The Canton times., 1895-09-13
ARMERANDPLANTER
COTTON CULTURE.

restoration Of our land SO as to make
the maximum crops possible, and spoke
OF the southern COW pea in starting
this Improvement.
Within the past five years another
crop has been introduced to the notice
of our farmers that promises to be the
greatest aid and ally of the COW pea
for the southern farmer that has vet
been tested. This is the annual win
ter growing clover, now known as
crimson clover. There is no plant that
fits in SO well with the COW pea as a
forage crop for the south, or as a
renovating crop. Ihave been urging
the merits of this clover upon the cot
ton farmers Of the south for several
years. and not only on the cotton farm
ers, but on all of our farmers alike.
/ Mr. R. ?. McAnally, of Saxon, N. c.,
writes that he tried crimson clover
three years ago, but it grew only nine
inches high and he discarded it. But
recently he was induced to give it an
other trial with the help of 500 pounds
| Of kainit per acre narrowed in with
the seed, and now he reports won
derful growth-''as thick as the hair
on dogs back" This shows that his
soil needed the help Of the potash in
the KANT to enable it to gather
nitrogen for him. The great ad-
vantage to the cotton farmer in 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 q green pasture all winter
in place of a 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 good crop Then
as ! have said. it fits in well with the
co,- 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
cutaway harrow, and can pasture it
till time to put the land in order for
cotton.
Mr.. WIN. Choice. of Spartanburg. 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 so, he asked my advice how to
treat 1t, as the land had been badly
run down under the old one-crDp-
planting system. / advised him to use
literally potash salts and dissolved
phosphate rock, and sow it down in
crimson clover. He prepared in Au-
gust large field and did as directed.
The results have been, he says, more
than satisfactory. ''In 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
a fair harbinger of good crop. This
goes to show that proper rotation,
with crimson clover as the basis of re-
cuperation, will make the farm rich
and at the same time give paying
crops.
Here, then, we see the effect OF one
well.fertilized crop of crimson clover,
the hay from which fully paid all ex-
pense of fertilizers, in giving the prom
ise of q good crop without further fer
tilization. No bills for complete fer
tilizers at high price to be paid 'out
of that cotton. This shows what l
have for years been insisting upon.
that the true way to fertilize for our
sale crops is to use the cheaper forms
of mineral plant food to grow heavy
crop of the plants that are going to
capture for us the nitrogen that costs
so much in a complete fertilizer,
and thus not only get a heavy |
forage crop to feed for the making OF |
a profit out of stock. and to make our
manure pile larger, but thus fix nj
tropen in the land for the succeeding |
crop of cotton or corn. This is in ef-
feet not only getting the fertilizer
free for the cotton crop, but the MAX
ing OF a profit in doing SO and at the
same time have the satisfaction to
know that our soil is actually being
by the process. 1t has been
well said that ''the coming farmer OF
the south will be legume farmer"
Cow peas and crimson clover. with
liberal use of the cheap potash and
lie at the very foundation
IF all rational farm improvement in
.he south. BY their aid the land need
acver, either in winter or summer, be
eft to the wasting of rains and sun by
ying bare, but between every hoed crop
nay be covered with growth to yield
profit while 1t gathers fertility for the
and and food for the sale crops But
i must not be assumed that these
.rops will bring all the elements OF
utility to soil that has been exi.
,austed by long tillage and exposure
o the teaching effects of rain and sun.
4 you want the leguminous crops you
must feed them They will gather
,itrogen for you free, but they can not