and conical color crimson quality good ripen evenly i Had I known at the beginning of the season how it was going to turn out I vould have certainly saved someof the fruit for the inspection of your President302 Department of AgricultureGeorgia I shall take pleasure in sending him some next year If he fails to identify it it will he hut a fitting tribute to Mr Speth to call it instead of Georgia Trumph Speths Triumph Hoffman appears to be valuable not only on the coast but in the interior as well and Lady Thompson is one of the best allround very early berries we have Michel is an old standby but it seems to be equalled if not surpassed by Meeks Earlymuch similar to it in every way except that it is not quite so vigorous a grower Its quality however is better by far I regard it as the most sugary and delicious berry on the list Like Michel it is quite smallsmaller if any thing which greatly militates against it Cloud which many have discarded we find an excellent very early berry as are also Stanton Sadie and Jessiethe latter the largest of all the first earliest Rio much vaunted in Virginia is not up to the mark Now of earlj berriesthat is second early berriesthose picked prior to May 7 including the pickings classed under the head of Very Early the following twenty varieties in their order have done best EARLY BERRIES Pickings before May 7first twenty berries in their order 1 Hoffman1629 2 Lady Thompson1620 3 Cloud 1551 4 Georgia Triumph1504 5 Stanton1496 6 Gandy Belle1230 7 Sadie1223 8 Jessie1185 9 Henry Ward Beecher1167 10 Daniel Boone1182 11 Pioneer1084 12 Brandy wine1080 13 Gellespie1013 14 Feicht No 2 965 15 Accomack 939 16 Banquet 938 17 Dayton 9 18 Mt Vernon 930 19 Meeks Early 929 20 Michel 923 In this list we perceive that Georgia Triumph drops to fourth place it got in its best work the first of the seasonwhich is after all just about what we want a berry to do Hoffman thereby advances to the head of the list followed by Lady Thompson and Cloud Stanton Sadie and Jessie again stand well up with Gandy Belle a Grandy seedling and a fine berry coming in for a sixth place Brandywine comes in as twelfth and Dayton as seventeenth while Meeks Early and Michel drop to nineteenth and twentieth respectively Like Georgia Triumph they had their innings at the start When we come to consider midseason berriesthose picked between May and 15 a change of view is presented and many new names are forced to the front most of the earlier varieties taking hack seats The following is the list of the first twenty varieties in their orderAnnual Publication for 1896 303 MIDSEASON BERRIES Pickings between May 7 and 15first twenty berries in their order 1 Enhance26 08 2 Princess 2289 3 Bederwood 2232 4 Shusters Gem 2191 5 Bisel 2158 6 Stanley 2010 7 Gandy Belle1898 8 Sadie1852 9 Greenville 1839 10 Brandywine1787 11 Manchester1769 12 Enormous 1723 13 Marshall1710 14 Charles Downing1656 15 Crescent 1618 16 Haverland 1608 17 Mrs Garfield1515 18 Edgar Queen 1457 19 Bubach No 51439 20 Jewell1435 Here we observe Enhance steps to the front It is an enormous picker and good shipper but its appearance is against it as it is extremely irregular in shape crinkled and corrugated and by no means attractive in appearance resembling Princeton Chiefitself a very unprepossessing berry If however a man has a contract to deliver berries and can keep it no matter what he ships Enhance is the berry for him Princess which comes second is an excellent berry Bederwood third on the list is an old standby and Shusters Gem the fourth is a gem indeed Gandy Belle again about maintains its position as does Sadie Greenville comes in as ninth Brandywine as tenth and Enormous Marshall Crescent Haverland and Bubach make their first appearance on the stage Marshall is an excellent berry It is large showy and of firstrate quality If it were only a trifle more productive it would be grand Haverland and Bubach are well known to all The former however does the better with us here Edgar Queen comes in as the eighteenth but does better later on as we shall see Of the late berries covering all pickings subsequent to May 14 the following twenty lead Pickings after May 14 LATK BERRIES first twenty varieties in their order 9 Haverland 1359 Enormous 1324 Princess 1244 Edgar Queen12 35 Parker Earle1142 E P Roe1101 Beder Wood1058 Kentucky 1007 Belmont 921 10 Stanley 905 11 Timbrell 893 12 Princeton Chief891 13 Beverly865 14 Bubach No 5 812 15 Marshall794 16 Yale 794 17 General Putnam790 18 Bartons Eclipse 789 19 Shusters Gem 777 20 Bisel 757 Haverland here has a good lead followed by Enormous Princess and Edgar Queen Parker Earle comes in as fifth and would have undoubtedly ranked higher in a more favorable season Its quality is below medium however as it possesses a peculiar flavor very objectionable to some palates and its failure to set Tunners while expediting stool cultivation is a serious drawback when renewal is necessary304 Department of AgricultureGeorgia E P Roe is a poor berry but very late Colors up badly Timbrell is abso lutely worthless and how one can commend it I do not see It is as ugly and mottled as Castile soap and absolutely unsalable Yale is also worthless for much the same reason though very late Another good local berry is the Stanley originated by Mr Luther J Stanley of this county It is a good midseason berry and a better late berry probably a Wilson seedling which it much resembles in both appearance and quality though greatly superior in productiveness Of all the eighty varieties tested the most uniform in size is General Putnam It is a large medium with but few small berries Its color however is too light Brandywine runs larger than any berry we have It is of uniform shape and a magnificent showy berry of good quality Minneola next to Meeks Early is the best in quality It is of good size but a shy bearer Forced to name the shortest list possible for a complete succession for market I should list the following six varieties in the order of their maturity Hoffman Lady Thompson Bederwood Haverland Parker Earle and Bubach No 6 Planting on a large scale for shipment it is probable that only the first three would pay as earliness is an imperative necessity For home use or local market the list might be well extended to one dozen as follows Hoffman Lady Thompson Sharpless Bederwood Gandy Belle Jessie Shusters Gem Greenville Brandywine Marshall Parker Earle and Bubach No 5 Of these Shusters Gem Greenville Haverland and Bubach No 5 are pistillateall the rest have perfect blossoms Comment could of course be extended indefinitely but I must stop somewhere I trust however that a general discussion on strawberries will follow and I am ready to answer as far as possible any question that may be asked Hugh N Starnes Horticulturist Geoigia Experiment Station Mr DecknerMr Starnes may I ask if you employ the hill culture Mr StarnesNo narrow matted rows Mr DecknerWhat width and what would be the result Mr StarnesI give the actual result in pounds My rows are very much narrower than I would recommend for commercial cul ture I made them three feet instead of four feet The PresidentDo you suppose they would have produced a larger yield if you had put them in stools Mr StarnesI am satisfied they would but for want of space I adopted the simplest plan Mr DecknerHow would it affect your list if you put those that resist drouth best at the head Mr StarnesI think the figures given show that as it is TheAnnual Publication for 1896 305 season we have just had was a very dry one and the varieties re ported as yielding best this year are in most cases those that have proved to be drouth resistantotherwise they could not have headed the list Mr DecknerThis I think is an important question The Parker Earle cannot bear drouth whereashe Brandywine will re sist drouth a long time Mr President I believe you have the Parker Earle what has been your experience in this respect The PresidentIt would be a mere matter of opinion unless I had previously tested their yield Unfortunately this is our first experiment with them Mr DitmasWhat kind of land The Presidents Very favorable land to start with it had been put in cowpeas and later turned under then manured broadcast with ten twohorse wagon loads of stable manure to the acre and was in fair condition Professor EarleI would like to ask what time of the year you set out plants and the kind of soil Mr StarnesI have been trying for four months to find out the custom in this respect in Georgia I wrote to Mr Berckmans Mr Leinbach Mr Ditmas and Mr Deckner to get information as to the practice pursued and got as many different answers as I sent letters In the past I have always planted in November If I failed to get a stand I planted in the spring Mr G PI Miller says he will never plant except in the spring One or two others saytheyprefer spring Charleston and Savannah planters plant in August and September I have always been in the habit of wait ing until November then I have the spring to fall back upon A MemberDid you ever try the Henderson potted plants Mr Starnes Xo they are too expensive for anything but ama teur culture Major EyalsDo you use a transplanter Mr StarnesNo but we have partially tested the Richards transplanter which is highly recommended and is found to do serviceable work I have never seen however any hand imple ment that was capable of economic use on a large scale 20 a306 Department op AgricultureGeorgia Major RyalsDid you ever see the transplanter used in Charles ton and Savannah Mr StarnesNo sir can you not describe it Major RyalsIt is made after the fashion of a blacksmiths tongs It has two sharp sides one of which closes by means of the handle at the top The sharp sides allow it to be easily shoved into the soil and when closed make a bell shape You take off enough of the bottom of this bell to have it uniform in height Of course the character of the soil has a great deal to do with its ef ficiency If it is sandy it is apt to fall to pieces If it is heavier it sticks together They put out the plants there in midsummer There is no trouble about making them grow Mr MillerMr Leinbach is an extensive grower of the straw berry I should like to hear from him Mr LeinbachI find that the Michels Early is our best It is a heavy yielder and as a shipper for short distances good enough Next to it comes the Bubach which is good to ship to Cincin nati We cannot send to Cleveland These two are our best and yield from seventyfive to eighty bushels per acre A MemberWhere do you live Mr LeinbachMissionary Ridge near Chattanooga Mr StarnesMr President do you know what that berry is that I described in the first part of my paper The PresidentNo I do not Dr Hape ought to be able to tell Mr StarnesDr Hape examined it this spring to see if it was the Triomphe de Grand Dr HapeIt is entirely different in its foliage and different in shape the leaf being large and the shape conical I regard this a very important subject With us the strawberry orop never fails While the crop may not be full it never fails There is one variety Professor Starnes did not mention That is the Cumberland It is a berry that is uniform in size It is not ex actly an early variety but it keeps up better than any I know For short distances it is a good shipper If it was a little better in qual ity and a bit firmer it would be a model berry There is one other variety I have that I think a great deal ofAnnual Publication for 1896 307 That is the Marshall It originated in Massachusetts It is better in quality than the Sharpless and a better shape being conical It ripens late It is the best berry in my garden and the most at tractive berry I had this season There is only one possible ob jection to the Marshal and that is its foliage The Cumberland stood the drouth better than I had hoped Pro fessor Starnes asked me why I preferred the Cumberland I have been cultivating it a good many years I have tested a good many varieties but I would not give the Cumberland for any Mr MooreAt what season do you plant Dr HapeI have set out plants in August September and Feb ruary but I always like to choose the season I believe strawber ries ought to be set out when the ground is moist There is no fruit so sensitive to moisture I saw a statement some time ago in reference to burning off strawberry beds The writer said that in the spring of the year you ought to set fire to the mulch Another writer sad you ought not to burn it off when the weather was too dry I was very much interested in the experiments of Professor Starnes I think they would have been more satisfactory if he had employed hill or stool culture I have no doubt in his next ex periments he will adopt the hill culture I am so glad to see that this important matter is in the hands of a man who understands his business We want to educate our people in the best manner of planting and the best method of cultivating If a man does not want to cultivate strawberries he need not do it but if he does he ought to do so in a systematic and intelligent manner Mr MooreWhat do you use for mulching Dr HapeI use pine straw entirely I have plenty of it in ray vicinity J Major RyalsHave you ever tried anything else Dr HapeI have tried rice straw Major RyalsHow about cottonseed hulls Dr HapeIn the first place it would be more expensive and the berry would become embedded in it I get rid of mv mulch by turning it under but if you do want to burn your mulch select a wet day Laughter308 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Mr LeinbachDo you use hills Dr HapeAlmost entirely Mr StarnesMr Leinbach have you ever cultivated the Howell Mr LeinbachI have and it is a good berry but it is later than Bubach and I have discarded it Dr HapeI just want to say one word about the Parker Earle With me it overbears itself The PresidentWhat about the Shuckless Mr StarnesIt is not particularly good in quality It is not shuckless save in name I see nothing to recommend it The PresidentWe will now have a paper on Pear Blight by Prof F S Earle of Auburn Ala NOTES ON PEAR BLIGHT The cause of this dreaded disease is now very well understood Unfortunately our knowledge of its life history has not as yet suggested any remedy other than the old one of the prompt and continuous use of the knife The recent advances in our knowledge of pear blight are due almost wholly to the work of Mr M B Waite of the Department of Agriculture It has long been known that it is a oerm disease The discovery of this fact by Professor Burrill of the Universit of Illinois marked an epoch in the study of plant diseases for it was the first time that any plant disease was demonstrated to be of bacterial origin Waites recent work has briefly stated shown us the following facts in regard to this germ It is a delicate organism and cannot long endure exposure to unfavorable conditions It is a true parasite probably only occurring in nature in connection with the tissues of the pear or other pomaceous fruit trees The idea that it can develop in the soil has been abandoned It is entirely local in its effects those parts of the tree not actually invaded by it remaining perfectly healthy It lives only on the youngest softest most rapidly growing tissues In the great major ity of cases the disease stops and the germs die with the hardening of the wood in midsummer When the disease dies out in this way the dead bark dries down and is soon separated by a distinct line or crack from the healthy bark below In such cases the disease is dead and no further contagion need be feared from it In occasional cases however the germs do not die but continue to multiply slowly in the soft inner bark during the fall and winter In these hold over cases the blackened bark does not dry down but remains moist and shades off gradually into that which seems green and healthy My own observations go to show that these hold over cases only occur where the disease has run down a smaller limb and girdled a larger one In such cases the disease usually works both up and down in the larger limb from the point of infection It is in the upper partAnnual Publication for 1896 309 where the bark is kept moist by the sap from the living wood above that I have uniformly found hold over or winter blight I have never seen a case in a limb that has died from the tip downward With the first warm days of early spring the germs grow and multiply with increased activity and in damp weather little drops or globules of a sticky sour smelling substance swarming with the blight germs can be seen oozing out of the blackened but still moist bark This sticky substance attracts bees and other insects and they carry it to the opening flowers In the nectar secreted by the flowers the germs find a medium exactly suited to their rapid growth and development They multiply with great rapidity and soon the entire flower cluster is blackening and ending in turn the drops of sticky contagion When once a few flowers are affected the roving insects quickly carry the disease to other flowers in all parts of the orchard and we have an out break of the dreaded blossom blight Prom the flowers the disease soon reaches the twigs and branches thus completing its yearly cycle It is almost an axiom that in attempting to combat any disease or insect enemy we should strike it during that part of its life history when its vitality is at its lowest ebb Most of the pruning out of pear blight has been done during the early summer the period of its most active growth Waites suggestion that we attack it in winter when we only have the few cases of hold over blight to deal with is certainly more logical and is perhaps the most important sug gestion yet made toward controlling the disease It is theoretically true that if these hold over cases were cut out and destroyed in a neighborhood that the disease would be effectually stamped out The practical difficulties in carrying out this plan however are great and may prove insuperable The hold over blight is often hard to detect especially when located in the trunk or larger branches and in large trees some cases may well escape even the brightest and most careful eyes Another trouble lies in the difficulty of se curing hearty cooperation in the work for it will avail very little to clean up one orchard if neighboring ones are left as a breeding place for the disease I have had personal experience of this fact during the present season At my home in Ocean Springs Miss I have about twenty bearing LeConte pear trees Last summer I noticed for the first time a few blighted twigs During the winter wishing to test this question I carefully removed all traces of the blighted wood doing the work myself There were no other pear trees nearer than a quarter of a mile and I think no blight in any nearer than the village about a mile away where blighted trees were abundant Bees were unusually active among the flowers at blooming time and from some source they brought contagion enough to start a tremendous outbreak of blossom blight that destroyed the crop and has caused me to have cut away fully threefourths of the tops in a vain attempt to get the disease under control On becoming connected with the Alabama Experiment Station last January I decided to make the study of winter pruning for blight one of my lines of work Not finding any orchard on the station grounds suitable for my purpose I began casting about for an available locality Knowing of numerous young orchards at Citronelle in Mobile county I wrote the secretary of the local Horti cultural Society and learned that the people were much interested in the question and acting on advice from the Department of Agriculture had all agreed to try and stamp out the disease This seemed so good an opportunity for testing the310 Department of AgricultureGeorgia matter on a considerable scale that I at once visited Citronelle to look over the situation and encourage the people to carry out the plan carefully I found there had been a rather serious outbreak of blight during 1895 but that it had never before been sufficiently abundant to attract attention About half the orchards had been gone over somewhat carefully at the time of my visit in January and thorough work was promised for the others Returning in March just as the trees were blooming 1 found that nearly or quite all of the orchards had been pruned at least to some extent Some of the larger orchards were owned by men who did not do their own work and the pruning had been left to hired negro labor but under careful instructions and on the whole perhaps it had been done as well as could reasonably be expected Unfortunately however in every orchard examined I was able to find an occasional case of hold over blight that had been overlooked and usually in the near neighborhood a few flowers where the stems were beginning to wilt and blacken This simply goes to show how difficult it is in practice to find and remove all sources of the contagion However so large a proportion of it had been dostroyed that1 hoped for an appre ciable improvement over the conditions of the previous year A recent visit July 3 shows that in this I was not entirely disappointed though the blight has prevailed to such an extent that most of the people feel discouraged and I fear it will be impossible to get them to unite heartily in the experiment again In looking over the orchards it was forcibly impressed on me that their present con dition is directly proportional to the care with which the pruning was done last winter Those where it was carelessly done have uniformly suffered so severely as to be practically ruined while in those most carefully pruned there is a marked improvement over the condition a year ago In some cases the effect has doubt less been obscured by contagion brought in from neighboring orchards In only one case was the winter pruning followed up by persistent cutting out of the blight as it appeared this spring The result here was so distinctly favorable as to impress me anew with the importance of continuing the fight throughout the season While it may make very little difference with the amount of contagion left to carry the disease over winter whether we cut out the blighted twig as soon as the disease appears or allow it to spread until it involves some large limb or perhaps the trunk itself it will certainly make a material difference in the amount of live wood we are able to save from the attack The question of our ability to control this disease under all circumstances is certainly still in doubt Here in the South it is complicated and made more dif ficult by the long blooming season The flower is undoubtedly the most vulner able point of attack though the disease can be communicated to rapidly growing twigs Our orchards are frequently blooming continuously for a period of four to six weeks while farther north the blooming period is reduced to a week or ten days and there is a correspondingly less chance for the destructive spread of blossom blight which is by far its most dangerous form Certain it is that un less some effective means of control are found and vigorously followed our South ern pear orchards will soon be a thing of the past Our pear growers should face the situation and at once decide either to cut down these trees or to make a vig orous fight to save them It is a case where halfway measures are worse than useless From a lifelong experience with this disease I venture the following suggestions as to the lines on which such a fight can most hopefully be madeAnnual Publication for 1896 311 1 The trees must be got into as nearly a resistant condition as possible It is a well known fact that an overvigorous rapidly growing tree is more likely to be seriously injured by blight than one that is growing more slowly This is because the germs as stated before are only able to grow in soft rapidly growing tissues While the trees are young they should be well cultivated and fertilized but as they approach bearing age all stimulation should be carefully avoided and such treatment given as will insure a moderate or small wood growth that matures and hardens quickly In most cases this will be best effected by seeding the orchard to lespedeza and pasturing with hogs or calves or by simply mowing the grass and weeds two or three times during the summer On thin soils a bearing or chard will soon need a top dressing of potash and phosphoric acid but stable manure or nitrogenous fertilizers should be avoided unless their use is clearly de manded by yellow color and entire lack of growth For a bearing tree an annual wood growth of six inches is ample if the color remains green and good I do not claim that a tree in this condition will be exempt from blossom blight but the disease will spread in it slowly and be much easier to control than in one making a rapid succulent growth 2 During the fall winter and spring go over the trees carefully three or four times and remove and burn all suspected cases of hold over blight This is exceedingly important and in isolated orchards if thoroughly done may prove the key to the situation 3 Examine each tree carefully once a week during April and May or while the trees are making their rapid growth Do not wait till the flaunting black banners of the disease are visible from the neighboring field but cut it out in its incipient stages before it has involved the important branches The hot sun will quickly dry down and destroy the contagion in the removed branches so that burning while still advisable is not as necessary as during the winter pruning 4 In planting young trees cut them off near the ground and train up three or four spreading trunks instead of one central one This does not make a hand some tree but it will bear just as many pears and incase the blight destroys one part of the tree that trunk can be cut out without destroying the usefulness of the others It is also safest to trim off all fruit spurs from the trunk and larger limbs This will reduce the bearing surface somewhat but flowers on such spurs are liable to introduce the disease directly to the trunk where it is very difficult to deal with 5 Dont plant pears near a neighbors orchard that is liable to be neglected F S Barle Auburn Ala Mr MillerTwo years ago last spring we had some pear blight after the severe freeze of March 26 We had some experi ence in going through the surgeons hands and we next directed our attention to destroying the germs of the disease and the idea occurred to us that a weak solution of corrosive sublimate could be effective in fighting the blight We tried it and it checked it We made two applications and we have had no blight in the nursery312 Department of AgricultureGeorgia since I never liked to mention this and never have before I simply mention it now that some of yon may try it I do not remember the proportion we used but it was a weak solution We had a man to apply part of it mixed with land pilaster but the wind blew it in his mouth and throat It is not safe to use it in hat way We applied some of it in a dry state mixed with dry air slacked lime in a proportion of about one part corrosive sublimate to 200 of the lime We applied some dissolved in water aimed to have the same proportion and it appeared to check the blight at once We have had no occasion to apply it again during the last year The PresidentProfessor Bailey has kindly consented to give you a little talk on matters connected with this subject Professor BaileyI havebeen very much interested in the paper Professor Earle has presented Some parts of it are especially timely I think the gist of the matter is this You have got the pear blight it is going to wipe you out unless you do something to destroy it If a town has an epidemic of yellow fever or small pox the only thing to do is to stamp it out I expected when I came to Georgia that you had no fungous or insect diseases When ever an agent or land boomer comes to me and says his country is free from all troubles and annoyances I tell him I dont want to go there It is no place for a man to go who wishes to succeed in life If there is any place where a man encounters no difficulties that is the place where he will goto sleep I imagine that if some great calamity overtakes the fruit industry in Georgia it would be the best thing that could happen to it I have so often seen the effects of insects and fungi that I verily believe they are a blessing io disguise My observation is that such ravages have always worked to the best interest of those regions affected People have been obliged to exercise every ingenuity to overcome the difficulty J have in mind one special case the yellows of Southwestern Mich igan I know that in that section the peach crops were so sure that people thought peach growing would be a sinecure and num bers engaged in it Of course a great many did not half do their work Jt was the man here and there that cultivated his orchard who made a profit of it The country was being flooded withAnnual PuBLieAjJiONjiFOjRtlgB iaCI 813 peaches good bad and indifferent About 1878 the peach yellows came to that section 1 remember very well that people said that peach growing was doomed and they felt very sad about it and the first thing they proposed to do was to abandon the field to the enemy but pretty soon they woke up to the situation and began devising meaus of heading off the peach yellows If the peach yel lows did nothing else it awakened that community Then too people began to cast about for something else to do You can lay it down as a rule that any country that grows but one crop cannot prosper for long People began to plant small fruits The State of Michigan passed the first law looking to the control of plant dis eases It was made a misdemeanor for a man to have peach yel lows on his place The result has been that the yellows was stopped and today the peach yellows is scarcely dreaded in that section I said this morning that the apple scab would be the salvation of the apple growing in Western Xew York I look upon these things as agents to increase the education of the people This is not a pleasant prospect to bring before you but bear in mind the fact that the insects are here and that we always have some means of fighting them and it behooves you to exercise those means Your President has asked that I say something about spraying I do not know whether you ought to spray or not You dont grow apples Every one in New York who grows apples knows that he ought to spray In grape culture spraying is practiced by about half the people in some communities potatoes by almost still more plum trees by many peach trees very rarely except for brown rot They spray mostly with Bordeaux mixture which you know is a solution of copper sulphate and lime 1 understand that the curculio is very bad with you and that it is increasing We have a very efficient means of fighting it You can kill the curculio every timeif you catch him and we have a simple way of catching him You say it is a good deal of work anjtj expense I have yet to find a single insect who will come up to you atid ask to bo killed This curculio is a very curious little insect I am not an entomologist I can simply tell you how we destroy bejn I have been paid when a boy by the quart for curculios and t Was all the spending money I had In those days we laid down314 Department of AgricultureGeorgia sheets upon frames and when we caught the curculio we had to take him off the sheet and kill him At the present day we have large hoppers made of sheeting and placed on wheelbarrows and so arranged that when the curculio falls it is discharged or rolls down into a little cup of kerosene and is killed The curculio lays its eggs very early in the season and the peaches fall to the ground All the eggs that are laid after the peach has attained the size of the end of ones thumb do not cause the peach to drop I understand your peaches drop here even after they are grown That is not the case with us This insect makes a little crescentshaped hole in the skin of the peach This crescentshaped mark is what has given him the name of the Lit tle Turk When the calyx or ring begins to fall off the peach our peach growers begin jarring and continue every morning for six weeks As a matter of fact they will carry this work on reg ularly for a week or so and then come down to three or four times a week They start with the idea that they begin as soon as the insect does and continue as long as he does They begin early in the morning and if there are very few bugs caught the bugger will wait until a few days have passed and then he goes at it again and so he will make two or three experimental jarrings When he begins to catch from ten to twenty a day he is right at it and con tinues daily until the number begins to decrease And so he regu lates his practice by the abundance of bugs I have known some cases when an orchard was saved by bugging two or three times a season and another that required six weeks daily These machines we use are simply large hoppers made of sheeting having a spread of fifteen or twenty feet or smaller if orchards are young Below this hopper is an opening underneath which is a tin can This hop per is mounted on a rig like a wheelbarrow with two wheels then there is a slit in the hopper so that the tree can come in between A man wheels the hopper up to a tree makes two or three knocks upon the trunk of the tree with a pole the insects fall upon the hopper then roll down into this tin can which has kerosene in it I have a friend Willard who has a large plum and cherry orchard Willard says he likes to be sure of these insects so that instead of using these tin cans with kerosene he has a peanut roaster at theAnnual Publication foe 1896 31 end of the row kept red hot with charcoal I have smelled Wil lards roasting of curculios for rods away He says that in this way he is perfectly sure of killing them You will find that in all these schemes for stamping out these insects concert of action is requisite It is only by union we can come at these things And I wish to impress upon you that the only way you can keep these insects in check is to kill them Just a word about spraying I have said that I did not believe we could keep the curculio thoroughly in check by spraying The curculio does not eat very ravenously This year our peach trees were in bloom three weeks after the frost left We cannot afford to let these fellows get the start of us as they do when spring comes on so suddenly It may be that in this climate where the spring comes on gradually that the insects do not come out quickly in overwhelming numbers But if you do spray you must exercise great care for Paris green and London purple are both very bad on peach foliage You can use Bordeaux mixture on peach trees for brown rot and you may put some Paris green or London purple in the Bordeaux mixture the lime counteracting its harmful effect But in any case one must be very careful in spraying peach trees I believe you will have to spray the grape in most parts of the South But as to that Professor Starnes and Professor Earle can tell you better than I I recollect very well the experience of one of our best grape growers It was advised that people spray for the black and brown rot on grapes He got up in the institute and said I believe very thoroughly that if the time should come when it is necessary we ought to spray for black rot and brown rot I am also con vinced that the cost of spraying would outweigh the benefits and if the time ever comes when I shall have to spray I shall abandon my vineyard That was an argument which no man could com bat I simply said to him that it was not so that when the time came he would spray his vineyard That very year he sprayed and he is now a most ardent advocate of spraying He says It does add to the cost of my grapes How is it then that you spray your grapes He said that notwithstanding the added cost he makes it pay because he secures better grapes than his neigh bors who do not spray316 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Just one word more about spraying It is no play I say this from personal experience How often should one spray Just as often as plants need it One good spraying that covers every leaf may sometimes suffice As I came here from my own place we were just getting ready to spray Irish potatoes There was noth ing the matter with them We had had hot weather and a shower every week Can I afford to leave them unsprayed Buildings are insured before they are burned You can spray Irish potatoes about eight or ten acres a day taking three rows at a time but we spray with two men not more than two or three acres a day but every leaf is covered You had better not spray at all unless you do it thoroughly It is labor wasted Instead of using one of these fancy rigs fix up a barrel upon two old wagon wheels with twentyfive feet of hose The man on the wagon drives twenty five feet and the man with the hose takes in the surrounding circle of trees to thoroughly spray But it is not every one who sprays this way My parting advice would be this If you are not thoroughly convinced that spraying does good if you do not propose to do it thoroughly you had better not start Whether you are going to spray or not I am I cannot afford to run the risk Major ByalsDo you spray for the blight on the potato Professor BaileyYes that and similar dieases are the very things we spray for Major ByalsWould you go to that amount of trouble for the California beetle Professor BaileyNo sir Major RyalsI understand they spray for the California beetle on Long Island I am told that there this beetle attacks the po tatoes just as soon as the potatoes come up They are sitting there waiting for them Professor BaileyYes I have seen as many as five or six bugs on a clod of clay waiting for the potatoes to come up Dr HapeIt is very seldom that this assembly is treated to such a talk as that given by Professor Bailey and I move that a vote of thanks be tendered him Carried unanimously and heartily Colonel BeddingI want to ask Professor Bailey in what form those bugs are put on the market after they are roastedAnnual Publication for 1896 317 Professor BaileyThey are ordinarily put on as Georgia roasted peanuts Dr HapeI should like Professor Bailey if he does not mind to describe more particularly the machine or hopper used in catch ing the curculio Professor BaileyThe machine we generally use is about the height of a wheelbarrow Suppose this table was a hopper A sheet stretched on frames extends in all directions from the hop per Two handles run out behind beyond the hopper and the sheet On the side opposite to the handles there is a slit in the sheet sufficient to admit the trunk of a tree When the machine is in place the sheet extends equally in all directions from the tree The operator has a long pole about ten feet long He never gets nearer the tree than the edge of the hopper He gives the trunk of the tree several quick blows with the end of his pole Dr HapeDoes that bruise the tree Professor BaileyNo for the end of it is wrapped up in flannels This work ought to be done in the early morning The curculio plays opossum until the day gets warm After 10 oclock they begin to fly Professor EarleI would like to ask Professor Bailey about spraying with Bordeaux mixture Is it not liable to injure the foliage at times Professor BaileyYes we have had trees injured from the use of Bordeaux mixture If you had been at our experiment station you would have seen some trees that were martyrs to science It is mostly no doubt in the way the mixture is made We weigh our six pounds of sulphate of copper and six pounds of lime and then put in more lime Of all the trees which we have ever sprayed the peach is the one with which the most care should be exercised Professor EarleYou think then it depends entirely upon the Bordeaux mixture the way it is made Mr Hubbard Do you know anything of the habits of the curculio where he stays and about the time he commences his work of destruction Professor BaileyI am not a bugger and cannot tell They hibernate during the winter mouths and live over as adult insects318 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Our entomologist has been studying his habits for two years and he will soon be ready to publish upon it We do know that the curculio begins his work at different times of the spring Ordinarily they begin about the time the calyx or ring of the fruit begins to shed Sometimes we find they go and sometimes they increase They seem to vary in their habits Professor EarleAs a matter of observation in Georgia I no tice we have more in the old wild plum growth I should like to ask Professor Bailey if he knows whether the curculio abounds more in this wild plum growth or where it is free from this wild plum growth Professor BaileyI think they are worse near woodlands Mr WoodwardBut are they worse near the wild plums Professor BaileyI do not know why they should be The PresidentThe subject is one of most absorbing interest Professor Earle I notice in your paper you made an observation on the hold over blight showing that your theory is correct as to the gradual disappearance of fungous diseases Coming from Au gusta I noticed very carefully the little patches of peaches along the road Two years ago we came along that same route and saw a number of orchards attacked by the rosette You at Griffin had a special agent sent here from Washington to investigate the mat ter Yesterday I could only find a few of the trees here and there that showed any evidence of it at all I should like to hear from others as to their observation in other sections of the State Professor EarleI do not know that my testimony will be of much value as I do not reside in the State Seven years ago I spent a summer in Georgia and I noticed a great deal of rosette and the peach industry of Georgia seemed to be in peril Last year I found very few instances of this rosette Professor BaileyMay I make one or two more remarks in this connection One important thing ought to be very forcibly im pressed on your mind So many of these diseases can be reduced to not having them at all I believe the time has come when we must pay special attention to drainage cultivation and the keeping of orchards clean I am told that if your fruit is rotted here andAnnual Publication foe 1896 319 falls to the ground you leave it there For a man to go to work one year and attempt to stamp out these diseases and leave the germs of the diseasehow a man expects to keep his orchard free from disease under such circumstances is beyond my compre hension Mr DecknerI have a row of peaches I planted ten or fifteen years ago I budded the young shoots and they finally bore I wanted them out of the way but hated to cut them down I noticed the peach yellows in them I thought they would all die but for the last four or five years only one or two have died and now I do not notice a sick one The PresidentI remember that the first impression was that the disease was violently contagious Professor EarleThis disease the peach rosette is one of the least known It is a disease of which we know positively nothing It seems today that the disease is on the point of being extin guished in Georgia Mr WrightThere is one form of blight which we have in South Georgia which I would like to bring to the attention of the society I have grown thousands of LeConte trees which were very much affected by leaf blight While we all know that it is not as bad as twig blight tbe disease is very injurious Last year I fertilized with kainit and there was very little fruit This year I fertilized with a mixture of muriate of potash and acid phosphate analyzing ten per cent of each This year I gathered over eight hundred barrels from that grove and you will not find a yellow leaf in the orchard Professor EarleOf course you must distinguish clearly between the blight and the pear blight proper the former is caused by lack of nourishment the latter is a germ disease Professor BaileyI have been so much pleased with this region so thoroughly convinced that it has a future that I want to empha size that you must not get discouraged in your fight against the enemies of the orchard Major EyalsI would like to say to our friend from Cornell that the Georgia cracker holds his