THE Sixty-Fifth Year. Established 1840. Southern Planter A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO Agriculture, Horticulture, Practical and Progressive Trucking, Live Stock and the Fireside. RICHflOND, VIRGINIA. OFFICE: 28 NORTH NINTH STREET, COMPANY, Proprietors. THE SOUTHERN PLANTER PUBLISHING - - and General Manager. J. F. JACKSON, Editor No. 2. FEBRUARY, 1904. Vol. 65. CONTENTS. Ticks 98 Polled Angus Cattle—Texas Fevei FARM MANAGEMENT : 99 The Large Versus the Small Dairy Cow 77 Molasses for Hogs Editorial—Work for the Month Association 100 79 Virginia Veterinary Medical for Cutting Box Substitute 100 Of) Milk Records for 1903 Points to be Observed 81 Raising Alfalfa POULTRY YARD: 82 THE Improving Eastern Virginia Lands 101 Chickens by Natural Means. Tile Draining Raising page 109).. 83 Co-Operative Egg-Producing Ex Enquirer's Column (Detail Index, The New York 102 periments 102 TRUCKING, GARDEN AND ORCHARD: Ducks and Winter Laying 102 Fertilizer—Chemical Fertilizers 91 Potato Editorial— Work for the Month 92 Pecan Tree Not Bearing Nuts THE HORSE: Trees Pruning and Training Fruit 103 1 Notes Trucking Scale. ., 94 The Lime-Sulphur Wash for San Jose MISCELLANEOUS: TO , 7 - Writers— DAIRY: ^' --Agricultural Teachers and LIVE STOCK AND //tr ' ' [0 105 °O Dr. W. C. Stubbs 95 Potato Digger 10j» An Experiment with Aberdeen Angus Steers. An Irish Farmers' Club _ South 95 North Garden Hog Raising in the Life iu< Editorial—Country Life vs. City Stock Show. 97 Herefords at the International . ADVANCE. SUBSCRIPTION, 50c. PER YEAR, IN JLt-E. mEPARED *> *> AGRICULTURAL I S | tVf IT a " H n U f m 8CraPi ° lbs. per acre (the earlier the 8S P'° W ,Ulld Md broaden better and l u 'wm Lr» hr ; " 600 to 600 8 *°d I ^ '-«»" i.- » - «» - *- £ BR7qh" ^STr ^ ^ ^ ASffy^— 'the tobacco """ fcSr?SwLK '" '° "" """ ""^ <*» will vTnlTa' ^O^YY a" d **« prevent Clover """"^ S rel and other gras. i, "" " » 2» ! is exception,!, good ° " P« »«. For Wh«££"! It prevents RUST, ^ SCAB and SMTIT in wh I? at j ,, UR EXCELSI0R TOBACCO Has been t^dTT° FERTILIZERS^. "SH^^ £W*",de — oniated goods 8l °' Whe V" ""a ° "J " '' S T te° '"^ the best " *"»'-'»4 « g,„wn . I n c'd ^^, ,„ the CouI1 Constantly N on hand at lowest prices °' * WOOD-BURNT LIME In car lots at lowest market price from kilns WR.TE FOR CIRCULARS. A. S. LEE &, SON Rieh-«0«rJ 1/ WAGONS and BUGGIES aa* MADE RIGHT HERE AT HOME BY The BARBOUR BUGGY CO The HUGHES BUGGY Co" /!// The of Virginia. VIRGINIA WAGON CO*' nqmneS ^OEN?f ™ ^,»' cheerful 'y answered. RICHMOND BUGQY & WAGONWAUOIN mm*CO., I«3 p ^."T E. Main Street, RICHMOND, VA. The Southern Planter. DEVOTED TO PRACTICAL AND PROGRESSIVE AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, TRUCKING, LIVE STOCK AND THE FIRESIDE. Agriculture is the nursing mother of the Arts.==XENOPHON. Tillage and pasturage are the two breasts of the State. «SULLY. 65th Year. Richmond, February, 1904. No. 2. Farm Management. FOR THE MONTH. WORK as disastrous as we fenr from the fact that the land We had hoped that hefore we were called upon to was very dry at the time when the frost set in and write our usual article on Work for the month for our there has been but very little thawing at any timo February issue that weather conditions would in the during the winter, hence the land has not heaved as South have returned to something like normal con- it would have done had it been full of water when ditions but in this we have been disappointed. For first frozen. Usually this is the case and the heav- now more than two montli3 the land has been locked ing of the land when thawing breaks the roots and in icy embrace and the indications still are as un- •loes much of the damage which follows. We trust promising for a change as they were at the start. For this may turn out to be the case. If not it is possible once our agricultural situation is practically the that much of the fall seeding will have to be done over same as that of the farmer at the North. Never since again and thus add to the press of work in the spring. the weather records have been systematically kepc Wherever land was plowed previous to the commence- has the South had such a long continued spell of win- ment of the frost it will be in fine condition for seed- ter weather. The mean average temperature for the ing without much labor as the frost will have so disin- month of December was nearly G degrees below the tegrated it as to make it fall into a fine seed bed with normal for that