HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Advocate, 1917-3-1, Page 2ries'
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Conducted by, Professor Henry G, dell.
Theobject of this department Is to piece at the
service of our farm readers the advice of an aoknowl."
edged authority on all subjects pretai.ning to solar, and
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crepe.
Address all questions to Professor Hepry G. Bell, in
rare of The Wilson Publishing Company,; Limited, To,
ronto, and answers will appear in this column in the
oder in which they are received. As space Is limited
It is advisable where immediate' reply is necessary that
a'stamped and addressed envelope be enclosed with the
question, when the answer will be mailed direct,
Question --S. If, (1) Haw can I best
get humus into a sandy soil? T have
a field of about 5 acres -which is unpro-
ductive. Last year it was not even
good for grazing. I ploughed it last
fall and have been thinking of sowing
it in the spring, and turning it under
the following spring. What would.
you suggest that I sow and get a fair
crop the same year, yet improve the
soil?
Answer -You would do well in the
spring, as soon as the ground will
work, to harrow it down to a smooth
seedbed, first having given it a dress-
ing of :from two to five tons of manure
to the acre; then seed it to an early
variety of oats, sueh a. 0, A. C. No,
92, or Daubeney, using about 1.-a bus.
of seed to the acre. Seed this with
about 10 lbs. of Common Red CIover
and 4 lbs, of Alsike to the acre. The
oats will harvest early, and the clover
should get a. • pretty good growth by
fall, As soon as it has made a sat-
isfactory start in 'spring, instead of
cutting"it, plow it under, and you will
have enriched your soil by a good ad-
dition of organic matter.
Question -(2) What is the best
fertilizer to use for potatoes on sandy
soil, and what quantity should be ap-
plied per acre?
Answer -Potatoes on a sandy soil
f
suggestions, along with instructions
for planting, which most reliable
seedemen supply with purchases of
sceda arid, plants, should, enable tin
thoughtful anti a ubitious person to,
make a ,suecess, of growing the corn-
mon and most popular summer vege-
tables.
Henry (.
Bell.
should receive a ,fairly high-grade
fertilizer. You will do well to use'
one carrying from 4 to 5% ammonia,
8 to 10% available phosphoric acid,
and as much potash (up to 3%) as
you can get this year. If you cannot
buy a fertilizer with a high amount of
potash, you will do well to apply wood
ashes, up to ton to the acre, work-
ing it into the -soil before you ripply
the fertilizer. If you do apply wood
ashes, be sure • to treat ; your . seed
potatoes with formalin in order to hill
the spores 'of the scab' which is like-
ly to thrive where wood ashes have
been appl'iod. • In applying the fert-
ilizer, if you are putting on 500 lbs, or
more to the acre, apply one-half
through the fertilizer attachment of
the grain drill; if you have a grain
drill with fertilizer attachment,' or
spread it broadcast over the potato
field before the last harrowing if you
do not have a drill distributor. Thor-
oughly harrow this fertilizer into the
soil and apply the rest of the fertilizer
through the fertilizer dropping at,
tachment of the potato planter. It
is not advisable to apply more than
300 lbs. to the acre through the fert-
ilizer attachment of the potato plant-
er; hence any excess of this amount
should be worked in broadcast when
preparing the potato seedbed.
MOR. DIVIDENDS
F
ROM GARP
OPS
This Tear; If Ever, the Opportune Time for Making Money
From Vegetables.
Five acres of Ontario soil near a
good market can be made to .easily
support a family in comfort. In pota-
toes alone the returns would run, un-
der ordinary prices; at from $100 to
$200 per acre, From $400 to $500
ter acre can be made from cauli-
flower. Many people .will be inclined
to regard these figures as exaggerat-
'ed, but they are facts, and many cases
can be pointed out to substantiate our
statements.
With proper soil treatment, the
average garden will produce at Ieast
a half more than it now does. Several
things must be borne in mind, how-
sver, to make a success with garden
crops, such as onions, potatoes, cab-
bage, etc. The soil must be suitable,
cultivation muet be thorough, varie-
ties the best for the district and the
market, and good salesmanship.
The plot selectedfor the garden
should be well drained, and must not
be shaded to any extent. Drainage
takes away surface water rapidly, and
keeps the soil water away from the
surface, thereby allowing the roots to
grow deep and the air to enter the
soil and aid in decomposing it. Fertil-
ity is another most important feature.
The need for . fertilizer is shown by
low growth and pale color in the
plants. Stable manure, bone meal, or
good commercial fertilizer should be
used to gene: the elements required
Dy the soil.
Germination.
Crops are often lost through the
failure of the seeds to geminate.