own in Wall street We are going to fight these bugs to a finish320 Department of AgricultureGeorgia The PresidentMajor Ryals will now give us some remarks on THE TRIALS OF A TRUCK GROWER Major RyalsI am put in the position of having volunteered to try to entertain this assembly I am here doubtless for that purpose but what will interest you allmost puzzles me no little We all have our trials They have beset us on every hand Occasionally however there is a rising of the clouds and the sun comes out and drives away cares and troubles But not often is that the case with the truck grower We have railroads to con tend with No sooner is that settled to our satisfaction than the labor question looms up and is followed by contentions with the fertilizer dealers and the commission agents In fact everything that besets any other business in the world seems especially to fall in our way as stumbling blocks Thus could I go on nearly all night with our tribulations but I would not so burden you Since we have undertaken this business it has grown until notwithstand ing new railroads have been built and express companies estab lished the transportation seems to be inadequate to take out of the country the products of the truck grower We cultivate the land almost continuously It never rests We rotate the crops W5 rotate them every year We plant potatoes twice a year and all done in the short space of ten months I am nowwhen I left homesowing cowpeas in the ground where we gathered potatoes and cabbage this year The past year has not been profitable Nor has ours been the only business that has not been profitable The questions which have agitated the minds of our people have thrown out of em ployment large numbers The man who goes to market instead of buying a wellfilled basket of vegetables contents himself with a single head of cabbage The business of truck farming is carried on under purely busi ness principles We undertake to do it upon the intensive plan We cultivate thoroughly plow deep We buy the best seed never purchasing cheap or commission seed but buy them from the most reliable dealers All this costs a great deaf of money time and care and the truck farmer has no particular time for rest liftAnnual Pubucation for 1896 321 r8kidrod2Trrightsund themon Lnday as wd aa UP ofops and care of think we are much hTth V d W to open up th beds on IT f We down Sunday afternoon ll T k 7 ad shut them county They are hi here in SPald4 price Co ml ere aZ teT7 8ma1 you either cann Ilfjr 7 T flnd that most likely the rapes v01 T J f M M imPrted arfcic1 increased price Tw when b0Ught at a Providence instead of t 7 the PrduCt f au lin somee e Yoca I fmaD W bee Georgia IndT we c uld P M else along better We Jner 1 u d t0 Ur Cmfrt and i arrangement wTT Vf fiMuwW power of attorney to saudf en Ur f ad fiends in a financial wly havIt oTeT 7 If it were in mv now I P themselves to be such the mind agricZ a T thers UP interest is to S tf h those to be careful H t0 k mre chs them monerJo fid rrraTmentS W6 who d articles theTareraifinthl t0 are going to sell IT Md f k e they Planted for seed for the spring crop Zut 2322 Department of AgricultureGeorgia we cut these potatoescut off the seed ends and roll them in land plaster and plant them We originally buy in the Northern market such potatoes as we like to grow and from these we save the seed for the next fall How deep do we plant We cover them 2 inches and then roll them with a cylinder roller so as to pack the earth When they are near about coming out of the ground we harrow them down flat We cultivate them altogether with plows and when they are dug they are barrelled and put in the hay loft cov ering with hay in cold weather and are then ready for sale or planting the next spring We can generally make upon our truck farms plenty of hay and plenty of corn after the spring crops have been gathered We plant cabbage for shipment in the spring We plant cabbage also in August sowing the seed in June and July Of course we only have the home market to look to and therefore do not plant as largely as for the spring crop but the fall crop generally pays us as well indeed it pays us better in proportion than the spring crop We also plant for home market ruta baga turnips and it is sur prising how many can be sold in a city like Savannah They generally sell for about five cents a bunch and they pay us a quar ter of a dollar for eight bunches paying them a profit of forty per cent All of these things together with our hay crop enter into this business An acre of land thoroughly enriched will produce from two to three tons of hay This hay when housed and house cured can be baled very well It is not advisable to bale until after it has been house cured Two or three mouths ought to elapse before it is compressed into a bale Most of this hay is of a spongy character It takes moisture from the earth It does not keep as well as you would like it to do for in the spring the stock do not seem to be as fond of it as they should be and I think it ought to be gotten rid of in one season The profits on our ship ments of cabbage though not large are remunerative Tomatoes This year I planted thirty acres in tomatoes but did not ship a single crate The market was a failure I know of nothing that would interest you all more than what I have said I would be glad if anything more occurs to any one of you if you will kindly mention itAnnual Publication foe 1896 323 offr JohsoiiWhat is the size of those ruta bagas you speak Major RyalsSome as big as your fist some much larger We sell them according to size We put from two to five turnips iu a bunch Mr JenkinsHow late do you plant them Major RyalsThe last of August or the first part of September Mr JohnsonHow do you grow your cabbage plants Major RyalsAt some seasons of the year we make beds in the open field and sow the seed The last sowing for a spring crop with us we sow them in beds and cover them with sheets D you plant the potatoes whole Major RyalsNo we cut all the potatoes We take the small potatoes and peel off the seed end You will find on the small end a great many eyes Mr JohnsonHow do you grow spinach and lettuce Major RyalsWith spinach all you have to do is to sow it and it will grow itself We sow lettuce in beds and transplant in frames made of plank We cover these frames with bagging and in very cold weather we put hay on them keeping the hay in place by strips of plank In that we protect the lettuce very well Mr JohnsonWhat kind of bagging Major RyalsCommon cotton bagging We make very good covers out of oat sacks These covers serve ithe purpose not so much of keeping the cold out as they ward off the rays of the sun after the cold has struck it Lettuce is a very good crop in the winter season and our section can grow it as well as any Mr JenkinsHow about celery Major RyalsThat is easily grown here I have raised as fine celery as ever was brought from Kalamazoo so the New York people tell me and I have sold it as high as fifteen cents a stalk I generally sow the seed along in the month of April and we have to summer it over and it is a tedious and long time crop when that is the case Colonel ReddingWhat was the matter with that tomato crop Major RyalsWell sir I think it was general meanness I324 Department of AgricultureGeorgia bought some four hundred dollars worth of crates but did not use one The fellow told me I had better buy them when I could get them cheap Mr JohnsonDo you plant your spring and fall crop the same I Major RyalsI cannot say that I do I do not take the pains or spend the money upon the fall crop that I do upon the spring crop Upon the spring crop I spare no pains or expense to make the very biggest and best I can get out of the ground We are cutting crab grass off the land to plant potatoes W e are cutting and curing and housing it and the plows are turnng that over and in the course of two or three weeks we shall put another plow in there The potato market is a sort of peculiar one For instance you find that they want red potatoes in Boston and out West but in New York they dont care for them They want what they call white potatoes I would like Mr Starnes to tell me his experience as to early potatoes The earliest and best with us is the Thorburn potato a good yielder and a good producer 1 think for the general crop the second crop the Rose potato is the best For the last crop we plant what is known as Cannon No Professor StarnesOur best potato is Pride of the South It originated in Aroostook county Maine That proved to be about the earliest of its kind CATALOGUE Mr WilliamsIn looking over the list of apples I find the Rome Beautv without any star for Mountain region It is showy and good flavor and I move it be given one star for Mountain re gion Carried M Professor StarnesI see that Terry has only one star for Mid dle region The tree is of moderate growth It is an early and abundant bearer The PresidentDo you know anything of its origin t Professor StarnesI do not I move that it be given two stars for the Middle region Carried Mr MillerI notice that there is nothing said under the head of Remarks opposite Yellow Transparent The PresidentThis apple has passed the promising stage and should be given one star for the Middle regionAnnual Publication foe 1896 325 Mr MillerI think in our section it is entitled to two stars it lias but one Colonel ReddingIt does well here Mr MillerI move that it be given two stars for the Mountain region Carried Colonel ReddingI move two stars for the Middle region The PresidentIf there are no objections that stands Mr MillerWe have an apple in North Georgia called the Hy slop It is an improved Shockley It is better much better than the Shockley Mr WilliamsHow late does it ripen Mr MillerAbout the same time as the Shockley It keeps just as well and is of much better quality The PresidentWell what shall we do for it Mr MillerI would ask that under the head of Remarks it have better in quality than Shockley in Mountain region The PresidentDo you know anything of its origin Mr MillerIt originated in Polk county The PresidentIf no objection Hyslop will be added to the catalogue with the rating agreed upon Mr WilliamsGoing back to Terry I am rather of the opinion that the legend under the head of Remarks to the effect that it re sembles Pryors Red is wrong PEACHES Mr MillerIn running over the list of peaches we find the Sneed has no star in any section With us in the Mountain region we have proved it and consider it very promising Mr Samuel RumphThe quality is better than the Alexander The PresidentHow about its shipping qualities Mr RumphIt ships well The PresidentIs it the earliest with you Mr RumphYes The PresidentIs it not rated at all Mr RumphI think it equal to the Alexander The PresidentThat stands high How about its bearing qual ities 326 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Mr RumphI do not know as to its bearing Mr JenkinsI move that Sneed be doublestarred for Middle region Carried The PresidentShall you strike out promising as making it read as amended a very early shipping variety No opposi tion Mr MillerI move that Sneed be doublestarred for Mountain region Carried Mr MillerPassing to varieties not in the list I should like to hear from some member of the society their opinion of the Emma The PresidentMr Rumph have you had any experience with this peach Mr RumphIt is one of our best late summer peaches We have thirty thousand planted in our orchard The PresidentIt follows the Elberta Mr RumphYes The PresidentWhat rating would you like given it Mr RumphI would like to have two stars for Middle region The PresidentA gentleman who starts out with thirty thousand certainly has the courage of his convictions If no objection we shall rate it two stars for Middle region and under Remarks say follows Elberta Mr MillerHow about the Triumph The PresidentMr Husted we should like to hear from you Mr HustedThe tree is a very vigorous upright grower The fruit of good quality and seems to bear shipping well I had four hundred trees groving I had some Alexanders beside them They had a tendency to rot but not like the Alexander They sold well in our local market Indeed ahead of any other variety It commences to ripen with the Alexander We got a few ripe specimens the first of June It lasts about two weeks We think highly of the variety The PresidentYou were very kind to send me some last year which I found very good and handsome Mr HustedI move that double stars be given Triumph in the Middle region The PresidentNo objection it so stands What will you say under the head of RemarksEarliest Yellow Freestone Annual Publication for 1896 327 Mr MillerHas any one fruited the Greensboro The PresidentNo response Pass to the next Mr MillerStinsons October That we consider a valuable late peach We think it is the best late peach we have The PresidentWhat rating Mr MillerFrom our limited experience I would not like to say whether to star it or not The PresidentIt is certainly a nice peach though it is too late for shipping Mr JohnsonWhat time does it ripen Mr MillerAbout the 1st of October It is very large very showy I should think you could ship it to New York on account of its keeping properties Mr WilliamsWhat will become of it when the trees become old and we have drouth for two months before it ripens Mr MillerIf you keep up cultivation in the orchard until the time of ripening we think it would in a great measure overcome the liability to shrivel and become tough as so many of the very late peaches do The PresidentWould you star it or simply put it on the prom ising list Mr MillerI would put promising well Major RyalsCan you tell me anything about a peach called the Lone Star The PresidentNo sir perhaps Mr Miller Mr MillerNo sir I have no experience with it Mr RawlsWe have a peach that originated at Cuthbert we would like to put in the catalogue It is a new peach We have a crate we will put on exhibition tomorrow and we want the PresL dent and other members of the society to inspect it The PresidentThe standing committee on new fruits will re port on that What is the name of it Mr RawlsMatthews Beauty Mr JonesWe are growing at Fort Valley what we call the Wheatland It never commenced bearing until last year We find it to be a fine keeper and a fine shipper By some mistake of the hands they neglected to pick them the second time When we328 Department of AgeicultubeGeorgia went back we found them still on the trees One crate was shipped to Europe and a gentleman coming back to America brought some back with him to New York The PresidentIt did not do at all well with us We had to discard it and Mr Miller did the same thing We are glad to know that it does well with you It goes to show how great an influence locality has upon the value of fruit Mr MillerPassing nectarines apricots and pomegranates we come to nuts We come down to PECANS Professor EarleThere are a number of new varieties that have been introduced along the Gulf coast Mr Keller who sits next to me can no doubt tell us something interesting in reference to them Mr KellerI do not know that I can say anything interesting We have been introducing some new varieties I find that the grafted trees do better than the seedlings The seedlings vary I think the pecan industry is one that should be fostered At what age do they bear Mr KellerAt six years The PresidentThe great point with pecans is to raise the large soft shell varieties Mr Keller how have you succeeded in graft ing Mr KellerMy result in grafting has been very good I use the cleft graft It should be done just about when the buds begin to swell The PresidentWhat proportion of grafting succeed with you Mr KellerAbout fifty per cent The PresidentThat is a good average Mr MillerWhat time do you cut your scions for grafting Mr KellerI do not know that that makes any particular dif ference I think the best time is to take them a few days before grafting Mr MillerWhat do you think of the Herbert Post theory that the nut must be planted where it is to grow Mr KellerI do not think there is anything in itAnnual Publication foe 1896 329 Mr MillerWhat do you think of running a root plow under the trees do you think it would be an advantage Mr KellerNo I have found no benefit in cutting the tap root before you wish to remove to permanent place where you wish the tree to remain The PresidentIn transplanting do you cut the tap root off Mr KellerYes from 12 to 20 inches The tree always sends out one or more new tap roots after one or two years you cannot tell where it was cut off I have transplanted trees of all sizes with good success Observe two conditions never plant deeper than tree grew before removal second do not allow roots to dry out any after taking them to transplant Mr PresidentWhat is the average age of bearing trees with you Mr KellerI have known tenyearold trees to bear fifty pounds of nuts The PresidentIs that not unusual Mr KellerYes Colonel ReddingHow old must a pecan tree be before it bears a peck of nuts Mr KellerThat is very hard to answer I would say some where between ten and a hundred years Colonel ReddingMy observation has not been very extensive About three years ago we planted a few nuts They came up very well They have been transplanted several times One tree isnow about four feet high This year it has grown two feet I think in the course of twenty years it will bear a peck of nuts Mr WrightI have been planting them more or less for eight years in South Georgia Thomas county Of the first planting I have five trees I planted nuts weighing fifty to the pound None of these trees are true All of them have borne I then planted seventy or eighty and ten came up to the original So I have con cluded that hereafter to imply grafting or budding Mr MillerI would like to ask the gentlemen that graft pecans if they use anything to keep them from drying out Professor EarleThat is the key to the situation The plan that has been most successful has been to cut out a square of two330 Department of AgricultureGeorgia inches and then paste waxed cloth over the fresh wound I have known some trees that are ten or fifteen years old to have large crops Mr KellerI graft below the surface Sometimes I tie them sometimes I do not Iu budding I use the annular budding In grafting I take an arm and fit it in There is no trouble in that You have to get a limb about the same size In tying I use a waxed cloth PLUMS The PresidentThe Red June plum or Ked Nagate is the earliest of the large red varieties Mr KellerHow is the quality The PresidentIt is very good Has anybody fruited the Wickson Professor StarnesWe have not fruited it this year The PresidentThere is another one set down under the name of Hale I think Mr J H Hale of Fort Valley has it Mr Molumphy could you give us any information in reference to this plum Mr Molumphy It ripened with the Burbank The PresidentThe Burbank is later than the Abundance Mr MolumphyThe Hale ripens just after the Burbank The fact that it bore this year when we had no Satsuma nor any Kelseys speaks well for it Professor StarnesHas any one ever fruited the Bungome The PresidentYes we received some trees from Japan iu 1873 The fruit is a small apricot of inferior quality and ripened at Augusta middle of May There are thirteen varieties of the Hume type Bungome is one I do not think you will succeed with any unless you put them under glass Mr MillerCan you give us any information as to the time of blooming of the Wickson The PresidentI do not know Professor StarnesHave you noticed any peculiarity about the Blood Plums 3 and 4 The PresidentYes one is sweet the other is more acid They are not as good growers as the Satsuma I do not think they will ever become valuable with us as they bloom too earlyAnnual Publication for 1896 331 THURSDAY AUGUST 5th The Society reassembled at nine oclock in the morning Presi dent Berckmans in the Chair STRAWBERRIES The list was called over by the Secretary until Wilson was reached Mr LeinbachThis berry is worthless with me Mr StarnesAnd with me It seems to be rapidly falling off from its original standard I would like some of our members to express themselves in regard to it President BerckmansIt is a valuable berry and an old standby I have fruiting today on my ground plants directly descended from those put out in 1850 and do not find that they have deteriorated It is excellent with us Mr S H RumphIt is the best berry we have Mr E DitmasGrows well with me Mr BivensSucceeds well in Sumter county Mr S H MillerIt is by no means the best with us in North Georgia and does not deserve two stars for the Mountains I move that one be dropped Carried After considerable discussion on the merits of different berries the following varieties were ordered catalogued with one star each for both Mountain and Middle regions Lady Thompson Brandy The following were ordered catalogued with one star for Middle region only Bederwood Greenville Parker Earle The remark Best on heavy soils was ordered inserted for the latter RLACKBERRIES Professor StarnesI move that one star be given Trinity Early in Middle region The PresidentIf no objection let it so stand Professor StarnesI would also like to ask about Early Cluster We have raised it for several years It comes in as a second early quite productive almost as good in quality as Wilson or Erie large handsome berry It grows in clusters and these clusters be332 Department of AgricultureGeorgia It has one fault It will summer kill come red all at once by the sun The PresidentWe left it off long ago on that account Professor StarnesI will abandon it The PresidentNo why not let it remain for further test Professor StarnesI would like to see Dallas another Texas berry put on the list It is an early berryalong with Early harvest By no means as early as Trinity Early being successive to hat berry I think it might be put on as promising as an early berry without any rating Austins Improved syn Mayes Hybrid Trinity Early E Cluster Ohner and Taylors Prolific were ordered catalogued with one star each for Middle region and Dallas catalogued as promising The PresidentThere is a new class of small fruits Among them we have the Logan berry which is claimed to be a cross be tween the Red raspberry and the blackberry Who has fruited it Professor StarnesI have but not enough to form any definite opinion of lt We only had a few berries It is a deep red in color and has a fair flavor It certainly is a curiosity The PresidentI have grown it three years but have not seen more than two or three berries in that time It was sent to me irom Cahforna with another variety known as the Strawberry Raspberry It is very productive but it is more of an ornament than anything else The Mayberry is another novelty but so far not very promising for Middle Georgia Professor StarnesI can say nothing of it from experience I would like to ask about the Rocky Mountain cherry We have Planted it for two years and find it excessively productive A plant two foet in height would have a couple of hundred cherries on it Ihey are very large intensely black very little acid and very little saccharine hardy standing our sun without a leaf turning of poor quality It seems to be neutral neither sweet nor acid The PresidentThe Japan Elaeagnus or Gumi is another de sirable fruit that produces an enormous amount of fruit about the first of April It is hardy in Massachusetts as well as in Florida and when cooked makes a palatable sauce Mr MooreWe have them with us but they do not do wellAnnual Publication foe 1896 333 QUESTION BOX The PresidentThis matter is open for discussion People who ask these questions expect an answer and I hope those who can answer them will do so without hesitation The SecretaryThe first question is this How will you prune peach trees that are growing on rich land and making a luxuriant growth have been cut back during the last spason and now have a dense growth all over the tree to a great extent shutting out the sunlight and as a consequence the Lit lacks color trees about four years from planting Would you endeavor to trim them now Professor EarleI believe that is a case where it would be well to put in a crop of oats so as to counteract the excessive growth Mr JenkinsI would suggest cutting out the centers and thin out the limbs The SecretaryThe second question is Has any one had experience with the cutting off of the roots of young trees in transplanting as advocated by Mr Stnngfellow Profelsor BaileyMr Stringfellow has and Mr Starnes and we have had some experience in this matter There are various interesting hypotheses and theories connected with this subject o shortroot pruning It is not all these notions which are original with Mr Stringfellow of course One of the conceptions which have been going the rounds of the press and amplified by lustra tions is the supposed fact that if trees are cut very short and roots cut similarly that new shoots that are sent out will go directly downwards while those cut long will spread horizon ally I am thoroughly satisfied that this is pure imagination The manner ot cutting roots does not determine the direction of their growth that is determined by the variety of the tree and more than any thing else by the character of the soil its water holding capacity and all that We have made some experiments with this method We put out a series of trees which were pruned long intermediate and very short In every case those treated in the manner recommended by Mr334 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Stnogfellow have been decidedly inferior I imagine however that this shortroot pruning is not all error For myself I am not fully convinced that nature has made a mistake Trees that are two or three years old should have an abundant supply of roots However we hear a good deal about consistency we say that con1 sistency is a jewel In scientific work consistency is bigotry For myself at least I do not expect to have the same opinion any two years in succession Professor StarnesI fully agree what Professor Bailey has said theoretically but as a matter of fact no difference can be detected between a short and long jpruned tree In an experiment at the station we have eleven rows of trees each treated in a different manner from a close round umbrella shape up to roots intact and though we have had a drouth we can observe no difference that cannot be accounted for by other conditions The trees were one yearold Elbertas from a neighboring nursery We also tested a few cherry trees with very little observable difference Those in which the tops were cut back whether the roots were Ion or short have done well those with tops on have made a poor growth I should like to hear from the Marshallville people on this subject Mr Molmurphy Hales managerIn setting out we cut off the roots about half or threequarters We turn the tree upside down and simply prune them off with pruning shears We did not do any experimenting Professor StarnesWhat height to tops Mr MolmurphyAbout fourteen inches Our trees nearly all lived Only one and a half per cent died Mr WilliamsIn pruning trees that are older as I explained yesterday you leave proportionately more roots than tops The SecretaryThe next question is markets iPPeDdiCitiS inJUi0USly effeCted the sae of Spes in the Professor BaileyIt has been my privilege to be placed on a commttee charged with the examination of this question and sent to one of the New York hospitals After a thorough examination of the subject it is my belief that this dread malady is not theAnnual Publication for 1896 335 result of the swallowing of seeds it is caused by other thingsthe contraction of appendix The SecretaryHere is another question Last spring I sprayed my peach trees with the following mix ture Sulphate of copper six pounds lime four pounds water seventyfive gallons in which had been soaked tobacco stems until it was about the color of strong tea To this mixture I added two ounces of Paris green and applied on a cold day with a knapsack sprayer The spray caused a good many leaves to fall and about two weeks after the second application a good many of the small peaches also fell off but whether the spray was the cause of this or not I do not know Other peaches that had not been sprayed fell off also and I thought perhaps this was caused by a frost when the trees were in bloom but why did the leaves fall and what was the matter with the spray Professor EarleI would say I have sprayed peach trees a num ber of times and have had some results similar to those in the query I think to get the proper proportion of Bordeaux mixture is a very delicate operation Professor BaileyI cannot understand why there should be any injury There might be something in your hot summers I shall not hesitate to spray any trees I have in summer time with Bor deaux mixture Mr GlessnerProbably in using the knapsack sprayer he did not keep the liquid shook up well enough especially when it got to the bottom That may have beeu the reason why his leaves fell off Mr GoldingI have used that same sprayer with the best results in the North All the trees were affected iu the same way I do not think it was the spray that caused the peaches to fall off Mr MacleanI sprayed all my trees last year with a mixture of six pounds of copperas eight pounds of lime three ounces Pans green and fifty gallons of water The chemicals were weighed carefully We used it before the buds were opened On the 7th of April I applied this wash There was no shedding of leaves none to hurt The fruit held on and I made the best crop I ever made Some of my neighbors had no fruit at all When the fruitDepartment of AgbicultdkeGeorgia caTed lit I gT uhem Spraing f acetafe of CPP That caused shedding of the leaves The Bordeaux mixture did not cause any shedding I appied the can spray fifteen hundred trees in a day P inoTttlf t1 dkc this question a very daTg o Sply T TDt t g U reCrd 3S it i it practiced thT haVe lleVer kn WM ett1 fai 1DJry dd 0t reSUlt Ea e season WerlfZT701 k PrteCted b gummy substance tionlZ Mr T Saf6y Spray for rot in the South is a ques TOe hear fUlly dd d of embeThe trees that were youngest were more affected mWM Maclean has sent the following letter as an addition to his re First spraying was done March 5th and Mh v f som Used Bordeaux mixture in the Ml the treSS Were ia blos Sn1u Ullxtie in the following proportions Sulphate of copper blue stone Fresh lime 6 pounds Water 8 Second spraying April5thandetnVNearlvii thn5 gallons dropped off the trees Solution used blossoms had then Sulphate of copper blue stone iresh lime 6 pounds Paris green 8 Water 3 ounces a 5aSjS set sound and solid to the pit lb it the Lst ofT CUrCUlio ning to color I sprayed the orchard y Whon the fruit was gundyena with a solution of acetl 0 nI6 f brW r0t oftheaCetatecopperto50 gaater This theprorti of Ounces considerably causing many leaves to drn l8 1DJUred the foie trees was more marked than 2Je vi t0 6SS thri I shipped over 200 earners of good ZZZIT rT U bearin trees mixture and Paris green agafn tC e Isha11 use the Bordeaux of copper as it is too caustfcTn eff but Wi not the acetate the time to attend to it per ona y may ut thT I f B l Can 8Pa of 2 ounces to 50 gallons of water on a few I f CPpe at the te think that sulphate of copper at L rate o oneT inCined to water and no lime would be a betZr T I PUndS 5 allons perimenting and while I hte suooZsZIT believe in a good deal of pleasure lm6S I kl11 a lot of planta and haveAnnual Publication foe 1896 337 by the spraying The bloom had just blown I have under stood from the adjoining fruit growers that they jar the trees For curculio how is this done The PresidentThe matter was before the society yesterday and fully and exhaustively discussed The SecretaryAnother question Can a portion of our grapes be utilized as a commercial food product if so how Mr JenkinsMy answer would be to make them into jelly and if I could I would make an improvement upou these times in fight ing imported articles Thousands of our ladies would be glad to engage in the industry But the question is you cannot sell the jelly There are fifty or sixty people here who could keep one hundred thousand people from buying another case of imported jelly I have learned from the best authority and I know it of myself as well that a large portion of these imported jellies are made out of the refuse of commission houses They actually go there and rake up the filth from the floors where the men spit to bacco juice and carry it to the jelly houses I have seen that my self and I do not want any more jelly unless it is made at home Thousands of pounds of Niagara grapes are shipped North that do not pay the freight It is tomfoolery to do so Professor BaileyHow many pounds of grapes can you average per acre Mr JenkinsI am not an expert in that line but I think we can grow as many here as in any part of the world Mr EigelOur Northern friends make apple butter In this part of the country we can produce the grape as cheap as they can apples In our own family we have manufactured from the grape a product superior to apple butter The difficulty we have is the seeds We must have some easy method of taking the seed from the grape Another matter that was referred to this morning as to appendicitis If we could reduce the grape to the commercial product it would entirely do away with any fear of appendicitis re sulting from the seed Professor BaileyI think as a New York man I ought to pro test against the introduction of this new commercial product be338 Department of AgeicultueeGeobgia cause it interferes with one of our chief industries the manufacture of jelly from the skins and cores of apples Mr ShepardOn the line of the manufacture of jelly I would like to ask Mr Jenkins what he means by imported jelly Mr JenkinsJelly imported into the South I have shipped grapes to the North at three cents a pound that would make three or four glasses of jelly Mr ShepardIn speaking of the pure fruit jellies it is a fact that throughout all the North Americas it is almost impossible to sell a pure fruit jelly The only way I have ever known it to succeed is by thoroughly advertising the pure fruit jelly There is a fruit growing in South Florida called the guava At a little town on the Gulf coast a small factory was started for the manufacture of pure guava jelley He the owner of the factory went to New York and by systematic and thorough advertising established a market for his guava jelly Last winter was his fifth year and I understand he has cleared more than twice the value of his factory The same thing can be done here with your grapes But I warn you that it is expensive at the start especially as you will have to fight against such people who manufacture the best apple butter They sell this apple butter at about 6 cents a pound per haps cheaper now This apple butter is made chiefly of dried ap ples It would be hard for you no matter how cheap your fruit to make a pure fruit jelly and make it palatable and put it on the market at less than ten cents a pound and when you get it above that it will go out of the market Major RyalsHas any effort or experiment been made to put our grapes in cold storage If they can put them in cold storage in New York why cannot we do it here Mr ShepardDo they stay on the stems Major RyalsI do not see why The PresidentI have had gentlemen tell me they have experi mented on this lineI imagine with ordinary refrigerator and they failed in keeping the fruit beyond a few days But if they can keep grapes apples etc in cold storage in the North I do not see with our improved facilities why we cannot do it here Mr ThompsonI have made it profitable to put pears in cold storage in AtlantaAnnual Publication foe 1896 339 The SecretaryAnother question What is the best bush lima bean now in cultivation Is there any other objection to Jackson Wonder besides its color Professor StarnesIt is one of the most productive The quality is rather dry and poor Colonel ReddingThat reminds me of a man who had a good variety of sugar cane it had a great many good qualities the only objection it had no sugar in it The SecretaryQuestion Is there anything to prevent rabbits barking apple trees in nursery rows A MemberKill the rabbits The SecretaryHere are a series of questions on nut grass Does nut grass produce perfect seed Does the nut grass re produce to any extent from seed Best method of subduing nut grass on a large scale Major RyalsI have had some experience with nut grass We used to keep the land in continual cultivation and the nut grass disappeared I believe it reproduces itself not only from the roots but the seeds also I would like to hear from Mr Fell on that subject Mr FellI have had some experience with this grass I find that the majors method is a good one There are various methods We usually have a very dry spell in July or August If you only plow as deep as the roots go down you will find Very little diffi culty in destroying it I have tried cowpeas and other methods but none so good as to strike the drouth in the summer time Colonel ReddingI should like to have the first and second questions definitely settled The PresidentIt does seed Colonel ReddingI want to know to what extent if any it re produces itself by means of its seed Mr OelschigI have tried the jJan of choking it out with sweet potatoes and cowpeas but without success I believe the best method is through constant cultivation This planting of cowpeas and sweet potatoes helps but never kills it because it is a mulch for the grass The best way to kill it entirely is to put340 Department of AgricultureGeorgia nothing on your field and keep it in constant cultivation T killed nut grass in one spring You have to commence early in the spring Major UyalsI had on my place about a quarter of an acre that I never pretended to cultivate on account of the nut grass When I bought the place I wanted to improve that piece of ground I plowed it in the fall of the year and sowed oats and got a good stand and as soon as I cut them off and put them in the barns the next day I sowed cowpeas and they stayed there from May until the fall of the year and I have never been troubled with nut grass on it since So far as the seed propagating the thing is con cerned we generally get enough of it without inquiring how it comes I have accepted the idea that it could be propagated from the seed as well as the nuts The SecretaryHere are another series of questions 1 Are fertilizers such as fruit growers generally use best suited for their crops what composition should a fruit fertilizer have and how much per acre should be used 2 Is sulphate of potash preferable to muriate for fruit 3 Should farmers and fruit growers mix their own fertiliz ers Major ByalsIn reference to that question of farmers mixing their own fertilizers I have been trying fertilizer ready mixed for years but I have come to the conclusion that if I am to succeed in my business I must do my own mixing then I know what is in it Then too I think I can save about onehalf the cost of the fertilizer by doing my own mixing Mr StockbridgeI had a little experience this year that may be interesting I certainly believe that a deal of time and money is wasted simply on account of the incorrectness of the material we are forced to use If the crop requires potash it certainly is folly to apply ammonia I have a field of fifty acres of cotton on which I used fertilizer I mixed myself The land last year had no fer tilizer whatever Adjoining this field so that the rows come up to and about it is a field of cotton of my neighbor which has beeu well fertilized for the past several years with the common guano such as ordinarily sold by fertilizer dealers Understand that theAnnual Publication foe 1896 341 soil is absolutely of the same character and ought to be of the same composition the only difference being that his has been more fer tilized than mine in the past year or so I applied fertilizer mixed in the proportions that seemed to me rational He used 250 pounds to the acre I used 100 pounds His fertilizer cost him 22 a ton and mine cost me 16 a ton He concedes and all the neighbors concede that my crop is much better than his I certainly have saved more than onehalf in the cost of the fertilizer I have had some experience in one of the other of this series of questions on fertilizerthe question whether fruit growers would find it better to use the sulphate or the muriate of potash The usual supposition and experience seems to be that for the produc tion of fruits the sulphate is better than the muriate My exper ience however is that we get better results from the use of the muriate and the one disadvantage that it injures the quality would be obviated by using it early in the season Major RyalsHe spoke of his crop and his neighbors crop I should like to know if they were both planted at the same time and how about the preparation of the soil Mr StockbridgeSo far as I know there was no difference at all they were planted at the same time The land was plowed and prepared in the same way There was one difference I should mention My application of the fertilizer was made late in the season after the crop was up You will all see that that fact should have worked to the disadvantage of my crop Major RyalsThe application of fertilizers with a great many is ordinarily or at least frequently made by applying a portion of the fertilizer when the crop is planted and then doing just what he has done putting on the remainder after the crop is up I would say that I would rather feed my crop after it came up than before Mr VanHerffWhat proportions did you use in mixing your fertilizer Mr StockbridgeMy formula for cotton is two per cent nitro gen five per cent potash eight per cent phosphoric acid MrWhat section Mr StockbridgeSumter county twelve miles east of Americus Colonel ReddingT would answer the last question in the342 Department of AgricultureGeorgia rower affirmative unquestionably every farmer and fru mix his own fertilizer Professor EarleIt seems to me the first part of the question is incapable of being answered the sections of the country vary so If answered at all it should be answered for one region at a time The SecretaryAnother question Do our horticulturists and scientists recognize any special value in the socalled pedigree stock in plants especially in strawberry plants Professor BaileyUnquestionably there is such a thing as pedi gree in plants Given a certain stock of plants and for a series of generations of plants the bearer is selected from that stock these plants should approach a certain ideal A man can only make a pedigree in plants when he has an ideal in stock and eliminates all that do not come up to or approach that ideal By so doing he will obtain a great improvement in variety I do not suppose one variety in ten thousand is brought up with that idea in view Mr LeinbachIn looking over a strawberry row one finds that some are strong and healthy and others are weak It would be better to select the vigorous and fruitful than to pick them out at random Professor BaileyMost certainly if that is what you want The SecretaryQuestion Is the prevailing practice of digging up strawberry plants for general planting desirable It appears to me that this question is a little indefinite Mr LeinbachI should always select the finest plants I take the strongest and throw away the weakest Mr DitmasI generally select the runners of the old plant The Secretary How shall we get rid of the root knot disease Professor EarleI second the motion I should like very much to have that question answered No answer The Secretary How can the vast amount of drop pears be utilized to advantage Annual Publication foe 1896 34a Has any one distilled them I understand that a fine brandy can be distilled from them No answer The Secretary Has crimson clover not red clover been generally successful in localities in Georgia where it has been tried On what class of soil has it succeeded and on what class of soils has it failed Major GlessnerIs that a proper question for this society Is it not in the province of the Agricultural Society The PresidentIt finds a place here as an orchard crop Professor StarnesWe find it does not do well on our sandy lands It seems to do admirably ou clay soils Mr BivinsWe have tried it two years Year before