month and so far January has been a touch of the harrow. The Southern farmer has, how- more severe than December. The result of this is ever, one source of comfort denied to his Northern that all work on the land has been brought to a stand- brother. The sun in February has a power which it still for a longer time than we have ever known, and does not acquire in the North until several months with the scarcity of labor which is common through- later and if we only once get rid of the cold icy out the South, much incomr enience is going to be blasts from the Northwest it will not take long to caused, and it will be difficult for the usual areas of thaw out the land and permit of the beginning of crops to be planted. Work will have to be rushed all work. When this happens not a moment of timo through the planting season and doubtless much of should be lost in setting the teams to work and fitting the crop will be planted in poorly prepared seed beds ihe land for seeding oats. We have never been advo- with a consequent probability of small yields. This cates for spring sown oats in the South as they rarely is a very discouraging outlook but even that does not make a profitable crop but in a season like this Avith cover all the probable loss. Wheat, winter oats and the probability of disaster to the fall sown crop and grass seeded in the fall arc sure to have suffered extra land to put in crop in a curtailed planting sea- severely as there ha? been little snow anywhere South son, it may well be' politic to sow oats in the spring to protect the plants. Possibly this may not turn out and thus get some of the land out of the way and pro- 78 TIIE SOUTHERN PLANTER. [February ducing sometliing. If the crop can be seeded in Febru- land for other spring sown crops. All recent investiga- ary we would sow Virginia grey winter oats, but if tions and experiments go to support the position wo not ready to seed until March, and we would not sow have long taken up, that perfect preparation of the later than March, we would then sow Rust proof oats. land before seeding the crop has more influence on It will pay to prepare the land well for oats and not the yield than the fertilizer used. The latest investiga- merely to sow them on the top and plow them down as tions by the experts of the Department of Agriculture is too often done. Where the land is not in a fertile go to prove that there is in all land, except the most condition they should also have the help of some acid barren, more than sufficient mineral plant food to pro- phosphate, say 250 or 300 pounds to the acre and duce paying crops for years to come and that the prob- when they commence to grow freely a top dressing lem to be solved is how to make this available. It is of 100 pounds of nitrate of soda to the acre will help not more mineral plant food that is needed but such a them wonderfully. The oat crop in Virginia last physical and mechanical condition of the soil as will year was grown on 200,529 acres and the average result in the holding of such a moisture content as will yield was only 13 bushels to the acre or little more dissolve this food and thus render it available. This than one-half of the average for the whole coimtry. can only be brought about by deep plowing, sub-soil- This ought to be improved upon and can be if onlv ing and cultivating the land so as to reduce it to the our advice is followed and a fair season follows. finest consistency and the greatest depth of soil and the filling this with vegetable matter which will hold Canada peas and oats may be seeded for a grazing the moisture and make the soil fitted for the habita- and forage crop as soon as ever the land can be got tion and working of the soil microbes upon which the ready but should not be seeded later than March, 39 availability of the plant food mainly depends. Al- this is essentially a cool weather crop and should be ready some few of the most successful farmers in the off the ground before the hot weather comes or it will South have demonstrated the truth of these positions, be worth little for either purpose. The peas mildew and have either altogether abandoned the use of com- as soon as ever the hot weather sets in. The land for mercial fertilizers or still use only the particular ele- this crop should be well prepared and the peas at the ment of plant food which they have by experiment rate of l£ or 2 bushels to the acre be seeded first and and experience proved to be lacking in their soil.