BULLETIN
OF THE

AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL
COLLEGE OF TEXAS.

January, 1916.

Extension Service

Bulletin No. B 16.

Boys’
Agricultural
Club Work

Suggestions to Club Members, Concerning
Crop Growing‘.

Clarence Ousley, Director Extension Service,
College Station, Texas.

Co-operative Extension Work in Agriculture
and Home Economics, Agricultural and
Mechanical Collegeof Texas and
U. S. Dept. of Agriculture
Co-operating".

BLANK PAGE IN ORIGINAL

SUGGESTIONS TO CLUB MEMBERS CON-
CERNING CROP GROWING.

H. H. Williamson, Assistant State Agent in
Charge of Boys’ Agricultural
Club Work.

Suggestions have been previously given
concerning the field selection of planting
seed, fall preparation of seed bed and seed
testing. The object of this bulletin is to
furnish general suggestions for the remain-
der of the season.

Bear in mind that the writers have en-
deavored to give only such suggestions as
are applicable to all club members; yet it
is possible that in some instances some of
the suggestions will not apply, due to local
conditions. .

It has been said that the great general,
Napoleon, always won his battles before fir-
ing a gun. It is meant by this that he
planned his campaign so scientifically that
defeat was almost impossible. The same
thought may be applied to growing a crop.
The success of your crop may be determined
largely by your plans. If your seed bed
has been well prepared, contains a large store
of moisture and good field-selected seed with
strong sprouting power is planted, there is
not much probability of a failure, provided
good principles of farming are adhered to
the remainder of the season.

Your attention is directed to the sugges-
tions given on the following pages pertain-
ing to planting and spacing, fertilizers, pests,
and cultural methods. Read these sugges-
tions carefully.

PLANTING AND SPACING CORN, KAFIR,
AND PEANUTS.

By A. B. Connor, Agronomist in Charge,
Texas Experiment Station.

The manner in which the crop is planted
and the spacing of the plants will have much
to do with the yield secured. No other op-

3

eration in the growing of the crop except,
possibly, that of preparing the soil, is of
such great importance. Seed may be plant-
ed too early or too late, to_o thick or too
thin for the best yields. Early plantings
nearly always produce best. However, care
must be taken not to plant the crop so
early that the seed will rot in the ground or
the plants be injured by cold weather. Seeds
placed in cold, wet soil find conditions un-
favorable for sprouting and consequently
their coming up is delayed for a long time—
or the seeds eventually rot. Some seeds,
such as corn, can be planted with safety in
colder soils than such seeds as cotton or
peanut. Most crops should not be planted
until the soil is thoroughly warmed by the
sun’s rays. However, corn may be planted
at the first indication of continued warm
weather. Kafir and peanuts should never be
planted in cold soil. Plant plenty of seed to
the acre, and in such a way that the crop
can be thinned to the desired stand. If no
more seed is planted than required for the
proper stand and any part of it fails to come
up, the seeding rate will be too thin and the
yield lowered.

Corn is generally planted in Central Texas
during the last part of February. If weather
conditions are unfavorable, early March
plantings will likely produce well that sea-
son. The South Texas corn crop may be
planted about ten days earlier than that in
Central Texas; whereas, the North Texas
corn crop may be planted ten days later.
Do not plant in the face of unfavorable
weather conditions. It is better to delay
planting until the soil is in the proper con-
dition. Soils that have been prepared early
and have not been allowed to crust or bake
will warm up more quickly than soils with-
out this treatment.

If corn is planted in check-rows, that is,
with hills an equal distance apart each way,
and six or eight seeds placed in one hill, a
perfect stand will be assured. Further-
more, the corn may be cultivated in either
direction and much work with the hoe saved.
The hills may be 3x3 feet apart each way
or 3 1-2x3 1-2 feet apart each way. Seed-
ing rate tests conducted at the Main Experi-

4

ment Station at College Station show that
on medium rich soils in this section single
plants spaced 3x3 feet apart on the land
will give the best yields. On thinner soil
the hills should be spaced wider apart and on
richer soils closer. If the 3 1-2x3 1-2 feet
space is used, leave only one stalk to the
hill. In thinning this corn, take out all but
three vigorous plants in each hill when the
corn is three inches high, and before the
corn is oversix inches high all but the most
vigorous plant should be removed from each
hill. Early planted corn should be planted
shallow, as it will then get the benefit of the
surfs heat, which aids in sprouting. Deep
planting in a cold soil is almost certain to
result in a poor stand. If the soil has be-
come crusted or compacted by a rain between
the time of planting and coming up, the field
should be cultivated as soon as the young
plants will allow cultivation. This early cul-
tivation will allow air and sunlight to pene-
trate the soil and will aid in giving the young
plants a good, vigorous early growth.