last it did well This year it seems to be a failure Professor BaileyWith us it has resolved itself down to the question of preparation and kind of soil It does well on our clay lands Major RyalsI tried it on my Worth county place I think we planted it too late I have made up my mind that so far as I am concerned I am going to stick to cowpeas LOOKING FORWARD By G H MILLER The life the existence the aspirations of the good horticulturist seem to be wrapped up in the past and the future The reminiscences of good done invaria bly yield consolation and that which he intends to do carries him even amid his toils on cheerfully Again the true horticulturist no matter how much good he may have accom plished in advancing the cause so dear to his heart is never content with his present attainments but is ever looking forward and striving to attain greater heights of proficiency and excellency in his chosen art Although it may be possible to find enrolled in the ranks an occasional fossil ized specimen who cuts off all incentive to future effort in the line of improve ment by declaring that what we have already is good enough or now and then a solitary Rip Van Winkle who is still asleep with the rusty musket of the old way by his side still such cases are very rare The horticulturist who is content to look backward with a self congratulatory air satisfied with present attain ments who does not look forward and strive for the attainment of better methods of culture and a higher degree of excellence in products is unworthy of the name and should be confined to the limbo of obscurity344 Department of AgricultureGeorgia We do not intend to worry you by referring to the many lines in which it would be proper and profitable to look forward but will only call attention to the importance of striving for improvement in the line of originating and securing new and improved varieties What wonders have already been accomplished in the production of varieties with a continuous progressive grade of excellence in the vegetable kingdom The history of human industrial development is but the record of the triumphs of the mind of man Is not our eminence as horticulturists as agriculturists and as stockmen measured by the success we have had in drawing out of the grooves in which they originally existed the fruits the grains the domestic animals and other products of nature and thus greatly increasing their capacity to administer to our comfort The wild strawberry of the meadows and hillsides existed for centuries without improvement but man by application of his superior attain ments has succeeded in drawing the strawberry out of its original groove and has developed the modern Bubach Marshall or Brandy wine By the same intel ligence the native potato as it existed on the elevated valleys of Peru and Chili with its diminutive tubers has been developed into the prolific Early Rose White Star and Carmans No 3 We have an example of the results accomplished by this same intelligence in the delicious varieties of grapes that are now so numer ous brought forth from the hard foxy grapes of the woods in the luscious peach and nectarine the splendid pears the magnificent apples that now constitute the dessert of our tables all developed from the wild sour and crabbed native vari eties While it is true that our catalogues are burdened with long lists of varieties it is also true that there is a need a demand for better varieties in every class Our State with its variety of soils its range of latitude its difference in elevation is adapted to the production of all classes of deciduous fruits and if we would keep our places in the front ranks of horticulture we must continue our list by the originating and selecting of better varieties It seems to be a general law of nature of which we have many illustrations that some trees and fruits and grains will flourish in nearly all localities and lati tudes while others are particularly restricted to certain districts So if we would have luxuries in fruits peculiarly our own we must originate them on our own soil But while some of the varieties that may be indigenous to our own State may not succeed so well when transported beyond our boundaries yet as a rule the originator or introducer of a desirable fruit will usually have the pleasure of con tributing not only to the economic resources and the health and pleasuregiving capacity of his own section but will also be instrumental in extending the same blessings over a wide extent of territory No one will accuse us of unjustly dis criminating when we refer as examples of what may be done to the labors ot our worthy President in this direction to those of our S H Humph of Elberta fame or to the veteran horticulturist of this locality whose last production ap pears to be indeed a Triumph In the Piedmont region of our State we have a large area that is well adapted to apple culture as has been demonstrated through a long series of years Obser vations extending over a number of years has convinced the writer that al though there is a number of varieties of apples that do well in that section yetAnnual Publication foe 1896 345 the complete success of the apple industry demands the introduction of new and better varieties We had the pleasure of visiting a few weeks since an apple orchard of forty acres in the mountains of Gilmer county This orchard is almost entirely of one variety the Red Limbertwig and produced last year the owner informed us ten thousand bushels of apples While we would not wish to detract from the record of the Limbertwig which at this time fills a very important place yet any one must agree that with an apple of higher color better flavor and the same keep ing and bearing qualities the profit of that orchard would be almost double what it now is and were the same intelligence and determination that produced the Wealthy under such unfavorable surroundings in Minnesota applied to the case in hand who can say that we could not soon have an improved variety or vari eties that would eventually be worth millions to our State We mention this one case only to illustrate our wants in other lines The commercial peach grower needs better varieties to fill up certain gaps in his supply for the markets We need a pear with the productiveness and hardiness of the Kieffer but very much better in quality We must not be satisfied with the present attainments but must look forward and labor for something better If you ask how we shall proceed in this desirable work we cannot do better than answer in the language of Hon Marshall P Wilder of worthy memory Plant the most mature and perfect seeds of the most hardy and vigorous and valuable varieties and as a shorter process insuring more certain and happy results cross and hybridize your best fruits The most common horticulturist has here opened up before him an extensive and inviting field This is evident when we consider the great number of new and improved varieties that have been produced from seeds that may have been fertilized by the winds or by insects conveying the pollen of one variety to the stigma of another and planted by those who may have been ignorant of the higher and more delicate process of artificial impregnation But to the scientific pomol ogist there opens up a sphere of enterprise vastly superior and more promising He has in his hands the means of continual progress from which has been in a great degree eliminated the element of uncertainty which must ever attend acci dental fertilization AVe rejoice in the intense zeal that is manifested b Luther Burbank and in the success that is crowning his efforts in this direction But in Georgia we need votaries of science who will take up this work Even if they should not be re warded with an overflowing supply of fortune or fame they will have the satis faction arising from the consciousness that they are laboring to promote the best interests of the State Our Experiment Station has been very successful in hybridizing the cotton plant Allow us to suggest the propriety of their doing something in the line of crossing and hybridizing fruits But we would not close these few suggestions in regard to producing new vari eties without a caution That is we should be exceedingly vigilant and cautious in our recommendation of novelties until they have been thoroughly tested by competent judges It is natural for us to be partial to our own offspring friends and productions but we should never allow this partiality to sway our judgment We should also frown upon the mania for the offering for sale by flaming adver tisements and speculating agents of old varieties under new and beguiling346 Department of AgricultureGeorgia names Instead of lowering we should elevate the standard of judgment and encourage the multiplication of that only which is of decided and acknowledged worth THE IMPORTATION OF PRODUCTS AND AMERICAN FOREIGN HORTICULTURAL ITS EFFECTS UPON HORTICULTURE President Berckmans resigned the chair to AficePresident Wil liams and then delivered a paper on the above subject He said This subject may appear to those not immediately engaged in commercial hor ticulture as not worthy of their consideration but in bringing it before you I shall endeavor to review it as it affects the commercial value of home products as well as progressive floriculture but leaving aside its political aspect of import duties which is a question that others may settle satisfactorily As this country became more and more settled by the increase of an educated population and the opening of new territories there followed a demand for fruit and ornamental trees and plants which American nurseries were often unable to supply and to meet this demand recourse had to be made to foreign countries There was but a limited range of indigenous fruits and plants and consequently new material had to be brought from other sources and thus regular importations were inaugurated these formed the nucleus that laid the foundations of our present enormous horticultural industry and gave a great impetus to horticultural progress But as we progressed with the production of trees and plants it was expected that the quantity imported would gradually diminish and finally be confined to the purchase of novelties and such seeds as could be grown to greater perfection in other countries than here or which could only be procured where their produc tion was a possibility This country contains such diversity of soils and climates that certain classes of plants can in each of these be grown with the greatest perfection and as soil and climatic conditions being favorable such plants can be grown there at less expense than in other sections of the world where glass protection and a warm artificial temperature must be provided during the greater portion of the year thus necessarily increasing their cost of production With all our natural facilities we still continue to depend upon Europe for many classes of trees and plants which can be produced here at a smaller cost in many instances of better quality and better adapted to our different climates as well as at a saving of ocean freight charges import dues and liability of damage in transit Not all of our commercial plant growers are aware of the increasing annual tribute we pay to foreign growers for products which it has been fully demon strated can be readily grown here The plea is that some classes of plants can be imported from abroad at a lesser price than they are offered here this is no doubt true in some instances but does not apply to all the material which is received from foreign countriesAnnual Publication foe 1896 347 Referring to No 184 of the Consular Eeports published in January 1896 by the United States Government we find therein some interesting statements and cause thinking minds to agree that there is something wrong in our commer cial horticulture Take for instance the city of Ghent in Belgium with its 366 commercial hor ticultural establishments its 2535 greenhouses its 3625500 square feet of glass and its 1521 acres of land devoted to floriculture and arboriculture and we find that 33 firms there exported plants to the United States during 1894 and to the amount of 95700 During the past ten ye ars the increase in the importations have been in a proportion of 1 to 22 The following figures will show the amount of money which was sent from here to the city of Ghent for trees and plants and the largest amount of these sums could have been kept at home and gone into the pockets of our own producers In 1890 41000 1891 55200 1892 72500 n 1885 1886 4400 5400 1887 1888 12300 16800 1889 20700 1893 1894 90500 95700 These statistics give food for reflection and go far towards explaining one of the causes of the present depression in our commercial horticulture There are many other centers of production besides Ghent whence vast quan tities of trees and plants are exported to the United States Holland sends us the bulk of the hyacinths tulips and other flowering bulbs which are annually sold to our people Germany and England have a larger export trade and Italy sup plies no small share of plants and bulbs while France almost controls the impor tations of fruit tree stocksthe aggregate amount of money we send abroad for these products will amount to nearly one million of dollars But there must exist some very good reasons for the flourishing condition of horticulture in those localities that such a demand is created for their products These reasons are many One is readily found in the systematic education which the city of Ghent for instance provides for those who intend to follow the pursuit of commercial horticulture Free lectures with practical demonstra tions in the field orchard or greenhouse are given by their most advanced scien tific horticulturists At these lectures new beginners are taught the rudimentary principles of the art and older hands of the craft have opportunities to increase their knowledge and skill A school of horticulture subsidized by the State and city includes in its curriculum theoretical instruction together with the scientific and practical application of everything connected with progressive horticulture Graduates from this school find little difficulty in securing remunerative employ ment as foremen in commercial establishments or managers of private estates The inauguration of such a school in Georgia was one of the primary objects when the Georgia State Horticultural was organized twenty years ago Strong efforts were made towards the consummation of the needed addition to our edu cational system but while the need of such an institution was evident the con dition of public economy did not permit this being perfected The time how ever has now arrived and we should no longer delay the perfecting of our early scheme348 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Again the excellent horticultural publications which are available to all the students and especially the frequent plant exhibitions have made Ghent one if not the most progressive horticultural centre of Europe and that cit has for generations past been the great factor of progressive scientific as well as com mercial horticulture and promoted a taste for esthetic floriculture which it has carried to every country where its products have been introduced All this has been accomplished under difficulties arising from unfavorable climatic conditions close competition with the products of the other countries and consequent low prices which to American eyes do not offer financial returns above cost of production If such results are possible in Europe why cannot similar returns follow here if the cultivation of certain classes of plants is properly understood and system atical carried out We have in Georgia as well as in other sections of the Southern States a cli mate and soils that allow the successful production of many plants at a smaller cost and of as good quality as similar plants can be imported from Europe Indian Azaleas and Camellias which are imported in this country in large quan tities can be grown in the lower sections of Georgia without fire heat and being thus produced under more natural conditions are better adapted to open ground culture where these plants are hardy But if needed for forcing under glass most excellent plants can be grown for that purpose Rhododendrons of the Catawbiensis type being native of our mountain regions could there also be grown under the most favorable conditions of soil and climate Palms of the leading trade varieties when they attain good merchantable size cost less to produce here than in higher latitudes where they must be forced in growth under fire heat during half of the year or longer Professor Massey of Raleigh N C has time and again urged the extensive cultivation of various classes of flowering bulbs which are imported in vast quan tities from Holland he has demonstrated that the coast lands of North Carolina are eminently suited for the production of a high grade of these plants yet on feeble attempts have so far been made in that direction Our rice lands offer the best opportunity for growing to perfection many classes of bulbs which would bring considerable revenue With all our natural advantages we continue to ignore them small wonder that we remain tributary to other countries for products once grown extensively here would soon turn the money tide to our own people instead of letting it flow in a steady stream to foreign shores But many of our importing firms will say that they can neither purchase the necessary material here or that it is of as good a quality as Europeangrown stock The first objection is correct the second only partly so because of the prevalent idea that nothing good can come out of Nazareth a prejudice against Southern grown plants this in a measure for some inferior material having occasionally been sent North and West but let it be seen that plants of a high grade can be grown bere and in quantities that will warrant their purchase and this prejudice will soon be overcome Therefore the effect of the importation of foreign horticultural products upon American horticulture is keeping us dependent upon other countries for products which according to the tabulated figures given in this paper show aAnnual Publication foe 1896 349 gradual but increasing drain upon our own producers income and while giving all praise to our European friends for their enterprise and commercial acumen these suggestions are offered with the earnest hope that our wide awake American horticulturists will no longer neglect the great opportunities which they are grad ually losing and which others have not been slow to take advantage of President BerckmausThe paper of Mr Johnson at last years session on the subject of women in horticulture gave food for thought for this paper I hope that in a few years you will see a marked reduction in the importation of such products Mr WilliamsWe are proud of the claim that Georgia is the Empire State of the South and certainly in the scope of her pro duction we have great reason to be Colonel ReddingWould it do to put a high tariff on such articles President BerckmansWhether we have protection or not is of little moment We can grow a certain class of articles better than those that are imported here The Easter Lily grown with such success in Bermuda can be grown on our seacoast with just as much success and more intelligently for they have to depend upon worthless ignorant laborers there and in the long run this is more costly than where the labor is intelligent MrHow about magnolias The PresidentThey are not imported to any great extent The SecretaryWe have concluded the program so far as it was arranged We have still a great deal to do in routine work which will occupy the balance of the afternoon The PresidentWe do not consider that we have come together to advance our own interests but to benefit others and to promote the fruitgrowing industry of Georgia and to this end we hope that we shall have the hearty cooperation and support of all those who are interested in the education of our people on this line We have been recognized by the railroads as a factor of progress in the sec tions through which they run and they are willing to aid us The men in charge of the railroads are business men and they look upon us as business men So let us show them what we are and that we can return their favors a thousandfold by aiding in the develop ment of the fruitgrowing section of Georgia The railroads can not afford to give us a reduction in freight rates unless we have a larger amount of material to ship which I hope will soon be the case and there is no reason why it should not350 Department of AgricultureGeorgia REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON ORNAMENTAL AND USEFUL TREES Mr President and Members of the Georgia State Horticultural Society The chairman of your Committee on Useful and Ornamental Trees has requested me to write this report In doing so we will pass over varieties that have been brought to your notice in the recent reports of your committees and only ask your attention to a few varieties mostly native forest trees that we think wor thy the attention of planters of large grounds The White Oak Quercus AlbaThis common tree is one of the grandest A well grown specimen suggesting the idea of steadfastness and stoutheartedness combined with picturesque gracefulness fortunate indeed is he who can locate his home in the presence of this Monarch of the Wood While it is true that most of the oaks are late putting forth their leaves and of rather slow growth and hold their dead leaves upon the branches through the winter and early spring dropping upon the lawns when we desire them brightest and cleanest yet we think this oak and also a number of other species and varieties well deserve the con sideration of the planter who has large grounds to improve The Swamp White Oak Quercus TomentosaThis beautiful oak is more rapid in growth than the White or Burr Oaks with branches more numerous than the White Oak and inclined to droop as the tree attains a large size The foliage is beautiful It will succeed in any rich moist soil The Burr Oak Quercus Macrocarpan is another desirable variety similar to but smaller than the White Oak with very large and beautiful leaves But we will not consume your time by even naming all the varieties that might be desir able in proper locations but will only call your attention further to the Chestnut Oak Quercus PrinosPalustris the Scarlet Oak Quercus Coccinea theWillow Oak Quercus Phellos and no one who has seen the magnificent specimens of the Live Oak Quercus Vireus that are to be found in the coast region will say they should be left out of the list for that section Among the foreign oaks are a number of varieties of unusual habit of growth that are worthy the attention of amateurs A second family of trees that should be planted is the Elm of these the Ameri can Weeping or White Elm Ulmus Americana wo think stands at the head This is the tree that has been characterized by Dr Holmes as A forest waving on a single stem This Elm grows with great rapidity and is beautiful and picturesque in every stage of its growth We think there is something wrong with the horticulturist who can keep his hat on in the presence of a fully developed specimen of this queenly tree combining as it does beauty grace and grandeur in its towering trunk its overarching branches as facile and elastic they sway in the breeze Of other elms we only name the Red or Slippery Ulmus Hubra and the Eng lish Elm Ulmus Compestris The Beech FagusEver since the time when I a callow youth was wont to carve upon the smooth bark of the beech some beloved name I have been an ad mirer of this one of the grandest of our forest trees The beech attains a great size forms a dense shade and is a cheerful looking tree It has the one bad habitAnnual Publication foe 1896 351 of retaining its leaves through the winter and then dropping them upon the lawn in early spring The beech grows about as rapidly as a sugar maple and adapts itself to a great variety of soils although it succeeds best in soils with a moist surface and a porous and calcerous subsoil The American White Fagus Ameri cana and the Red Fagus Ferruginea are the most common varieties We would also call attention to the PurpleLeaved Fagus Purpurea the PernLeaved Fagus Heterophylla and that most curious tree the Weeping Beech Fagus Syl vaticus Pendula The American Chestnut Ccestana Americana is a tree of great size and rapid growth has beautiful leaves that so far as we know escape the ravages of insects and hang on the trees until late in autumn The flowers which appear in mid summer as they project beyond the leaves fringe it with a golden hue that is very effective and even the burrs add beauty to the foliage but when they drop en danger the unguarded feet of children who would romp beneath their shade The Hickory CaryaAlthough difficult to transplant unless this operation is performed when the tree is quite small it is a noble tree in every stage of its growth Its branches are rather irregular but strong and supple not liable to be broken by winds and deserves consideration not only on account of their beauty but also for their economic value Of the varieties will only name the Shell Bark Carya Alta and the Pecan Nut Carya Olivwformis We have referred to the foregoing list of deciduous trees because we consider them desirable in appropriate locations and we do not remember that they have been referred to in recent reports of your Committee on Ornamental Trees352 Department op AgricultureGeorgia CATALOGUE OF FRUITS PLAN OF CATALOGUE To enable the Society to publish a full and reliable catalogue of fruits which are successfully cultivated in Georgia and in view of the vast differ ences which the climatic influence of the several sections of our State has upon the same fruit cultivated upon the mountains or near the seacoast it has been deemed advisable to divide the State into four distinct sections 1 The Upper or Mountain Region embracing that section of Georgia be tween the 34th and 35th degrees of latitude N 2 The Middle Region between 32d and 34th degrees including the south western portion of the 32d degree except the counties named for Southern Region 3 The Southern Region comprising the counties of Baker Berrien Brooks Charlton Clinch Colquitt Early Echols Lowndes Miller Mitchell Pierce Thomas and Ware 4 The Lower or Coast Region comprising the counties of Chatham Bryan Liberty Mclntosb Glynn and Camden The explanations of the columns will be found under each class of fruits The varieties named in the several lists are of recognized good quality in ferior or rejected varieties being omitted Synonyms are given in a few instances only where it was deemed neces sary these are placed under the adopted name in italics One indicates that the varieties succeed well in the region named at the head of the column Two indicate the varieties most highly rec ommended No indicates no report or that the variety is not sufficiently tested A dash indicates that the variety is unsuited APPLES Explanation of Columns Column 1Name of varieties Column 2Season of maturity Column 3The particular use for which it is best adapted Columns 4 5 6 and 7The regions for which the varieties are recom mended Column 8Remarks Explanation op Abbreviations Column 2SeasonsS summer A autumn W winter E early L late E S early summer L W late winter etc Column 3 UseK designates varieties recommended only for the kitchen or cooking purposes D for drying C for those specially intended for cider M thoss most valued for market Varieties not marked may be considered as table or dessert sortsAnnual Publication foe 1896 353 APPLES NAME a o ofl W P o u i X a O 4 6 o u w z 9 ft ft ft ft 1 c X a 0 si o to c O REMARKS ES LW A A W s EW w A ES A A W A M M M M M M M M M M M M K C m M m m M M M Profitable early market very prolific Second quality excellent keeper fof bloom buds Excellent In some soils liable to blight Excellent fine keeper prolific grower Large sugary very fine splendid Ben Davis syn Hew York Buncombe syns Meigs Red Winter Pearmain Red Fall Carters Blue syn Lady Fitz Carolina Greening1syns Green Crank Southern Greening Carolina Watson Very large prolific profitable market Requires strong clay soil Excellent and fine keeper Good quality fine grower Universal favorite Large and very good borer Very good needs strong soil subject to Very good fine keeper Large and very good prolific Excellent and profitable summer apple Very good lasts from July to October Very good in Mountain Region Good in Middle and Western portions of State Excellent prolific Late keeper lasts two months Superior for cooking and drying prolific Prolific and good keeper Good keeper open grower A showy and excellent new apple An improved Shockley and better in quality in the Mountain Region fruit Productive excellent tor cider showy Very large very good stout grower Very showy Fine grower Excellent for mountains Showy fall apple good quality Region Very early reliable in Middle or Western Very good fine tree Excellent prolific subject to moth Very good good keeper unreliable Promising well late summer Good and late keeper Showy and excellent Excellent in some sections of Middle Re gion unreliable apt to drop before at taining full size soilsVery good apt to rot at core in some Excellent Medium verv good prolific Good quality excellent in Mountn Reg n J Early prolific very good bears very t young profitable for market Chattahoochee Equinetelee syns Bachelor Etowah syn Coopers Red Farrars Summer syn Robin EW ES S LW S LW LW A W s s s A W A ES A W W S LW A W s A E LW ES S Homony syns Summer Queen of Kentucky Sops of Wine Kentucky Red Streak syn Mavericks Sweet Mitchells Cider Moultriessn Indian Winter Nickajack syns Summerour Nantahalee syn Yellow June Red Juoe syn Carolina Red 23 a354 Department op AgricultureGeorgia APPLES Continued Rhodes Orange Simmons Red Shockley Sauta Summer Cheese Summer Queen Stevensons Winter Striped June ayn Early Red Margaret of the South Sweet Bough syn Sweet Har vest Terry Pine Stump Taunton Webbs Winter Whites Winter Pearmain Wallace Howard Wine Sap Yates Yellow Transparent Yopps Favorite ES S LW LW S S LW ES A LW A W W w A LW LW E S REMARKS Excellent summer fruit Matures fruit from June to October Reliable in every section profitable Very good late keeper even en coast Large prolific excellent for cooking and Good market apple drying Unsurpassed in quality bearing and keep Ling Excellent fine grower and prolific Very good early sweet An excellent keeper resembles Pryors Promising for Piedmont region Red Large showy good quality fine for mar Good fket open grower Good Very showy and excellent Quality very good Very good desirable variety Small very good prolific and bears young LEADING VARIETIES OF APPLES FOR MARKET ORCHARDS SummerAstrachan Red June Early Harvest Family Striped June Horse Julian Homony AutumnBuncombe Carters Blue Equinetelee Taunton Winter Ben Davis Chattahoochee Greening Etowah Hockets Sweety Mangum Nickajack Romanite Shockley Stevensons Winter Yates Sauta Black WarriorAnnual Publication for 1896 355 PEACHES Explanation of Columns1st name of variety 2d classfreestone or clingstone 3d color of flesh 4th season 5th use Remaining columns denote the region etc Abbreviations ClassF freestone C clingstone FleshW white Y yellow R red SeasonE early V E very early M medium L late V L very late Very early ripens from end of May to June 20th early irom June 20th to July 5th medium from July 5th to August 10th late from August 10th to October 1st very late from October 1st to November 10th UseF for family use only M the most valuable for market D the most desirable for drying Varieties not marked may be considered good for home use name Alexander syn Ams den Amelia syn Stroma7is Carolina Austin Berenice Bustians October Baldwins Late Chinese Cling R E Lee Church Columbia syns In dian Puce etc Crawlords Early Crawfords Late Darby I lemmings September DuffYellow Early Tillotson Eatons Golden Elbeita Emma Flewellen Fleitas St John syn May Beauty Fords Foster Globe Goodes October General Taylor Hales Heath White syn White English Indian Blood Cling LaGrange Lndy Ingold Lemon Cling syn Pineapple VE E V L L VL VI E B L M E M VL L E VE L M L E VE VE V E L V L VE VE L 11 L K Slf M M M M M D M M M REMARKS Quality very good bright color very profitable Very large very good Excellent October cling An excellent very late cling Good laie freestone Excellent and large subject to rot Earlier than its parent Chinese Cling Very good September freestone Excellent for all purposes Very good and standard market variety Variable rots in some seasons An excellent October cling month later Similar to Lemon Cling ripens one Very large early second quality Very desirable Superior Cling for preserving Very large and handsome Follows Elberta Good early cling of Indian type Very good early excellent market va Large very early promisiug riety Earlier than Early Crawford Very large follows Elberta Very good late Indian cling Very good early cling Variable apt to rot in some localities Excellent for preserving and market Very juicy and good Tare pure white good Excellent earlier than early Crawford Superior Cling356 Department of AgricultureGeorgia TEACHESContinued NAME Louise Rivers Mountain Rose Muscogee Mystery Newington Cling Osceola Oldmixon Freestone Oldmixon Clingstone Picquets Late Rivers Snecd Stump the World Susquehannah Snow Scotts October Stinsons October Triumph Thurber Tinsleys Oct Cling Tuskena 5 X VE M M it M L M M L VE VE M M M VL VL VE M V L V B M M M 1 F M M M F REMARKS Very good ripens one week after Beatrice Superior to Earl York White fleshed Columbia Good Excellent quality Follows Fleitas Good freestone of Indian type Excellent market variety Excellent market variety Best freestone of its season market Of best quality large size too tender for Promising as a very earty shipping vari Superior market variety ety Very large superior to Late Crawford Pure white good for preserving Good late cling Promising as a late clingstone Earliest yellow freestone Very large best quality Good late cling Lemon cling June LEADING MARKET VARIETIES IN ORDER OF MATURITY Sneed Alexander Louise Males Early Tillotsou Fleitas St John Tus kena General Taylor Mountain Ro3e Lady Ingold Early Crawford General Lee Chinese Cling Oldmixon Free Susquehannah Elberta Stump the World Columbia Lemon Cling Muscogee Indian Blood Cling Picquets White Heath Cling Eatons Golden Baldwins Austin Darby Bustains LEADING VARIETIES FOR SHIPPING TO NORTHERN AND WESTERN MARKETS Sneed Alexander Fleitas St John Tillotson Crawfords Earlv Crawfords Late Mountain Rose Stump the World Susquehannah Elberta Emma GlobeAnnual Publication for 1896 357 NECTARINES Explanations and abbreviations same as Peaches NAME 5 V E o u o o p o 3 3 6 00 D a o Bo V M p 5 p 3 o g a o So a S p o 60 qj M p ii P B o en P o 5 o as se o o REMARKS F P C F F F C F F C C F Y R R E A R Y R R W R YR W M M E E E M M M M E 11 M M Early Newington Early Violet Reports from every section state this fruit to be unreliable owing to attacks of the curculio Unless carefully sprayed is unproductive Golden Cling APRICOTS Explanations and abbreviations same as Peaches Breda Early Golden Herrskirke Large Early Large Red Moorpark Orauge Peach Kaisha St Ambrose Royal Turkey F Y R V Y F K M w Y K K V R M K Y L C Y M K Y M H Y M K YR M V Y K M 1 Y L Trees are liable to be killed by spring frost Only desirable for city gardens or where protected by surrounding buildings POMEGRANATES a 0 fl if NAME X it o REMARKS s p4 a A 3 X X d LargeSwcet 6 The climate of Mountain Region Suitable for pot culture is too cold to grow this plant 358 Department of AgricultureGeorgia NUTS WALNUTS English Juglans RegiaThe most suitable soils are calcareous clay loam gravelly or stony naturally well drained stiff clays retentive of humidity are unsuited CommonThis is a typical variety from which are derived the following forms or subvarieties CkaberteNut oval medium full kernel rich in oil blooms late and there fore suited to localities liable to late spring frosts Early Bearing PrceparturiensisNuts medium nearly round good quality The tree is remarkably prolific and begins to yield fruit at from four to five years from seed Half hard shell FranquetteLarge oblong pointed full kernel half hard shell MayetteNuts produced in pairs half hard shell full kernel excellent quality ParisienneLarge oblong half hard and rough shell kernel scarcely filling the shell Very prolific and of good quality St John Nut medium hard shell good quality Blooms latest of all and valuable where late springs prevail Thin ShelledNuts large oblong very thin shell of excellent quality and the standard dessert variety Keeps sweet a long time Its shell is liable to be crushed when roughly handled BarthereNut very long half hard shell full kernel Ailantus LeavedFruit produced in pendulous clusters wholly of orna mental value Cut LeavedLeaves deeply lascinated Nut medium of good quality Long BeakedFruit with a long beak Of no special commercial value Walnut Japan Juglans SeiboldiiNuts produced in clusters of six to twelve of medium size pointed shell very hard kernel very sweet pro lific and bears fruit when trees are four to six years old Walnut American Black Juglans NigraFruit large very hard shell kernel sweet Doubtless susceptible of producing improved varieties by judicious selection Timber valuable for cabinet work Walnut Ashy Grey or Butter Nut Juglans CinereaMountain districts nut large hard shell May be improved under cultivation The timber is valuable for cabinet work PECANS Carya OlineformisSucceed in almost any soil but best in rich alluvial or river bottoms Hardy from Texas to Nebraska Nuts vary in size and shape from the very hard shelled inch nuts to the very thinned paper shell which sometimes attain two and a half inches in length Forms reproduce themselves from seed with some variation the average of selfreproduction being about fifty per cent Louisiana and Texas Paper Shell command the highest market prices In shape they vary from two and a half inches long by threequarters to one inch in diameter to other shapes approaching to the more globular but the distinctive characteristics are the more or less thin shell which is well filled by a sweet and well flavored kernel Some forms of the paper shell class are known under local names such as Turkey Egg Mexican Stuart Colorado Centennial Pride of the Coast etc Hard Sliell Pecans vary in size and shape of nut the larger forms being two inches by threequarters and many are of excellent quality but as a commer cial commodity do not command the high prices of the former CHESTNUTS American Castanea Americana D DonNuts of medium size usually three in a burr the middle one flattened and sometimes imperfect the outerAnnual Publication foe 1896 359 one planoconvex flavor sweet succeeds in almost any soil not too moist but thrives best in rich clayey or rocky soils in the upland districts Several forms have been produced by careful selection of the largest nuts The most conspic ous being Paragon and Numbo both producing nuts of very large size and excellent flavor Chincapin Castanea PumilaNuts small solitary in burr flavor sweet A small tree or large shrub succeeding in much lower sections of the State than the chestnut No improved forms are recorded European Castanea VescaIn each country of Europe are found forms which seem specially adapted thereto and known mainly under local names The following may be classed as principal varieties and known as commer cial sorts OrdinaryNut medium very productive usually propagated from seed and the variety known as European or Spanish ExaladeNut large and considered of the best quality tree rather dwarf and productive PourtalonneNut very large Green of LimousinLarge and keeps sweet a long time CombaleNut very large and tree very productive NouzillardeVery large and requires a warm soil and section Lyons Luc Lusignan d Agen etc are names given to the large nuts usually found in commerce Identical reproduction by seed is unreliable fifty per cent may be taken as a fair average The best varieties are increased by grafting JapanThis is a distinct type resembling the European more closely than the American and contains many forms Nuts grown upon seedling trees vary remarkably in size and quality some being scarcely as large as the American sweet chestnut whereas others are larger than any of the Euro pean sorts Hence the best forms can only be reliably propagated by graft ing The word Mammoth cannot always be applied to seedlings because of the great variation in size The true Mammoth as produced upon grafted trees is of very large size sometimes attaining one and threequarters by one and onehalf inches Flavor sweet and superior to the European sorts Burrs often producing four to five nuts and occasionally as many as seven Tree of very dwarf growth and begins to bear fruit at two years from graft but seems to bVshort lived ALMONDS As a rule unsuited to the State of Georgia owing to fruit blooms being injured by spring frosts Occasionally successful in the Coast and Southern Regions Hard ShellThis section comprises several varieties with sweet and bitter kernels The latter resist spring frost better than the sweet varieties and often yield good crops of nuts which are however of little value for culinary purposes Where successful the following subvarieties produce sweet nuts Ordinary Large Green Half Hard Shell all sweet nuts Matherone Moliere Pistache Soft or Paper Shell Princesse Sultane HeterophylleThis is the most esteemed for using in a fresh state Peach Almond a variety with occasion ally a fleshy hull in this resembling a peach Of little value as a fruit FILBERTS Corylus Avellana These are divided into two classes 1 Filberts or with long husks 2 Hazelnuts or with short husks These plants thrive best in light but rich soils and not too dry Plants must be trained to single stems and very low heads all suckers carefully removed The best varieties are Cosford Kent ish Cob Lombard Purple filbert White filbert360 Department of AgricultureGeorgia PEARS Explanation op Columns1 st name of variety 2d season 3d vise 4th stock upon which the variety succeeds best remainder the region in which the varieties are recommended AbbreviationsSeason and Use same as those of Apples Stock Q quince S pear stock Where not marked the varieties thrive equally upon quince or pear NAME Bartlett Belle Lucrative Buerre Bosc Buerre Clairgeau Buerre dAnjou Buerre Diel Buerre Easter Buerre Giffard Buerre Langelier Buerre Superfin Clapps Favorite Doyenne dEte Doyenne Boussoek Duchesse dAngoulerae Flemish Beauty Garber Howell Kieffer Lawrence Louise Bonue de Jersey LeConte syn Chinese Pear Mikado Mme Von Siebold Onoudaga Osbands Summer Ott Petite Marguerite Reliance St Michael Archangel Seckel Stevens Genesee Smiths Winter Nelis S A A S s w E S A s s E S S s s s s A s s s s A s E S 8 VE S s s s H w w S s s s s Q REMARKS Good everywhere but subject to blight Good for family use Variable as to soil Apt to lose its foliage Very good Good A late keeper Very early open growth Very fine in Mountain region Excellent but rots at the core Very good fine color matures rapidly Good very early but small standard only Slow bearer Most profitable of all on quince Good but liable to rot at core Oriental type good follows LeConte Very good Productive and valuable as a late pear Large and fine fine grower best on stand Variable as to quality ard Valuable in South Georgia very good for Good for canning table and market Good for canning Vigorous grower good quality Small but excellent and productive Seedling of Doyenne dEte and better Excellent quality reliable bearer Fine grower good fruit Slow bearer fruit best quality Oriental type resembles LeConte Best keeper and excellent BEST VARIETIES FOR MARKET IN ORDER OF MATURITY On QuinceBuerre Giffard St Michael Archangel Buerre Superfin How ell Duchesse dAngouleme Seckel Buerre dAnjou On StandardDoyenne dEte Clapps Favorite Bartlett Belle Lucrative LeConte Flemish Beauty Buerre Clairgeau Lawrence Kieffer Buerre Eas ter and Winter Nelis Oriental