The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., August 06, 1910, Page 555, Image 15

About The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920

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★ FRUIT, TRUCK ™ VEGETABLES *
MONEY IN CABBAGE GROWING.
Mr. Ferris Believes South Mississippi Has a Great Opportunity
Not Only for Growing Winter Cabbage but Also Cabbage Plants
—Prepare Now to Get Profits Next Winter.
By E. B. Ferris. McNeill, Miss.
THE McNEILL, Miss., Experiment
Station has had an Interesting
experience during the past four
years in growing cabbage through
the fall and winter months, the re
sults of which ought to be valuable
to the farmers and truckers of south
Mississippi.
During the winter season there is
u considerable demand for cabbage
all over the South, so that there is
practically no risk run in marketing
the crop as is the case with spring
cabbage. Beginning in 1906 this
crop has been grown here success
fully every winter and there has
been no loss due to winter killing
from seed sown before the first of
October.
Last winter, up to January, was
the coldest for many years, yet at
that time wo had three acres of cab
bage about ready for market and
sufficient plants growing In open field
to set out as much more land to
spring crop, and the cold had not
killed any of them. Cabbages have
been marketed with the thermometer
as low ns 19.5 degrees, with no bad
rnKII 1 f vl
The following is a brief account
of tho way this crop wag handled:
In August, land that had grown
strawberries in the spring and had
been kept free from weeds and grass
through the summer was thoroughly
plowed and harrowed, laid oft into
rows three feet apart and these two
furrowed. A mixture of equal parts
acid phosphate and cottonseed meal
wns then distributed on top of tho
lists at the rate of 1,000 pounds per
acre and mixed with the soil with a
top harrow, after which the beds
were completed and then harrowed
down to where they were only
slightly higher than the average lev
el of the ground. These bedB were
then opened with hand plow and
Charleston Wakefield cabbage seed
sown by hand and covered with gar
den rakes, after which tho ground
was rolled with two-horse roller and
this Immediately followed by woeder.
Tho seeds were sown on 1 Vi acres
of land on August 27, came up
promptly, and only a few plants were
killed by tho hot weather. October
8 to 20 these plants wero thinned to
stand, giving enough surplus plants
to get out as much more land. Top
.1 _ _ I_ # I A A. _I .. _ A ll. A
ui voBiii^n wi mu uic dv/uu u v iiiv
rate of fifty pounds per acre were
given them in September and Octo
ber uud they were regularly culti
vated through the fall, and though
the weather was unusually dry, they
grew off rapidly and almost com
pletely hid the ground by the latter
part of November.
The original 1 % acres were ready
to market just before Christmas, and
up to January 1 we had shipped 146
standard crates which gave shippers
net returns, $181.45. The most of
these cabbage had been sold In Hat
tiesburg and Dlrmlngham where they
met a lively demand and where we
could dispose of an almost unlimited
quantity, for such cabbage are far
preferable to those grown In the
North and shipped to these markets.
The cabbage requires very rich
soil and when this Is supplied the
next most Important thing In grow
ing the fall crop Is to get the seed
to germinate and the plants to Uvo
In the dry hot weather of summer.
On this account only land in the best
physical and chemical condition
should be used, the seeds should be
planted thick in the drills, and if
the weather is very dry, the land
should be watered before planting.
To do this only a small quantity o?
water is necessary and it should be
applied in the drills after they are
opened for the seed which should be
sown and covered with dry dirt. By
no means try to water the tops of
the beds as this will cause the ground
to bake or the plants to scald.
The writer believes that a profita
ble industry might be built up in
south Mississippi not only 1h growing
winter cabbage for regular markets,
but in growing cold-hardened plants
for cabbage growers in other parts of
the country, just as the people of the
ccast country of South Carolina are
now doing.
How To Kill Cabbage Worms.
Messrs. Editors: The most troub
lesome "worm” affecting cabbage is
the larva of a small white butterfly.
This insect is a voracious feeder and
often practically destroys the cabbage
crop by eating the foliage. It can
be controlled by application of pois
ons to the cabbage as soon as the
larva appears and at intervals during
the season whenever the insect is
plentiful. The most successful poison
is Paris green, used either as a liquid
or dust application, but many people
are afraid to use this mixture be
cause of the danger of being poison
ed. There is no danger up until the
time that the cabbage are maturing
or a short time before they are ready
for the table. If it is necessary to
light this insect when the plants are
mature, I would advise the use of
pyrethrum powder which is harmless
even when the cabbage is used short
ly after application.
