The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-30


The name of the writer sHld accompany
the letter or article, not nsssarily for pub
LEGATION, but as an evidenhf good faith.
The Farmers BIT Friend.
What is the farmer'5est friends The
Southern Lire Stock .Jonol thinks it is
the common old field p, aud says: There
are certain sections and dis in every South
ern State where red ever can be grown
with high degree of !tisfactlon. Wher-
ever this is the case II clover Should be-
come a standard croI But there are Sec
tions and soils whereed clover is more
or less unsatisfactorcrop, and the main
dependence for grin crop, to improve
the soil aud at the she time furnish lib
eral amount of chez and highly nutritious
forage, must rest 9Th the field pea. The
field pea is valuabI alike for seed, hay and
manure. Analysis and experience conclu-
svely show thatfor all the purposes for
which red clover4s grown the field pea will
answer the sam purpose. The yield of
forage is large. Moved at the right time
and properly cred there is no better hay.
The pea will cow and make a fair yield
upon land too DOR to grow grass and clover
and grain andNegetables, ETC., ETC., but did
YOU ever hearof land too poor to grow the
field peai
In the Souh when we wish to describe
land that isutterly and completely worn
out, and too barren to show any kind of
vegetation whatever, we often hear the ex-
preston, ''too poor to sprout peas"
One reason we like the heavy running va
rieties is that the vines sometimes fall over
and hug the gro2nd SO close that it is al
most impossible for the mower to cut them
clean, and thus much of value is left behind
to furnish an excellent fertilizer when turned
under in the sp'ing. 1t is wonderful how
much weight isattached to the roots alone
Eminent autb)rities, who are presumed to
know, claim chat the entire weight of the
roots will equal the entire weight of the
growth above the surface of the ground.
These roots, penetrating to such a great
depth in the ioil and permeating the land
in every direction open the way for air and
light and wtrmth and moisture. Under
these conditions the roots bring up from
the depth OF the unturned soil fertilizing
materials and act mechanically upon them,
so that they tre made available for succeed
ing crops. The roots loosening up the soil
and admitting air and light and warmth
and moisture, these four conditions in COM
bination act mechanically upon mineral
substances so long locked up in the bosom
Of the earth in hardened clods, ETC., make
them available for present use, whereas,
ordinarily, they would have remained still
locked up and unavailable.
By judicious system of growing peas on
our worn lands they can be gradually
brought up to fertile condition. Peas also
draw considerable nitrogen from the at
mosphere through their leaves and thus
adds to the soils wealth.
We believe general conditions indicate
that the pea crop is becoming more and
more popular with the farmers of the South.
The time is rapidly drawing near when it
will become a necessity upon nearly every
Southern farm. Fewer acres, better titled
more peas; more and better stock, and a
general diversified agriculture; more and
better agricultural implements-thesea are a
Jew of the requirements in the elevation of
our agriculture to a higher degree of per-
lection and profit.
A crop that can be grown cheaply and
with almost certainty-the field pea. A
cheap and reliable fertilizer for exhausted
soils-the field pea. A forage crop that will
rank in yield and quality combined, with
any that can be grown at the South at the
same cost and upon the same quality of
field pea. A crop that is equal to
the best forage plants, and surpassed by
none, for making fat and milk and butter
the field pea.
The fed pea or red clover-one of these
is absolutely necessary to maintain and rap
idly and cheaply restore the fertility of our
worn and almost exhausted lands. Let us
grow them largely-for manure, for hay,
for soiling purposes and for ensilage.
The field pea is the Southern farmers
best friend. This field pea represents de-
gree of agricultural wealth to the South
that is simply enormous. Show us farmer
who grows this pea largely, from year to
year, and we will point you to good farm
er-one whose lands are more fertile and
productive than the same average character
OF the lands around-whose crops are gen.
orally better than those around him.