TypeMikado Garber Mme Von Siebold Very productive and valuable for canning and evaporating onlyAnnual Publication for 1896 361 PLUMS Explanation of Columns1st name of variety 2d color 3d class whether free or clingstone 4th season remainder region in which the va rieties are recommended AbbreviationsColorR red Y yellow B blue G green P purple SeasonAs for peaches ClassC clingstone F freestone NAME Type Americana or Peach Leaved Harpers Kanawha Miner Type Chickasaw Cumberland Hughes Missouri Newmans Pottawottamie Robinson Wild Goose Supposed Cross DeCaradeuc Tuie European Bradshaw Coes Golden Drop Columbia Damson syn Black Damson Duanes Purple Green Gage Imperial Gage Lombard Mogul syn Morocco Monroe Moores Arctic Orleans Smiths Bed Gage Shippers Pride Washington Yellow Gage C 1 REMARKS Very late prolific must ripen upon the tree Promising well Prolific and of good quality Good quality prolific bearer Grows in clusters Follows Wild Goose Most profitable for chipping The curculio prevents this class of plums from being raised to any extent Where special care is taken to destroy the insects the varieties marked are recommended Good quality in mountains Profuse bearer JAPANESE PLUMS Prunus Triflora of BotanistsPrunus Japonica of Pomologists For many years past efforts have been made to simplify their nomenclature and remove their perplexing synonymy resulting from the Japanese names which usually refer to a class or type or the locality from which trees are ex ported and have resulted in the confusion which has existed in their nomen clature Specific names have lately been adopted by leading American Po mologists and plums disseminated under these HATTANKIO GROUP As the varieties of this group appear to be less hardy in the Northern States we would recommend these for sections below the thirtyfourth degree of latitude north Georgesou or Hallankio No 1Usually round 1J to 1J inches in diameter clear gold or yellow flesh firm yellow sweet and gage flavor clingstone July 1st to 10th or two weeks later than Kerr362 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Kerr or Hattankio No 2Variable in shape usually pointed If by inches but perfectly round specimens are often produced upon the same tree The pointed form is the HatankioTogari Togari means pointed the round form is sometimes called HatankioMaru Maru means round Skin bright yellow flesh yellow juicy subacid gage flavor quality very good Cling stone Maturity from June 10 to June 20 Very prolific and an excellent early market as well as dessert fruit KelseyThis is the most remarkable variety of this section It sustains every point of excellence claimed for it by the introducers Size large to very large often 7 to 9 inches in circumference heart shape color greenish yellow overspread with reddish purple and blue bloom flesh very solid yellow rich and juicy and with excellent flavor pit very small adheres slightly to the flesh For canning or evaporating it is also most valuable Experiments resulted in yielding 19 pounds of dried fruit to 100 pounds of fresh fruit Maturity middle of July to end of August The fruit decay to some extent is during the rainy seasons in July This is more apparent where trees are kept cultivated after the middle of June Upon clay soils and where the surface is left undisturbed a month or six weeks before maturity the fruit is usually entirely free from decay and keeps sound until the middle of September SM0M0 GROUP This type seems to belong to the hardier or Northern group and has given good results nearly everywhere Abundance or Yellow Fleshed BolanRound with pointed apex but varies from quite round to sharply pointed Skin yellow ground heavily washed purplish carmine and a darker cheek Flesh yellow very juicy subacid with apricot flavor quite firm skin tough clingstone quality best pit large Maturity June 25 to July 5 One of the be3t early varietiesand carries well to distant markets It is the most desirable for shipping North and West Fruit should be thinned otherwise the size is reduced and quality inferior Berckmans or Sweet BolanLarge obtusely conical green nearly covered with dull purple flesh firm yellowish somewhat coarse and of second qual ity freestone Ripens from June 15 to July 15 very productive Although possessing some merits it is inferior in quality to the Yellow Fleshed Botan but this variety seems to be one of the most desirable for upper sections where its quality improves BurbankIn general characteristics resembles Abundance or Yellow Fleshed Botan Color cherry red mottled yellow shape usually more globular flesh flavor and quality are identical but its period of maturity here is from two to three weeks later or middle to last of July The tree is of very vigorous habit differing in foliage and growth Valuable shipping and follows Abun dance ChabotTwo and a half inches long by 2 inches broad yellow ground nearly covered with carmine red flesh orange yellow very solid subacid quality very good clingstone Maturity end of July This is identical with Bailey MaruOf medium size slightly pointed light red flesh yellowish melting juicy subacid nearly freestone second quality but showy Maturity end of June Not desirable for the extreme South but it is hardier in bud than any other Japanese plum tested Munson or Hytan KayoLarge broad conical purplish flesh yellow very good freestone or nearly so End of June Ogon ShiroSmomo or the White PlumMedium to large round golden yellow flesh yellow firm subacid quality good freestone June 15 Tree of vigorous growth A good cooking fruit Bed Nagate or Red June or Long FruitOne and threequarters by 1 inches pointed skin thick purplish red with blue bloom flesh yellow solid somewhat coarse grained juicy subacid with damson flavor clingAnnual Publication for 1896 363 stone quality good Maturity middle to end of June Very prolific showy and good very early market variety UCHIBENI OR BENISMOMO GROUP Or Red Fleshed Satsuma or Blood PlumSynonym Yonemomo Large skin dark purplish red mottled with bluish bloom shape globular or with sharp point flesh firm juicy dark red or blood color well flavored firm quality very good pit small Maturity middle of July Tree very vigorous One of the most val uable varieties of this section for canning Blood Plum No 5Fruit somewhat smaller than Satsuma flesh very deep red and juicy sweet Middle of July Tree of very open straggling growth Blooms very early Honsmomo or Blood Plum No 4Fruit medium dark red flesh July 10 to 25 Tree of erect growth and very early bloomer THE APRICOT PLUM Prunus Mume This type is worthless outside of the Orange zone it will not succeed where the Peentopeach fails Several varieties have been introduced some produce small double rose colored flowers others small single white blooms all bloom here during February or early in March hence fruit sets very seldom unless some flowers expand unusually late when a crop of fruit follows Fruit is small oblong orange vellow with apricot flavor but of poor quality Ripened here middle of May Thirteen varieties are described by Japanese growers but cannot recommend them for the middle section of Georgia PRUNUS SIMONI Simons Chinese Apricot Plum A remarkable fruit indeed This was introduced 24 years ago from China The tree is of attractive erect and compact habit flowers very small fruit large flattened 2j to 2 inches broad by If to 2 inches through resembling a ripe tomato flesh yellow fine grained and firm juicy subacid and with a remarkable combination of flavors such as pear pineapple and muskmelon quality best Begins to ripen June 15 and lasts one month The tree is a shy bearer but in favorable seasons produces a heavy crop of fruit which always brings a high price PERSIAN PURPLELEAVED PLUM OR PRUNUS PISSARDI Prunus Miriobolana Type Fruit medium dark purple flesh deep red juicy subacid Ripens end of Mav a good cooking fruit Foliage deep purplish red retained throughout our warmest weather and until midwinter Its great value is as an orna mental tree364 Department op AgricultureGeorgia NATIVE GRAPES aSoANAT1N 0F 90LUMNSlst name 2i variety 3d season 4th use remaining columns tor regions etc AbbreviationsGolorW white B blue or black K red P B pale blue omsonli early maturing from beginning to end of July M medium maturing from end of July to August 15 L late maturing after middle of l if t VeSf lae maturmg after middle of September UseM mar ket T table W wine NAME Type Labrusca or Fox Grape Brighton Canada Catawba Concord Delaware Diana Empire State Hartford Ives Moores Moores Diamond Niagara Perkins Worden Type jEslivalis slim mer Grape Black July syn Deve reaux Lenior Long syn Cngliam Nortons Virginia Warren syn Herbe mont Type Coldifolia Frost Grape Clinton Type Riparia River side Grape Elvira Missouri Riesling Noah Type Rotundifolia Mus cadine Flowers Scuppernong Tenderpulp Thomas James Crosses Barrv JBell Carman R B R B PR P R W B B B W w R B B B P B B P B B W B P B B B E E M M E M e M E VE M E M VL L L E L M M M T T W MW TW TM si WM M TM M M M REMARKS TW W VV vv w w w TW W w w WT o TW Very good quality good bearer Good table grape Less liable to rot than formerly regain ing old standard Among our best varieties Best table variety reliable slow grower Wood quality good bearer and shipper Unreliable in some soils Good early variety for market Prolific and no rot An early shipper Very early white Profitable as a white market grape Good bearer no rot second quality Larger than Concord Excellent shy bearer while young Kots in middle region excellent for wine Good but not productive Best for red wine Apt to rot excellent quality Good for red wine Reliable in the upper middle region Good for white wine For white wine The latest of the type Most certain bearer good wine Pulps dissolving An excellent early variety Very large berry I Promising rapeAnnual Publication for 1896 GRAPESContinued 365 NAME Berckrnans Duchess Goethe syn Rogers9 Nol Lady Washington Lindley syn Rogers No 9 Merrimack syn Rog ers No 19 Salem Triumph Wilder syn Rogers No 4 Irving Peter Wylie Welcome c 5c 0 0 3 03 C be O So t a e 3 o O DQ c 3 0 32 0 o R M T w E T GW L T w M T R M T B M T R M M W M T B M T W M T w M T B M T REMARKS Vigorous better grower than Delaware First quality but liable to rot requires sacking Good late requires sacking Moderate grower Good Suitable tor amateur culture Good White showy Good Very showy Best quality Excellent quality LEADING VARIETIES FOR SHIPPING IN ORDER OF MATURITY Moores Diamond Moores Brighton Ives Delaware Niagara Concord Perkins Diana BEST VARIETIES FOR WINE RedNortons Virginia Lenolr Clinton Concord Ives Thomas WhiteMissouri Riesling Catawba Delaware Elvira Warren Noah Scuppernong STRAWBERRIES Explanation of Columns1st name 2d sex 3d origin 4th use 5th season AbbreviationsSexP pistillate all others are hermaphrodite Origin F foreign AAmerican UseF family M market SeasonE early VE very early L late NAME M 0 5 o DQ o CO 3 u M c 3 0 u M Zj s a o s 0 C CO p c Vs V w 3 c O REMARKS H A F Large suitable for rich soils P H P H H H H a A A A A A A M M M M F F M e E M M M VE Excellent Good variable as to soils Pistillate must be cultivated in alternate rows with other varieties Productive large Best early shipper H H H A A A M M M VE L EL Very early and good quality Size large and quality good Best evpry report favorable 366 Department of AgricultureGeorgia RASPBERRIES XAME a c c to s to S M X 2 M pd t3 r s Q X 0 3 REMARKS Ctos ICap Varieties Gregg Schaffers Souhegan Ctass IIAmerican Red Varieties Cuthbert or Queen of the Market Reliance Turner Class III Hybrid cf Foreign and American Red Caroline Golden Queen Florence Xondon Best of the black caps Late productive good shipper Very early Best and most reliable Good A promising red variety Good yellow productive Productive in new land Promising well BLACKBERRIES Austins Improved or Mays Hybrid Dallas Early Cluster Early Harvest Kiltaliuny Ohmer Taylors Prolific Trinity Wilsons A large Dewberry Early promising Valuable as a very early berry Late Very early 10 days ahead of Early Harvest MULBERRIES Downings Hicks Stubbs Good flavor acid moderate bearer Inferior fruit very prolific recommended for poultry and hogs Large very good immensely productiveAnnual Publication for 1896 367 3d color 4th season FIGS Explanation op Columns1st name 2d size remaining columns for regions etc AbbreviationsSizeS small L large M medium ColorW white or yellow G green B brown or reddish P purple or blue V violet SeasonE early M middle season E and L early and late NAME w o o u a o oq S 0 0Q 6 5 5 3 c c A i P o c d o be 3 o o REMARKS Angelique syn Early S L M M S M M M M M S W P P P V B B G V W w w E EL M M E EL M ML M M L M a c c 1 p o Small good early Very large and desirable Brunswick syns Ma Good Small prolific and desirable Best of all for middle region Very good and prolific Very good Green Ischia syns White Isclda Green Italian It Good Rather dry but prolific 368 Department of AgricultureGeorgia CHERRIES Explanations and abbreviations same as Figs except color R red A amber DR dark red or nearly black Y yellow YR yellow red NAME o s a o o REMARKS belle de Choisy Belle et Magnifique Black Heart Werders Black Tartarian Black Eagle Carnation Cues Transparent Eariys Richmond May Duke English Morello Napoleon Rockport Reine Hortense Governor Wood Baumans May Yellow Spanish Wrasrs DR K DR DR DR R AY R R R R All R R R R V M M E M M M M E M M E M M E M L Very early Cherries are uncertain in middle region except in a few localities where good crops are sometimes produced the Mo rello class being most desirable Trees should all be grown on Mahaleb stock QUINCES NAME a c it 3j X a 3 a n 0 c z Sb o H J a p Tr 0 V P 0 P Tr X BO 03 3 REMARKS Angers Chinese 0 1 ine quality Succeeds best in Southwestern Georgia good lor preserving Most generally cultivated Large and good Kaes Mammoth Quinces need strong clay soil cept Chinese They are unproductive in gray land ex JAPAN PERSIMMONS Diospyros Kaki It is almost impossible to give an accurate nomenclature owing to the con fusion which exists in the collections imported from Japan These collec tions seldom contain more than twelve varieties yet when the trees bear fruit the same name is often found to apply to several distinct varieties or one variety has several munes The best and most distinct varieties have have been included in this list and with such synonyms added thereto as have been ascertained after several years trial and while no claim is laid to strict accuracy the aim has been to reach this as nearlv as possibleAnnual Publication for 1896 369 AH the varieties are hardy in the Middle and Coast Regions and occa sionally in the Mountain Region iThe fruit is usually of a bright orange red or vermilion the color being more or less intense according to variety and begins to color when half grown but shouldbe allowed to hang upon the tree until just before frost is expected or with the early ripening varieties until fully soft If gathered before a frost there is a slight astringency next to the skin but this disap pears after being kept in the house for a few days or weeks If allowed to be slightly touched by frost the flavor is much improved but it will then not keep many days It is therefore desirable to gather the fruit before frost if intended for keeping and then some varities will keep until January or February The flesh is soft rich and sweet and with a slight apricot flavor The fruit should be eaten with a spoon Some varieties are apt to overbear and should have the fruit thinned so soon as set in April Trees are propagated mainly by grafting upon the collar of the roots and upon the native species Seedlings vary in size shape and quality but as the largest proportion are male plants and those which are fruitful are apt to produce small and worthless fruit very little reliability can therefore be placed upon seedlings so far as yielding edible fruit Among or Yemon name of a Japanese ornamentRound flattened deeply ribbed dark orange red and sometimes yellowish red two and a half to three inches in diameter average weight six ounces and occasionally a specimen weighing sixteen ounces is produced Very sweet flesh red and is edible while still solid but quality improves as it becomes soft Maturity September to end of November Tree of moderate height Hachiya Beehive in JapaneseSynonyms Costata Imperial Yomato etc Oblong with a blunt apex slightly ribbed two and a half by three inches average weight five ounces Flesh deep orange red astringent while solid but sweet and very good when soft Should be house ripened and can be kept until March Tree of vigorous and tall growth Hiyakume weighs one hundred me a unit of Japanese weightThis is perhaps the most desirable of all the round red fleshed varieties and as the fruit affects various shapes it is known under many names such as Pound Tanenashi or Seedless etc The Agricultural Bureau of Tokio gives the latter name to a variety with black mottled apex but we find both round and elongated forms upon the same tree as also uniformly orange and orange yellow colored specimens while many are heavily tipped with black The variation of forms and colors doubtless led to its array of synonyms Fruit large average three inches in diamater and five ounces in weight usuallv flattened but elongated form are quite common upon the same blanch Flesh bright orange red Keeps very late Must be soft before being edible Tree of moderate height apt to be of dwarf growth loyarna Gaki Name of localityMedium to large round but somewhat narrower at the apex yellowish orange with dark black pencilings at apex Flesh dark brown or grayish brown very sweet Can be eaten when solid four to six ounces Kurokume this may possibly be Goshiohira or Palace PersimmonVery large round somewhat flattened three to three and half inches in diameter average weight ten ounces and sometimes vields specimens of sixteen ounces in weight keeps late Flesh red Tree erect grower MiyotanSynonym Mazelll Round or slightly oblong two anda half inches in diameter average weight five and a half ounces slightly ribbed Skin deep orange red Flesh usually deep brown red but bright red or half red and half brown fleshed specimens are often produced upon the same tree the results of crossfertilization by other varieties Tree of medium or dwarf growth exceedingly prolific Fruit keeps verv late The brown fleshed specimens are edible while solid and as early as October 1 0came Stout young girl in JapaneseSynonyms Oblong Hyakume Mikado etc medium to large two and a half by three and a half inches oblong deep red nearly alwavs seedless keeps late 24 a370 Department op AgricultureGeorgia Tsurunoko Stork Egg Synonym Minokaki Persimmon from Mine a locality Large oblong pointed two and a half by three and a half inches weight four to five ounces sometimes ten ounces Skin bright red some specimens covered with black at apex Flesh red very good Keeps late edible only when soft Foliage long and shiny tree compact and vigorous grower This variety vaiies very much as to size at different seasons YedoIchi No 1 or best in Yedo latter being the old name of Tokio Synonym McruGata round shape Medium round some specimens slightly oblong flattened at base and narrowing at apex skin dark red often with black mottlings near apex flesh mahogany brown with darker spots brittle and is edible while solid as early as October 1 Very prolific and bears fruit in large clusters Tree an upright grower Zenji or Zingi name of Japanese villageSmall one and threefourth by two inches weight three to four ounces Flesh dark brown with darker spots very sweet Edible as early as middle of September while still solid and lasts throughout OctoberAnnual Publication for 1896 371 FORAGE PLANTS FOR THE SOUTH BY S M TRACY MS The soil climate and conditions of the Southern States are so different from those of the North that different species of plants as well as different methods of culture and treatment are necessary to success in the making of meadows or pastures The soil al though almost wholly of sedimentary formation is exceedingly variable in character Much of it has had nearly all of its vege table matter exhausted by continuous cultivation in cotton In many sections extreme care is necessary to prevent the washing of hillsides Severe freezes are unknown so that many of the more hardy plants continue their growth during the entire winter On the approach of hot weather these plants disappear and their places are filled by a rank summer growth of plants many of which are too coarse and unpalatable to be of value for either hay or pasture Although the growing season is almost continuous for some species there are none which will make a vigorous growth throughout the year so that permanent meadows and pastures can be made only with mixtures of several species which make their growth at different seasons Sufficient hay for home consumption may be gathered on almost any plantation without expense except for the harvesting but such erops are uncertain in amount are usually inferior in quality and are rarely such as will assist in preparing the soil for future crops A good hay plant must not be too rank in its growth or its stems will be coarse and woody it must have a large proportion of leaves which are the most edible parts of the plant it should be nutritious easily digested and palatable If wanted for a perma nent meadow the plant must be a perennial As the true grasses are of but little value as fertilizers it is important that where the This article was published as a Bulletin by the Department of Agriculture at VVashington I deem it very important to the farmers of Georgia and other Southern StatesCommissioner Nesbitt372 Department of AgricultureGeorgia crop is to be grown as a part of a rotation at least one of the species used in any mixture should be a leguminous plant if the forage crop is to be grown one season only leguminous plants are always to be preferred FORAGE CROPS FOR DIFFERENT SOILS No one grass or mixture of grasses will be found best for all localities but the choice must be varied to meet local conditions The character of the soil is the priucipal item to be considered in making a selection for sowing In the region covered by this work there are four types of soils which embrace fully ninetenths of its area These are 1 the yellow loam and clay uplands 2 the alluvial river bottom lands 3 the black prairie regions and 4 the pine woods region For each of these sections different species different mixtures and different modes of treatment are re quired and this department has made a special study of the re quirements of each region YELLOW LOAM SOILS The yellow loam and clay uplands include a large part of Xorth Carolina and the northern portions of Georgia Alabama and Mis sissippi They are also found in Northern Louisiana and in some parts of Texas where they merge into the pine woods lands The land in the western part of this region from Mississippi to Texas is mostly rolling and well drained contains an abundance of lime and is naturally very fertile but often hard and compact contain ing but little sand and suffering severely from drouth In the eastern section the soil generally has less lime is much lighter and more sandy and so can be more easily worked While the crop here is less in quantity than that from the bottom lands it is su perior in quality being less coarse in fiber richer in nutritive mat ter and less mixed with weeds and coarse grasses Bermuda grass Johnson grass lespedeza Japan clover red clover and melilotus furnish the principal hay crops of this region and for a permanent meadow on rich soil Bermuda grass is un doubtedly the best species though we have found no leguminous plant which is satisfactory for sowing on the same ground Bed clover is often sown on the same land with Bermuda grass but asAnnual Publication for 1896 373 the two mature at different seasons and as the clover is seldom permanent the mixture can hardly be recommended Bermuda grass meadows may be pastured through the winter without injury Alsike clover adds greatly to their value at that time and as it also increases to some extent the hay crop it is perhaps the best of the family for sowing on Bermuda grass meadows Johnson grass gives the largest yield and if it were not for the ease with which it spreads to adjoining fields and the extreme difficulty with which it can be eradicated we should recommend it highly Melilotus is the best of the legumes for sowing with it and as it increases the yield largely makes the hay more palatable and keeps the soil in better condition it should be sown on all such meadows When a crop is wanted to occupy the ground for two years only red clover as it yields well should be sown on the rich soils that are in good condition and in the South at the present time the hay sells better than that from any other crop On the more sterile soils which are not soon to be planted with other crops lespedeza is perhaps the best plant which can be used and on lands containing an ex cess of lime melilotus is the most profitable crop When the land is to be used for only a single crop of hay lespedeza is the best for thin clay soils while for fields in even fair condition cowpeas will be found the most profitable and on very rich soils German millet may be grown to advantage For soiling sorghum soja beans and beggar weed do well About 165 species of grasses are native to this region and many of these furnish large amounts of hay Several species of broom sedge Panicum and Paspalum and many other native species abound on the uncultivated lands and if cut sufficiently early before the seed stems are grown make hay of fair quality though if allowed to grow until the seed is ripe as is too often done they are of but little value for hay being tough wiry and unpala table The natural pastures in this region are all that can be desired during the summer and fall mouths but fail rapidly after the first heavy frosts and do not become really good again until April For making a permanent pasture Bermuda grass and lespedeza are the best foundation and to these should be added orchard grass374 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Hungarian brome and burr clover for tbe drier soils while redtop water grass and alsike clover will be the best additions for the wet lands AVhite clover grows well on the uplands and the Carolina and creeping clovers give rich grazing in March and April but soon disappear On the sandy and gravelly uplands especially on the Atlantic coast crimson clover gives excellent winter pasture and uuder continuous grazing will reseed the grouud so as to be practically permanent Where crimson clover will not grow and the pasture is needed for immediate use rescue grass Terrell grass and hairy vetch will make good winter pastures and if stocks be taken from the field in March or April these plants will reseed the ground for the following season but they will soon disappear under continuous grazing One of the most common pests in the upland pastures of this region is the bitter weed Helenium tenuifolium which is eaten freely by cows in the absence of better herbage and which imparts a very disagreeable flavor to their milk The presence of this weed is an almost certain indication that the soil is weak and thin and that the land has been pastured too closely Such pastures can be easily recuperated by resting and fertilizing as the weed is never troublesome on lands which are rich and in good condition ALLUVIAL AND RIVER BOTTOM LANDS The river bottom lands are found along the courses of all the larger streams in the eastern section and cover a large portion of Western Mississippi Southern Louisiana and Eastern Texas These soils are almost wholly of recent alluvial formation are rich in humus and usually contain an abundance of lime together with more or less sand Many of them are subject to overflows and nearly all of them suffer from want of drainage Being more fer tile than the uplands they produce larger crops of hay and afford a much wider range of choice in the selection of varieties For permanent meadows on these lands Bermuda grass Johnson grass redtop alfalfa and red clover all do well though Bermuda grass and red clover have given the most general satisfaction Of the true grasses Bermuda grass makes hay of the best quality Its yield is from three to four tons per acre in two cuttings and it Annual Publication foe 1896 375 is not injured by short overflows Johnson grass also yields heav ily but it is more easily injured by water than is Bermuda grass and the hay does not sell as well Redtop bears a longer overflow than does either of the others and we have found it advantageous to sow it on places where the others are liable to be drowned out as it adds largely to the yield of hay and keeps down the growth of weeds and coarse grasses Where the soils are fairly well drained red clover does well and is one of the best crops which can be grown as the hay finds a ready market at good prices On soils which have thorough drainage alfalfa makes a heavier yield than any other good hay plant but it cannot be grown profitably on heavy soils or where standing water comes near the surface When a meadow is wanted for two years only red clover is by far the best plant that can be used while if but a single crop is to be cut lespedeza is best especially for the drier soils in which it can be sown early and for late sowing German millet has given the best results For soiling crops we have found nothing better than teosinte alfalfa and soja beans It is comparatively easy to make good summer pastures with Bermuda grass and lespedeza on these lands but in the winter the soil becomes so watersoaked and cold that it is difficult to find plants which afford good grazing during that season In all these regions canebrakes are more or less abundant and furnish rich feed but are usually so scattered that they can do little more than sus tain life in the animals which range through them Bermuda grass makes the best of summer pasture but is killed to the ground by moderate frosts and so it is of little value during the winter Johnson grass lasts but a short time when pastured and red clover is soon trampled out Redtop is much more lasting and should be sown in every field intended for a permanent pasture Alsike clover does well on these soils even when heavy and badly drained and is the best of the family for winter grazing Burr clover also does well and alfalfa makes good winter pastures on sandy soils in the extreme South Japanese rye and rescue grasses grow well where they are not subject to overflow the former being the more permanent Among the native sorts that can be grown here to advantage are the large water grass and Terrell grass both of376 Department of Agriculture Georgia which grow during the cooler months and are unhurt by overflows Carpet grass will make good winter grazing where the soil is dry and sandy Where pastures are wanted for one season only we have found nothing better than a mixture of Terrell grass peren nial rye and hairy vetch sown in August or September for winter use with lespedeza beggar weed and Mexican everlasting grass or summer use THE BLACK PRAIRIE REGION The black prairie soils are found principally in Western Alabama Eastern Mississippi and Eastern Texas but though among the most fertile in the whole country they need peculiar treatment to make them productive While ordinary commercial fertilizers and even liberal applications of stable manure produce little effect on them the plowing under of an occasional green crop seems all that is necessary to keep them in a state of high productiveness Most of these lands are quite level are poorly drained and remain wet very late in the spring but pulverize readily when dry even though they have been plowed while quite wet They are rich in lime and no better grass lands can be found Eor the production of hay alone without regard to its effects on the soil Bermuda is the best grass which can be grown as a perma nent meadow Under proper management however these lands are so productive for corn and cotton that most planters prefer to rest the fields with some crop which will give prompt returns in hay and which will at the same time prepare the soil for some future hoed crop Eor this purpose on these soils there are no plants equal to melilotus and red clover the former being the more valu able as a fertilizer while the latter makes the better hay On soils which contain an excess of lime are badly drained or are in poor mechanical condition melilotus will grow well give fair returns in hay and do more than any other plant to put the soil in good con dition while on the better soils red clover is more profitable for hay and gives to the soil all the green manuring which it needs Johnson grass also does well here and a mixture of this grass with melilotus recommended on another page makes a heavy yield of excellent hay Lespedeza grows well on the soils which are not too wet and is perhaps the best hay crop which can be grownAnnual Publication for 1896 577 where the field is to be used for that purpose only one year For a shortseason hay crop to follow wheat oats or potatoes either cowpeas or german millet should be used There is a variety of sorghum commonly known as chicken corn which has become thoroughly naturalized on the black prairie lands of Alabama and Mississippi and which is a valuable addition to the hayproducing crops It is doubtless descended from some of the numerous varieties which the department brought from China about thirty years ago and in general appearance it is much like the common broom corn though the heads are less spreading and the stalk usually branches at several of the upper joints It is common in cornfields starting up late in the summer after the crop has been laid by its growth is rapid and in Septem ber many fields appear as though planted with common sorghum If cut before heading it makes fair hay and on rich soil will pro duce a heavy second crop If allowed to mature the yield of seed is about the same as that of the ordinary cultivated varieties and is worth about as much for feeding stock As in most other parts of the South Bermuda grass and lespe deza furnish an abundance of summer grazing in this region but it has been more difficult to find satisfactory plants for winter pas tures here than for any other soils which the department has inves tigated Melilotus is thoroughly at home on these soils and in nearly all localities has been so satisfactory that little else seems to be needed Alsike clover grows well on the heavier soils but soon disappears from the ridges and looser soils Hungarian brome grass orchard grass and redtop are the best of the true grasses for general use while Texas blue grass has done well in a few locali ties Burr clover and hairy vetch succeed admirably where the soil is fairly dry but neither will grow where the ground is wet for considerable periods of time THE PINE WOODS REGION The pine woods region reaches from 50 to 150 miles back from the coast and extends in an unbroken line from Carolina to Texas except where interrupted by the mouths of the larger rivers The soil is usually a sandy loam containing but little lime and under laid with a heavy clay subsoil Where the woods are open native378 Department of AgricultureGeorgia grasses flourish in great abundance and thousands of cattle and sheep are raised which never see a pound of hay or grain though the living which such animals get is a hard one the beef being poor in quality and the wool light in yield Here haygrowing is of less importance than farther north but it has become generally recognized that although animals may live through the winters on the native pastures it is more profitable to shelter and feed them during the heavy winter rains and that an occasional hay crop is a cheaper and better fertilizer than can be secured in any other way On ground which has been well fertilized Bermuda is the best grass for permanent meadows but a majority of planters in this region where the growing season lasts nearly twelve months find it more profitable to make hay upon lands from which some other crop has been harvested and in many cases the bay is secured for the bare cost of gathering Along the Gulf coast crab grass and Mexican clover form the bulk of the hay crop Both of these plants come in on the cultivated lands and both make a heavy sponta neous growth late in the season maturing at the same time and if cut before becoming too ripe making most excellent hay Alfalfa does well where the soil is sufficiently fertile and has proved re markably successful on some of the drier lands of Florida On the Atlantic coast crimson clover is one of the best of hay plauts and its introduction is making great changes in the haygrowing prac tice of that region Dr Battle who has had charge of the depart ment work in North Carolina says of it Hay made from the crim son scarlet clover stands out frequently as the richest of foods It leads pea vine hay lucerne red clover timothy redtop alsike clover and orchard grass Timothy and red clover also do well in North Carolina and in many localities Johnson grass is highly valued When the crop is wanted for its fertilizing effect as much as for its hay the cowpea is the best plant that can be grown If sown early two crops can be made during the season and if not sown before August the vines will still have time to cover the ground with a dense growth which can be cut for hay pastured or left to decay on the ground at the convenience of the planter Lespedeza makes heavy crops on such of these soils as contain a small amount of lime but melilotus has not been generally successfulAnnual Publication foe 1896 379 For winter pastures in the Atlantic coast region crimson clover is valued highly as it makes both winter pasturage and a winter growing fertilizer being one of the few plants which can be used for this double purpose Japanese rye and orchard grasses also suc ceed well there and in some localities Texas blue grass has done well In Florida the best winter pastures have been made from alfalfa and Texas blue grass while along the Gulf coast carpet grass and the large water grass have been more valuable FORMATION AND CARE OF PASTURES Preparation of the LandThe ground should be well plowed only a few days before the seed is to be sown and then harrowed until the surface is thoroughly pulverized and smoothed If hard and full of clods a disc harrow is the best thing we have found for pulverizing the soil and it should be used as soon as possible after the plowing is done before the clods have time to bake The last harrowing should be done with a Thomas or some similar harrow in order to leave the surface as smooth as possible Small and heavy seed like clover can be sown more evenly with a wheelbarrow seeder of which there are several kinds in the market than with any other implement we have used but for sow ing coarser seeds like Johnson grass or chaffy seeds like those of orchard grass we have found no machine which has been satisfac tory and we prefer to sow such seeds by hand Light and heavy seeds should always be sown separately as it is practically impos sible to keep them evenly mixed and in sowing by hand the heavy seeds will be thrown so much farther than the light that the field will be streaked and irregular When the sowing is done by hand we prefer to go over the field twice using half of the seed each time and making the second sowing at right angles to the first For coveriug the seeds we prefer a heavy roller to any other im plement as it covers them more thoroughly and presses the soil about them so firmly that fewer are lost by rains and drouth If a roller is not to be had a light smoothing harrow or even a brush may be used but a heavy harrow should never be used except for covering very coarse seeds When the grouud is in good condition freshly harrowed and loose and the seed can be sowed just before a380 Department of AgricultureGeorgia ram covering is scarcely necessary and we prefer to omit it alto gether than to use a heavy harrow Time of SowingIn the South nearly all perennial grasses and clovers will do better if sowed in August orSeptember than at any other time as they then become well established before the winter frosts and are ready to make such a vigorous growth early in the spring that they will keep down the weeds aud volunteer grasses which so often choke out the spring sowings Some of the more hardy species will do well if sown as late as October or November though even for these the earlier sowing is preferable If the land has been occupied by other crops so that fall sowing is not practi cable the work should be done as early in the spring as possible that the young plants may become well rooted before the summer drouth It is seldom advisable to sow with grain Application of FertilizerIs o satisfactory crops of hay cau be made to grow on soils too exhausted or too barren to produce fair crops of coru or cotton and fertilizers are as necessary and as profit able for the hay field as elsewhere The use of fertilizers is more important for meadows than for pastures from the fact that drop pings from the stock will in a great measure compensate for the material carried away but when pastures have been used so long that the ground has become hard and the more tender plants have been killed out by trampling and close grazing it will pay well to plow fertilize and reseed the ground Stable manure and cottonseed are the best fertilizers for plowing under before the seed is planted aud a liberal application of these will be all that is needed for two or three years but on permanent meadows topdressing must finally be employed to keep them in good condition It is seldom necessary to use phosphoric acid on soils containing even a moderate proportion of lime but all the true grasses are heavy consumers of potash and nitrogen both of which it will pay to supply in liberal quantities For ordinary soils 50 pounds of potash per acre is a liberal annual application and this may be secured by using 400 pounds of kainit 250 of cotton hull ashes or 100 of muriate of potash Estimating the potash at the usual rate of five cents per pound the relative value of these fertilizers per ton is as follows Kaiuit 12 cotton hullAnnual Publication for 1896 381 ashes 20 and muriate of potash 50 but as the market prices are quite variable the selection of the oue for use will depend on their local cost For soils which are deficient in lime and where phosphoric acid is needed the cotton hull ashes have an additional value of about 9 per ton on account of the phosphoric acid which they contain and for such soils these ashes are usually the cheapest fertilizer W lien phosphoric acid alone is needed it may be purchased most cheaply in the form of acid phosphate The cheapest form in which nitrogen can be purchased is as nitrate of soda or as cottonseed meal the former having about double the amount of nitrogen con tained in the latter The meal contains approximately 7 per cent of nitrogen 3 of phosphoric acid and 2 of potash which makes it practically a complete fertilizer It is one of the best materials we have for use as a topdressing on grass lands It apparently makes little difference when phosphatic and potassic fertilizers are applied but as the nitrogenous compounds are very quickly dissolved and lost they should be applied only for im mediate effect If but one application is to be made it should he given when the grass is commencing its growth in the spring The mixture which has given us the best satisfaction on grass lands containing lime has been equal weights of cotton hull ashes and cottonseed meal For lands deficient in lime we use the same mixture and add a separate application of acid phosphate early in the spring Cottonseed meal produces little effect on the clovers and for such crops we have found a mixture of equal weights of ashes and land plaster most effective adding the separate application of acid phosphate when the soil is deficient in lime We have found no machine which will distribute these fertilizers more evenly and economically than can be done by hand DESCRIPTION OF THE FORAGE PLANTS SUCCESSFULLY CULTIVATED IN THE SOUTH In tests of forage plants at the