The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-05-31
Cow Peas Again.

SSS@NSN S~
our frequent recurrence to this subject
that everybody has got "cow peas on the
BRAIN" we are content if we may in the
meantime fully impress upon the readers
of the Constitution the importance and
value of this crop. Under the old regime
the farmers "planted peas" in q sort of
desultory way, making it sert of hel,
out towards fattening the hog crop. 80
there never was that substantial recogri-
tion of the value of this plant as factor
in upbuilding the soil and restoring it to
its original fertile condition. Indeed, it
has only been of late years that farmers
in the older cotton States are universally
recognizing the fact that their soils have
become impoverished by careless and ex.
haustive cultivation and cropping.
Even in its virgin condition very small
proportion of our soil area would now be
considered rich by the wide awake, pro-
gressive farmer of the present day. Our
policy-ffty years ago-should have
been to subdue the original forest by re.
moving its natural growth, and then i'm
mediately TO commence building it up
making it better and better, until by this
time the original, FIRST cleared land
would have become the richest and most
productive acres for cultivation. Under
such system ou. forest lands would
only have been valued for their timber
and fuel, and a well managed farm
would have been highly valued in pro.
portion to the larger area reclaimed from
it's wild condition. Even now we would
prefer to undertake to improve and build
up an average scathed "worn out" farm
to high degree of productiveness, than
try to subdue and improve to CORES
ponding degree an equal area of origi-
nally similar but still uncleared land.
1t may be done by a judicious system
of rotation Of crops, including high ma
nuring and the extensive planting Of
peas. Farmers generally accepted the
theory that COW peas will renovate land.
But the trouble has been that their aim
has been, not to improve the soil, but to
get all out of it that was possible, and to
give back as little as possible. The too
prevalent idea has been that what is
called naturally good land was good
enough, and that the business Of the fax.
mer was to cultivate as much of it as
possible, wear it out as matter of course
AS if such result was according to nat.
ural law. Even now there are probably
thousands of farmers on the virgin prai-
ries of Texas and Kansas who would rid.
icule system of rotation and manuring.
The COW pea is the best helper the
farmer of the South can employ in this
work of restoration. But as We have be.
fore insisted, it is idle to expect any very
rapid improvement of an exhausted soil,
especially one that was not originally of
high quality, by simply "planting peas
on it," Land may be so poor and tired
that it will not produce paying pea
crop without some help. Fortunately
the kind of plant food that is most re-
quired by the pea is that that cost the
least in market, viz, acid phosphate and
potash. Give an acre of this tired land
one bushel or FIVE pecks of speckled peas,
two hundred pounds of acid phosphate,
and one hundred pounds of kainit, plow
all in together and the result will sur
prise one who has not tried it. Then cut
the vines down when in full bloom and
make hay of them, and the hay will
much more than pay all expenses besides
leaving the ground in a much improved
condition.-R. j. Redding, in atlanta
Constitution.