Kafir seed cannot be planted with safety
in cold soils, and therefore the time for
planting is later than the time for planting
corn. In Central West Texas the kafir may
ordinarily be planted with safety during the
latter part of March or the first of April.
in the lower Panhandle, April 1 to April 15
is a good time for planting, while in the up-
per Panhandle planting should be made some-
what later than this. In Southwest Texas,
planting may be made during the first part
of March. Kafir seed are much more
hardy to cold, however, than milo or
feterita seed, and the young plants are
able to push their way through a rather
thick soil crust. If rain occu-rs between the
time of planting and the time of coming up,
it is well to safeguard against a possible poor
stand by dragging the rows with what is
termed a “scratcher,” made by driving nails
in a round piece of timber about five or
six inches in diameter and thirty inches long.
The nails are driven all around the timber
so that when it is dragged lengthwise down
the row it scratches the surface of the ground
and breaks the crust, no matter which way
it turns over. This will help you get a good

5 .

stand from early planted kafir when other-
wise it might be necessary to plant over. If
the drill furrow is opened and the seed placed
on firm soil with a soil covering of, say one
inch, the conditions are ideal for quick
sprouting. Use only seed of the very best
quality, preferably those that have been
threshed out with a flail. Before planting
time place the seed in a tub of water and
skim off all the trash, hulls and light seed
that float. Pour off the Water and dry the
heavy seeds that are found in the bottom.
In doing this you will discard many seeds
that would not sprout or that would pro-
duce weak plants. 'The planting seed will be
uniform in size and free from any hulls,
trash 0r other material that might cause your
planter to sow the seed scatteringly. Plant
the seed so as to have individual plants
eight to ten inches apart in rows three and
one-half feet wide. This will require not
over four pounds of good seed. In ex-
tremely dry sections the seeding rate should
be thinner than this and in sections where
plenty of rainfall is had kafir may be planted
thicker than this. Results of experiments
indicate that plants eight inches apart in
rows three and one-half feet wide will give
the largest yield. Kafir, like corn, should
be cultivated early so as to allow a quick,
early warming of the soil and vigorous
growth of the young plants.

Peanuts should be planted only in thor-
oughly warm soil. Level planting is best if
the soil is well drained. If the soil is not
well drained, the land should be ridged or
bedded. The nuts may be planted either
with or without hulling. If the nuts are
hulled, the coming up will be hastened some-
what. Quick sprouting can be had by soak-
ing the nuts in warm water just before plant-
ing. Peanuts should be planted only deep
enough to prevent the soil drying out before
the seed has absorbed the needed moisture
for sprouting. Peanuts are generally plant-
ed in rows thirty or thirty-six inches apart
and with plants eight to ten inches apart in
the row. This will require about one and
one-half bushels of unhulled or little less

than one-half a bushel of hulled seed to the.

acre. The stand of peanuts is frequently
6

injured by rodents that burrow in the ground
and eat the seed before they have sprouted.
This can be avoided by soaking the peanuts
in a solution made by shaving one pound
of laundrysoap into a gallon of boiling hot

water. When the soap is dissolved, add two,

gallons of kerosene and mix thoroughly. It
will require very vigorous work to mix the
kerosene and soap emulsion unless a spray
pump is used, in which the nozzle is turned
back into the bucket. Use one gallon of this
mixture with four and one-half gallons of
water. Soaking peanuts in such a solution
will protect the seed from mice and other
rodents after planting. Like other crops,
early cultivation will be very helpful in giv-
ing the young plants vigorous early growth.

FERTILIZERS.

By Dr. G. S. Fraps, State Chemist, Texas
Experiment Station.