Don't blame your seedsman for this.
It is usually because in planting the
Soil is left loose about the tiny seeds,
and the dry atmosphere penetrates to
them, shrivelling there up until all
vitality is destroyed. Vegetable
crops as a rule are sown in rows, and
For example a crop' of radishes, tur-
nips, spinach or` lettuce sown in April,
will have ripened so that the ground
can be cleared, dug up, and manured,
and again used by the first of Juna,
when such crops as cucumbers, peas,
tomatoes, or sweet corn can be plant-
ed, and so on all through the list,
The crops should be moved
around from year>to year, so'as to
give the soil a chance to recuperate.
Where a number of successive plant-
ings are desirable, as with peas, it is
an excellent plan to' plant a third or
fourth crop between the rows of the
f
in every case, as soon as the -seed is
sown, it should be pressed down in
the drill with the foot, then covered
'up level by the back of a rake, drawn
lengthwise of the drills, and again
firmed by the roller or back of a
spade. For want of this simple.pre-
caution, perhaps one-quarter of al
seeds sown fail to germinate. Again,
for the sane reason, when setting out
plants of any kind, be certain that the
soil is pressed close to the' root. We
have seen whole acres of cauliflower,
cabbage and strawberry plants lost
solely through neglect of this precau-
tion.
Value of Rotation.
In order to secure maximum yields,
and to keep down weeds,:the°system-
atic rotation of farm crops' is an ac-
knowledged necessity. Why not,
therefore, plan the varieties of vege-
tables and their planting time so as to
secure a continuous and abundant
supply of good, fresh green things?
It is just as easy as any other method
of garden management, and it is much
more satisfactory.
If a horse has a loud, dry,. hoarse
cough, becoming moist later on, loud
end frequent respirations, drtllness,
ropy saliva from mouth, bowels
c-etive and urine high colored, and
nds continuously,
&
in i s s
showing
e h Y
3
symptoms of bronchitis.
See that he has comfortable, well -
ventilated quarters, excluded from
draught. Apply mustard to breast
and sides, Steam nostrils, holding
head over boiling water with a -little
carbolic acid. Give cold water:, with
3 or 4 drams nitrate' of potassium In
it. When inflammation subsides, give
dram doses each of gentian, ginger,
and sulphate of iron 3 times daily;
If hay is kept in front of idle horses
ail the time they will keep On eating
it, to their own detriment, and at the
waste of a Iot of good feed.
It is more economical to'give a
small feed of grain at noon than to
stuff them with hay. Give just as
much hay morning and night as'` will
be eaten up clean in a reasonable time.
Study your horses. Same require
more roughage'than others to keep
them in condition, Some horses wills
never stuff' themselves with hay, no
matter how much is given them; otlf-
ers'.will eat everything in sight.' The
intelligence of the feeder must control
the situation.
Bring the Bead -stalls Into the kit-
chen at night if the stable is frosty,
or cover the bits with smooth leather.
Never put a frosty bit in 'a• horse's
mouth.
The idle work horses and the colts
should spend a few hours every plea-
sant day
lea-sant.day in a sheltered yard. Never
leave them out until they are chilled;
that doesn't pay.
Be very careful with the breeching
near es. Don't let them slip, and don't
melee them back heavy loads. A good
teamster will manage to make his
team back as little as possible. Back-
ing is unnatural and very straining.
Never 'feed chicks till the third day
after hatching, let them have all the
i the dry sand and water they will take.
Their first real feed should be -:rolled
oats and hard-boiled: eggs chopped
fine. Two tablespoonfuls suffici-
entare.l for 100 chicks.
Are pens. mated up? Don't delay
any longer.
first crop, removing the vines of the
first crop as soon as the peas have
been picked.
The observance of the foregoing
FICRUITS FOR NAVAL
The Women of Canada Are Asked to Support Campaign for
Royal Navy Volunteers.
Captain the Hon. Rupert Guinness, A.D.C., G,B.,--
C.M.G., R.N.V R., Senior Officer of the Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve, and hie wife, Lady Gwendolen
Guinness, sailed a few weeks ago for England af-
ter having spokenin almost every town of any
size in Canada from Sydney and I-Ialilax on the
Atlantic, to Vancouver and Victoria on the,
Pecifi e.
Their aim was to. organize Committees to secure
recruits for the Overseas Division of the Royal `
Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve, and the work
which they launched and whieli was unreservedly.
helped along by the lion. Mr,..Ilazen for the
Canadian Government, has already had splendid
results, andhundreds of good recruits have joined
The Pendant offered by the Navy under the e.vspiees of the R. N. C. V.11.
Lady Gwendolen Qui