experiment stations the usual plan has been to make the first sowings of each species on small plats where they would receive all necessary care and attention but even under these favorable conditions many species especially of382 Department of AgricultureGeorgia those received from India and Australia failed to give satisfactory results and were discarded Such species as succeeded well on the small plats were afterwards sowed in open fields where they re ceived only ordinary care in order that their practical value might be fully shown The special characteristics and value of the most successful species are briefly stated below THE TRUE GRASSES Of the 364 species of the true grasses as distinguished from the clovers and other forage plants which have been tested during the past five years the following have succeeded best and seem to have the greatest value for cultivation in the South Japanese Rye Grass Agropyrum JaponicwniIn nearly every location where it has been planted this grass has done well It is a perennial which resembles rescue grass and like that species makes its best growth during the cool months It is therefore val uable for winter grazing but its yield is too small for hay It does well on dry ground and makes a fair growth from November to March after which it seeds freely and grows but little during the summer It has done well at the Louisiana Station where it be gins its growth early in the fall and lasts until late in the summer at the North Carolina station it promises to hold its own with orchard grass at the Georgia Station it has been less permanent while in Mississippi it stands well on rich soil but soon disappears from the poorer lands Seed should be sown in August or September at the rate of 40 pounds per acre Fig 1 Redtop Agrostis albaThis has succeeded well in permanent pastures on all soils containing a fair supply of moisture especially in Louisiana on the river bottom lands and on the seepy hills of the yellow loam region It will yield one cutting of hay and by repeated mowings it may be made to hold its ground during the summer but its chief value is as a part of the mixture of grasses for winter pasture Its growth during the first season is rather weak and disappointing but it strengthens and improves Fig 1Japanese rye grassAnnual Publication for 1896 383 with age holding its own well against other grasses and weeds and is not easily killed by overflows even when covered with water two or three weeks at a time It does better on a clay soil than on one which is too sandy and in favorable locations furnishes good winter grazing There are several varieties of this grass which are much alike in general appearance but the one known as Rhode Island bent or creeping bent forms the best sod and is the one to be preferred for pastures Seed should be sown early in the spring and at the rate of 25 pounds per acre if sown alone but its growth is so weak during the first season that we have found it better to use from 15 to 20 pounds and to mix it with from 30 to 40 pounds of perennial rye grass as the latter makes a quick and vigorous growth which disappears at the end of the first season when the redtop will cover the ground Hungarian Brome Grass Brom us inermis also called smooth brome This grass is a native of Southern Russia and endures our summer heat and drouth much better than does its near relative rescue grass and being a perennial is much more per manent It remains fresh and green during a larger part of the year than any other grass we have grown with the exception of the large water grass and as it is at its best during the late fall and early spring months it is especially valuable for winter pastures In favorable locations it maintains itself well against other grasses and weeds bears graz ing well and is not injured by moderate frosts It produces a great amount of long tender leaves very near the ground while the culms are slender andnot numerous so that it is better for grazing than for making hay It covers the ground more evenly than rescue grass and for grazing purposes is decidedly superior to that species Like nearly all grasses it makes its best growth on rich soils but even on ratherthinandbarren fields it is one of the best Fig 2Hungarian brome gross384 Department op AgricultureGeorgia Seed is produced very sparingly andis hard to obtain in this country It should be sown in February or March at the rate of 30 to 40 pounds per acre Fig 2 Rescue Grass Bromus unioloidesThis is a native of the western part of the United States and was one of the first of our native species to be brought into cultivation having been grown for many years under the names Australian oats Schraders brome grass etc and more recently under the name of Arctic grass It is usually an annual though if grazed closely or mowed frequently the roots will often live several years in rich and not too heavy soil It makes the best growth during the cooler months usually start ing up in October or November and continuing to grow until it ripens its seeds in April or May after which little is seen of it until cool weather comes again as it does not bear heat and FioSRescuegrass drouth jts grQwth argejy depeHs Qn th character of the season and in favorable years it gives excellent pasture from November to May while in other seasons it may make bur little growth before February On thin and dry soils its growth is small from 12 to 15 inches but on rich and somewhat damp soils it makes a growth of 3 feet or more with a large pro portion of leaves which are tender sweefaud nutritious and which are renewed very quickly after being eaten down If used lor making hay in a favorable season it will give a good cutting in February and another in April and the third crop will make suf ficient seed to stock the field for the next year As its growth varies so much with different seasons it can hardly be relied upon for winter pastures though it never fails to make an abundant growth early in the spring and its chief value is for mixing with other plants like orchard grass burr clover and vetches Along the Gulf coast its growth is less dependent orthe seasons and in Louisiana it is regarded as being one of the best winter grasses Seed should be sown in August or early in September at the rate of from 30 to 40 pounds per acre Fig 3 Annual Publication for 1896 385 Orchard Grass Dactylis glomerataThis lias given a better winter growth on wet and heavy clay soils with ordinary field treatment than any other grass which we have tested It is a per ennial which commences its spring growth with the first warm days of February and if not pastured is ready to cut for hay in April and will then afford excellent grazing un til checked by the summer drouth With the first autumn rains it starts a new growth of leaves making rich fall pasturage and remaining fresh and green all through the winter The hay made from it is of excellent quality though its habit of growing in large clumps is against its use as a hay grass but it bears grazing well and recovers quickly when cropped down It does well when mixed with redtop and succeeds better than almost any other grass in woodland pastures Sandy soils are not suited to its fig 4orciiari grass growth and it cannot be recommended for any light and thin lauds Seed should all be sown in August or very early in the spring at the rate of from 30 to 40 pounds per acre Fig 4 Terrell Grass Elymus virginciusThis is a native perennial grass which has received little attention but which is of considera ble value for winter pastures It grows most abundantly along creek banks in fence rows and on the borders of woodlands but with proper care can be made to grow on almost any soil This grass makes its best growth during the fall and winter months and it is ready to cut in May but the hay made from it is of inferior quality its special value is for winter pastures It commences its fall growth on the ap proach of cool weather just before lespedeza is killed by frosts and continues green and luxuri ant until it begins to seed in April or May Al though a perennial it is short lived under close grazing and stock should be taken from the fields sufficiently early to allow it to ripen its crop of Fig 5Terrell grass j i i i j 11 rpi seed which is produced in great abundance Ihe 25 a 386 Department of AgricultureGeorgia land on which it grows will give a crop of lespedeza during the sum mer which may be pastured from June onward and by the time the lespedeza is gone the grass will be ready for the fall and winter graz ing Experience with Terrell grass at the experiment stations in dicates that like rescue grass it will be of considerable value under good management though of little use when it fails to receive the proper attention Seed should be sown in August at the rate of from 30 to 40 pouuds per acre Fig 5 Teosinte Euchlcena luxuriansThis plant needs a long season of hot weather a rich soil and abundant moisture in order to suc ceed well aud it is useless to plant it where all these conditions cannot be had It is a remarkably vigorous grower reaching 10 or 12 feet in height with an unusually abundant supply of leaves and slender stems which continue to grow until killed by frosts If cut when it reaches 4 to 5 feet in height it makes excellent fodder and will produce a second crop fully as large as the first If left to grow until September or October it furnishes excellent material for the silo in greater amount per acre than either corn or sor ghum and we have found no other plant which is its equal for soil ing purposes Its leaves are simi lar to those of sorghum but much longer the stalks contain from 8 to 10 per cent of sugar The plants stool freely sometimes as many as 50 stalks growing from a single seed It has done fairly well at the Georgia and Missis sippi Experiment Stations and very little in North Carolina but has made a heavier crop than any other plant which has been grown at the Florida and Louisiana Sta tions In Mississippi the heaviest yield has been 22 tons per acre while the Louisiana Station reports the enormous yield of over 50 tons of green forage per acre Its value for feeding is apparent Fig 6TeosinteAnnual Publication for 1896 387 from the fact that the entire crop grown at the Louisiana Station was sold to local dairymen at the rate of 2 per ton while stand ing in the field Its season of growth is so long that it seldom matures north of latitude 30 degrees but it has ripened well at the Florida and Louisiana Stations The seed 4 to 5 pounds per acre should be planted in hills 4 or 5 feet apart each way about the time when cotton is planted and the crop cultivated like corn The greater distance should be given on the richer soils Fig 6 Bermuda Grass Cynodon dactylonBermuda grass is to the South what Kentucky blue grass is to the North and is the best hay grass for all rich soils It will grow well on any rich soil whether wet or dry but never makes a satisfactory growth on barren soils of any kind In favorable seasons it will gisre two cuttings and on good soils its yield is from 2 to 4 tons of hay per acre Having very slender stems with an abundance of leaves it is easily masticated and is relished by all kinds of stock being especially valuable for horses and mules though of less value for calves and milch cows When once established in a field it is some what difficult to eradicate and this is sometimes an objection to its general cultivation The best methods of destroying it is to plow the ground immediately after the hay is cut leaving it as rough as possible Plow again in November and sow to oats and when that crop is harvested plow again and sow thickly with cowpeas which will smother the few plants of the grass which may have survived the oats and will leave the land in the best possible con dition for any future crop As Bermuda grass rarely produces seed it is usually propagated by transplanting the roots This may be done preferably when the ground is thoroughly wet and soft at al most any time except in the winter months and is not more expen sive than is the seeding of the ground in the ordinary manner Shave off sods an inch or two in thickness cut them into pieces about an inch square and drop on the new ground about two feet apart each way stepping on each one and crowding it well into the soft ground as it is dropped If it is necessary to do the work when the ground is too hard for this method one man can make small Fig Bermuda grass388 Department of AgricultureGeorgia holes with a single stroke of a hoe while another drops the sods and covers them with his foot When the ground is in good con dition and the sods convenient one man can plant an acre in a day Good stands can be secured in time by scattering a dozen or more sods to the acre and then cultivating the laud in corn or cotton for two or three years after which the grass will have become so well distributed that the field will need only to be plowed and harrowed smooth to make a good meadow If the meadow is plowed and harrowed in the spring once in from three to five years the yield is greatly increased and the grass responds very quickly to an ap plication of fertilizer especially stable manure Fig 7 Perennial Rye Grass Lolium perenne also known as llandall grass and English meadow grassFor sowing with redtop and other slowgrowing sorts when immediate results are wanted for either pasture or hay this is one of the best varieties but it will seldom make a permanent meadow or pasture as it cannot endure heat It makes a quick and rapid growth covering the ground well in a few weeks after sowing and if sown in the fall it will give a good cut ting for hay in April after which little will be seen of it except in unusually favorable locations It is important that the crop should be cut as soon as well grown since if this is not done the warm rains of June and July cause the leaves to decay very rapidly and so smother the small plants of other grasses which may be growing on the fig sPeren same ground On deep rich river bottom lauds es nmi rye grass pecjay a Louisiana it often holds its own for some years and will give two or three cuttings during each season but this is not common and it never lasts more than one season when closely pastured Sow seed in October or February at the rate of from 50 to 60 pounds per acre if sown alone or half that amount if with redtop and other grasses Fig 8 Guinea Grass Panicum jumentorunt This is a native of Africa and the department first called attention to its value in 1873 when a considerable quantity of the seed was imported and distributed in the Southern States It is a perennial which requires a long season for its growth and since it ripens seed only in the ex Annual Publication for 1896 389 Fig 9Guinea grass treme South it is more commonly propagated by dividing the roots It has proved to be well adapted for cultivation on the sandy soils of Florida especially on wornout pine lands where few other grasses have given satisfactory results When allowed to mature it grows from 8 to 10 feet high but in order to secure satisfactory hay or forage for soiling it should be cut when not more than 3 feet high and it will furnish such a cutting every month or six weeks from April to November Few plants will yield a greater amount of fodder and for a region of only slight frosts and frequent rains it is one of the best forage crops we have Plants should be set about 3 feet apart each way in March or seed may be sown at the same time Fig 9 Grab Grass Panicum sanguinale In the Northern States this is regarded as a troublesome weed and wholly worthless but in the South its character is very different It makes a heavy spontaneous growth on fields from which wheat oats corn or other early crops have been harvested and on good soils will yield 2 tons per acre of hay which if cut before it is too ripe is fully equal in value to timothy In order to secure hay of the best quality it is essential that it be cut as soon as it is fully grown On land which was plowed in February and on which no other crop was grown we have cut four crops of about a ton each per acre in a single season As it makes its best growth late in the fall and as the hay made from it costs nothing but the harvest ing it is valued highly It makes its best growth on the sandy pine lands along the Gulf coast where it furnishes threefourths of the hay and where many of the planters say they wish for no better hay grass as this is good in quality fig iocrab grass inexpensive and a sure crop Mexican clover is usually found on the same lands and as it is also a volunteer crop growing at the same time with crab grass it adds largely to the 390 Department of AgricultureGeorgia yield and is claimed by many planters to improve the quality of the hay Fig 10 Texas Millet Panicum texanumIn the river bottom lauds especially in the extreme Southwest this is valued highly for a late hay crop It is an annual growing from 2 to 4 feet high very leafy and better for hay than for graziug It prefers rich alluvial soils where it comes in as does the crab grass on dry uplands its yield is not large Like crab grass it should be cut early be fore the seeds have matured when it makes excellent hay but if left until fully ripe the stems become too hard and woody and a large part of the seeds drop and are lost It has not succeeded well in the Atlantic States nor iu the northen parts of the Gulf States but seems specially adapted for use on the river bottom lands of the Southwest Seed may be sown at any time during the early summer at the rate of 40 pounds per acre and when one crop has been grown the land will not need reseeding Fig 11 Large Water Grass Paspalum dilatatum This is a native species which has received far less attention than it deserves though it is fouud in all parts of the South growing most abundantly on low black soils where there is an abundance of moisture It is a perennial and spreads slowly from the roots but it seeds freely and when once started will soon cover a field where the soil is suited to its growth It grows from 2 to 5 feet high and the stems are rather coarse for hay unless cut early but it produces an immense amount of long broad leaves which remain fresh and green during the entire win ter excepting after unusually heavy frosts It endures the longest drouths without injury bears grazing well starts into growth early in the spring and is one of our best pasture grasses Its habit of growing in clumps is against its use for hay but it is an excellent variety for mixing with redtop for permanent pastures as it grows best on the same character of soil and largely increases the yield Seed is rarely found in the market but a supply can be gathered Fig 11Texas milletAnnual Publication foe 1896 391 with little trouble it may be sown as soon as gathered or early in the spring Carpet Grass Paspalum plaiyaauleOn the sandy soils of the South Atlantic and Gulf States this is the most desirable of all grasses for pastures though its growth is too flat and spreading to make it of value for hay It is a perennial and as its name indicates has a creep ing habit of growth which covers the ground rapidly and thoroughly It is not injured by either frost or drouth and will bear more hard tramping and close grazing than any other grass which has been planted in these tests It is sel dom found on the unsettled lands which have not been trampled but whenever a field is pas tured closely it soon comes in and gives good grazing during the entire year It prefers a sandy soil to one which is heavy and will grow well even where the sand is quite loose provided it be well trampled as the trampling seeming to be essential to its successful growth on any soil It starts well from the seed and when once established grows rapidly a single plant often covering from 10 to 20 square feet in the sea son It roots at every joint like Bermuda grass but unlike that plant it is not injured by frosts and is readily destroyed by cultiva tion It can be introduced into new fields as directed for Bermuda grass or if it is mowed late in the season after the seed has matured and the hay is scattered over the new field it will soon make good pasturage Fig 12 Timothy Phleum pratenseAlthough this has been planted repeatedly not only on the grounds of the stations but in other places as well it has rarely given satisfactory returns and usually disappears during the second or third year from seeding It has done better at the North Carolina Experiment Station than else where Kentucky Blue Grass Poa pratensisThis has not given the uniform success here which it has farther north though in many places especially in North Carolina Northern Georgia and on the Fig 12Carpet grass392 Department of AgricultureGeorgia Fig 13Kentucky blue grass lime soils of Northern Mississippi it is of considerable value On low ground where the soil is darkcolored and contains an abun dance of lime and on seepy hillsides we have seen a few past ures of this grass which afforded good grazing in the late fall and winter months but it is useless to sow it on the dry clay hills or in the sandy pine woods region Here it remains almost dormant during the hot weather and its chief value is for mixing with Bermuda grass lespedeza and other summergrowing species Seed should be sown in September at the rate of forty pounds per acre It shows but little dur ing the first year from seeding but if the soil is suitable it continues to improve for many years Fig 13 German Millet Setaria italicaWhen a crop of hay is wanted from land which has been occu pied by oats or any other early crop German millet can often be used to advantage It is a grass which requires rich land and which is very exhausting to the soil it should not be put on land which is to be used next for cotton or grain though it may often be used to precede clover or the seeding of a field for a permanent pasture If cut early before the seeds begin to harden it makes excellent hay but if the seeds are allowed to mature the stems become so hard and woody that they are not eaten well and the seeds if fed in any considerable quantity are often injurious to horses and mules though not so to cattle The crop sometimes fails on account of a drouth soon after sowing but if rains follow so as to germinate the seed and give the plants a fair start they suffer but little from later drouths There are several varieties differing principally in size the form known as German millet being the largest growing from three to five feet high and making the best yield on heavy soils the common millet growing from two and a half to four feet high and being the best variety for light soils and the Hungarian millet which is the smallest and most quickly maturing sort of the three Seed may be sown at almost any time during the summer even as late as the first of August at the rate of from twentyfive to thirty pounds per acreAnnual Publication for 1896 ttao Johnson Grass Sorghum halepenseThis is at the same time one of the most valuable grasses and one of the most troublesome Aveeds to be found in the South It is a perennial which is easily propagated by either seeds or roots aud which makes its best growth on rich bottom lands where it soon occupies the whole ground giv ing three cuttings of about two tons each when in good condition The planter who wishes to grow hay and nothing else and who has no regard for the rights of his neighbors will find this a valuable species We have never seen it permanently cleared from a field where it had once become thoroughly established Fig 14 Fig 14Johnson grass LEGUMINOUS PLANTS While the true grasses will always furnish the bulk of the hay crop and the greater part of the pastures the cultivation of the clovers melilotus cowpeas and other leguminous plants is an essential part of all successful farming on account of the marked effect which they have in fertilizing and preparing the soil for future crops The parts of the plants which are above the soil are valuable as food for stock and those parts which are below the surface of the ground are often of equal value as food for future crops This is especially true in the Southern States where the subsoil is often very compact and impervious to water and where the longcontinued heat hastens nitrification and causes the rapid destruction and waste of vegetable matter in the soil As all of the legumes are deeprooting plants they aid greatly in loosening the subsoil aud in consequence cause it to suffer less from excessive rains or from drouth they furnish a large amount of humus and with a proper rotation of crops will furnish all the nitrogen the most expensive element in fertilizers that will be needed for other crops Soils may be rested and greatly improved by the growing of true grasses but the same effects can be secured more rapidly economically and profitably with leguminous crops which at the same time will furnish better grazing and hay for all fattening and milch animals There are but few of the legumes which will make permanent394 Department of AgricultureGeorgia pastures or meadows and for such fields the true grasses must be the maiu dependence but in most cases the planter will find it more profitable to follow a rotation which will keep his land in forage crops only so long as may be necessary to prepare it for other crops and for this two years is usually sufficient While leguminous crops are restorative in the highest degree for a few years their long continued cultivation on the same ground finally renders the soil incapable of reproducing them profitably A rotation of crops is universally recognized as being an essential to the highest success in farming and this rule applies to forage crops as well as to those cultivated with the plow and hoe In the Southern States the planter has his choice among a large number of these restorative crops which vary from three months to as many years in completing their growth and some one of which will be found suited to almostevery circumstance in which such a crop may be wanted In experiments conducted under the writers supervision the fol lowing species were found to be the most valuable of the legumi nous plants Cowpea Dolicos sinensisThere is no other crop which is planted so extensively in the South both for its hay and its fer tilizing value and we have found no other plant which will pro duce as large an amount of forage and valuable fertilizing material in as short a time It may be sown almost any time during the sum mer will grow on any soil except the most barren and makes ex cellent hay aud pasture Its long deep roots bring a large amount of plant food from the subsoil and leave it near the surface where it is available for future crops There are many varieties of the plant which are quite different in their habit of growth Some like the Unknown and the Clay produce an immense growth of vine and require a long season while others like the Pea of the Backwoods are quite dwarf aud mature in two months from planting Seed of most varieties must be sown every year though of some like the lied Tory the seed may be plowed under in the fall and the land sown in oats when another crop will be pro duced after the oats are harvested When sown broadcast after wheat oats or other early crop the running sorts make a heavyAnnual Publication for J 896 395 yield of hay which although somewhat difficult to cure is of the very best quality Hay of this kind is used almost exclusively to furnish a forage for mules on the sugar plantations of Louisiana By growing such a crop hay is made at a very small expense and the soil is shaded during the driest and hottest months and left loose and mellow and in the best possible condition for any future crop It is often desirable to plow under some green crop when it is impossible to give up the land for the two years necessary to grow a crop of red clover or melilotus and in such cases we have no other plant which can take the place of cowpeas Many planters use the dwarf varieties for planting between the rows of corn or cotton at the last plowing as when grown in this way they do not interfere with the growing crop and will give a fair yield of seed The decaying vines make a most excellent covering for the soil during the winter or they may be used for late pasture The roots penetrate the soil as deeply as those of red clover a fact which makes the crop especially valuable for heavy soils requiring drain age There is no other crop which will furnish the same amount of material for plowing under at so small a cost When laud is not in use for other crops for even two months during the summer it will always pay well to seed it with peas as the seed or forage which can be gathered will fully pay the cost of seeding and leave the fertilizing value of the crop as clear profit Seed may be sown at any time from May to August the amount per acre depending upon the variety and time of sowing If one of the large varieties is planted in hills early in the seasou two quarts will plant an acre but if dwarf varieties are sown broadcast in August not less than a bushel should be used Lespedeza or Japan Glover Lespedeza striataThis plant which came to this country from Japan was first noticed in South Carolina but has now become naturalized as far west as Texas and north to the Ohio river It is an annual which perpetuates itself without care and will make a fair growth on the poorest and driest clay hills It starts rather late in the spring making little show before June but from that time on it grows rapidly and is eaten greedily by all kinds of stock until killed by frost On sterile396 Department of AgricultureGeorgia soils its growth is flat and spreading and it is fit only for pasture but where the soil is of good quality it will grow from 20 to 30 inches high and two tons per acre of hay which is fully equal in value to the best clover and is the most profitable hay which can be grown on thin soils for feeding to milch cows and fattening ani mals This is not only one of the best hay and pasture plants but it is also one of the best for fertilizing purposes as it sends its roots deep into the ground and will grow on soils too barren for the growth of other legumes Like most other plants belonging to the same family it does best on a lime soil but it will do well on the red clay hills where red clover and melilotus fail It has not sue ceeded well on the sandy soils of the pine woods region Seed should be sown at the rate of a half bushel per acre with oats in the fall or by itself early in the spring Alfalfa Medicago sativaThis plant makes such heavy yields in favorable locations that it has received special attention at the ex periment stations but has given widely varying results On moder ately rich and sandy soils it hasproved quite valuable for soiling pur poses furnishing cuttings as early as February with frequent suc cessions until late in the summer while on dry hills or heavy clay and on soils where there is a lack of drainage its growth has been weak and unsatisfactory It has made a better growth on the al luvial soil of the Louisiana Station than any other hay and pasture plant which has been tested and is the only plant yet found which will successfully occupy the ground throughout the entire year At that station the first sowing was made in October 1890 and in June 1892 twenty months after planting fourteen cuttings av eraging nearly li tons per acre had been taken from the land Another field sowed in March 1892 had given two cuttings by the end of June At the Mississippi Station a field was sown in 1889 which gave three cuttings of about 1J tons each in 1890 while in 1892 the yield had decreased to three cuttings of abont one ton each In Florida it has succeeded well when a stand has been se cured while in Georgia and North Carolina it has been less prom ising It is difficult to secure a full stand as the young plants are easily killed by either excessive rains or a hot sun and we have found September and October the most favorable months for sow ing the seed Sow at the rate of from 20 to 25 pounds to the acreAnnual Publication for 1896 397 Burr Clover Medicago maculateThis is an annual plant which makes good winter grazing on rich soils but which is worthless for summer use and of little value for hay It is essentially a winter grower being at its best from February to May after which it ripens its seed and soon disappears Horses do not eat it well when other clovers or grasses are abundant but cattle seem quite fond of it and hogs eat it greedily We have found it an excellent plant for sow ing on Bermuda grass land as it matures its seed and dies at about the time the Bermuda grass starts into growth and when the latter is killed by frosts this soon takes its place A mixture of these two plants comes nearer giving continuous grazing than auy other mix ture we have tested For its best growth this clover should have a light and rich soil and in such a soil will reseed the ground freely even though the field be plowed for a summer crop Sow in August at the rate of 15 pounds per acre Melilotus Melilotus albaThis plant bears a close resemblance to alfalfa but it is larger and coarser in every way and is especially adapted for use on calcareous soils It will make an excellent growth on any lime lands even on the rotten limestone hills and on soils so barren that they will sus tain no other plants but it is of almost no value on the red clays and the sandy pine woods soils which contain little lime It is a biennial plant making only a moderate growth the first season but during the second season it will grow from 4 to 7 feet in height if not cut and make stronger and heavier roots than any other forage crop At the end of the second season it matures its seeds and dies and the roots then decay quickly It is not generally liked by animals unaccustomed to it but as it starts into growth very early in the spring when other green foliage is scarce stock turned on it at that time soon acquire a taste for it and eat it readily throughout the remainder of the season When grown for hay one and sometimes two crops can be cut in the fall Fig 15Melilotus albp398 Department of AgricultureGeorgia after sowing in the spring and during the next season two or three crops may be cut Unless cut early the stems become hard and woody and in all cases care is necessary in handling in order to prevent the loss of leaves which readily drop from the stems Ex cellent hay may be made by sowing it on lands which have been set in Johnson grass the mixture seeming to improve the payability of both From land cultivated in this manner we have seen three cuttings of about two tons each made in a season As a restorative crop for yellow loam and white lime lands this plant has no supe rior and for black prairie soils it has no equal The roots are very long penetrating the soil to a depth of three or four feet are quite large and by their decay at the end of second year leave the soil with innumerable minute holes which act as drains to carry off the surplus water and loosen the soil so that the roots of other crops can go deeper find more abundant supplies of food and bear drouth better While the hay from this plant will not sell as well as that from lespedeza the crop is heavier furnishes pasture earlier4 in the spring and is by far the most valuable crop we have for a uatnral fertililer Seed should be sown in August or February at the rate of half a bushel per acre Fig 15 Alsike Clover Trifolium hybridumThis too varies greatly with the soil on which it is grown succeeding best ou rather low and rich soils doing well on soils which are too wet and heavy for the growth of any other clovers It is a perennial similar to the white clover in its persistency and general habit but having nearly the size and vigor of the red clover which makes it one of the best of pasture plants on suitable soils Its yield of hay is light but it bears grazing well grows thriftily and bears heavy frosts without injury It has grown well on heavy and seepy clay soils but has been of little value in dry upland fields as drouth injures it seriously and it soon disappears from fields where it does not have an abundant supply of moisture It is the best of clovers for mixing with redtop as it requires the sam character of soil and remains in good condition long after th grass has ceased growing Sow in August or February at the rat of 10 pounds per acre Crimson Clover Trifolium incarnatum also known as scarletAnnual Publication foe 1896 399 cloverThis clover has attracted great attention in the South dur ing the last three or four years but the position which it will finally hold is still uncertain It has succeeded better and seemed to be more at home on the Atlantic coast than elsewhere and has given better results at the North Carolina Experiment Station than in either Georgia or Mississippi It has also done well in Louisiana and in speaking of its growth there Prof Stubbs says It is thoroughly at home in every part of the State making a large crop of excellent hay A combination of this crop and cowpeas affords the readiest means of quickly restoring wornout lauds or of furnishing a continual supply of fresh hay for stock It is an annual which commences its growth with the autumn rains often affording good pasturage from November to April when it matures its seed and dies On favorable soils it reseeds the ground freely and so will produce successive crops from a single seeding even though the ground be plowed and used for short summer crops like oats or millet Hay made from it is of good quality and a yield of two tons per acre is not uncommon though as it matures duriug cool weather the hay is somewhat difficult to cure It makes excellent grazing during the fall months after most other feed becomes dry and scarce Its principal value however is as a green crop to be plowed under as it can be sown in the fall for plow ing under in the spring while the cowpea melilotus and most other green manuring crops are summer growers and should be plowed under in the fall It varies greatly with the soil where it is grown appearing to be most successful on rather heavy clays containing but little lime and it has made only a weak and unsatisfactory growth when planted on the light sandy soils of the Gulf FlG 16Crlmson eIoTer coast although it made one heavy crop followed by two failures at the Florida Station At the North Carolina Station it is valued highly and good crops have been secured by sowing the seed broadcast in September and October without any previous prepara 400 Department of AgricultureGeorgia tion of the ground though ou other places only a few miles distant where the ground dries and crusts very quickly thorough prepara tion of the land and earlier sowing have been found necessary Sow from 10 to 15 pounds of seed per acre Fig 16 Red Glover Trifolium pratenseUntil recently it has been thought that red clover could not be grown in the Southern States but our experience has been that on suitable soils and with proper management it will grow fully as well here as in any of the Northern States and that while it does not last as long here its yield is heavier and ou account of its more rapid growth the quality of hay is better In North Carolina it has succeeded well and has maintained a full stand longer than in most other sections while on the sandy white soil of the Florida Station it has done but little At the Louisiana Station it has made a vigorous growth affording two large cuttings during the first season but it soon succumbs to the encroachments of native grasses At the Mississippi Station on rich creek bottom and on black prairie soils it has given excellent results making 2 tons of hay per acre m May another ton in June and in favorable seasons another ton in September though the last cutting has been unreliable on ac count of summer drouths Where such yields can be made it is one of the best crops which can be grown but there are many localities in the South where it has not been found profitable It requires a soil which is rich and in fairly good condition to secure a catch of the seed and on many soils where it makes a promis ing start and yields two or three cuttings it soon becomes overrun with the native grasses and is choked out Ordinarily it will not pay to grow it more than two years on the same ground as by the end of that time it will have done its best work in fertilizing the soil and the land will give better returns if the last crop of clover is plowed under and the field planted to some other crop As the plants produce seed abundantly here and are not infested with the insects which have recently caused so much damage to the crop in the Northern States there seems to be no reason why the seed crop should not become of considerable importance Red clover is a universally recognized standard in estimating the value of all other crops when grown either for hay or as aAnnual Publication foe 1896 401 greeu manure and we have made special efforts to test it on as great a variety of soils as possible and do not hesitate to recom mend it for all rich soils which are in good mechanical condition but it is useless to sow it on barren fields or on rough and poorly prepared lands of any kind It seems best suited for growth on alluvial and black prairie soils and has never been satisfactory on sandy or white lime lands August sowings have given the best satisfaction as the plants from such sowings are sufficiently strong to keep down any growth of wild grasses and weeds the next spring and will give a heavy cutting of hay in May If sown in February the more common time the first cutting will be principally of volunteer grasses but the clover will give two good cuttings later Sowing with oats in February is often suc cessful but the clover is often injured by cutting the oats thus removing the shade just at the beginning of the hot weather Sow a bushel of the seed to each 5 acres Hairy Vetch Vicia villosaOf the 28 vetches which the de partment has tested this is by far the best Seed of this species was first sown in October 1888 and since that time it has given heavy annual crops on the same ground although it has received no attention and the ground has not been plowed siuce the first sowing In 1889 another field was sown and has given equally good results It is an annual plant similar in growth to a very slender and straggling peavine the vines often reaching 10 or 12 feet in length and covering the ground with a dense mat of forage 2 feet in depth Its seeds germinate with the first autumn rains and in a favorable season cover the ground by the first of January and then furnish good grazing Fig 17Hairy vetch until April or May If stock are taken off the field in March the plants will mature and reseed the ground freely for the next year but if pastured until June the stand will be destroyed Stock of all kinds eat it greedily both iu the pastures and when cut for hay It bears our heaviest frosts without injury and is one of the few plants which can be grown during the winter for green manuring Fig 17 26 a402 Department of AgricultureGeorgia There is another vetch Vicia saliva the one commonly known simply as vetch which is quite largely grown in some sections of the South but it is smaller in its growth less hardy and in every way inferior to the hairy vetch The two are easily dis tinguished as the hairy vetch has a darkgreen hairy leaf and large clusters of purple flowers while the common vetch has a light ijreen smooth leaf and small clusters of pink flowers We regard the hairy vetch as being the most valuable winter forage plant which the department has imported and unhesitat ingly recommend it for cultivation on all rich soils Sow in August or September at the rate of 2 bushels per acre MEXICAN CLOVER RICHASDSONIA SCABRA This is not a true clover but takes its name from its habit of growth which is similar to that of red clover It is an annual a native of Mexico and Ceutral America and has become thoroughly naturalized in all the southern part of the pine woods region A sandy soil seems essential to its growth and like the crab grass it is much more abundant in cultivated fields than elsewhere coming up after other crops are harvested and making its best growth late in the season It is of little