_ Fertilizer for Corn.

Well rotted barnyard manure, as a ‘rule,
gives better results on corn than any com-
mercial fertilizer. From five to twenty loads
per acre may be used, but ten loads is a fair
application. If only a small amount is used,
it may be placed in the furrows and bedded
on. If a large quantity is applied, it is best
to spread broadcast soon after breaking and
harrowed under or placed on the land before
breaking and turn under. If the manure
is not well rotted, it may fire the corn, es-
pecially if the season is dry or the land is
broken too late in the season. Manure
should not be used where the land already
produces a large stalk, but does not fruit
well, as the tendency would be to increase
the size of the stalk. In our co-operative
fertilizer experiments with corn, manure
produced a grain of about eight bushels of
corn per acre. In absence of manure le-
gumes should be grown and either turned
under or grazed ofl’.

Acid phosphate is an excellent fertilizer
to use where the land produces a good growth
of stalk, but does not produce sufficient
fruit. The amount used should be 75 to 150
pounds per acre. A good application is 100
pounds to the acre. Acid phosphate should

7

be applied in the row and mixed with soil
or have some dirt thrown back on it before
the seed are planted.

Where the land is somewhat poor and does
not produce a good growth of stalk and
grain, a mixture of acid phosphate and cot-
ton seed meal gives best results. The pro-
portions best to use vary with the different
soils, but a good mixture consists of equal
parts of acid phosphate and cotton seed meal.

The amount to apply also depends upon con--

ditions, 100 to 300 pounds being used. A
good application for profitable results is 150
pounds per acre, but if large -yields are de-
sired and the season gives promise of sup-
plying the water to the growing crops, larger
applications of themixture may be used. The
fertilizer should be applied in the furrow
before planting and care should be taken
that some dirt is thrown on it so that the
seed corn does not touch the fertilizer.
Otherwise, the decay of the cotton seed meal
is pretty sure to kill some of the corn.

The results with the fertilizer will depend

‘upon the season, and if the season is favora-

ble, good results will be secured. If the
season is dry, better results are more likely
.to be secured with the acid‘ phosphate than
~with the acid phosphate mixed with cotton
rseed meal. Manure which is not well rotted
"is also not a good thing to use when a dry
:.season may be expected. Large applications
‘of fertilizer are not likely to be profitable
on corn unless the season is very good so
‘that the corn does not suffer from dry
“weather, which usually comes about the time
~0f tasseling.

Fertilizer for Peanuts.

For peanuts on good land in good condi-
tion, no fertilizer whatever need be used.
For poor land, the only fertilizer suggested
is acid phosphate at the rate of 100 pounds
per acre, applied as directed above for
corn. Peanuts have the power of taking
some of their fertilizer from the air, namely,
the nitrogen. The nitrogen is the substance
supplied by the cotton seed meal mentioned
above in connection with corn. The pea-
nuts can get this nitrogen from the air and

8

the corn cannot, and the peanuts, if turned
under or grazed off will thus furnish fer-
tilizer for the corn.

Fertilizer for Grain Sorghums.

We are not, at present, advocating the ex-
tensive use of fertilizer for grain sorghums.
Some of the soils where grain sorghums are
grown are not very rich in plant food, but
the plant food seems somewhat easily taken
up. Those who wish to try a fertilizer could
use it under the same conditions as those
mentioned- under corn, using, however, only
moderate applications of cotton seed meal or
not to exceed five tons of manure.

For further information concerning fer-
tilizers, write to the Director of the Experi-
ment Station, College Station, Texas, for
Bulletin No. 167, entitled, “Commercial Fer-
tilizers and Their Use.”

PESTS.

By Dr. F. H. Blodgett, Plant Pathologist,
Extension Service.

