St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-10-05
FARMER AND PLANTER
COTTON CULTURE.

4 s . :
| prpyement.
In former article referred to the
| Importance of leguminous crops in the
restoration of our land SO as to make
the maximum crops possible, and spoke
| OF the southern COW pea IN starting
/ this improvements. 81
| 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 yet
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
irenovating crop / have been urging
/ the merits of this clover upon the cot
| ton farmers of the south for several
years, and not only on the cotton farrn-
ers, but on all Of our farmers alike.
Mr. r. P. McAnally, of Saxon, N. O.,
/ writes that he tried crimson clover
three years ago, but it grew only nine
4 inches high and he discarded it. But
| recently he was induced to give it an
i other trial with the help of 800 pounds
of kain1t per acre narrowed in with
/ the seed, and now he reports won
/ derful growth--4'as thick as the hair
on a dogs back This shows that his
soil needed the help Of the potash in
the kanit to enable it to gather
nitrogen for him. ThG2 great adj
vantage to the cotton farmer in the
crimson clover crop is that he can sow
1t all through his cotton field after
the cultivation is over In August and
will have green pasture all winter
i in place of a bare soil washing away
all through the winter rains, and will
i have q growth to plows under
for corn IN the spring that will
insure him good crop Then
| as have said, 1t fits IN well 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
eutaway harrow, and can pasture it,
| till time to PITT the land in order for
cotton.
Mr.. Wrn Choice, of spartanburg. S.
4 G., 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 It, as the land had been badly
run down under the old one-crop-
1 planting system advised him touse
4 literally potash salts aud dissolved
phosphatic 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
EofT ii time to plant cotton Planted
on the clover sod, without any other
manure, and the young eotton now
shows that rich, rank growtl whieh Is
Il fair narbinger of a good crop. This
goes 10 show that a proper rotation,
with crimson clover as the basis of re-
euperation, will make the farm rich
and at the same time give paying
crops.
Here, then, we see the effect Of one
wel-fertilized crop of crimson clover,
the hay from which fully paid all ex-
pense OF fertilizers, In giving the prom
ise Of n good crop without further fer
tilization. No bills for complete fer
tilfzers at high price to be paid .out
of that cotton. This shows what /
have for years been insisting upon,
that the true way to fertflize for ot1r
sale crops is to use the cheaper forms
of mineral plant food to grow a heavy
J crop of the plants that are going to
capture for lis the nitrogen that costs
so much In a complete fertilizer,
and thus not only get d heavy
forage crop to feed for the making OF
q profit out of stock, and to make our
manure pile larger, but thus fix nj
trogen In the land for the succeeding
crop OF cotton or corn. This is in eft.
feet not only getting the fertilizer
free for the cotton crop, but the MAX
ing OF profit in doing SO and at the
same time have the satisfaction te
know that our soil Is actually being
Improved by the process. Tt has beer
well said that the coming farmer o.
the south will be legume farmer. =
Cow peas and crimson clover, with 6
liberal use of the cheap potash ane
| phosphates, lc at the very foundation
of alI rational farm improvement II
the south. BY their aid the land neee
never, either in winter or summer, be
left to the wasting of rains and sun bs
lying bare, but between every hoed cro1
may be covered with growth to yiele
profit while 1t gathers fertility for tn.
: land and food for the sale crops. Blu
1t must not be assumed that tfes,
srops will bring all the elements o
futility to q soil that has been ex
hausted by long tillage and exposur,
to the teaching effects of rain and sun
If you want the leguminous crops yoa
i must feed them. They will gathe
1 nitrogen for you free. but they can no
; get the potash and phosphoric acis
j 1 that the crops of former years hav
1 taken away from the soil, and with
E out these are given them they can no
+ get the nitrogen they would with
8 well developed growth, and you vii
& not only use the hay crop they woul
: give, but the effect ON the soil for sui
9 seauenJ crops. Nothing from ns3f1ain
d and nothing remains. ItWil pay fa
I better to put liberal dressing ef III
7 cheap mineral fertilizers on the pc
: and clover crops, than to put the sam
4 money value In q high-grade fertilize
t OF the cotton crop direct, and not onl
4 pay better In the cotton crop, but /
: the permanent improvement Of th
: soil. Having these two crops then 8
i sheet anchors In our efforts to gro
cotton cheapl . we will take up in ou
next the yarious rotation Of crops tha
u Il, 4&yx,n & Il