To apply Paris green in liquid
form, use 1 pound of Paris green and
4 pounds stone lime to 125 gallons
of water. Slake the lime and dilute,
mix the Paris green into a smooth
paste with a small amount of water
and pour into the lime water or into
the spray tank. As a dust applica
tion, mix 1 part Paris green to 20 or
25 parts road dust, air-slaked lime,
plaster or flour and dust on plants.
Pyrethrum powder can bo used in
the same way. Where no spray pump
Is available the dust application
would be used and if properly ap
plied will be fairly satisfactory.
H. C. THOMPSON.
Agricultural College, Miss.
Sowing Soy Beans Broadcast.
Messrs. Editors: Professor Mas
sey wants some one who has sown
soy beans broadcast to let him know
the results. I have sown them broad
cast for three years and find they do
as well as peas, except that they do
not make quite as many vines as the
running pea. They make as many
vines as the peas that don’t run but
grow upright. The hay is as good
as pea hay if cut before the bean's
get ripe. If cut when beans are ripe
the hay is not so good. It will be
woody and hard, but is very good
hay and stock like it. The hay will
not rot as easily as the peavines if
it should get wet. The beans will
remain sound until January if let re
main in field and will be fine to turn
hogs on. They will improve the land
as much as the pea with same
amount of vines. If cut before the
beans get ripe, the green beans will
not rot, but will dry up small size
and bo sound.
I have sown them with peas and
find this is a good plan. They don’t
fall down like peas, and will hold up
peas to some extent and make better
hay by mixing. I find there are dif
ferent varieties, some grow lower
than others on same land. I sowed
some in 1908 that grew five feet
high; others grew about two and
one-half feet. Those that were five
feet were later maturing, but made
as many vines as any pea would
make. They Will make as many
beans sown broadcast as the pea will
sown the same way, and are much
more easily gathered.
C. S. WILLIAMS.
Franklin Co., N. C.
A Cheap Sweet Potato House.
Messrs. Editors: I see arrange
ments for keeping potatoes all over
the country, that look to me like
those who built them had no idea of
what they wanted. They are any
thing but convenient. A potato
house ought to be built for con
venience (any shape will do), so you:
can put your potatoes away with as
little trouble as possible; then cover
them with motes from a ginnery, to
keep them from freezing. They can
be taken from such a house without
regard to wind or weather.
WM. McATEE.
Our advertisers are guaranteed.
GARDENER WANTED
Experienced market gardener to take charge of
truck farm. Must be reliable. For particulars,
address
ROBBINS & REYNOLDS. - - Garyville, La.
CONTRACT FOR BUTTER SUPPLY
WANTED
Covering a period of one year, also want
2 000 pounds for storage. Parties making a
good grade of butter, write to the
Grut Southiri Hotel Cimpaiqr, Mubin, Mitt. \
How The Progressive Farmer and
Gazette Helps Farmers Make Corn.
Mr, J. F. Batts, of Wake County,
N, C., made the biggest corn yield
in the world last year—226 bushels
on a single acre-following the advice
of The Progressive Farmer and Ga
zette. W'hen a daily asked Mr. Batts
to tell how he did it, he wrote:
“Let me say, Mr. Editor, that I
am a reader of The Progressive
Farmer and Gazette, and this article
would not be complete if I failed to
give credit for the help I have re
ceived from it.”
The Nashville Christian Advocate,
Nashville, Tenn., says of “A South
erner in Europe,” by Clarence Poe:
“The man who knows how to produce
so sprightly a paper as he edits, and
whose contributions on Southern in
dustrial conditions are welcomed by
the best magazines, naturally knows
what to look for in Europe and how
to tell the story when he has seen it.
Mr. Poe has made a capital little
book.” Paper copy free for $1 in
new subscriptions.
■ How to Buy I
Soda Crackers jjS
I m tke Country I
M N©xt time you go to the store atih
jfijn buy enough Uneeda Biscuit to last \£t
■ till next market day. “But,” you I
■ say, “will they keep that long?” I
8 Uneeda 1
I Biscuit I
■ are the soda crackers that come to I
M you protected in sealed packages, SS
so that you always have fresh soda /S/
1 crackers no matter how many you fll
I buy or how long you keep them. I
(Never Sold in Bulk) I M
P NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY P
UflMP PANNPRQ RPI/IEUI a
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