Pests of forage crops are of two classes:
insects and fungi. Insects may injure crop
plants either by destroying the tissues, as in
the case of caterpillars or “Worms” and
grasshoppers; or by sucking the juices, as
in the case of the chinch bugs and plant lice.
The treatment for the first group consists
in poisoning the food material so as to pto—
duce death from the poison taken into the
stomach along with the plant tissues. The
second group of insects, which don’t bite or
chew part of_ the plant, have to be killed by
some solution which produces its effect
through contact. The standard poisons are
either lead or copper arsenic compounds.
while the standard contact solution is kero-
sene emulsion or some other strong soap so-
lution. Lead arsenate is the best of the ar--
senic preparations and should be used in the
paste form diluted to a smooth wash and
used at the rate of from 1 to 2 1-2. pounds
to 50 gallons of water. It is often added
to Bordeaux mixture or other solutions be-
ing applied toicontrol plant diseases, so that
a single application accomplishes a double

purpose.

The kerosene emulsion is made by first
9

forming a soft soap by boiling 1 pound of
hard soap of some cheap brand in a gallon
of water. After this has been boiled for a
few minutes, the kettle should be remoxed
from the fire and two gallons of kerosene
added to the soap solution. This material
should then be thoroughly mixed, preferably
by churning with a spray pump, until a
smooth white solution is produced, which is
the “stock solution.” In using, this “stock
solution” is diluted by adding 1 gallon of
the stock to 1O gallons of water. It should
be supplied with a spray pump in such a
manner as to strike all the insects present
on the plants, especial care being taken to
reach the under surface of the leaves, since
it is in such protected places that the suck-
ing insects usually gather.

The chinch bug is one of the worst of the
insects attacking forage grain crops. The
kerosene emulsion may be used against this
insect. The spraying should be directed to-
ward the base of the corn or sorghum stalks
where the insects are most likely to be pres-
ent in the early part of the season, each hill
being thoroughly dampened by the solution
before the next one is attended to. In the
case of corn and grain sorghums, the leaf
sheath should receive considerable attention,
since the insect tend to hide within the sheath
and there attack the tender tissues of the
main stem. The kerosene emulsion will not

ordinarily do any injury to the plants, even f
if applied in sufficient abundance to fill the

space enclosed by the leaf sheath.

Another insect which is likely to cause
much trouble in the sorghum fields, espe-
cially in the eastern half of the state, is the
“sorghum midge.” This is a minute fly,
scarcely an eighth of an inch across the
wings, which lives in the growing heads of
the various members of the sorghum family,
laying its eggs within the scales of the
young blossoms where the young, upon
hatching, secure sufficient nourishment from
the juicy tissues of the developing seeds to
enable them to complete their life history
in this protected situation. The first brood
of these insects ordinarily develops in the
Johnson grass or other semi-wild varieties
of the sorghums, and, from such volunteer

10

growths, spread later to the more valuable:
sorghum fields. There is little that can be
done to check the activities of this pest when
once present, but a considerable degree of‘
control can be secured by careful removal
and burning, preferably in late fall, of all.
volunteer plants and scattered heads of sor-
ghum which might furnish the midge a
breeding place. This will destroy the hiber»
nating insects while in this dormant state
and reduce the supply from which the first.
brood may be developed. The wild Johnson.
grass along the road sides and turning rows,
stray plants of grain sorghums from previous
seasons, and other plants of this character,
growing here and there over the farm, are
the very ones which will be first attacked
by the midge and from which the valuable’-
crop will become infested. By the removal
of these waste plants, the development of the
first brood of insects is considerably inter-
fered with and the supply of egg layers for
later injury correspondingly decreased. There
is no way of treating these insects with ker-
osene or other solutions, since the scales»
about the individual blossoms in the sor-
ghums all fit too closely to admit the spray
solution in sufficient quantity to accomplish
any appreciable result.

Caterpillars of various kinds are likely to
make their appearance in the grain field, es-
pecially the striped worm, known at differ-
ent times of the season as the “corn worm”
and “cotton worm.” This worm is rather-
generous in its diet and is likely to attack
any crop which offers the necessary degree
of tenderness for its requirements. The-
worm feeds on the young corn and transfers
later to cotton or tomatoes, eating the tenw
der leaves during the earlier part of the sea~
son, but, after the ear has already formed
on corn, manifesting a decided preference
for the young ears. The interval from egg"
to adult is just over one month, and in this
portion of the South, there may be as many
as five broods during the year. The first
broods feed on corn and similar plants,
while the later ones appear in the fall as
the “cotton leaf worm.” In this latter stage
the pest can be considerably checked by dust--
ing the cotton plants with a mixture of 1,

