Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-02-25
AarielHHtal AsEastme4t,
THE COW PEA AS A FERTILIzER.

THE cow PEA AS A FERTILIZERS.
In q letter written to the ,GsaEuatorlas,
year, Mr.. David Dickson gives some prsc
tical hints upon this subject. We repro
duce them now that the readers IF the En-.
oUIRER may make the. necessary arrange
ments In time for the Summer sowing. Mr.
Dickson says: n..'..'.'''- '',''
The benefits of growing green crops, and
burying them in the soil for the benefit o.
future crops are too we'll understood to b
questioned by any one, but it has opened g
question in agricultural economy that has
not been settled so satisfactorily. The
English farmers, formerly used half ton
of ground bones per acre to grow a single
crop, but. they have, found by dissolving
200 pounds Of bones: IN acid, at q cost of SO
per cent. on the price Of bones (making the
whole cost equal to that of 300 pounds OF
bones), that it will produce the same effect
at an outlay, Of only 30 per cent. on that Of
theiforner mode, the latter method giving
them the means Of returning the same
amount of manure to the land next .yesr as
the former did, by producing the same
amount Of hay, turnips and other forage 70
feed stock.
Now, admitting that it viii pay 10 grow
peas and clover, to be turned under as fer
tilizers, the following questions arise: At
what time should they be turned under to
insure the greatest benefit? Would it pay
better to feed them of the land than to
cover them with plow, and what DO they
lose by drying before they are turned un-
der? Here again the question Of soluble
and insoIuble msnures is involved, I hare
always taken the side of soluble manures as
being the most economical Dry pea vines
and clover. will soon become soluble.
I will give you my practice. It is one
that viii pay, although / will not say that
it is the best. First, keep your land in
good heart let the field that you intend to
SOW peas on remain fallow, until you lay by
your corn-say from the. 1st to the 2Oth
of July, you will then have large growth
of green weeds to turn under. Start your
teams with good turn plows, running of
the land as nearly level as you can, and 60
round and round until the land or cut is
finished. Start the pea dropper after every
third plow, and the hand with the manure
after the pea dropper. Drop the manure
within four inches of the peas. If you find
the peas will make from seven to fifteen
bushels per acre, turn stock in upon them,
placing salt in places over the field, to cause
the most of the manure to be dropped on
the field. Then invest all the profit arising
from feeding stock on the field in bones and
Peruvian guano for the next crop, and you
will find this system will pay. I have
adopted it with both wheat and cotton, with
good success. If the peas fail to fruit,
turn them under whilst green.
Second Plan.-Plant peas the first Of
April, same as above turn under before
the stems become very woody, and plant
and manure second crop at the same time
you are turning under the first crop of vines,
and treat the second crop as you did the
first. -. 500 . 80 a.
The true policy is to secure the greatest
amount of soluble vegetable mold you can
accumulate with the least cost.
Very truly, yours,
. DAVID DICKSON.
= N. B.-I prefer peas planted and culti-
vated on level, both for the land and crop,
and for a sowing of small grain after the
pea crop. -...