The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-28
FalloW Crops.

The southern farmer is blessed beyond
farmers Of almost every other country in
the abundance of valuable plants to be
used for fallow purposes.
Let it be borne in mind "fallow CROP
Is one planted primarily for the benefit of
the land; though there are several that
can be utilized for the double purpose OF
furnishing good crop of hay, and at the
same time afford a large quantity of vege-
table matter in the form of roots chiefly
that will be converted into humus later
on. The several clovers adapted to the
southern climate are plants of this char
aCuer. Our field peas too, while yielding
goodly quantity of seeds, that are first,
class TODD Tor man and beast, furnish in
their stems and roots large supply of
vegetable matter.
Most every farmer now understands
that long guilty ated land ceases to be
fertile when its humus becomes ex-
hauSted. Mineral manures, and even
those commercial ones that contain a
small quantity of nitrogen, are of little
avail on such lands, as are entirely desti-
tute Of humus. If our farmers could only
have learned or appreciated This twenty
years ago, our farms would not have been
IN the dreadfuly worn condition that
they are now, most of them unable to
produce profitable crops of anything.
At leaso One.fourth of the arabic land
should be devoted to fallow crops every
year, first one section then the other. If
a farmer waits until his land gets too
poor to produce good crops of corn, oats
and cotton before he begins to use
fallow trops, he will find it
an uphill business to restore
that land TO a fertile condition
But if every fourth year, and while the
soil is yet fairly fertile from the presence
of humUs and a reasonable amount of sol
uble mineral ma, er (po ash and phos-
pnOric acid large supply of vege ole
matter derived from some leguminous
growth is given the land this with what
Is given incidentally from year to year
Will keep the land in condition to make
profitable crops of anything
Of all the elements Of fertility neces-
sary TO make a soil rich nitrogen is the
most costly 1t is the most easily dissi-
pated or wasted. The only economiy al
way to supply this element is through
the medium of nitrogen-bearing plants
All leguminous plants are of this charac-
ter, and the various clovers, beans or
peas, vetches, mililOtus are the chiefs.
Our cotton plant, though not Il legume,
Is really an excellent fallow crop, when
used for that special purpose. 1t is al
most as good a nitrogen bearer as the
lVEuHl6S' CuLlke clover V6UCn, ana me-
lelotus, but like peas and beans, its time
OF growth IS in the summer.
When used for fallow purposes cotton
may be sOwn broadcast as early as posi-
bic, five to ten bushels of seeds per acre
Inc smoothing harrow used over twice
gives this crop proper send of.
When preferred, the cotton can be
planted thicklY in narrow rows, fifteen
10 twenty-fOur inches apart Either way
IL Is a good instrument for the purpose Of
restoring fertility.
In ancient times the term "fallow'' sig
nltied that the land should be kept
perfectly clan for season that
no crop be soWn and all spontaneous
growth kept down by repea e pillow
lngs or harrowings. The 81 il ion
OF the term is fyrenG now,
and the principle involved lar super o, to
That of old The land is sowcd to some
appropriate crop that is not to be taken
from 1t. This crop, leguminous one for
the reasons given, is turned under and
the land is more benefited bv this addi-
ton of vegetab mat than it would be
oy merely preventing all growth Tor a
season. We must come to recognize the
very great Importance of the fallow with
us modern significance.