11

pound of Paris green to 2O pounds of flour
or plaster carried in bags hung to the ends
of a pole carried across the saddle as one
rides through the field, row by row. In this
Way the supply of adults may be greatly di-
minished toward the close of the season and
the number of worms which may pass the
Winter in the soil will be greatly reduced
if the cotton fields are systematically pois-
oned during the fall. There is little oppor-
tunity for controlling the worm while it
feeds on corn and other grain plants, since
it usually burrows into the unopened leaves
or into the ear; thus is beyond the reach of
poisons applied to the surface of the plants.
The best method of control is, therefore, to
kill the worms of the fall broods while they
are feeding upon the cotton plants, which
can be readily poisoned as indicated.

The peanut is subject to very few insects,
plant lice and grasshoppers, probably, being
the most serious. Remedies for the plant
lice have already been suggested, while for
grasshoppers the bran mash is probably as
efficient as any treatment that can be given.
This mash is prepared from 40 pounds of
Wheat bran, 2 quarts of cheap molasses, 1
pound dry lead arsenate, and enough Water
to make the Whole thoroughly damp. In
preparing this, the arsenate should first be
mixed with the bran while dry. The mo-
lasses should be mixed with 1 gallon of
warm water and then poured over the bran
and arsenate while stirring thoroughly, and
sufficient water added, finally, to make the
whole mass wet enough to form.into balls
or wads. This Inash is best applied in the
early evening along the rows adjacent to the
grass land or other areas from which the
grasshoppers seem to be‘ invading the culti-
vated field. The grasshoppers ordinarily
feed most actively in the early morning, and
by having the bran available for them, even
before it is Warm enough for the grasshop-
pers to fly, large numbers are likely to feed
and be disposed of while they are crawling
about on the ground. a

The forage grains under consideration are
subject to a series of diseases which bear
the uniform name of “smut.” The dis-
eases which are included under this name are

12

characterized by the formation of masses of
black dust in the place of the grain _in the
ear or head, or by the development of sim-
ilar dust masses in the tassel or corn, and
occasionally at other points on the plants.
There is no treatment for the smut in corn
except the removal, as soon as sufficiently
developed to be recognized, of any leaves,
ears or tassels from the corn field which
may show the white “smut blisters,” which
later turn black and burst open. In this
way, the supply of spores from which the
crop of the next season may become diseased
will be removed and the damage to that crop
correspondingly diminished. This treatment
also holds good for the head smut of sor-
ghum, which has a similar behavior.

The smut of the small grains and the ker-
nel smut of the sorghum can be materially
checked by soaking the seed in formalin so-
lution, which will kill the spores which are
likely to adhere to the surface. The solu-
tion is prepared by adding one pint (1
pound) of formalin, often called “formalde-
hyde,” to 30 gallons of water. The seed to
be treated should be in coarse sacks so that
the solution can readily mix with the seed
and are left to soak in the solution for one
hour. The sack containing the seed should
occasionally be churned through the water
so that all parts of the contained grain will
come in contact with the solution. After
soaking an hour, the sacks should be re-
moved and allowed to drain until dripping
nearly ceases; then the contents should be
spread on a clean_wagon cover or other sur-
face which has itself been treated with for-
malin solution in case there is danger that the
cover has been exposed to smut spores. The
grain can be planted as soon as sufficiently
dry, but care should be exercised to avoid
reinfection by the smut spores; especial care
being taken to have the planting machinery
thoroughly clean and disinfected. This can
be accomplished by Washing out the seed
box with formalin solution of double the
strength used for soaking the seed; that is,
1 pint to 15 gallons of Water. This'will
probably reach any spores that may be
caught in the cracks and elsewhere in the
box so that the cleaned seed will not become

13

‘reinfested in the process of planting. This
same treatment holds for other smut and
for the stinking smut of wheat, which are
"the more common forms on the emall grains.

