Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1895-08-22
FARMER ANBPLANTER.
COTTON CULTURE.

t"o nehtoration OF the Worn Dat Cotton
Lands OF tho south.
In my last letter | referred TO the
Importance Of leguinlnous crops in the
restoration OF our land so as TO inahe
maximum crops possible, and spoke
OF the Importance of the southern COW
pen IN starting this improvement.
Within the past five years another
crop has been introduced to our farm
ers' notice that promises to be the
greatest aid and ally OF the COW pea
Tor the southern farmer that has yet
oeen tested. This is the annual grow
ing clover, now known rs crimson
clover There is no plant that Ats In
SO well with the COW pea as Il forage
crop Tor the south or as u renovating
crop have been urging the merits
Oh TINS clover upon the cotton farmers
Oh the south for several years md not
only on the cotton turner's but on all
OF our farmers alike. Mr.. r. P. Nc
Anally, of Saxon, N. c., writes that he
tried crimson clover three years ago,
oot 1t grew only nine inches high and
he discarded IL but recently he
was Induced to give it another
trial with the help of 500 pounds of
kainit per acre narrowed M with the
sesd' and now he reports d Wonderful
growth "es thick as the hair on a
uogs back" This shows that his soil
needed the help of the potash in the
KANT to enable it to gather nitrogen
Tor him. The great advantage to the
cotton farmer III the crimson clover
crop Is that he can SOW it all through
his cotton field after the cultivation
Is over In August and will have n
green pasture all winter in place of u
bare soil washing away all through
the winter rains, and will have a
growth to pillow under for corn in the
spring that will insure him n good
crop. Then as have said, it fits In
we'll with the COW pea crop for as
soon as the peas are cut for hay, he
can SOW the clover seed on the land
after stirring it with a cutaway hnr-
row, and can pasture ii until time to
put the land in order for cotton.
Mr. William Choice, of Spartahburg,
s. c., writes that he had an outlying
farm that he tried to sell as he had
more land than he needed, but failing
to do 30, he asked my advice how to
treat it, as the land had been badly
run down under the old one-crop
planting system advised him to Use
literally potash salts and dissolved
phosphate rock, and SOW 1t down in
crimson clover. lie prepared in Au-
gust large field and did as directed.
The results have been he says more
than satisfactory. I'm April follow.
ing the clover was in full bloom, and
made large crop of hay, which was
off in time to plant cotton. Planted
on the clover sod without any other
manure, and the young cotton now
shows that rich rank growth which Is
fair harbinger of n good crop. Thi:
goes to show that proper rotation
with crimson clover as the basi;
of recuperation, will make the farm
rich and at the same time give paying
crops" Here then we see the effect Of
one well-fetilized crop of crimson
clover, the hay from which fully pait
all the expense of the fertilizers il
giving the promise OF good crol
without further fertilization. No bill,
for complete fertilizers at a high price
to be paid for osit of that cotton.
This shows what | have been fo
years insisting upon, that the tru,
way to fertilize for our sale crops is t.
use the cheaper forms of mineral plan
food to grow heavy crop OF thI
plants that are going to capture for u
the nitrogen that costs SD much il
a complete Fertilizer and thu
not only get a heavy forag
crop to feed for the making o
profit out of stock, and to max
our manure pile larger, but thus Fl.
nitrogen in the land for the succeeding
crop of cotton or corn. This is in effec
not only getting the fertilizer free TO
the cotton crop, but the making of
profit in doing so, and at the same tim
have the satisfaction to know that on
soil is actually being improved by tn
process. 1t has been well said tina
"the coming farmer of the south vii
be legume farmer" Cow peas an
crimson clover, with liberal use @
the cheap potash and phosphate, lie a
. the very foundation Of all rationa
farm improvement in the south. b
their aid the land need never, either i
summer or winter, be left to the was
, ing of rains and sun by lying bare
I but between every hoed crop may !
covered with growth TO yiel
! profit while It gathers fertilit
for the land and food for the sale crop
But It must not be assumed that thes
crops will bring all the elements {
fertility to soil that has been c:
hausted by long tillage and exposui
to the teaching effects of rain and SUI
If you want the best results from Ii
action of leguminous crops, you mus
feed them. They will gather nitr
gen for you free, but they can not 81
the potash and phosphoric acid tn,
q the crops OF former years have take
Z from the soil, and without these al
! given them they can not get the nitrl
!, gen they would with a well-develope
growth, and you will not only lose til
!, hay crop they would give b'
/ the effect on the soil for subs
I quent crops. Nothing from nothin
: and nothing remains. 1t will pay fl
better to put liberal dressing of IL
cheap mineral fertilizers on the pt
and clover crops than to put the san
money value in a high-grade fertiliz'
on the cotton crop direct, and not on
pay better in the cotton crop, but
the permanent Improvement of the sol
Having these two crops then as she
anchors in our efforts to grow cote
cheaply, we will take up in our ne.
the various rotations of crops TIL
may be practiced with Gotten as Il
money crop; or, in other words, Il
way in which we will change fro
l. T. ~