value for pasture but when cut for hay the yield is often 2 tons or more per acre The hay which is usually mixed with more or less crab grass is of excellent qualify While its roots do not go as deep as those of the true clovers it makes such a rank growth that it is of considerable value as a fertilizer and for covering the ground through the winter SUMMARY With reference to the selection of forage plants adapted to differ ent regions the soils of the South Atlantic and Gulf States may be classified as follows 1 Yellow loam soils 2 alluvial and river bottom soils 3 black prairie soils 4 pine woods soils The forage plants most successfully grown for different purposes on these soils are enumerated below Forage Plants for Yellow Loam SoilsFor permanent meadowsAnnual Publication foe 1896 403 on rich land Bermuda grass for a hay crop to occupy rich land two years red clover for a single hay crop on fair soils cowpeas on poor soil lespedeza For permanent pastures Bermuda grass and lespedeza to which may be added on dry soils orchard grass Hungarian brome grass and burr clover on wet soils the addition should consist of redtop water grass and alsike clover Crimson clover rescue grass Terrell grass and hairy vetch are recom mended for winter pasture Forage Plants for the Alluvial and River Bottom SoilsFor permanent meadows Bermuda grass and red clover on wet spots redtop and on welldrained soils alfalfa For a hay crop for a single season lespedeza or German millet For pastures Ber muda grass lespedeza redtop alsike clover burr clover alfalfa Japanese rye grass larger water grass and Terrell grass Forage Plants for the Black Prairie SoilsFor hay Bermuda grass red clover and melilotus For a hay crop for a single season lespedeza For a catch crop following oats potatoes etc cowpeas or German millet For pastures Bermuda grass les pedeza melilotus alsike clover Hungarian brome grass orchard grass redtop burr clover and hairy vetch Forage Plants for the Pine Woods SoilsFor hay Bermuda grass crab grass Mexican clover alfalfa crimson clover and les pedeza For pastures crimson clover Japanese rye grass orchard grass carpet grass and large water grass It must be remembered that variations in local conditions of soil and climate make it necessary to exercise great care in the selection of forage plants for particular purposes The more complete state ments of the conditions under which different species have proved successful given in the body of this bulletin should be considered in detail ibefore definite conclusions are drawn regarding the value of particular plants for any locality404 Department of AgricultureGeorgia FERTILIZER FORMULAS The following matter originally appeared in Bulletin No 27 but as that number has been nearly exhausted by the heavy demands for it the infor mation is here repeated with some modifications Some writers and speakers advise against the use of commercial fertil izersespecially during the prevalence of low prices for cotton It is con sidered hardly worth while to combat this idea It would be a very great blessin0 to any one farmer or to a few farmers scattered throughout the country if all the other farmers in the country would cease to use fertilizers So it would be also to a few farmers if all the others would cease to plant culton But all the others cannot be prevailed on to make such a sacrifice for the benefit of a few Every farmer would prefer to be one of that few The truth is the judicious use of commercial fertilizers is just as legitimate as the use of homemade manures and just as legitimate and expedient as is the use of improved machinery and implements or the selection of the most prolific varieties of corn or cotton or any other improvement or invention that would aid in saving labor or in making labor more effective But it should be expressly stated that the use of commercial fertilizers should be considered as only a valuable auxiliary to a system that involves first the careful saving of all home manures and second a judicious rotation including small grain and such renovating and manureproducing crops as cowpeas clover and the like Mixing Manures at HomeBut farmers as a rule ought to buy the raw materials and mix them at home Any intelligent farmer provided he knows what materials to buy and in what proportions to mix them can make jusl as good a fertilizer as the very best readymade guano on the market He may not succeed in producing as uniform a mixture either in composition or in mechanical condition as those sold in the market but this is of small practical importance The homemade guano is not subject to inspection and analysis and therefore it is by no means indispensable that every bagful shall be just the same as every other bagful either in composition or mechanical condition The Materials RequiredA careful study of Bulletins 17 and 22 pre pared by Dr H C White ViceDirector and Chemist of the Station will give much valuable information to farmers in regard to the food requirements of different plants the nature of the several ingredients which supply these de mands and the sources from which they are or may be obtained After such study the farmer will be better prepared to appreciate the importance of a proper selection of the materials required for making his home mixtures After carefully conducted experiments on the Station Farm covering a period of five years the following formulas are recommendtd with much con fidence especially those intended for corn and cotton This article taken from the Georgia Experiment Station Bulletin No 31r December 1895 is very valuable to every farmerAnnual Publication for 1896 405 FORMULA No 1For Corn Sugarcane Wheat Oats Sorghum Grasses etc Acid phosphate1000 pounds Cost 6 50 Muriate of potash 55 1 IS Cotton meal1000 9 00 2055 16 68 A ton of this would cost about 82 cents per cwt or 1640 per ton It would analyze about as follows Available phosphoric acid 700 per cent Potash K20130 Nitrogen340 Equivalent to ammonia408 FORMULA No 2For Cotton Acid phosphate1000 pounds Cost 6 50 Muriate of potash100 2 15 Cotton meal700 6 30 1800 14 95 This would cost about 83 cents per cwt or 1660 per ton It would an alyze about as follows Available phosphoric acid800 per cent Potash K20280 Nitrogen275 FORMULA No 3 Sweet Potatoes Irish Potatoes Melons Onions Cabbages Acid phosphate1000 pounds Cost 6 50 Kainit 1000 6 75 Cotton meal1000 9 00 3000 22 25 This would cost about 74 cents per cwt or 1483 per ton and would an alyze about as follows Available phosphoric acid 500 per cent Potash K20 450 Nitrogen250 Equivalent to ammonia300 In Formula No 3 when used on Irish potatoes it would be advisable to substitute 300 pounds of sulphate of potash or 500 pounds of hull ashes in place of the kainit And when applied to melons onions cabbages and other quickmaturing crops it would be well to reduce the quantity of cotton meal onehalf and add during the earlier stages ol cultivation about 230 pounds of nitrate of soda FORMULA NO 4Cowpeas Acid phosphate200 to 300 pounds per acre Kainit100 to 150 406 Department of AgricultureGeorgia The foregoing formulas will cover the ordinary demands of the average Georgia farm In all cases where muriate of potash occurs in the formulas four times the amount of kainit may be substituted or onehalf the amount of cotton hull ashes Where cotton meal occurs it imay be substituted by onehalf its weight of nitrate of soda or by two and a half times its weight of cottonseed Stable Manure CompostsIn all of the above formulas excepting No 4 stable manure may enter as an ingredient without necessarily displacing any one of thoss already named and without materially altering the proportions The stable manure may be used in any convenient or desired quantity Com posting several weeks before distributing in the soil does not seem to add materially to the effectiveness of the mixture If the manure is well decom posed it will do just as well to mix all together and deposit in the soil a few days before planting or separately one after the other the same day as to mix in a heap weeks beforehand and will involve considerably less labor of handling How to MixIt may beit often isnecessary to run through a riddle or screen some of the ingredients An ordinary sand screen will answer very well Weigh out the required amount of each ingredient necessary to make a given part of one ton say 500 pounds and mix with hoes and shovels on a tight floor or a smooth hard place on the ground Sometimes it will facilitate afterhandling if the mass be sprinkled with water sufficiently to prevent flying away in the wind Cost of Ingredients The station supply of fertilizing ingredients has just been laid in at the following prices cash delivered at Griffin the whole amounting to a carload Acid phosphate 15 available per ton 13 50 Muriate of potash 80 to 85 sulphate per ton 43 00 Kainit 12 potash per ton 13 50 Nitrate of soda 17 to 18 ammonia per ton 41 00 Cotton meal 85 ammonia per ton 18 00 By clubbing together and buying one or more carloads for the cash and from first hands farmers might secure even better prices than the above HOW MUCH FERTILIZER TO THE ACRE The formulas for convenience are all based on 1000 pounds of acid phos phate as this is the most important ingredient For Corn Very large applications are not advised Apply enough of any mixture that may be made according to Formula No 1 to get from 100 to 200 pounds of acid phosphate to the acre For Cotton Apply of any mixture based on Formula No 2 to get from 200 to 500 pounds of acid phosphate per acre For Sweet or Irish Potatoes etc Apply enough of Formula No 3 to get from 300 to 600 pounds of acid phosphate per acre For Cabbage Onions and other Garden Vegetables Apply enough of Formula No 3 to get 600 to 1000 pounds of acid phosphate per acre It is generally advisable to apply a small quantity of soluble or quickly available fertilizer directly in the furrow with the planting seed As alreadyAnnual Publication for 1896 407 recommended see Note 2 under Experiment 6 in this bulletin a mixture of 10 pounds of nitrate of soda 30 pounds of acid phosphate and 60 pounds or more of any fine dry material such as rotton manure plaster coal ashes or land plaster answers well for this purpose for one acre THE SYSTEM AND METHODS PRACTICED AT THE STATION FARM Any one who will carefully examine the details and note the crop results of the experiments will see that the system practiced on the Station Farm has greatly increaed the productiveness of the soil under cultivation Unfer tilized plots on sections under experimental culture in 1890 six years ago show that the unaided productive capacity of the soil has been increased from 75 to 150 per cent This result is not due alone to the liberal use of fertilizers but to a combination of thorough preparation and culture judicious and lib eral manuring and rotation of crops Selected or improved seeds have been used from the first hence their use has not been a material factor yet it is one that would play a very effective part on farms where no care has been used in the past in providing good seed In this connection a short account of the system of rotation practiced on the Station Farm the fertilizer formulas used and the methods and imple ments of cultivation will probably be of interest to many readers ROTATION This is based on what would be called a three years course but has been occasionally modified according to the exigencies which arise in the course of extensive field experimentation The main features of the system are chiefly applicable to the four leading crops on the average Georgia farmsmall grain cowpeas cotton and corn but the principle is also applicable to the smaller crops or those occupying relatively smaller areas The three years course in these main crops implies a division of the larger part of a farm into three approximately equal parts I will suppose that the svstem is to be applied to an ordinary private farm and a beginning to be made say September 1 First YearOnethird of the land should be sown in small grain mainly oats devoting corn land to this The small grain should be liberally fertilized with a highly ammoniated fertilizer formulas for which will be given further on On the Station no better variety of oats has been found than the Appier oat a strain of the Texas Rustproof but the latter is nearly as good The only objection to the Appier as well as the Texas is the fact that it is not distinctively a winter oat it is liable to be killed by very severe freezes The Winter Turf is more hardy in this respect but not so proof against rust The oats should be followed immediately by cowpeas sown either in 3 to 4 feet drills or broadcast Our experiments indicate that planted in the drill and plowed once or twice cowpeas will yield more peas as well as more hay But many prefer sowing broadcast because 1 it involves less labor but moreseed and 2 the crab and other native grasses that spring up and mature with the peas make it easier to cure the hay If broadcast four to five pecks are sufficient to seed an acre The crop should receive a dose of about 200 pounds of acid phosphate and 100 pounds of kainit per acre Our experiments indicate that it is decidedly best to convert the peavines into hay mowing them when in full bloom and when there are a few grown pods408 Department of AgricultureGeorgia The stubble may remain and a light secondgrowth will be secured before frost Just before or soon after a killing frost the pea stubble is turned under with a twohorse plow If convenient to pasture cattle and hogs may be turned on successive portions of the peafields instead of converting the vines into hay or a portion of the peas may be picked Second YearThis same division should be liberally fertilized and planted in cotton using the very best seed obtainable In the fall of the year say in September it is suggested to sow the cotton fields in rye say onehalf bushel or less per acre or in crimson clover This is especially recommended on land that is liable to wash and leach during the winter but the principal aim is to supply a growing crop that will appropriate and hold the soluble plant food left in the soil or that will become soluble during the winter Third YearThe land previously in cotton is the place for the corn crop During the latter part of January and February 20 the ground should be thoroughly broken flush with a twohorse plow On the Station it has not been found expedient or profitable to fertilize the corn crop very highly but it should rather follow a highly fertilized cotton crop Cowpeas should be planted in the middles between the corn rowsif wider than five feet or sown broad cast at last plowing This completes the three years course and the corn should be followed by small grain and cowpeascommencing again The above is a general outline of the system which is recommended for general adoption throughout the cotton belt Of course it may be modified according to circumstances For instance in some sections tobacco may take the placein part or in wholeof cotton in the mountain region the oats may be found to succeed better if sown in the spring etc Only one of the three supposed divisions of the farm has been followed up iii the above outline of course the other two will rotate in the same order so that each year onethird shall be in small grain and peas onethird in cot ton and onethird in corn These three principal divisions cover the main portion of the farm in cultivation There may be another division equal in extent devoted to permanent pasture The minor crops of the farm includ ing sweet potatoes truck patches forage for soil feeding orchards etc may have a rotation among themselves and together may cover an area nearly equal to one of the main crops so that in practical operation a farm of 100 acres of open land may be divided somewhat as follows Small grain and peas 20 acres cotton 20 acres corn and peas 20 acres permanent pasture 20 acres orchards vineyards truck and garden forage crops peanuts chufas potatoes melons etc 20 acres A SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY TEST OF COWPEAS 1 The earliest cowpea and hence the variety best adapted to high lati tudes is the New Era this matures in a little more than sixty days from time of planting Other very early varieties are Congo White Giant Chocolate and Vacuum 2 The heaviest yielder of vines is Red Ripper followed closely by Forage or Shinny Black and UnknownAnnual Publication foe 1896 409 3 The heaviest producers of Peas are Unknown Calico Clay and White Brown Hull 4 The yield of peas as a rule though not invariably parallels the yield of Tines 5 For hay the erect varieties are preferable to those of a recumbent habit since the mower cuts them all The best of the erect varieties are the Unknown Clay and Whippoorwill 5 Where a dense mass of vines is wanted to remain all winter on the ground Calico Gourd Black and Constitution are preferable 7 The best table peas are Sugar Croivder While Crowder Mush Large Lady Small Lady and Rice 8 The best stock pea for field grazing of either cattle or hogs is the Black It will remain in ground all winter without injury Everlasting Red and Red Ripper are also good 9 For an all purpose pea the Unknown leads the list Clay however closely contests first place Unknown and Wonderful are identicalGeorgia Experiment Station A SUMMARY OF THE FERTILIZER TEST ON COWPEAS 1 It is money thrown away to apply any form of nitrogenous fertilizer to the cowpea It is possible however that a very light topdressing of nitrate of soda ma prove an exception if seasonably applied at the period of sus pended growth 2 The use of potash salts in large quantities is unprofitable and even in small quantities will not pay in the oak and hickory region of the South On other than oak and hickory lands small doses may prove profitable in con junction with acid phosphate and the longer the land has been in cultiva tion the greater becomes this probability even in the oak and hickory belt 3 Heavy applications of any form or combination of fertilizers are un profitable 4 The moderate use of uncombined phosphates appears still to return the best results from an economical standpoint 5 As between superphosphate acid phosphate and Florida soft phos phate unacidulated ground rock results indicate decided preference for the former so far as the growth of vines is concerned 6 There is less difference observable between the two in the formation of peas though superphosphate still appears to be preferable 7 The finely pulverized condition of soft phosphate is a great objection to its use rendering it extremely difficult to handle without loss 8 There is not a sufficient difference in price between the two forms of phosphate to render salt phosphate at present an active competitor to acid phosphate unless the ascertained results were more emphatic in its favor Their comparative availability must be for the present considered an open question to be definitely settled only by further experimentation 9 The quantity of acid phosphate which may be safely depended upon410 Department of AgricultureGeorgia differs of course with the character of the land The better the soil in its mechanical composition as well as in its chemical contents the greater the amount that may be profitably used A range of from 200 to 400 lbs per acre will probably cover all contingenciesGeorgia Experiment Station A SUMMARY OF THE BULLETIN ON SWEET POTATOES 1 A compound of 320 lbs acid phosphate 360 lbs cottonseed meal and 640 lbs kainit in all 1320 lbs per acre secures the best results as a fertilizer Possibly the amount of kainit could be reduced to 400 lbs with advantage The cost would approximate S1139 2 Cottonseed meal is preferable to nitrate of soda as a source of nitrogen 3 Kainit is preferable to muriate of potash as a source of potash 4 Florida soft phosphate appears to be equally as valuable as acid phos phate the difference if any being rather in its favor It is cheaper than acid phosphate but not sufficiently so and is very inconvenient to handle It can only be classed as promising and worthy of further trial 5 Ridge culture pays if the season is a wet one it does not pay in a dry summer On the whole it is not recommended 6 Pinching or pruning the vine periodically during the summer is a dele terious practice and should be abandoned 7 Loosing the vines to prevent them from rooting during the season is also injurious Possibly in a very wet year it might prove beneficial 8 Eighteen inches iuthe row is still recommended as the proper distance for setting draws or slips 9 Putting two slips or draws to the hill appears to produce more potatoes but the result needs confirmation 10 The heaviest yielder appears to be White St Domingo 11 The best potato in point of quality is the Georgia Yam but it is unpro ductive 12 The best combination potato is probably the Tennessee Yam It is of ex cellent quality and quite productiveGeorgia Experiment StationAnnual Publication foe 1896 411 ADDRESSES DELIVERED BEFJEE THE ANNUAL MEETING GEORGIA DAIRYMENS ASSOCIATION 1895 The following addresses delivered before the Georgia Dairymens Association at their annual meeting in 1895 will be found both entertaining and instructive THE UNEXPECTED IN BREEDING MR BBNJ W HUNTS FIRST PAPER It is the unexpected that gives piquancy to life Were we able to forecast the future with any degree of accuracy existence would be levelled to a monotony that would make suicides of the best of us All that we enjoy is charged with the unexpected This is true of literature of painting of sculpture of architecture the unearthing of archaeological ruins in short of all the higher enjoyments vouch safed to civilized man The unexpected has changed the destiny of nations as it now changes individual man The imposition of a tax so slight in its burden as to scarcely be noticeable to the taxpayer cost Great Britain a continent A failure on the part of the aristocracy of France to realize the unexpected412 Department of AgricultureGeorgia political development of the peasantry brought about the greatest national catastrophe of modern times Three words Rum Roman ism and Rebellion strung together simply for their apt illiteratiou in au afterdinner speech by a man not a politician or an official of the government cost the Republican party the ascendancy it had possessed for thirty years The farmer is no more exempt from the law of the unexpected than are others Indeed the successful hus bandman flourishes rather by taking advantage of the unexpected while his unprepared brother falls behind in the race for success from his inability to be ready in advance to grapple with whatever may come For the use of the former class exist banks savings institutions life marine and fire insurance companies for the use of the latter charity schools and almshouses But for the latter class there could be no buncosteerers sawdust dealers and traveling fakirs selling to farmers patent churns stoves lightningrods wash ing machines and all manner of useless rubbish only asking the signature of the unprepared farmer not equipped to meet his unex pected glibtougued guest That signature so easy to affix to a note maturing months hence to be met with the sale of fruit which according to the colored lithograph of the seller will be finer than any ever seen in the world for a fact none ever did or ever will grow like those pictures Even the spies of the Bible carrying a bunch of grapes on a rail between two giants never dreamed of pomological specimens equal to that of the traveling salesman whose canned fruit magnified several diameters by the glass and liquor surround ing it the man shows the farmer as a fair sample of what all his trees will produce Strange it would be if the law of the unexpected should run through all other departments of life and omit the stock raiser No my brethren we have had our visits as frequent as they could be and still not get monotonous Accidents have come to my Jersey herd in the guise of cattle fever softening of the bones for want of lime epidemic abortion infectious scours in calves cuts obstetrical cases and all manner of things at all times of day and night The law of the unexpected says to the law of heredity This is my turn stand aside while I make the daughter of the best cow in the herd a perfect appearing yet unprofitable dairy animal and with theAnnual Publication foe 1896 413 calf of the inferior cow I will have my rule obeyed and she shall be the best in the herd Fortunately this occurs only often enough to keep us in suspense If it were the rule instead of being the ex ception all improvement in the breeding of domestic animals would cease The unexpected strikes us in the sorest place we have viz in price For after all the pleasure of breeding raising and plan ning to produce the best that can be done when the measuringstick of price shows it all to have cost more than it has come to we have truly failed Financial success must be the basis of general success None but those too rich to care too opulent to fully enjoy can afford to produce domestic animals of any kind at a financial loss When live stock sells high it matters little what the first cost is the increase proves highly remunerative But when the first cost has been high and the price declines very low without sales the stock raiser truly isentertaining an unwelcome visitor in the unexpected Yet this is so sure to happen that it really ought not to be so classed In horse breeding at the present time this state of affairs exists increased to an enormous extent by three other factors also unex pected First the fashion of welltodo Americans to breed pedi greed horses because it was the fashion raising more than this continent needed Second the sudden and extensive use of cable and electric cars in cities where horses drawing omnibuses and street cars had heretofore monopolized the passenger traffic Third and greatest the rubbertired improved bicycle used by men women and children who were heretofore dependent upon horses for outdoor movement No forecast of the future could have foreseen ail these factors hence they truly come within the realm of the unexpected Indeed upon the first use of steam cars the wise prophets had been misled into believing that the price of horses would decline while in fact the railroad but furthered the demand and increased the price of horses for years by rapidly settling and civilizing this new continent We have all known people to go through life absolutely believing that which they wished to believe All disasters that they should have provided against were called by them acts of providence They allow the family to drink water charged with fever germs and414 Department of AgricultureGeorgia when the children die say The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away never removing the pigpen from the wells side I do not know it for a fact but I would risk my reputation as a judge of human nature that the dairyman whose milk carried typhoid fever to hundreds in Stratford Conn last summer considered himself a muchabused man when the health authorities of that town put a stop to his murderous work In my endeavor to impress upon dairymen their moral responsi bility to the public I must necessarily omit all but a few of the niost deadly diseases easily carried from the point of infection through dairy produce to every individual in the civilized world Our prod uct is the only one excluding fruit which latter can only be con taminated on the outside that is consumed in a raw state thereby escaping the sterilizing effect of cooking The butcher that sells the beef of a consumptive cow is doubtless a criminal but not as Iowa murderer in the scale of criminality as the dairyman who sells to his trusting customers the milk of his consumptive cows to raise their babies on Wise indeed were the Hebrews whose priests guarded the bodies of their coreligionists from the contamination of diseased meat Every people tribe and nation contemporary with them absorbed or exterminated still they remain to teach a lesson and point a moral All cleanliness costs labor which is another word for money and we who religiously do our whole duty to the public that consumes our milk and butter should be paid proportionately If the con sumers will not do their part those of us who are intelligent and moral will turn to other callings allowing the ignorant and vicious to supply the consuming public with cheap unclean and possibly contaminated dairy produce The visit of the unexpected never brought more surprise to Panola Farm than did the fact that one might have the best cows individually as in pedigreebred from the best of bulls brought hundreds of miles because his ancestors had excelled all others and yet fail of success through the cruelty of herdsmen I furnished to my Jersey herd all that could develop them ex cept the necessary kindness which they failed to get from my negro laborers Alas these socalled lower animals had been longerAnnual Publication for 1896 415 under the law of kindness and domestication than had the barba rians whose duty it was to care for them Two years output of calves from Panola Farm had to be dis posed of at reduced prices owing to the negro feeder and milker persisting in making the cattle fear him contrary to my orders Money will only buy that which is for sale I offered any wages for gentle treatment but the seller of his labor owned not this quality All dairymen know that any excitement or fear on the part of the cows decreases the milk as well as the yield of butter The mammary glands of the cow like those of all other animals de pendent upon that maternal function necessarily yield food and substance accompanied with love and affection to the one depend ent thereon Deprive the cow by cruel treatment of that love and affection and I assert she will never be a profitable animal This is one rule to which I have never known a single exception Let the cow anticipate a caress from the caretaker never fear a blow then and then only will she do her best A great dairy cow is probably the truest index of the highest civilization of man The successful Southern dairyman who of necessity is a stock raiser must be somewhat of a chemist in the balancing f cattle rations must know the genealogy of the bulls and cows which have been the best of his chosen breed with a wider view than his own State and section he should be as familiar as Darwin with the law of heredity must have a knowledge of veterinary science including obstetrics must be broad enough to make allowance for the fact that dairying is so new an industry to the South that there exists absolutely no literature for us to follow or landmarks for our guidance That which succeeds in Wisconsin or New York often fails in Georgia to be profitable or desirable be it even the popular idols maize ensilage or timothy hay The grasses that the average Georgia farmer would destroy are his best friends His work being new success will come harder cost more effort and most of the beginners will drop out of the race ere it is finished The dairyman who overcomes the obstacles however lives an altruist to his section Improved dairy cattle are never lost The good work done in introducing them necessitates better care better416 Department of AgricultureGeorgia feeding more painstaking handling of the dairy produce and the cattle from that center will be better cattle for all future time The reward will be good wishes and full appreciation of the labor per formed do you think in your neighborhood Oh no that is not the way with human natureit is the unexpected that will happen Every man owning a grade will say it is better thau a thorough bred petty jealousies will hardly be hidden and if you succeed you can only finally enjoy that which comes to all of us upon re flection that we have fought the good fight with the unexpected when he has come as an enemy have enjoyed his visits to the full when he has come as dispenser of pleasure or as a friend He comes in many guises We shall have lived the life of altruists in many ways leaving the world richer for our work permanently improving the domestic animals the very foundation of civilization Mr Hunt was asked a number of questions by the delegates on the conclusion of his paper He spoke in flattering terms of grade Jerseys He had seen and J Jerseys that were as good in many respects as pure Jerseys but did not give as high a butter test The crosses have generally been with the few Short Horns that were left in the country QuestionWhat is the best breed to cross with Jerseys Mr HuntI dont think anybody can answer that question in a hundred years to come My own opinion would be that they should be crossed with the Guernseys they are both Chanuel Island cattle and their native homes are very close together The best cows I have ever seen outside of the Jerseys were Guernseys QuestionWould you advise bringing in fresh blood to your herd Mr HuntIf I could find a better bull I would bring him from the end of the world I dont think I would bring in any but the males Question by Secretary DugganWould there be any reason tor crossing under any circumstances Mr HuntI would not I believe this would have advanced the dairy cow if there had been a standard made allowing every cow accordance to her performance instead of the registry of bloodAnnual Publication foe 1896 417 Say every cow that will give two pounds of butterI would not mix the blood but I would buy the bull that came from the cow showing the best performance The PresidentI understand Mr Hunt has another paper pre pared and if it is not asking too much from him I am sure the convention would be much pleased to listen to it DISEASES OF CATTLE MR B VV HUNTS SECOND PAPER In my twenty years experience as a stockraiser in Georgia the three almost insuperable obstacles that I have encountered and over come are First that terror of the importer of cattle that deadly foe of the bovine race Texas cattle fever When I first brought cattle to Georgia I had heard rumors of bloody murrain red water and Texas fever but as for scientific knowledge there was none on this subject My loss in an importation of twenty heifers brought South after frost because that was thought to be the safest time to bring them was three out of five died the next summer Not one of these cattle developed fever until the summer season came Medicines gave a similar result to that of drugs in yellow fever among human beingsthey probably are an actual damage The only hope appeared in the fact that younger animals more often survived than their older and larger sisters At that time I sup posed all Southernborn cattle were safe but I soon found that when I raised my cattle upon my dry upland and turned them to graze upon undrained swamp pasture land they would die like the Northern importations of genuine cattle fever Their Southern nativity was no shield to them Noticing that one severe attack saved the animal from a recurrence I put the two facts together viz that calves did not die and one attack rendered them immune and my deliverance was at hand Strange indeed that the dead liest place on my farms where I had lost most cows should be my salvation from loss and anxiety thereafter For each calf while it is young enough to be a milkdrinking animal is given the genuine 27 a418 Department op AgricultureGeorgia Texas fever by being confined on the infected pasture Of course it gets sick and somewhat thin but that is a cheap price to pay for immunity I never lose one I was wholly unaware that the Southern cattle ticks carried the fever germ as the United States Government has so clearly demon strated This summer I have brought cattle ticks from my in fected pastures and applied them to susceptible calves but it will take some years to demonstrate that this will produce immunes as surely as my old way And now having lost moneythousands of dollarsand after twenty years experience and observation and patient experiment and having crossed the ocean studied Pasteurs methods of inocu lation in his own laboratory in Paris exhausted all the literature available to me on two continents I claim that I have on my own farm mastered Texas cattle fever The second great obstacle to the production of fine stock in the South appears to be the absence of boneforming material in the food eaten and water drunk by our domestic animals Either this or else the boneforming material taken into the system is elim inated instead of being assimilated I allude especially to soften ing of the bones in dairy cows generally called hollowtail and osteoporosis in horses called big head The unfortunate naming of these diseases has made many scientific people doubtful of their actual existence as the naming of that terrible malady hydro phobia has built up a school of physicians who are wholly skepti cal of its existence My own belief is that usually underlying popular superstitions there is hidden some germ of truth In both diseases the bones instead of being hard and mineral in their composition become soft and pliable cutting to the knife like cartilage The animals need ashes sulphur and probably sul phate of iron phosphate of lime and hyposulphite of soda Pos sibly the accompaniment of the deadly poison stromonium may make these mineral substances more available to the depleted sys tem of the diseased animal I assert as a fact proved that big head in horses is a curable disease Flatulent colic I would class as third on my list to be overcomeAnnual Publication foe 1896 419 in stockraising More money is lost to the Southern States every year by this than any other animal disease yet nothing else is so easily cured if taken in time Simple flatulency is the formation of gas which strains the bowels of the horse until they rupture and death always ensues In cows the elasticity is so great that gener ally death comes in the form of asphyxiation The trocar inserted front of the right hip of the horse or the left hip of the cow will give instant relief Those who have access to recently published veterinary works will find information it is true but the books do not tell you that the trocar in the cow can be as small as a physi cians aspirating needle if you will insert it in a vertical position tapping the top of the paunch Nothing but simply putting in use a little mechanical knowledge that gas rises to the highest point attainable is necessary The trocar inserted at the usual prescribed angle often gets stopped with partly digested food With ones library filled with standard books they prove only slight aids in the matters that come before the stockraiser con stantly Common sense must be used a hundred times while the books are referred to once for technical information Indeed in veterinary practice it is seldom that a case occurs just like any de scribed in books hence there must constantly be exercised com mon sense and the highest and best judgment is but common sense under another name On motion the thanks of the convention was tendered to Mr Hunt for the valuable information furnished by his two papers and that he be requested to furnish copies for publication The motion was carried unanimously Captain ParkI now move that we hear from Mr Gould as we have plenty of time before dinner The motion prevailed The PresidentI will now introduce to you a gentleman of high reputation throughout the North and West as a practical and suc cessful dairy farmer a most instructive writer and speaker on dairy topics and general farming a man who is in request everywhere a good talker is wanted What he does not know about dairying it would require but little space to recordMr John Gould of Aurora Ohio420 Department of AgricultureGeorgia MR GOULDS ADDRESS EXTRACTS FROM THE ADDRESS OF JOHN GOULD OF AURORA OHIO ON THE A B C OF DAIRYING Mr President and GentlemenIt is with much pleasure that I appear hefore you today to address you on the great subject of dairying and attempt as many have before me to inspire a deeper and heartier purpose to be better dairymen and make the dairy one of the great recognized pursuits of the present times and attempt to bring all its followers upon higher planes of precept and practice and make it not only an industry worthy of acceptance but place it among the learned and skilled occupations One of the pleasant things met with in these conventions is not the only universal good fellowship but the entire agreement for meet where we will come from whatever section we may believe as we may or will on all other subjects or matters there is substantial agreement in the sup port of the government of the kingdom of the cow more than this there is substantial agreement in this that there is a demanded cause for studious and well informed information concerning the dairy and its management and to secure this brain work is needed in ever constaut application and he who best succeeds is he who at the beginning commenced at the very A B C of the industry and made steady progress to the front finding safe ground before ven turing far at any step I am aware that my good friends the Methodists recognize the possibility of an instant work of grace but this dairy industry is one in which its full realization is not acquired in a day but is a sort of an evolution A B Cs first A Bs afterwards and so on up to BAKE R words of two syllables which when accomplished in my school days entitled the pupil to spell in the big class In coming to Georgia to address you I confess to being placed in a peculiar position as climate and conditions are all so very dif ferent but if you will for a moment consider that dairying as an occupation is an interference with a plan of natures and is a transfer of certain food elements from the channels marked out by nature and that it is in fact nothing more or less than making comAnnual Publication for 1896 421 merce of the maternal office of the cow the dairyman in fact tak ing the place of the calf and appropriating the milk of the cow out of which to make milk butter cheese for human food support this makes it easy to comprehend why the great fundamental laws of dairying are the same everywhere it is simply treating the cow as a bovine mother administering to her every want and re quirement in accordance with these fixed laws of nature and the dairyman who can best comprehend these laws and best administer to them becomes the most successful What shall become of the milk and into what it shall be made is a mechanical affair The first great thing is to get the milk greatest in quantity and best in quality made at the least expenditure of food and of foods best in quality and grown at least cost and it is along these lines that the dairyman is most interested A man may learn to make the finest butter in a week but to breed a herd feed and direct and properly bring the heifer calf into the dairy care for and feed a cow to best develop her into a perfect cow and keep up her vitality and insure her in transferring her good qualities to her offspring is an acquire ment that is not attained to in a day scarcely in a score of years and as competition grows fiercer and new countries come into the markets with their dairy produce new methods have to be adopted to meet the changed and shifting conditions and demands of con sumers and the study of the dairy never ends and new leaves in the dairy book of trial and experimental experience must be turned every year So the successful dairyman cannot allow himself to get into ruts be influenced by the traditions of the fathers or ex pect that the moon will show him by signs and wonders how he may excel him who stands by the side of science and patient in vestigation and experiment to aid him Then the next consideration is the cow and her adaptation to the condition governing the locality where dairying is to be attempted and it is well to remark that the making of butter always pioneers large dairy development and so in Georgia I am sure it will be no mistake to adopt some of the special butter breeds as the pioneer cow and as the Jersey of Georgia and Alabama has in her south ern environments made a wonderful record and is already in dif fused blood at least widely disseminated over the State it might be422 Department of AgricultureGeorgia as well to take what has