St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-09-07
FARMER AND PLANTER.
COTTON CULTURE.


i COTTON CULTURE.
tion In the south.
In q former article / have showl
That what the south needs is not al
abandonment Of her great staple, bu
q system OF culture that will increas.
the crop per acre, SO that the crop cal
be grown at less expense and on a re
duced acreage. This is to be done onl.
by an aba aDdonnent Of the old methot
OF planting cotton year after year OF
the same land, by the aid OF expensive
fertilizers, and the substitution for i
OF systematic farming methods. il
which q rotation of crops shall be de
vised. all suited to the southern condi
tions, and which shall all tend to the
increase of the yield per acre Of the
cotton crop, through q systematic
building up Of the fertility of the soil
1t is now = well-settled fact that
economical soil Improvement in any
part of the country must be accom-
piished through the aid of the plants
known to botanists as the leRuminosse
or the pea family. 1t has been
demonstrated that this family o1
plants all have the power to get and
DIX in the soil from the air the element
nitrogen, which is one Of the essential
elements of plant food. without which
no green plant can grow, and which is
the most costly part Of our fertilizers
when purchased in the market. In the
northern and middle states, and In the
upper Piedmont part of the south
Atlantic states, the ordinary red clover
is the best leRume for general farm
purposes. making, ~ 1t does, ex-
cellent hay. and rapidly adding humus
to the soil. as well rs gathering the nj
trogen for the succeeding crop. But in
all Of the sandy plain of the south the
red clover will not thrive through the
long summers. and it becomes necessary
to resort to some other plant to take its
place. Fortunately, we are not with
out one eminently adapted to the
wants of the south. and one that will
do more in the same length of time for
the improvements of our southern lands
than red clover could if it were a per-
feet success. This has been we'll
termed "the clover of the SOUTH" the
cow pea. Years ago those planters
who wished to do something for their
land and not crop it necessarily,
were in the habit Of resting it in
alternate years; that is. they allowed
it to lie idle q whole season, and
gather coat of weeds and grass to BE-
plowed under for the next crop This.
Of course, was to some extent better
than the constant cultivation and the
use Of fertilizers merely to force sale
crop. But it involved the keeping Of
half the land continually producing
nothing of value. and, worse than this,
it brought in weeds and grass to make
the labor of the next years cultivation
more costly and difficult. 1t was only
one phase of planting, and was not
farming as business-likc man sbould.
We know now that the best way to rest
land is to keep it 1T work growing some
thing that will be of advantage to the
soil, and at the same time bring money
to the farmers purse. between every
sale crop of cotton or grain. In the ef-
fort now being made in many places
to diversity our crops, there is too lit
tie notion that the crops used to make
the diversity can not only lie made to
serve the purpose Of food for the
farmer, and his stock. but that they
can also be made subsidiary sale crops
to the staple crop of cotton. We hear
of farmers who have grown . crop of
corn, congratulating themselves that
they have corn enough for two or
more years. totally ignoring the mar
ket value Of the corn, or its value to
put into stock for immediate sale, and
forgetting that boarded grain is worse
than boarded money in its rapid de-
probation by reason of shrinkage and
insect depredations. The effort should
be made to make the most profit
able nse of the dlversifying crops to
increase the profit of the farm.
In getting away from the bondage of
the one crop of cotton we should en-
deavor to get rs money producers rs
many other products - is consistent
with the proper carrying ont Of the ro-
tation adopted. Even the recuperative
crops Of peas. grown while the land is
resting" should be used as forage for
live stock. and while improving the
land should at the same time be made
to improve the pocket book as well.
The corn crop, unless the markets. too
good for the grain. should, with its
fodder, be male to promote the same
purpose either in feeding beef and
pork or for the dairy. The straw
of the oat crop comes in play for the
same purpose, and all enter into
the improvement Of the manure pile,
and consequently Of the soil. Weth-
er the cotton farmer should sell
the grain he grows in rotation with
cotton will depend almost entirely
upon his location. II he is where he
can sell the products Of the dairy to
it may be better for him to
use the grain mainly in that way. But
Il he has good market for grain, he
had better usually sell his surplus and
sell it before it has deprecated by the
nyraids of weevils and other insects
hat prey SO rapidly on grain stored in
southern climate. He will start usual
y on soil that has been badly depleted
II plant food, and the greatest problem
hat usually comfronts him is, how can
get my land into q productive condi- |
ion. SO that l can adopt and maintain . |
egular rotation Of crops? BY the cul- |
ure Of peas and clover can secure all |
he needed nitrogen from the air, but
where am to get the food for plants
here that will enable me to get the |
,est crops of peas and clover? Our
andy soils are usually deficient in both
acid and potash, particular
v in potash. These are mineral mat
ers that we can not get from the air
" any process. Fortunately they are
he cheapest forms of plant food. and
mike nitrogen are not all the time
'etting away from rs before we can
,et the plants to use them. One of
he most important steps then IN the
of the soil for rotation
5 q restoration Of these lacking ele-
nents- The only available sources
1 phoephoric acid and potash in the
outh are dissolved phosphate rock
acid phosphatel, and the various salts
+ potash that are imported from Ger
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