There are a few other diseases besides the
smut which are of serious abundance in such
grain crops as would be used for pig for-
age. The rusts of the small grains, though
serious, are not likely to be of importance
in this connection, since the small grains
themselves are little used as hog pasture.
The peanut, which is recommended elsewhere
in this bulletin, is fortunately subject to very
"few diseases except when planted on soils
infested with root rot diseases of cotton and
alfalfa. Occasionally nematodes or root
uworms are found on the peanut. In neither
of these troubles due to soil pests is any
treatment of value. This is largely due to
the fact that an immense mass of soil would
have to be treated in order to secure any
result, and this is impractical for field crops.
Fortunately, however, both the root rot and
the minute root worms have to develop in
plants having certain types of roots and are
not able to thrive on plants having slender,
fibrous roots, such as the small grains. The
“treatment, therefore, is to change land at
least every other year, putting on the land
infested with either of these pests such small
grains as are suited to the particular com-
'munity.

While there are other insects and diseases
which are likely to occur on the forage crops
used by the pig clubs, those metioned are the
ones which are most likely to be present to
a serious degree and in most localities of the
state where the crops are grown. The in-
sects other than those named can usually be
controlled by remembering the principles
pointed out in an early paragraph; that in-
sects like grasshoppers and worms which eat
can be reached by arsenic poisons, while the
others are chiefly controlled by kerosene
perparations. In regard to other diseases
‘than the smuts and root troubles, there are
few which are likely to prove serious except
under some unusual conditions.

CULTURAL METHODS.

The primary objects of cultivation are (1)
14

to prevent the evaporation of moisture from
the soil,’ (2) to prevent the growing of weeds
and grass, and (3) to permit air to enter the
soil. It is wrong to assume that when a
crop is free of weeds and grass, it does not
need cultivation.

In cultivating crops, care should be exer-
cised so as to not injure the roots. Corn
and grain sorghums (milo, feterita, and
kafir) roots are subject to injury by culti-
vation, due to their nature of growth. A
p1ant’s roots are its only means of securing
food on which it grows from the soil. We
may consider roots as the teeth of the plants.
The root gathers the food.

A boy with part of his teeth knocked out
has trouble in eating properly a sufficient
amount of food. A plant has the same
trouble with a part of its roots cut off or
bruised. Doubtless you would be surprised
at the amount of roots that a plant has, es-
pecially corn. Pull up a stalk of corn some
time and examine its root development. It
was found at the Minnesota Agricultural Ex-
periment Station that corn roots had pene-
trated the soil 12 inches deep and had
spread laterally 18 inches eighteen days
after planting.

The same general principles of cultivation
apply equally to corn, milo, kafir, feterita,
peanuts, etc. As a rule, it is best to run a
weeder 0r section harrow diagonally across
the rows before the plants are up. This will
kill the first coat of weeds that have sprout-
ed and will ordinarily delay the first plow-
ing a few days. If a second coat of Weeds
get started before the plants get far out of
the ground, harrow again before the first
cultivation or plowing.

The first cultivation or plowing should be
the deepest. Ordinarily the depth should
vary from 3 to 4 inches. All other cultiva-
tions should be shallower. By making the
first cultivation deep, it will cause the roots
to begin developing below the plowed soil
and then, by making the other cultivations
just a little shallower each time, the roots
will never be disturbed. The cultivations in
the dry sections of the state should be a
little deeper than in sections where there is
a greater rainfall.

15

Cultivate after each rain in order to make
a mulch to conserve the moisture. In case
of no rains, cultivate at least every ten days.
The “mulch” is the coat of loose, plowed
dirt on top. Avoid plowing when the ground
is too Wet. As a rule, in the dry sections,
the shallowest cultivations should never be
less than 2 1-2 to 3 inches, and in other sec-
tions with greater rainfall, 1 1-2 to 2 inches.
In extremely late cultivation, it may be
necessary for the cultivation to be shallower
than the depths mentioned.

When laying by, the ground should be left
as near level as possible, with plenty of loose
dirt in the middles. As a rule, crops are
laid by too early. It is best to continue to

.cu1tivate corn until the silk begins to appear,

and often later, in case of hot, dry weather.

In the cultivation of peanuts, it is impor-
tant to keep the soil well pulverized close to
the plants. This will permit the little fruit
stems or pegs to enter the soil.

When in doubt about any special problem
with your crop, it will be Well for you to
call on your county agent for advice and
suggestions. '

l6

u~“

n