proved so excellent and by judicious breeding build up a stock of dairy cows of great excellence Pos sibly the Guernseys might do well but if you have found a cow that is of strong constitution and readily adapts herself to your condi tions it would not be a wise thing to do in your A B C of dairying to try a great many experiments along this line but copy from such pioneers as Capt Hunt Mr Field and Col Park In breeding these cows remember that the sire is great in his influence and if he is an animal of great constitution and strongly impresses his in dividuality I would use him as a sire upon his own daughters thus getting a 75 per cent influence of the quality you are seeking after and if this second generation are the selected heifersof full health and vigor a third cross may be ventured upon then go out side and get fresh blood and all experiments show that such a course is one of not only decided advantage but advance in dairy qualities I am sure that much of the disfavor attached to line breeding has been acquired from the bad mating of sires and daugh ters rather than as a result of that amalgamating of relationship which should not be allowed in any other way than the breeding back of daughters and granddaughters to the first sire never relation ship in degree The South I take it is not in need of the large boned dairy cow of large proportions heuce in this A B Oof dairy ing I am quite sure the 800 to 1000pound cow is the one from which you will get the best results Just here I wish to make a sort of side issue remark in regard to the cow and that she is an individual so to speak with born traits and qualities of her own and no handling of two cows will make them essentially the same They are not nor never can be made duplicate machines The machine simply picks up and puts into some other form with out changing their character the material fed to it Two machines made alike supplied with equal power fed the same amount of ma terial will give back results alike and of the same quality No two cows are alike eat alike appropriate food alike milk alike or produce alike Cows are born to do certain things and are rarely changed and only to a slight degree afterwards Machines are made to do certain things and if they fail are built over and changedAnnual Publication foe 1896 423 until they do the work Cows have their likes aud dislikes a tem perament of their individual own and show a difference in product that cannot be explained on the machine theory Some cows eat largely and give small measures of poor milk others eat far less and give an abundance of rich milk and no skill of the feeder can change the results This is also apparentthat the food a cow consumes is used to make blood and from the blood all the organs and glands of the body are supplied and waste repaired and re newed No one has ever changed the character of the blood or changed its parts by changing the food of the cow No one has ever changed the character of the secretions of the glands by change of food and the udder is a gland and is governed by the same laws of special secretion hence it is impossible to change the relations of the solids a cow may give in the milk The amount of water that may be forced into the milk glands may be temporarily inter fered with and conclusions jumped at that milk can be made richer or poorer but the man is not living who has profited by his belief that he can feed richness into a cows milk Then our second ABC lesson takes in a very wide realm of na turethat of plant life and the relation between it aud animal life and this brought down to the practical feeding and support of the cow what the cow shall eat what kinds and what are the proper kinds of nutrition how compounded and how fed So we must find out what elements the cow must have and then know in what plants to seek for them and classify them into groups so that starch bearing plants may be known from the nitrogenous ones so that we can grow in profusion the starch plauts of which we want five times as much food solids as from the nitrogenous ones for nature re quires five times as much fuel to burn as it does of the muscleform ing aud nervestimulating elements Here is a field in which your experiment station can aid you best in ascertaining and classifying possibly the Southern cow with less demand upon her for protection from the cold can be more properly fed on a narrower ratioless starch and more nitrogenbut while I do not find all of our Northern grasses down here I am sure nature has provided you with others and that all that is needed is grouping and getting what you have in their order to quickly de424 Department of AgricultureGeorgia vise a full balanced ration perfectly adapted to your wants and I am sure in this that you will have the readiest cooperation of your honored president and staff of scientists Thus we have a balanced ration with which to sustain the cow and in its way elaborate the milk and having the first lessons in our A B C of dairying in mind how shall we dairy and in what way can a proper division be made to best stimulate and encourage those who are and those who propose to engage in it I have nothing to conceal in this matter and here wish to say that in the year 1895 there has not been great encouragement but here where you are actually importing the most of your butter and cheese as well as train loads of oleo this matter of dairying for years to come must be one of home supply to meet in fact a local de mand and as dairy stock cannot be had to order but must be bred and raised and blanks without number occurring all the time as well as all the other misfortunes connected with dairying one if he feels as if the farm offered him larger possibilities than all cotton there need be no hesitancy in starting in with a dairy always hav ing sure ground under foot and growing gradually into the busi ness add another money crop to the farms revenues and not plant a stalk less cotton by so doing It will occur to any one that dairying will naturally fall into a diversity of results and should best be so to be all around success ful To illustrate Dairying naturally divides into three branches the milk and cream supply of cities milk for butter making either in home dairies or some form of cooperation and later on when dairying has assumed large proportions the manufacture of cheese follows as a natural sequence The selling of milk to the cities and villages is one that can only be promoted to about a certain amount and governs itself Butter making can be fostered to the extent of a general market demand aud thus we have in outline the great dairy divisions and possibili ties of this country If I understand this problem aright the South does not need to take and solve three things that are imperative in the North in win ter protection winter feeding aud semisoiliiig of the cows at least three of the summer months In the North sums untold are exAnnual Publication for 1896 425 pended for winter feed soiling and silos in the attempt to make summer extend the year round summer crops raised and roots grown and pitted to go with the silage to provide succulence to stimulate milk flow in connection with the dry food that must be fed because it cannot be cured and stored in any other way In the South winter exists only iu name as compared to the North the barn of the South need be but a feeding stable and with at least ten months spring and summer the matter of silos roots and all this that we at the North teach preach and plead about is minor here where a green growing crop can be had at any time for the asking almost and this so simplifies the matter and that along with your cheap lands and cheap labor makes it appear to me that a man at the South can with the exercise of a moderate amount of judgment and skill produce milk at onehalf of the cost that it can be in the North The advance dairyman at the North has to buy 40 cows build a 1200 barn a 150 silo pay good hands 24 a month and board feed winter rations six months of the year and soil and feed grain three of the remaining six months and sell milk at 1J cent a quart iu summer 2 cents in the fall and 3 in the winter or its equivalent in summer butter at 15 to 17 cents fall butter 18 to 22 and cheese from 5J to 10 cents according to the season out of which must come If cents for making the cheese and 2 cents for butter and packages thrown iu in both cases or consume his own time in their manufacture I do not pretend to say that at the above figures the industry is highly profitable nor does it represent the high retail prices of the cities but even with all this there is little giving up of the dairy but rather a seeking to reduce cost of production better and longer milking cows better milk cheaper food and rations compounded iu harmony with natures demand of nutrients and these rations directed to the production of milk and by supplying artificial needs economize foodi e warm barns and cows iu them and less food fuel required to keep the cow warm varieties of food to furnish the right proportions of food elements feeding greater amounts of nerve and musclemaking foods and less of the fattening elements and so on through the list Here in the South you have a decided426 Department of AgricultureGeorgia advantage all along the line in natural advantages You have rich nutritious grasses untold tons of rich nitrogenous grains cotton seed meal and hulls rice flour and shorts and as near the great bran making mills of the Northwest as we in Ohio if bran is needed Dairying is using the cow to transform cheap starch sugar and protein into rich milk Machines simply transform raw material into some other form The cow recomposes this raw material into another substance A Threefourths of the food is used as fuel and bodily replace ment B The most food to the acre cheaply produced is the desire of the dairyman Coal is purchased for fuel that costs the least is most easily and cheaply transported and burns with least residue of ash and clinker Goal that leaves 500 pounds of ash and clinker to the ton is avoided A food that is costly to produce and is imperfectly digested is a dear food A ton of timothy hay has only 61 per cent of its dry food matter digested while 78 per cent of the dry food matter of the corn crop is digestible and as a rule four times as much starch and sugar cane can be raised in an acre of corn than in meadow hay ajid pound for pound it is about onefourth more digestible The economy of dairying is how to use the cow to transpose cheap and abundantly grown starch sugar and protein into rich milk The cow might enjoy the food and succulence of a ton of asparagus shoots and make as much milk from it as a ton of the best green corn fodder but the cost of the asparagus would bank rupt a Rockefeller The dairyman must see that he has a cow fitted to do her work but she must be fed a ration that while strong in food elements is produced cheapest and is the most ot it digestible and today the great ration is corn fodder with fair earing for starch and sugar and the protein in form of peas oats and buckwheat shorts and the albuminous matter of wheat bran and like byproducts while in the South you have an inexhaustible store of cottonseed meal hulls and other byproducts at minimum prices which cost us a mint of money in the North to procure which in itself is a great advantage to youAnnual Publication for 1896 427 I wish to call attention to something which surprised me and that is the rich character of your Southern grasses about all of them richer in food elements than our well known timothy I give a list of a few in the form of hay contrasting with Northern grasses Drv Fodder Beggarweed Crowfoot Bermuda Grass Smut Grass Crab Gras3 Guinea Grass Johnson Grass Broom Grass c a O 1625 3870123 116129151183 r 9164606 1059 44 28 838 3659 7624198 1011 4477 484 5339 183 280 242 L34 243 260 260 520 440 470 570 470 135 1130 Timothy lied Clover Blue Grass Orchard Grass Mixed Mead Hay Upland Hay a 963 1238 89 22 73 9 5 54 363 200 39 23 407237 44 18 381j26 NoteThe albuminoids are the elements containing the nitrogen and other bone and flesh forming elements The amount of nitrogen each one contains can be ascertained approximately by dividing by six The carbohydrates are the producers of animal heat and the conservators of vitality They have no manurial value for starch sugar or oil spread upon the land an inch thick would not add an ounce to its fertility It will be observed that with the exception of broom grass all these grasses have a higher nutritive ratio than timothy that is they are proportionately richer in the flesh formers than in the fat formers This is a beneficent provision of nature for in the South ern climate animals need flesh more than they do fat and heat while in the North where timothy is at home there is greater need of the latter IX GRAINS Alb Carb Fat Alb Carb Fat Cottonseed Meal Cottonseed Wheat Bran Rice Meal Rice Bran Hulls Linseed Meal 4150 2440 18 00 2280 1540 3030 1290 5910 3501 1090 4760 990 600 4410 3 30 3320 3870 23S Wheat Oats Corn Peas Rye Beans 13 67 12 55 10 22 68 52 11 69 25 45 15 60 70 25 20 20428 Department of AgricultureGeorgia In one thing I am both surprised and pleased to learn since com ing to the South and that is that the good cow here gives on an average quite 1 per cent richer milk than the cows of the same breeding in the North and that the color of the milk and butter leaves nothing to be desired so far as color is concerned This is something to be considered as a gain at the start and shows that there is an advantage at the start In another particular you have a point in your favor in the fact that through the dryness of your air or some other cause milk does not so readily chance by acidity as in the North and can be carried for longer distances without deterioration than is usual in dairy districts which in handling milk by the cooperative plan will enable associate dairying to be the better promoted In the promotion of the dairy interest in Georgia it is safe to assume that save a very few localities it is not possible to secure cows enough within a reasonable radius to make the large coop erative or stock creamery a success and that for the next five or more years the home dairy must in most sections be the pioneer for larger possibilities but I even think that there is yet a plan which will very soon after the dairies begin to appear be a fair solution of What shall be done with the milk I am firm in my belief that while a great many farmers can be quickly educated to care feed and well milk a cow the number who can go right on and make at the farm homes the style and class of butter wanted by the markets that pay cash for butter is and will be for a long time limited and would retard in a notable degree the progress of dairying in your State No tradition and method so attaches itself to a person as in butter making and one which a person so scouts any plan different from that practiced by them from youth The result is as you see in the offerings of butter at your buying places As many kinds of butter as makers and with what results No money can be had for it and it becomes simply a substance for which some other substance is exchanged No more helpless per son can be found than a man with a few pounds of homemade butter 1000 miles from the consumer begging a man to give him something for his butter But as soon as fifty of these men in some way pool their well made milk and have it made into fineAnnual Publication for 1896 429 butter in ton lots each week tbe market is attracted and the buyer comes pays market prices in cash and another money crop is added to the farm and the skim milk is brought home each day and intelligently fed is made into pork and veal bringing in more money and more independence and this is the sort of in dependence that makes farmers into menbusiness menbecause they are producers of money wealth and money is always bet ter than credit This far at the start we think a certain plan of cooperation can be made practical Instead of the great creamery let a skimming station be established a small separator put in and the little milk of a neighborhood brought in each morning and creamed and if a half dozen of these creaming points could be es tablished in a county with your goodalltheyearrouud roads this cream could be collected at a central churning point and here cheaply made into fine butter In the absence of such an oppor tunity let one of the bright girls or boys of the neighborhood be sent to Griffin to the dairy school and then for a reasonable com pensation let this student make the neighborhood butter It is seen that forone of these little stations it will not cost more to start in than to equip a home dairy and a common fund of 20 each will be far less than to singly invest in this apparatus and it at the same time becomes a great educational influence to the com munity as well as showing that where little skill is required in planting a cotton row it does take intelligence to breed feed and milk a cow and once attained there is a feeling of advancement that amply pays in selfrespect for the attaining If I may be al lowed to mention one practice of the South which illustrates the force of habit and that is the churning of whole milk so as to have more buttermilk and with an inferior result both as to quality and yield of butter If it is buttermilk you want why simply mix the buttermilk and the skim milk when done and save the labor of churning whole milk and get a finer result at last Then the gos pel of everlasting and keepingrightatitcleanliness must be every where practiced and preached and when Georgias pastures are fenced the milking stables erected and the silos built you will be then ready to turn these little creaming stations into creameries430 Department of AgricultureGeorgia and so well will you have learned the lesson that you will erect your own concerns at actual cost and consign the creamery shark to a John Milton sort of a hades In one respect the South should bear several things in mind in its attempts to promote the dairy interests and the chief one is to work along safe lines while aggressive be wisely conservative All over the couutry where dairying has been thought advisable to add to the other industries of the soil there has been a hoard of pro motors working up schemes not to increase the cow population but first organize dairy companies to erect creameries at three times their actual value and then look after cows and material later on and with the almost universal result that the business was pro moted only so far as building a plant and fleecing the stockhold ers out of three thousand dollars or so and actually killing ef fectively all the genuine dairy spirit of the locality Dairying in new sections has to be fostered up to the point of having 300 cows or so in a reasonable distance first gaining an insight through the home dairy and finding out something of the needs of the dairy and going through a work of gaining accurate dairy information and then the farther step of cooperative dairying can be engaged in with degrees of somewhat positive success This is all the more important in the South from the fact that in the past the supply of homeproduced dairy goods has been so small and reliance for supplies placed upon other dairy localities that this what might be called indifference must be replaced with a confidence that the South has advantages and can supply its own needs at least and the first education the South needs in its A B C is to show that this supply of milk cream and butter can be met at home and this very spirit of selfassertion will create demand and finding its wants likely to be met the dairy industry will be promoted by natural stimulation Having homeproduced produce placed be fore the consumer in tempting form in contrast to a foreign article will have the effect of creating a yet more healthy demand that will soon settle down into a constant and augmenting demand a thing well illustrated in my own town where every one sells their milk and takes creamery butter in preference to eating their own farm butter or that made by the Mesdames Smith Brown and RobinsonAnnual Publication for 1896 431 The South certainly has a great future before it if the growth of the dairy can be kept in honest and healthy lines of giowth and haste is made slowly and the crowd of creamery sharks cow sellers and promoters who have a pecuuiary motive to actuate them kept effectively in the background and the men you know and have faith in carrying on this work of organizing and you lend them loyal support there is little to be feared so far as backward steps are to be counted It is far better to go forward in this stimu lating of the dairy interests are concerned on safe grounds than to be making false steps or accepting the selfish advice of some one or companies whose only motive is to reap dollars at the start and leave the patrons in the lurch with flattened pocketbooks as the re membrance of their first dairy experience the experience with a shark instead of a cow In one thing the Georgia farmer who has his longings to go into dairying has this advantage over the dairyman of even ten years ago and is in the acquirement of a dairy literature books papers journalsUuited States and State dairy bulletins and more the assist ance of dairy schools and experiment stations in all ourdairy States and I can only congratulate you over your dairy department at Griffin and its competent teachers some of whom I have personally known for years Let you who aspire to be dairymen read from now on the best of dairy literature read Hoards Dairyman almost 1000 newspaper pages yearly of the best and universal dairy thought every year for the sum of a dollar Let the neighbors of a locality meet an evening now and then and read and discuss these matters pester the dairy division at Washington for all its dairy lit erature call on your station for aid and in a short time you will have a hungering and thirstiDg for the attainment of dairy knowl edge that will be of untold good to you and will make you wise A dairyman to succeed must be always teachable ready to learn wise yet always seeking wisdom and when he shall have compre hended the kingdom of the cow and there read some of the great se crets and mysteries of nature he will have comprehended as never before some of the great Creators plans and comprehending will not only be the better and wiser but will gladly aid in making the world in which he moves the better for his having lived432 Department of AgricultureGeorgia MR D W JACOBYS ADDRESS Josh Billings had himself billed for a lecture On Milk When he appeared before his audience he had a glass of milk on the table before him Before commencing his lecture he drank the milk and talked to his audience as was his custom about almost every thing animate and inanimate but not once did he utter the word milk I was a little surprised to be called upon by our President for an address before this association being yet as we call them out West a tenderfoot I asked him what he wanted me to talk about and he said Anything you please so I consoled myself that I could do as Josh didtalk about anything and nothing in particular but a few days ago a letter came which said What is your subject I then had to cast about for a text but I cant assure you that I will stick any closer to it than the lecturer on milk I see in the papers that the director of your Experiment Station in a newspaper bulletin referred inquirers about creameries to me for practical information for that reasou and for the reason that in this State as well as elsewhere they have paid large profits to somebody for the privilege of having a creamery I will therefore give you something practical on the cost of a creamery in Georgia After a correspondence of several months I reported at this sta tion about March 15 the people of LaGrange had conferred with your dairyman with reference to building a creamery at that place I was sent over to organize the company and assist in building the creamery The first thing we did was the selection of a site several were ottered and we chose one about nine hundred feet from a spring and on a side hill where we could build a basement with a north exposure The fall from the spring to the creamery is about 18 feet which puts the water into the upper story and about one foot in the boiler The water used for washing the butter cream vat etc comes directly from the spring as pure as is furnished by mother earth The water for cleansing purposes and to supply the boiler isAnnual Publication for 1896 433 thrown into a tank by a Blakeslie jet We have and need no pumps If we wish we can throw the water directly from the spring into the boiler with the inspirator Our building is oue story and a brick basement 32 feet long and 24 feet wide with a boiler shed at the side We have a 10horse power engine and a 15horse power boiler a 60gallon weigh can on a 400pound scale a 600gallon receiving vat an Alpha Acme separator capacity 1200 pounds per hour a 300gallon twin cream vat a 300gallou churn a No 2 Mason but ter worker and a 12bottle turbine Babcock test The engine and boiler furnish much more power than we now need but should we need additional separators in the future we have the power already in Besides what I have enumerated we have the necessary scales butter prints ladles packers and other things of moderate cost Now as to the cost The building cost us f 750 The engine boiler pulleys and shafting 35000 the vats separator churn weigh can scales three pair Babcock test and the smaller articles such as ladles prints buckets dippers etc cost 700 The belting 4200 the plumbing 5000 In addition we bought salt 100 butter tubs cloth circles parchment paper milk cans etc which we call sup plies to the amount of 20000 The prices I have given you are for the goods delivered at LaGrange When everything is paid for there ought to be not less than 500 cash in the treasury to begin business with You will need it for no business can be put on its feet without cost You will notice the machinery bought is for butter only several hundred dollars more will add the additional machinery for cheese My object in giving you these figures is to give you the cost of a plant should you contemplate building one Not every community can support a creamery and before build ing one be sure you have or can secure a sufficient supply of milk You ought to have the milk of say 150 cows to commence with When you are through taking your cow census take 50 per cent of it to be safe Every man has his preference as to how a creamery ought to be 28 a434 Department of AgricultureGeorgia built some prefer everything on the same floor thereby avoiding stairs Some want a milk pump others not but from the experi ence I have had I have a preference for a basement the tempera ture is more uniform and I have excellent results in the ripening of cream In building a basement provision ought to be made for plenty of ventilation as well as every other part of the creamery thereought to be a ventilator in the roof and a ventilating shaft from the basement to the attic the side walls ought to be hollow and cemented the floor ought to be made of the best cement ob tainable The milk we have received has come to us in very good condi tion with but few exceptions A fivegallon can is large enough for the patron in which to bring his milk During the summer the average tests were about 49 now since the cows are put on different feed the tests run higher for inslance on the 9th of this month I tested each patrons milk taking the sample directly from the weigh can to the test bottle The lowest was 41 the highest 64 the average 54 Dr H has five cows whose milk he had tested separately We will number them No 1 tested 36 No 2 74 No 3 34 No 4 80 No 5 51 At twenty cents per pound for butter fat hed realize on No 1 72 cents per hundred or 6 cents per gallon on No 2 148 or 12 cents per gallon and on No 4 160 or 8133 cents pel gallonmore than twice as much as for No 1 A from September 18 to October 19 had the following tests 18th 40 25th 62 26th 52 27th 42 30th 48 2d 48 34 56 17th 58 19th 54 Now he commences to feed cottonseed products 21st 60 22d 56 23d 70 24th 64 28th 63 29th 66 30th 7 B fed a mixture of bran oats and corn the latter two chopped His tests were September 18th 42 25th 44 27th 4 30th 46 Oct 2d 46 17th 43 18th 47 21st 45 23d 43 Now he com mences to feed cottonseed products 24th 50 28th 51 29th 51 30th 52 Nov 8th 53 9th 58 In the case of A I do not know the quantity fed B fed cottonseed hulls 20 lbs cottonseed meal 2 to 3 lbs mill feed corn oats and bran 2 to 4 lbs per dayAnnual Publication foe 1896 435 During the first month one or two patrons became dissatisfied with their tests They claimed they could get more butter than we gave them credit for in testing their milk A demand was made for Professor Wing to test their milk I saw that the goose had to be cooked and now was as good a time as any I was re quested to write him and invite him over which I did A few days afterward our president asked Did you tell him to bring his acid with him I said No He said Write him at I forgot it I thought I knew what was the matter and once I concluded Professor Wing should work with the same tools they furnished me He came I dressed him in my white suit and he went to work taking his samples with great care and as he filled his test bottles one by one he would tell me to empty the balance of the sample that he had no further use for it He filled the tester and whirled his bottles before he commenced to take them out he put on his specs he took out a bottle and looked at it through his specs and then over them and set it down and so with all of them He then looked them all over just then he forgot his religion and bringing his fist on the table said Damn the acid He turned to me and said Why didnt you tell me the acid was bad Nobody has asked for Wing to test their milk from that day to this His failure did me ten times more good than if he had been suc cessful then when any one imagined himself dissatisfied the first thing would have been Send for WTiug We encounter some pre judices One lady says our butter is not clean it is made by a man Another lady says it is not cleanits made in a factory both of them doubtless preferring the cleanliness of a domestic in digenous to this part of the country to a systematic creamery for getting they are using A Cos socalled pure leaf lard thinking it is clean because it is white Another prejudice is color I think I am safe to say every lady that has visited the factory has asked whether we used color A lady asked me several times when we churned so one day she with two others came a little while before we were ready to churn We surmised the object of their visit so while they were up stairs examining the separator I put the color436 Department of AgricultureGeorgia in the cream vat and when we were ready to churn they watched every movement and when the churn was opened they said What beautiful butter One of the ladies said to the other He didnt use any color for I watched himthey went away convinced that no color was used Another prejudice is found in the markets against the use of cot tonseed products while I believe it ought to be fed with the great est care yet I think the effect on the butter is more imaginary than real One of the great drawbacks I have noticed is the attention given t0 cowsthe owner living in town and the cows out on the farm the feeding and milking in charge of colored help and before they realize it their cows are nearly dry and thea comes the cry It dont pay me to milk cows Certainly not unless better attention is given them I take the following from Hoards Dairyman Mr H S Jennings of Islip N Y is a very good sample of successful farm manager and dairyman for the reason that his aim is to make a small amount of land pay a large revenue When a man does a large and profitable business on a small capital it is a sure sign that it is the man and not the amount of capital that makes money Mr Jennings is farming 35 acres On this land he is keeping 14 cows 300 hens and besides boards 7 horses for city owners Last year he turned off 3000 in gross receipts and the cows earned him 163 each by the sale of milk at 7 cents a quart This would mean a yield per cow of nearly 2330 quarts or say 5000 pounds The hens brought him a net revenue of one dollar each It will be apparent to any one that such farming as this means study and intelligence From study and intelligence come skill and energy and thorough businesslike methods Another drawback is transportation We have no refrigerator cars and must rely on the express whose charges are too high Another is too many creameries are in charge of young men of too limited experience The three closest creameries to us are run by young men who received their three mouths experience from men furnished by a creamery supply house of questionable methods since gone to the wall and in each case these men were relieved for incompeteucy One of them let his cheese rot on the shelfAnnual Publication for 1896 437 There is a large amount of butter sent to the southeast part of the United States and adjacent islands that ought to be made by us right here but so long as we dont make as good a product as they do we cant expect to supplant this Northern butter The Wisconsin dairy school probably the best in the country requires an experience of four months in some creamery to become eligible for admission and every young man ought to take a course of instruction before taking charge of a creamery Another drawback is with our commission men they dont make sufficient distinction as to quality A common workedover store butter in a tin bucket from East Tennessee sells as well as good creamery A commission man in Atlanta told me hed rather have it than Georgia creamery butter Another drawback is the amount made by any one factory It is not sufficiently large to take contracts to the best advantage If it were possible to have several creameries under the same manage ment making the same grade of butter it would be to their ad vantage in selling their product Another drawback I find is the inexperience of our people to get rid of the product In the past they have been so used to selling cotton which has a market at their own door that they are not used to hunting a market If you expect to sell your butter you must come in con tact with the trade and the consumer Advertiselet the world know what you are making Two city chaps were walking along a country road and stopped to look at the most dilapidated little cottage they had ever seen To be humorous one of them pointed to its tumbledown chim ney and said to a boy who stood at the gate Say sonny does that chimney draw You bet your life replied the boy it draws the attention of every darn fool that passes The purpose of all advertising is to attract attention Give them to understand that your butter is just a little better than anybody elses and you will draw the attention of somebody that will buy it These drawbacks can be remedied by time and by this association A successful creamery man ought to be practical a judge of human nature He must stand between patron and creamery at the weigh438 Department of AgricultureGeorgia can and do justice to both He must know what his separator is doing for right here large losses can occur so also with the churn the proper temperature and acidity of his cream must be maintained He must have an ear to detect defects in his machinery and know how to remedy them His lot is not an easy one he must adjust himself to the whims of his numerous patrons and satisfy his hungry stockholders In the cemetery in Lowell are seven tombstones all alike except the inscriptions the first reads Jane wife of John Smith died June 4th The second Kachel wife of John Smith died December 9th Sarah wife of John Smith died February 14th and so on till the seventh reads John Smith died June 19th At rest at last So with the creameryman he will be at rest at last At the conclusion of Mr Jacobys address there was considerable discussion as to the cost of erecting a creamery In answer to the question as to whether the creamery at LaGrange was built by promoters or not Mr Jacoby answered that itwas not He stated that the cost of the creamery all complete was 189200 Mr Jacoby stated that although a Western man and inclined to favor Western factories that he had bought his machinery at Rutland Vermont He spoke of the superior work of the Eastern factories and in particular of the cream vats Those made out West had only wood for the outside shell and when allowed to get dry were liable to shrink and allow the steam to escape The tanks made in the East were lined with galvanized iron He used the Alpha Acme separator Mr HuntIs it possible for a creamery to be a financial suc cess in this country with so few dairy cows as we have Mr JacobyThe money in a creamery is in making the best goods possible If you make a high and uniform grade of goods and keep up your standard you can make money Mr HuntAre there enough people in Georgia who know what good butter is to furnish customers A DelegateThat is another question Mr HuntMilk is so heavy that its transportation adds much to the cost Has it ever been tried for the farmers to deliver the cream alone each farmer having a separator Annual Publication for 1896 439 Mr JacobyThat has been tried in Nebraska and I think it worked successfully This is a good plan when you wish the calves to get the milk when the separator is used at home the calves get the milk warm If the milk is carried to the creamery they get it too cold and they get too much of it and that gives them the scours We take out nothing but the butter fat and then that can be replaced very cheaply with linseed oil and chopped oats Mr HuntHas not every other creamery except yours m Georgia made a failure financially Mr JacobyNo sir I think several of them have been a success Mr HuntHow far does your farthest customer live from the creamery Mr JacobyEight miles Mr HuntDo they use preservaline in their milk Mr JacobyNo sir I forgot to say when you asked the ques tion as to creameries running at a profit that the Marietta creamery is now making a profit On motion the convention adjourned until 8 oclock P M The committee on entertainment furnished a number of carriages and the delegates were taken to the Experiment Station where several hours were spent in examining the workings of this splendid model farm The convention was called to order by the President at 8 oclock A very interesting paper was read by Mr D W Wilson Secretary of the National Dairy Union and editor of the Elgin Dairy Record DAIRYING AS AN EDUCATOR OF THE FARMER MR D W WILSONS ADDRESS Mr President and Members of the Convention Ladies and Gen tlemen The subject that I have chosen to discuss with you for a short time is one that possibly you may not have thought as much about440 Department of AgricultureGeorgia as some of us who have been long engaged in this work and coming in contact ratber more with the advantages to be gained by both the general farmer and the practical dairyman the one who makes dairying the principal source of profit from his farm It takes but a small amount of intelligence as you have often seen to guide a mule with a rope line and break up a piece of ground aud that in telligence is of so cheap a character that you can expect but little more than that class of work from the same Had that same man intelligence enough to fully understand the principles of general farming and let him take up that line of work he immediately looks about to endeavor to find out how and why certain principles are necessary to success in that particular calling he goes a step farther to the breeding of cattle and finds that there are many things there that are far beyond the knowledge that he had when he was holding the rope line and driving the mule It sets him to thinking and planning a little more and the result is that in spite of himself he becomes a better educated man because he must think more Dairying in all its various channels has been the employment and one of the pursuits of mankind from time immemorial and there is nothing that will so thoroughly and fully prove the fact that dairy ing is an educator of the farmer as to visit those sections of our own country or foreign countries where dairying is the chief feature You will find more intelligent men more intelligent women better homes better farms better stock and in fact everything is done better it makes no difference if it is simply the plowing of the land if it is done with a view to getting the largest and best returns from the land You take two farms situated in the same territory oue where dairying is the chief factor in agriculture and the other where grain raising is pursued entirely you will notice the difference in the families where dairying is taught and practiced and where there is nothing but grain raising You will find that it takes but one half the work to develop a higher class of farmers a higher class of men and women They necessarily must be higher be cause they come in contact with things that set them to thinking The problems that confront the dairyman in breeding and feedingAnnual Publication for 1896 441 his stock are subjects on which he must think if he would succeed y and when the milk product has been obtained he has further thought he must utilize it to the best advantage either in making butter or cheese and with the present knowledge of these two par ticular things that are to be done on the dairy farm he must know much more than it was necessary to know twentyfive years ago much more than was necessary one hundred years ago We have arrived at a point in dairying where the laggard and the man who lets thing take their course without controlling them by his nerve force is left in the race The inducement for him to think grows day by day as he sees his cattle developing as he sees the means for producing a higher grade of milk product come up in the vari ous forms and he lets the opportunity to succeed in his business slip by Now in the fierce competition that prevails not only in this country but in all countries where agriculture manufacture or transportation are carried on he must learn to apply not only the knowledge he has but he must seek for more from outside sources from men better posted The separator which has taught us how to drain the very last drop of fat from the milk is one of the problems that will set us to thinking how and why the centrifugal force separates the lighter fat particles from the heavier skim milk and to secure the best returns he must have a separator that will do perfect work he must have such conditions as will enable the work to be done per fectly Taking all these facts into consideration you can readily see that the dairy is an educator all along the line Even in our older dairy districts we see many of the farmers that are neglecting their opportunities to be as well posted as they might be who are feed ing scrub cows who are keeping cows that do not pay for their board and who are saying Dairying dont pay You have right here in your own State some notable examples of men who are successful in this branch of farming and the reason for their success is that they apply the knowledge they have practically to the feeding of their cattle care of cattle breeding of their cattle and last but not least to the care of their products Let a family of boys and girls grow up in contact with animals442 Department op AgeicultueeGeoegia the ordinary animals of the farm and they get better and more humane ideas of their relations to the animals of the farm and the boy that has his horse or colt to raise will learn more during the growth and development of the animal than he would by any book lesson or education you might give him With the peculiar conditions prevailing in your country here there seems to be no good reason why a larger and more rapid de velopment of dairying should not have taken place within the last ten or fifteen years But the development has begun and is grow ing as an organization of the dairymen has already been