The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-27
SMALL GRAIN AND PEAS.
a Few Thoughts Bearing Upt
These.

a Few Thoughts Bearing Upon
These.
Have you sown any oats or rye or bar
ley? Over the territory wherein the News
chiefly circulates, there has not been any
favorable weather for securing a stand of
small grain any time since the first week
in October. There were favorable sea-
sons in September for establishing a crop
of small grain but very few of our farmers
took advantage of the opportunity then
presented.
1t is a fact that the larger number of
our farmers rely on their cotton fields to
afford place for any grain they may
decide to SOW. 1t is true unfortunately
that after our farmers have gotten through
planting corn and cotton there is very
little land left that win more than sprout
peas. Time and again we have suggested
to farmers practice that we must think
is worthy of adoption, and that is to set
apart 25 per cent. of the arabic for the
special purpose of growing the combina-
ton crop of oats and peas where the two
crops can be grown in the course of eight
months, COR at the furthest twelve), and
the soil will be decidedly benefited by
the operation. AS we have stated in these
columns number of times recently, we
regard clover as superior and more avail
able for the purpose of soil Improvement
than peas. but we are well aware of the
fact that there are many farmers in the
south who will postpone for many years
yet, that thorough trial of the several clio
vers that are suited to our soils. that
will cause them to adopt clover
in preference to peas. How slow is the
growth of what is excellent" said Cow
per, and it certainly does require a long
time for farmer to revolutionize the
practice thath has adopted from his
rather and has followed for score of
years or more.
In view of this fact we continue to ad-
wise farmers to use peas for fallow pur-
poses, believing that often times they will
adopt the suggestion to sow that crop.
where they would slight any suggestion
relating to clover. 1t is quite true that
a crop of oats, sOwn in October or in FEB
ruary. followed by crop of peas in June
or July, is q very excellent practice, and it
ought to be more common on our southern
farms. Allowing that Il one-horse
farmer attempted to cultivate forty
acres. which he could do very we'll. with
the help of a little extra labor, at least
one-fourth' of this area should be devoted
to sOwn crops that require no cultivation
tor very little. No One-hOrse farmer,
without some extra help, can cultivate
thirty acres even as they should be Guilt
waited, but in the sense that we use the
term in this instance there is no reason
why he should not take crop from fifty
acres, if he is an energetic man, with "A
good pillow animal; but, of course, a good
proportion of it must be taken from
broadcast sown crops, which are put In
either in the fall or shortly after Christ
mas.
There are several varieties of
our fields peas that can be
sown along with grain in October. or in
February. and they will not come up I'M
til the soil has warmed up in April or
May Our common COW pea, in fact.
possesses this characteristic, but the ma
jority Of our peas do not possess this quail
ity. 1t is not safe to risk their planting
before the frosts are well over, which, in
middle Georgia, is about the 25th Of
March
If our farmers generally could only
acquire a practical knowledge Of the
three or four varieties of clover that are
perfectly adapted to our soils and climate,
they would shortly substitute the clovers
for peas, except where they wished to
plant the latter for seed for human or
stock feod in the winter time.