The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-09-11

S0ASs - - 49, WILL SPOSAO4 IL III
emphatic sense. No other part of the
world deals in special agricultural
products of such a character or to such
an extent as the Southern States; for
the spacial crops we grow are exceed
ingly exhaustive to the soil, while the
sugar of Cuba, the coffee Of Brazil, the
tea Of China, all special crops like our
cotton and tobacco, do not exhaust the
soil at all or only to a very small ex-
tent. oj We are forced to adapt our
selves and our agricultural methods
TO special circumstances and this adap-
tation must, as L have alphabetically
said, consist in a r~ecuperative system
by which the reserved fertility Of the
soil shall be husbanded and renewed
and repaired by a judicious rotation
OF crops. Fortunately, as yet, our
soils have not been badly hurt; indeed
we have only in small part got down
to the best part, Of our soito1 T have
been very forcibly struck. with this
fact in some experimental but very
practical work upon my farm in, this
State There were some old fields
left by q former owner which had
been in corn year after year for 80
years with an occasional rest for a year
or two, when the land. was abandoned
to sheep sorrer and briars. These
fields were al sorry sight; as any old
fields are to me; typical of a neglected
and wastefuE system of 1agriculture.
When the land came into my posses
sion, these were plowedt necessarily
with arhillside plow)o eight inches
deep; and sownr with oats, buckwheat
or millet, and seeded withsclover and
grass. The oats were a very poor
crop, paying only for the labor of
putting them in and taking them off.
But the clover grew beautifully, and
tor five years past during whichuI
have been getting these old fields into
aIgood condition, Iahavei been cutting
an average of two tons per acre of the
very best hayof timothy and clover
and just now the second growth Of
the new clover on some of the fields is
as beautiful q sight as any farmer can
wish to see. The top of the soil where
shallow-rooted crops spread their feed.
ing roots, had been q exhausted but
below the three inches to which the
land had been plowed previously, the
soil was really new, and wanted only
the sun and air to mellow ii
andto develop it's latent fertility. And
moreover the long deep roots of the
went[down far below into the
subsoil, and as they are capable of do
ing, and do. very readily and easily,
they found there the undeveloped
plant food which they are able to
utilize when other crops cannot. Many
other farmers have had the same ex-
perience, finding that first, it is neees-
saryC to break up the soil deeply, not
only to bring to the light the reserve
of the plant food init, butt to hold the
rain and avoid the injurious washing
whichso seriously wastes our Southern
lands G1Ign9I & Al il .m3d1 s5l9G9dl
91R otationioffcro is nature 8 method.
cut7d0wnaafforest of hard woods
and pines follow;fa pine forest is suc-
hard woods. There is ~
necessity for II this. 9aT The deciduous
srees1take from the soil a large guam
tity of available potash and lime; the
sxergreenss take q large quantity of
silica which have been accommodating
n the soil while the hard woods were
growing, and the soil accumulates
potash and lime while the, -evergreens
lave possession, and so becomes able
o bear anew hgrowth8of adeciduous7|
rees. o91 1t, as preciselyIithe same with
'rops. We takasa crop of clover and
n its enormous tap-roots, and the
waste heritage, we secure nitrogen
enough for q very large crop of cot
on.?FIn addition to this decay Of the
ernains of the clover is accompanied
" chemical action Of which por.
ion of the mineral elements of thel
oil are dissolved to B useful extent
nd the potash, lime, and phosphoric
cid required for the production of the
eedl Of the cotton crop are set free
the soil and made available for
his, crop. The peculiar nature of the7l,
otton plant sisuchi that the yield of
ut depends upon the quantity Of seed,
ne lint Being apo appendage OF. the
eed. Consequently in the culture Of
ottono we must aim to produce as
iuch seed as possible and as vigorous
plant as we can, by providing the 6
latefials-the plant food-n1eeded f.
it, and then we get the larger yield
! lint which really takes nothing &
ON the soil and gets all its substance, Is
facticaHy, from the a~bounding atmos- |,
here. CTS +go D3ltU1 25oL -<H0tfst 9djE1