perlected which is convincing evidence that dairying is an educator In Avhat other branch of agriculture can you find an organization per fected I do not know of any in the history of your State and this shows that the dairy is an educator in your own State and I trust it is only the beginning of a higher and better education for not only the farmers that are now practically engaged in this work but many thousands more who should see to it that Georgia is not behind her sister States in the development of the industry that will lift from her farmers and dairymen the burden of debt and credit which hangs over them to so large an extent The development of the dairy industry need not interfere with the other branches of farming so prevalent in your State It can be an adjunct and the farmer who has a herd of twentyfive or fifty cows will be able to raise as many bales of cotton on his two to five hundred acres and in addition furnish abundant feed for his cattle He will learn better ways of farming better methods of breeding the cost of production will be a point with him and he will learn what it will cost with the present methods of deter mining whether the cow pays for her feed or not In that way he can learn very readily which cows are profitable and which cows are not He must learn if he would succeed Even in the older dairy districts the process of education is going on more and more The farmers are learning how to lessen the cost of production they are learning that more care and more cleanliness are profitable investments they are learning also that to produce the highest grade of milk which is necessary for the best butter or cheese they must not only use care and cleanlinessAnnual Publication for 1896 443 but they must have cows that are absolutely free from disease Take it in our own district the New York Condensed Milk Com pany which handles the product of several thousand cows employs I veterinary surgeon all the year around to examine the cattle and find out whether they are afflicted with tuberculosis or not and any that are condemned the farmer must dispose of at once and not allow the milk to be taken to the factory All of these educators help to make better farmers and better dairymen So all along the line dairying is an educator of the farmer and dairymanREPORT Commissioner of Agriculture STATE OK GEORGIA Year Ending September 30th 1896 R T NESBITT CommissionerREPORT To His Excellency W Y Atkinson Governor I have the honor to submit the following report of the trans actions of the Department of Agriculture for the year commencing October 1 1895 and ending September 30 1896 CLERICAL FORCE There has been but one change in the clerical force of the de partment since my last report Ulla G Hardeman having been ap pointed fertilizer clerk in place of J E Brown Jr resigned The following persons are now employed in the department B L Mc Intosh general correspondent and bookkeeper Ulla G Hardeman fertilizer clerk H L Bennett mailing clerk FERTILIZER INSPECTION The sale of fertilizers during the past year has been greater than ever before in the history of the State The following gentle men were employed as inspectors at the salaries placed opposite their names and their work bas been done in a thorough and effi cient manner giving satisfaction I feel sure to the farmers of the State in whose interest they are employed SALARIES A Oemler Savannah 300 00 S B Scott Atlanta JJJ E R Kilpatrick Waverly Hall 9 96 W W Dawes Cuthbert JM H M Stanley Savannah 0 S R Fulcher Greens Cut 4U Z L Fryer Barnesville J R VanBuren Griswoldyille M L Johnson Caps Station 4 W A Terrell Greenville 9 J V McWhorter Woodville ti fl W A Cooper Lawrenceville J E McDuffie McRae iS R A Forrester Leesburg Total H M Stanley was appointed in place of A Oemler and J E McDuffie in place of R A Forrester448 Department of AgricultureGeorgia While the total amount of salaries is greater than for last year the amount of fertilizers sold is also very much greater necessitat ing a longer term for the inspectors and consequently an increased expenditure The following statement of receipts and expendi tures will show that after all the expenses attaching to the inspec tion of fertilizers were met there was still a large amount turned over to the State for the benefit of the public school fund RECEIPTS Balance from season of 189495 2490 16 From sale of tags season 189596 33561 78 Total 36051 94 EXPENDITURES For Tags 5440 00 Salaries of Inspectors 7616 37 Traveling Expenses of Inspectors 2111 34 Restamping Tags 16 30 Miscellaneous Bottles etc etc 160 77 Turned into State Treasury 17699 92 Total 3304470 Balance on hand 300724 Total 36i051 94 It will thus be seen that the sale of fertilizers has been very large during the past season and I fear that with the short cotton crop the payment for these goods will prove very burdensome to our farmers I have repeatedly urged upon them to cut down their expenses for fertilizers by making composts and by buying the fertilizer ingredients and mixing for themselves A great many have adopted one or the other of these plans and in a disastrous year like this will feel the benefit of this course AGRICULTURE This being the dominant and leading industry in our State it should be the duty and pleasure of our legislators to foster and promote everything looking to the advancement and improvement of our farming methods In this connection therefore I wouldAnnual Publication for 1896 449 ask your excellency to recommend to the legislature that they make an appropriation of a thousand dollars annually from the money derived from the inspection of fertilizers for the purpose of carrying on farmers institutes throughout the State Considerable work has been done on this line by Professors Hunnicutt and White of Athens and wherever the institutes have been held much interest has been manifested by the farmers and no doubt much good has resulted These institutes or educational meetings should by all means be encouraged and I am the more bold in asking for this appropriation to benefit the farmers because every year since I have been at the head of this department there has been turned into the treasury of the State from eight to eighteen thousand dollars derived from the inspection of fertilizers Surely a thousand dollars a year from this fund might be spared for the special purpose of educating our farmers upon whom the pros perity of the State depends At these institutes they are taught by able teachers all that is latest and most approved not only in agriculture but in horticulture dairying and the best use of ferti lizers as well In methods and in results there has been a great improvement in agriculture in this State in the past few years and there is evidence everywhere that our farmers are in more comfort able circumstances than they were some years since They have built better houses and barns they own more and better stock their lands are terraced and producing better crops They have learned more generally the great value of the pea as a fertilizer and in consequence are bringing up their lands to a higher point of fertility They are more generally producing their own supplies at home and consequently making their cotton to that extent a surplus crop In all these and in many other ways improvement is indicated I am glad to be able to make so gratifying a statement whichmust rejoice the heart of every lover of our grand old State The unusual droughts of the past season have very materially cut short the cotton crop as well as potatoes peas hay and other fall crops but in most counties enough corn and meat will be made for home consumption while the advance in the price of cot ton will in some measure compensate for the decrease in that crop450 Department of AgricultureGeorgia DAIRYING The dairying industry is folding its own as well as could be ex pected with the very low prices prevailing for products A num ber of creameries have been forced to discontinue operation on this account The Dairymens Association of this State is doing all it can to foster and encourage this industry and they should have the hearty help of our law makers in this direction The climate and soil of most of our State is peculiarly adapted to this industry and I believe intelligent effort and enterprise directed to the pro duction of milk butter and cheese would be as well rewarded as in any State in the Union The greatest obstacle to the success of our dairymen is the sale of butterine and other compounds which are sold uoder the name of Jersey butter at such a price that the genuine article is either driven out of the market or has to be sold at a price entailing loss upon the producer The law in relation to this matter is sufficiently stringent but seems to be a dead letter as I have heard of no prose cutions under it If the grand jurors and solicitors would see to the enforcement of this law it would very much help the dairymen HORTICULTURE The interest in fruit growing in this State still continues and each year sees a large addition to the acreage devoted to this in dustry The past year has generally been a disappointing one to the fruit growers The melon crop was very much injured by the excesses of drouth and rain to which it was subjected The peach crop was small for the same reason and the grapes though abun dant and fine were sold at such low prices as to leave little or no profit to the grower In spite of all drawbacks I believe that this industry properly conducted will with the advent of better times be profitable and that those who persevere in it will then reap their reward STOCK The condition of stock of various kinds throughout the State has been better than usual during the past year due no doubt in a great measure to the abundant provision crops made last yearAnnual Publication for 1896 451 There have been but few complaints of cholera which indicates that there will be plenty of hogs to kill during the coming winter There have been some serious outbreaks of anthrax among cattle resulting in loss of valuable stock but these outbreaks have been confined to the herds in which they first appeared and have not spread over the country Glanders has appeared among horses in various parts of the State and wherever suspected has caused alarm among the farmers in the neighborhoods Wherever requested I have promptly sent a competent veterinary surgeon to investigate the matter and owners have without exception destroyed the stock so infected In this connection I suggest that a law be passed empowering this department upon report of competent veterinary surgeon to destroy all stock suffering with this incurable disease and that when stock are so destroyed the State shall pay half their value to the owner Under present conditions an owner is loath to report this disease and keeps patching up and working his sick animal month after month at the imminent risk of spreading the disease among the stock of his neighbors Investigation has satisfied me that many cases of this disease have been brought into the State by the roving bands of gypsy horsetraders who roam over the State during the winter trading horses and mules and frequently leaving a trail of this loathsome disease behind them Could their stock be quarantined on the borders of the State and not allowed to enter unless pronounced healthy by competent veterinary surgeon it would in a large measure protect our stock from this highly con tagious disease This matter should not be put off or neglected as much loss might thereby be entailed on the people of the State PUBLICATIONS Since the last report this department has published a very large edition of Fertilizer Bulletin two large editions of the Annual for 1895 a second edition of the HandBook of Georgia and also assisted in the publication of the State Horticultural Society The above publications have been distributed over the State in the hope and belief that our people would derive some benefit from them and that the lessons therein taught might in some measure lighten their labors and bring them greater reward452 Department of AgricultureGeorgia In addition to these the department furnishes to one hundred and fifty papers in the State a Monthly Talk with answers to questions covering a page of the average weekly paper and de signed expressly to reach and benefit the mass of our farmers many of whom have expressed their high appreciation of this feature of the work of the department IndeedI feel sure that this is by far the best and surest way of reaching the mass of the people and in no other way could they so cheaply and so easily get information on agricultural matters In conclusion and to sum up I feel justified in saying that the farmers of our own State have cause to be hopeful and cheerful Though their provisiou crops have been somewhat cut off they have still an abundance left both for man aud beast Though their cot ton crop has been injured to the extent of 30 to 40 per cent the higher price will partially make up for the loss while at the same time the way is paved for a good price next year even with a large crop at that time Therefore let them take heart and hope and with renewed courage engage in the making of another crop On their sturdy arms depends the advancement of our State and coun try and when poverty and despair overtake them then the whole fabric of our prosperity aud civilization must collapse REPORT OF FISH SUPERINTENDENT LaGraxge Ga October 6 1896 Hon R T Nesbitt Commissioner of Agriculture Atlanta Ga DearSirI submit this my annual report to June 30 1896 Not having been able to get the State and local fish laws of the State in book form where I could go over them with an idea ot noting wanted and desired changes I am not ready to suggest any changes now I have constant calls for these laws from all parts of the State and feel confident a lot of good will come from their dis tribution I find a disposition among the people to have the laws for the protection and propagation of fish carried out I am keep ing a record of all distributions of fishes in Georgia and intend to follow up their distribution with inquiries and find where best reAnnual Publication for 1896 453 suits are obtained as a guide for future plantings I am putting these parties ou notice now that I shall ask for results and will ex pect reports giving a report of the result of their planting I am of the opinion parties will give more attention and care when re ports of progress will be expected of them I am inclined to the opinion that the system of terracing our hill lands will prove to be of very great good in improving the condition of our streams both creeks and rivers by holding large quantities of the rainfall thereby preventing such large overflows and in keeping the water cleaner Nothing is so disastrous to the egg as sand and mud so I am informed by the department and that we can expect no very satisfactory results from muddy streams The only hope of keeping these streams supplied is by planting the young hatch constantly Following is a list of plants in Georgia waters for year ending June 30 1896 Black and rock bass Rainbow spotted and black trout Shad Carp Tench Gold fish now discontinued Landlocked salmon Miscellaneous 10593 4593000 14146 11405 354 69 120 Total4742180 I will state that most of the fresh water fishes on exhibition at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta in 1895 were taken from Georgia waters some however were taken from the waters of the Caroliuas Nmtyfive individuals and corpora tions were supplied out of the above varying from 20 to 300 each owing to size of ponds and lakes Hoping to be able to report some good results from the plantings made since I have been in charge of the office I close Very truly J D Edmundson Fish Commissioner of Georgia454 Department of AgricultureGeorgia EEPORT OF THE CHEMIST Laboratory of the State Chemist State Capitol Atlanta Ga Sept 1 1896 Hon R T Nesbitt Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of Georgia Dear SirThe fertilizer season just closing has been one of unusual character in the history of the department The largest number of brands of fertilizers offered for sale in Georgia during any one year have been put upon the market during the past sea son The largest number of tons of fertilizers sold in Georgia during any one year have been sold for this years crop Georgia is the largest consumer of fertilizers of any of the States of the Union She has become almost as large a user of these materials as the two States which rank next to her put together This enormous consumption of fertilizers made up under so many dif ferent brands necessitates a great number of chemical analyses to determine the character of the goods offered for sale The farmers of the State are studying the subject of fertilizers and fertilization of crops with deep interest and are appreciating more and more fully the importance of the intelligent use of fertil izers The enormous multiplication of brands is not for the best interests either of the manufacturer or the farmer A healthy in crease in the number of brands commensurate with an increase of the number of manufacturers and of new and desirable combina tions is unobjectionable but it is not wise for a manufacturer to put up goods by a certain formula and sell them far and wide over the State under many different names The objection to this is obvious A farmer may buy a certain brand of goods and find it totally unfitted for his land and the crop he wishes to raise natur ally he desires no more of that brand although it may contain all the plantfood guaranteed it is not suited to the peculiar conditions of his crop or his land He wishes to try something else He goes to another dealer and buys a different brand thinking he is getting a change If it happens to be the same old brand under Annual Publication for 1896 455 another name his crop suffers accordingly and his faith in fertil izers is much shaken He certainly would not have bought the same goods a second time if he had been aware of their identity A wrong is thus put upon him Many dealers desire to appear as manufacturers and have their own special brands made for them These brands are sometimes made one season by one factory and give satisfaction another manufacturer comes along and offers to make him the goods for next season with the same guarantee for less money he accepts the offer and the goods will reach the guarantee but with far less margin than the others and probably made up with different materials The purchaser tries them the first season and is pleased he tries them the second season and is disappointed he is told that the goods are all right as shown by their work the first season and that the weather and other adverse causes are accountable for his poor crop In this way he is often unfairly persuaded to use the brand a third season Some manufacturers are accustomed to consider their brands as simply formula containing certain amounts of available phosphoric acid ammonia and potash varying the source of these substances as best suits their pocketbooks or convenience This is eminently unwise as a given brand should represent a certain amount ot plantfood from definite sources A farmer who has successfully used a fertilizer ammoniated with blood certainly is not treated fairly if sold the same brand next season ammoniated with nitrate of soda without his having any knowledge of the change We believe that it would be wise to inaugurate a definite system in regard to the matter This should be done by requiring each manufacturer when he registers a brand with the Commissioner of Agriculture to give the kind of materials to be used in it If a manufacturer desires to vary the materials of a brand according to the market prices he can so register it that is state that it may be composed in part of all the specified ingredients or a portion of them to meet the given guarantee It would not be just to require a manufacturers formula but it is right that a farmer should know whether the brand he used successfully last season is made up of the same materials this season or secures its ammonia and potash from some other source This is a matter of great importance to456 Department of AgricultureGeorgia the farmer who wishes to secure the best results for the money upon his crop on his laud A reasonable number of brands should be allowed to each man ufacturer any excess over such number should pay a proper fee to the State Chemist for each brand to enable him to accomplish the work necessary to keep up with the increasing number of brands It has only been by working fourteen hours a day for a large por tion of the year that he has kept pace with the present large number of brands And the number of brands grows larger each year During the past season there has been an unusual number of samples sent direct to the State Chemist under the provision of the Ellington bill This bill gives most complete protection to any farmer who doubts the character of the fertilizer purchased The sample is taken in the presence of buyer aud seller and given in charge of the ordinary of the county If the buyer fiuds the crop results unsatisfactory he notifies the ordinary who sends the sam ples without the name of the brand or the name of the manufac turer or the name of the buyer or the name of the seller to the State Chemist who makes the analysis free of charge The amount of work done during the season of 189596 was as follows Acid phosphates with ammonia and potash complete fertilizers 926 Acid phosphates with ammonia 4 Acid phosphates with potash 179 Acid phosphates 141 Potash salts 33 Fertilizers under provision of the Ellington bill 27 Cottonseed meals 58 Minerals 151 Substances not otherwise enumerated 162 Total 1681 Very respectfully George F Payne State ChemistAnnual Publication for 1896 457 COVERED IN TREASURY BY INSPECTORS Name of Inspector Peter Reilly J I Morrissey J W Neltns W HBarrett R H Smith J W Murphy Jr P W Fleming J RCvle Amount 656 48 6075 83 4037 11 920 92 514 13 397 55 508 22 263 48 170 40 Aean 137 88 J A Fort A C Sorrell F B Barber R N Lamar J R McAfee Robert Slappy T A Lingo E E Kinibrough Total13876 80 STATEMENT The following consolidated statement gives the amount of oil inspected by the inspectors in the different districts 76 02 74 83 26 55 5 00 8 69 2 08 1 99 DISTRICT INSPECTORS Savannah jPeter Reilly J L Morrissey W Nelms No of Gallons Inspected Atlanta Augusta Macon Columbus Rome Athens Americus Brunswick Gainesville Griffin Dalton Milledgeville Eatonton Newnan Toccoa Fort Gaines Cordele Tennille Albany Fort Valley Marietta Dawson Dade CountyJ C Nisbet Walker CountyW C White Total W H Barrett R H Smith J W Murphy Jr H A Dean J R Lyle I A Fort P W Fleming E E Kimbrough A C Sorrell J R McAfee R N Lamar O B Nisbet J S Miller S A McAllister Geo D Speight B KMarshall T A Lingo Robt Slappy J W Mathews F B Barber W B Oxford 163202 1572168 1149796 481065 357604 291800 156514 202907 125592 319017 6193 80805 44350 31035 3106 9054 6202 6144 3092 10823 30145 9192 80408 12360 2459 17374 Fees Received 5190407 816 03 7861 03 5748 98 2405 53 1790 55 1462 26 785 06 1014 53 629 77 1595 08 30 97 404 02 224 50 155 18 15 53 45 26 31 01 30 72 15 46 54 11 150 72 45 95 403 05 61 80 30 04 184 90 125991 83INDEX A B C OF DAIRYING Address by John Gould 420431 ACREAGE OF COTTON Why it should be reduced 1922 2829 3234 Warning against increasing 3637 ACID Not a complete fertilizer with meal 102 ADDRESSES Of P J Berckmans283289 Of D W Jacoby Of D W Wilson Of John Gould Of B W Hunt 411 Of S M Tracey Of R T Nesbitt Of R PJohnson Of H N Starnes Of F S Earle Of G H Miller Of A J Williams Of L H Bailey Of G M Ryals ADVICE Some good ADVISABILITY Of holding cotton AGE How to tell of sheep AGRICULTURE XRays in Condition of in Georgia ALFALFA As a forage plant 346349 432439 432439 420431 417419 371403 149151 298300 300304 308311 343346 290292 292294 320324 105106 145 190191 106 448449 396460 INDEX ALMONDS Best varieties for different sections of the State 359 ALSIKE CLOVER As a forage plant 398 ALLUVIAL AND RIVER BOTTOM LANDS Forage plants for 374375376403 AMMONIA To prevent the escape of 134 ANALYSES Of some substances sold as cream of tartar 241245 Of the watermelon 246248 Of the soil 24925 ANIMALS To find the live weight of 68 ANSWERS To questions 611 2835 3852 5169 7787 96105 115124 132143 154162 169181 188200 206218 ANTISEPTIC Remedies 4142 APRICOTS Best varieties for different sections of the State 357 APRIL Drouth 72 APPLES Best varieties for different sections of the State 15 Pruning young trees 10 Catalogue of State Horticultural Society 352354 ARTICHOKES To fatten hogs 192 ASHES Coal as mulch 39 Value of coal 172173 Unleached fertilizing elements in 41 Hardwood as fertilizer 43 Pine a good fertilizer 98 Wood effect on lawns 102INDEX 461 B BAGWORM 9798 How to destroy BAILEY L H 292294 Address on horticultural work BALING COTTON 147148 Remarks on BALKING HORSES 200 Remedy for BARN 157158 How to build BEANS 49 Castor in Georgia6467 Soja value of BEEF 166167 Feeding for BERCKMANS P J Annual Address to State Horticultural Society 283289 The importation of foreign horticultural products and its effects upon American horticulture BERMUDA GRASS 6869 To propagate 132133 How to kill 3S388 As a forage plant BEETS 21g Sugar made from BEETLES 1M How to get rid of j42 Injuring grapevines BLACKBERRIES Best varieties BLACK RUST ldbio In cotton BUCK PRAIRIE REGION 3763 403 Forage plants for BORDEAUX MIXTURE Formula for462 INDEX 288 BOTANY Elementary sjudy in BREEDING The unexpected in 411417 BREAKING LAND fiintf on 195196 BUDDING TREES Remarks on 161 BURNING A kiln of lime3839 BURR CLOVER Proper time to sow 98 As a forage plant 39 CABBAGE Manuring and planting 81 Planting late 99 To stimulate the growth 135136 Planting 167168 Remedy for plusia 217218 CARE In formation of pasture 379381 CARPET GRASS As a forage plant 391 CAROLINA CRANES BILL Remarks on 87 CASTOR BEANS In Georgia 49 CATALOGUE Of best varieties of fruit for different sections of the State1418 352370 CATERPILLAR Description of the cotton 280282 CATTLE Diseases of 417419 CHERRIES Best varieties for different sections of the state 368 CHESTNUTS Best varieties for different sections of the State 358359INDEX 463 CHINA BERRIES As an insect exterminator CHIP MANURE Value of CLOVER Planting Alsike as a forage plant Burr proper time to sow Burr as a forage plant German for hay Crimson as a forage plant Remarks on Mexican as a forage plant Red as a forage plant Japan or lespedeza as a forage plant COMPOSTS For cotton 398 44 395 86 78 27 398 98 897 48 400 122 402 400 396 910 COMPOSTING Directions for 10 6364 6667 74 108109 120 138 CORN Fertilizers for Planting first time Acreage in 9394113129167 Condition of Laying by Curing Selecting seed COTTON Value of seed and meal as a fertilizer Work of Cotton Growers Protective Association Seed for pigs Seed for hogs Planting in sandy land Fertilizers for Problem Economical methods of handling Planting Increase of acreage Gray land good for 67 3940 8283 4748 48 5152 6162 74 8586 Condition of 93 113 129 144 1 Seed failing to come up nnq Hulls as a fertilizer iofi107 Fungus enemies of Laying by 464 INDEX COTTONContinued Remedies for lice in i21122 Black rust in 136137 Moth 137138 Take no risk of the market 3 4 Reasons why acreage should be reduced 2820 3234 Warning against increased acreage 3637 Advisability of holding 145 Early and late planted 145 Increasing yield of lint 146 Careful seed selection 146147 Baling 147148 Tie trust 148 151 167 Muck for 159160 Wire tie 169172191 Fertilizing properties of seed 177178 Seed from a northern latitude 211213 Seed meal Calvins bill 225 Production and distribution 268269 Crops 1891 to 1896 270 Value exports 271 Sources European supply 272 Sea Island crop Florida 1874 to 1894 276 Sea Island crop Georgia 1874 to 1894 276 Sea Island crop South Carolina 1874 to 1894 276 Sea Island crop Texas 1874 to 1894 276 Sea Island crop 1874 to 1894 total 276 Consumption of Egyptian and Peruvian in the United States 278288 Average length of staple in inches 275 Average yield of lint cotton per acre 275 Average yield of seed cotton per acre 275 Date preparation 275 Date to begin and finish planting 275 Date to begin and finishpicking 275 Average length of staple 275 Acreage in 27 Culture in India 276277 Culture in Brazil 278 Tree in Brazil ojg Culture in Egypt 277 Date of earliest killing frost in cotton belt 273 Average date of close of cotton picking 274 COWS The Jersey the best 1i Antiseptic remedies for 41 Best forage plant for 4qINDEX 465 124 135 herself 176 COWSContinued Melatiosis in Remedy for ticks Preventing from suckin COWPEA As a forage plant 394395 CRAB GRASS As a forage plant 389390 CREAM OF TARTAR Analyses of some substances sold as 241245 creameries How to run them 432439 CREEK BANKS To destroy growth on 134 CRIMSON CLOVER Remarks on 44122 As a forage plant 398400 CROPS New 71 In Georgia 7475 Cultivation of 89 Forage 90100110112371403 Summary of 9395 Preparation for fall 127128 Condition of 113114 129130 152153 167168 Fall 163 Sea Island cotton 1874 to 1894 276 DATE Of planting cotton When picking begins and finishes First receipts of new cotton at Indian ports Preparing land in India for cotton Usual time of planting cotton in India Beginning and finishing picking in India Preparing land in Egypt for cotton Usual time of planting in Egypt Beginning and finishing picking cotton in Egypt Average close of cotton picking Preparation of land begin and finish planting and commence and fin ish picking of cotton Earliest killing frost in cotton belt 276 275 276 271 276 276 277 277 277 274 273466 INDEX DAIRYING Addresses delivered before the Georgia Association of 411443 ABCof Dairying 420431 Condition in Georgia o0 As an educator of the farmer 439443 DEAD GRASS Turning under JOt DESTROYING WILD ONIONS Method 4 DEEP PREPARATION QQ CO Importance of DIFFERENCE In the value of manure 6263 DIRECTIONS For composting DISEASES Of cattle 41741i DIVERSIFIED FARMING Remarks on DRIED FRUIT To kee worms out 1 DROPPINGS Value of those from the poultry house 156157 DROUTH Effects of the April L E EARLE F S Notes on pear blight 308311 EARLY PEA The besti 4041 EARLY AND LATE PLANTED COTTON H5 ECONOMICAL METHODS Cultivating gathering and marketing cotton 565 ELLINGTON BILL226227 Remarks on ERADICATING JOHNSON GRASS 7980 ERADICATING NUT GRASS ln7INDEX 467 ERRORS TWO typographical 7172 EXCHANGING COTTONSEED FOR COTTONSEED MEAL AND HULLS 7 F FALL Preparation for crops 127128 Condition of crops 163168 Oats and rye 111112 Plowing 163166 Turnips planting 121 Webworm to destroy99 HO FARMING Intensive system 2931 FERTILIZERS Acid and meal not a complete 102 Bulky portions of 174 Complete for cotton 103101 Cottonseed hulls as 102103 For cotton 48 For corn 6364 Directions for composting 10 Exchanging cottonseed for cottonseed meal and hulls 7 Home mixing practical suggestions for 1114 How much per acre for corn cotton sweet and Irish potatoes garden vegetables 406407 Inspection of 441 For sweet potatoes 67 Stable manure scrapings 910 Kainit and potash 42 Hardwood ashes as 43 Pine ashes as good 98 Under names 2324 Purchasing 214216 Law governing inspection 219 Value of manure difference in as a 6364 Value of chip manure as a 78 Value of cottonseed meal and cottonseed as a 67 For tobacco and Irish potatoes 252 Intelligent mixing on the farm of domestic 253255 Composts 256262 From the farmers standpoint 263265 Calvin bill 225 Ellington bill 226r227468 INDEX FERTILIZERSContinued Report of chemist 228229 Valuations 30 Wholesale cash prices of materials 231232 Percentage of three plant foods in ordinary materials 233 Form of requests for registration of 222 Form of notice of sales and consignments and request for inspection of 223224 Inspection of guano information about 19619 Formulas 404407 FERTILIZING Elements in unleached ashes 41 Properties of cottonseed 177178 Peach orchards 193195 Questions 201205 General rules for 205206 Sources of materials 206210 Sugar cane 2324 FEEDING For beef and manure 166167 FIELD PEAS Remarks on 130 FILBERTS Best varieties for different sections of the State 359 FIGS Cataogue of best varieties 367 FISH Stocking ponds 199 In Georgia report of Fish Commissioner 452453 FODDER Pulling 126 FOOD SUPPLIES Remarks on 222 FORAGE Condition of crops 9091109 Crops for different soils 372379 Plants for yellow loam soils 372374 Plants for alluvial and river bottom soils 374376 Plants for the black prairie region 376377 Piants for the pine woods region 377379 Plants grown successfully in the South 381403IXDEX 469 FORMULAS Of Bordeaux mixture Of fertilizers for corn and cotton Of fertilizers for wheat oats sorghum sugar cane and grasses Of fertilizers for sweet and Irish potatoes melons onions cabbage and cowpeas 39140 405 405 405406 FREE MAKTINS Description of FROSTS Date of earliest in cotton belt 84 273 FRUIT Catalogue of best varieties adapted to different sections of the state 1418352370 b f1 114131153 Condition of x Preservation for exhibition purposes 234230 GALLED SPOTS Chip manure for GENERAL RULES For fertil zing GERMAN CLOVER Time to sow As hay GERMAN MILLET As a forage plant GLANDERS An incurable disease GRAFTING AND BUDDING Remarks on 205206 44 48 392 161 GRAPES Catalogue of best varieties adapted to different sections of the State 18 364365 GRAPEBERRY MOTH Remarks on Beetles injuring GRASS Crops of 141142 142143 27470 INDEX GRASSES Successfully grown in the South 373403 Bermuda 387388 Crab 389390 Carpet 391 Guinea 388389 German millet 392 Hungarian brome 3S3384 Japanese rye 382 Johnson 393 Kentucky blue 391392 Large water 390391 Orchard 386 Perennial rye 388 Red top 382383 Rescue 384 Terrell 385386 Teosinte 386387 Texas millet 390 Timothy 391 GREASE HEEL Cure for 40 GRUBS In sheep remedy for 118 guard How to against hog cholera 107 GROUNDPEAS Land and fertilizers for 5758 Condition of 75 130 Condition of Spanish 91 GOOD SEED For planting 198199 GOULD JOHN The ABC of Dairying 420431 HAIRY VETCH As a forage plant 5961 401402 HAY CAPS How they are made 156 HARDWOOD ASHES As a fertilizer 43INDEX 471 HEAVES Remedv for horses suffering with 217 HOGS 8283 Cottonseed meal for 8384 Liceon 45j 76 Thoughts on raising 107 Guard against cholera lg Pushing off 92 Artichokes to fatten 162 To ascertain net weight HORSES 200 To cure balking 160 Cure for lampas 40 Cure for grease heel g7 Glanders an incurable disease HOLLOWHORN Treatment of HOLLO WT AIL Treatment of 8485 8485 HORN FLY Prevention of 119120 HORTICULTURE Proceedings of State Horticultural Society at Griffin 1896 28330 Address of President P J BerckmansTZfn The importation of foreign horticultural products and Us effects P American horticulturists 2go292 Points in planting 092295 Lines of work ooqfin Young men embarking in horticulture as a protession Variety tests of strawberries in 1896 308311 Notes on pear blight 390324 Trials of a truck grower m Catalogue discussed 333343 Question box 34334g Looking forward 350451 Report on ornamental and useful trees Grafting and budding 45Q Interest in HOTBED How to prepare 133472 INDEX HUMUS Uses of 183 Effects on different soils 184 Waterholding power of 184 As a source of nitrogen 184 Absorbs heat 185 Not favorable to insect life 185 Supplying land with Igg HUNGARIAN BROME GRASS ES a forage plant3S3384 HUNT B W The unexpected in breeding 411417 Diseases of cattle 4i74 I IMPROVING LAND How to do it 3435 IMPLEMENTS Care of log INCREASE Reasons why cotton acreage should not 3234 INDIGESTION Horse suffering from remedy for 122123 INJURIOUS INSECTS Remarks on 266 IRISH POTATOES Planting cultivating and fertilizing 5051 How to keep 101102 Late crops of 1U i4014i Fall crops i Followed by peas and turnips 161 Fertilizer for oo i O INSPECTION OF GUANO Remarks on 19giq8 INSTITUTES Farmers should attend them INTENSIVE FARMING Benefit of 2931INDEX 473 J JACOBY D W On creameries oa JAPAN CLOVER Remarks on As a forage plant 395396 JAPANESE RYE GRASS As a forage plant JERSEY COWS Tliebest 136 JOHNSON R P On young men embarking in horticulture as a vocation 298300 JOHNSON GRASS Eradicating 7980 For hay As a forage plant 393 K KAINTT Use with potash 42 Keeping 68 KENTUCKY BLUE GRASS As a forage plant 391392 KEROSENE EMULSION Formula for 26 L LARGE WATER GRASS As a forage plant 390391 LATE CROPS Irish potatoes I11 Planted cotton 145 LAMPAS Cure for 160 LAYING BY Corn and cotton 108109 LEAF FOLDER To destroy 178179474 IXDEX LEGUMINOUS PLANTS Successfully grown in the South 392402 Cowpea as a forage plant 394395 Lespedeza or Japan clover as a forage plant 395396 Alfalfa or lucerne as a forage plant 396 Burr clover as a forage plant 397 Melilotus as a forage plant 397398 Alsike clover as a forage plant 398 Crimson clover as a forage plant 398400 Red clover as a forage plant 400401 Hairy vetch as a forage plant 401402 Mexican clover as a forage plant 402 LICE Remedy for in henhouses 38 Remedy for on hogs 8384 Remedy for on cotton plants 119 Remedies for 12112 LIME Burning a kiln 38 LIVE STOCK Questions about 70 Number in United States 103 LIVE WEIGHT Of animals to find g8 LIQUID MANURE Losses in jgj LUCERNE Remarks on 27 oio9n As a forage plant 39g M MEXICAN CLOVER As a forage plant 402 MELILOTUS As a forage plant 397398 MILLET German as a forage plant 390393 Texas as a forage plant qoq MILLER G H Looking forward 34334fiINDEX 475 moles How to get rid of 82 MULBERRIES Best varieties for different sections of the State 366 MONTHLY LETTERSOf Commissioner R T Nesbitt to farmers January I February W27 March 3637 April 5357 May 73 June 8891 Julv 108H2 August 125128 September 144151 October 163167 November 182187 December 201206 N NECTARINES Best varieties for different sections of the State 358360 NESBITT R T Address to farmers on the cotton wire trust 149151 Annual report for 1896 as Commissioner of Agriculture 447457 NEW CROPS Questions concerning 1 NOTES On pear blight 308311 N UTS Best varieties 358360 OATS Spring preparing land and planting Planting spring 2627 Sown in March 4546 Condition of 75 94 129130 168 Fall oats and rye111112 Planting 188189476 INDEX ONIONS Destroying wild 4c Planting l73l4 ORCHARDS Fertilizing peach 93195 ORNAMENTAL TREES Report of committee on and useful 0 PARASITES In stock how to destroy jid PAYNE DR GEO F Report as chemist 998W9 Valuations Wholesalecash prices 23193 Ordinary fertilizing material Fruit preservation for exhibition 2436 Commercial plant food 237240 Analyses of some substances sold as cream tartar 241243 Analysis of watermelon 246948 Analyses of soil Fertilizer formula for tobacco and Irish potatoes 252 Domestic fertilizers 0L0 oo ijoajoa Composts 256262 Fertilizers from the farmers standpoint 263265 0otton1Z 268278 PASTURES Grass for in wet bottom land Formation and care of PEA Best early Cow as a forage plant PEAS Remarks on cow Sowing When to cut vines for hay PEACHES Best varieties for different sections of tl Scraping away dirt from trees Discussion on catalogue Fertilizing orchards 6 379381 4041 394395 8990 110111 128 103 e State 16 355356 4344 3252S 193195INDEX 477 PEARS Best varieties for different sections of the State 17360 Notes on blight 30S311 PECANS Discussion on 328330358 PERSIMMONS List and description of Japan 308 PERTINENT AND PRACTICAL Suggestions 1114 PLANT FOOD HOW to apply 115118 What is meant by 237240 PLANTING Spring oats 8 Sandy land in cotton 4748 Irish potatoes 5051101 Fruits 5S5 Cotton 6102 Corn for the first time 666 Rice 96 Late cabbage i Fall turnips Onions 173174 Cabbage170177 Oats188189 Good seed for198199 Lucerne 11011 Terraces 1 PLUMS Discussions on Catalogue of330361 Japanese 361 3G3 PURCHASING FERTILIZERS Rules for214216 PRESERVING SWEET POTATOES Suggestions 6708 PROPAGATING BERMUDA GRASS How to689 PHOSPHORIC ACID Sources of208209 Insoluble237239 Available237239478 INDEX POISONOUS PLANTS Remarks on218 POMEGRANATES Catalogue of 357 POSSIBILITIES Of our soil3134 PIGS Cottonseed for3940 POTASH Sources of 200210 Use with kainit 42 Vs Strawberries 17i putting out manure How 27 PUBLICATIONS For Department 1S96 451452 QUESTIONSAnswered by the Commissioner January 611 February 2835 March 3852 APril 5769 Mav 778 96105 113124 June July August 132143 September 154162 October November 169181 188210 December 206218 About live stock 7d QUESTION BOX At State Horticultural Society 3343 QUINCES List of varieties isINDEX 479 7273 366 400401 RAPID CULTIVATION Remarks on RASPBERRIES Best varieties for different sections of the State RED CLOVER As a forage crop RED TOP As a forage crop 382383 REPORTS Of State Chemist 228229 Of Fish Commissioner of Georgia 452453 Of Commissioner of Agriculture 1896 445457 On ornamental and useful trees 350351 RESCUE GRASS As a forage plant RICE Culture of Condition of Harvesting upland As stock feed ROTATION Suggestions ROUP Chickens suffering from 384 96 130 172 180 201202 179180 RYALS G M Trials of a truck farmer 320324 RYE As an improver of land Japanese grass as a forage plant Perennial grass as a forage plant 185 382 SALT To destroy parasites in SANDY LAND Bringing up fertility of SAWDUST As mulch for young trees US 154155 39480 INDEX SEA ISLAND COTTON In South Carolina 275 Crops exports and consumption in the United States 270 STRANGLES Remedy for irregular 9 SCRAPINGS From fence corners in compost 910 Dirt away from peach trees 4 STABLE MANURE For mulch for composting with cottonseed and acid 910 STARNES H N Address on variety tests of strawberries 300304 STATION FARM System and methods practiced at 40740S STRAWBERRIES For sandy soil 4243 Vs potash 175 Variety tests of 30030t Best varieties for different sections of the State 331335 SHEEP Husbandry in Georgia 189190 How to tell the age of 190191 SHREDDING CORN Remarks on 120 SILOS Constructing and filling 5455 SILAGE Composition of different kinds 5556 SOIL Possibilities of our 3132 Sandy for strawberries 4243 Study our 202208 Analyses of 249251 Sub i 1 o Yellow loam forage plants for 372374 Alluvial and river botton lands forage plants for 374376 Black prairie region forage plants for 370 Pine woods region forage plants for 377379 SORGHUM Time of planting im Condition of crop ZiulS0m 168INDEX 481 SOURCES Of fertilizing materials 206 Of nitrogen 207 Of phosphoric acid 208209 Of potash 209210 SOWING HOW to sow wheat 1 Peas and millet s SOME POINTS ON PLANTING 290292 SPANISH GROUNDPEAS Time of planting STOCK Condition of 7576 95 130 168 450451 STOCKING A FISHPOND How W SUGAR CANE Condition of7594114130153 168 Fertilizing 123124 SUGAR From beets amount made 218 SUGGESTIONS Pertinent and practical on home mixing of fertilizers 1114 SUMMARY Variety tests of cowpeas 408409 Fertilizer test of cowpeas 409410 Bulletin of sweet potatoes 410 Of crops 9o9o SWEET POTATOES Fertilizing 67 Preserving 6768 Planting and cultivating 7779 Condition of crop91111 125 153168 T TEATS Covered with warts remedy for 124 TEOSINTE As a forage crop 386387 31 a482 INDEX TERRELL GRASS As a forage plant 385386 terraces How to plant 216 TEXAS FEVER Remedyfor 9192 TEXAS MILLET As a forage plant 390 TIMOTHY As a forage plant 391 TIE COTTON Trust148 151167 Wire remarks on 169 172191 TOOLS Care of 128 TRUCK GARDENING Questions asked about 71 TRUCK FARMER Trials of 320324 TURNING UNDER Reason for dead leaves 192193 TURNIPS Planting falL 121 TRACEY S St Address on forage plants for the South 371403 URTICARIA Remedy for180181 USEFUL MAXIMS For farmers just starting out105108 VALUE Of cottonseed and cottonseed meal difference in as a fertilizer67 Difference in of manure6263 Of coal ashes 172INDEX 483 VALUATIONS Of phosphoric acid nitrogen and ammonia9596 230 VETCH As a forage plant5961401402 VOCATION Young men embarking in horticulture as a 298300 W WATER GRASS Large as a forage plant391392 WARTS Remedy for teats covered with 124 To remove 181 WEEDS Remarks on 110 WHEAT Condition of crop 94113168186 Sowing 176 WILD ONIONS Destroying 45 WILLIAMS A J Address on planting trees and culture 290292 WILSON D W Address on dairying as an educator of the farmer 439443 WING H J Letter on remedy for Texas fever 9192 WINTER PASTURE Grass for 6 WORMS To keep out of dried fruit 123 In freestone peaches158159A4oo Si FOR DUE DATE INFORMATION CHECK MY ACCOUNT IN GIL httpsgilugaedu Returned MAY 0 7 2010 WjyEfil7YSfEPRGIALIBFiARiEs 3 ElDfl D3TTb 3T57