The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-07-20
THE SOUTHERN cow PEA AS A
NITROGEN GATHERER,
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.


OF the States of Alabama, Georgia,
North and South Carolina and Tennes-
see. We have visited truck farmers,
fruit growers, cotton planters and nur-
serymen, stock raisers and even rice
farmers in the above named States,
and more especially that portion of
them that might justly be termed
live" ''Wide awake" and progress
ive;" men who, as agriculturists, have
made for themselves national and at
the same time very enviable reputa
tlon; as, for instance, G W. Truitt and
j. q. Sim, of Troup county, Ga both
OF these gentlemen having harvested
upwards of four bales of cotton from
the single acre in a single season, and
this not on a single acre, but on five
acre patches; Capt. z. J. Drake, of
Marlboro county, 8. O., who harvested
255 bushels of corn from the single
acre in single season; and many
others too numerous to mention who
have made themselves famous along
their Individual lines.
We mention this to show that we
have gained quite a large fund of valu
able practical information from our
brother planters" of the Sunny South.
We have learned amongst other
things that the Southern field pea, or
COW pea, however good it may be as
nitrogen gatherer," is by no means
nOy1o1 (ao q ooy1roo oF wT&ronovo or 90 a
means of furnishing a hungry plant
with nitrogen in a quick acting and
readily available form) to any of tn
nitrCgenous manures or fertilizers that
are to be found on the ordinary farm
or purchased in the market, and more
especially is this the case with all light,
loose, sandy soils. We believe that we
nave been affected with tho pea
craze" quite as badly as anyone else,
in fact, we haven't goi over it yet, but
we try very hard not to expect more of
them than they are capable of accomp-
fishing.
Peas furnish neither potash nor phos
phoric acid; yet, because they extract
| 4&SAA gL4O SUA4CSCO SO4Ag CauO puLlp up
from the subsoil beneath considerable
quantities of these manurial substances,
they are often given credit for the full
amount of both, as though they had
enriched the soil to that extent, while
the fact is (if the vines are removed
from the soil in the form OF hay) that
they have actually impoverished the
soil to that extent. Peas are greedy
consumers of both potash and phos
phoric acid, and these must be fur
nished to them in liberal quantities
(aever less than 200 pounds of acid
phosphate and 100 pounds muriate of
potash per acre, or it's equivalent in
kainit, while double that amount may
be used with manifest advantage if
an actual increase in fertility is the ob
jsct in view In planting them. Peas at
tract their nitrogen from the etmO-
sphere and store it up in the soil in the
form of organic" nitrogen, and al
though we are we'll satisfied in our
own mind that We have, in times past,
gained an increase of 10, Is and 20
bushels OF corn per acre from O single
crop of COW peas turned under, we are
Just as we'll satiefed that nitrogen OBJ
tained from any other source (as nitrate
of soda, cotton seed meal, crushed cot
ton seed, rotted cotton seed, stable ma
nure, etc ) will act quicker and give
more satisfactory as we'll as more profit
able results then if the COW pea vine
had been turned under. We expect to
make liberal planting of peas every
succeeding year; 1st, as an economical
feed crop for hogs end live stock Of all
kinds; 2ad, to keep up a good supply of
organic matter or 'humus" in the soil :;
and 3rd, as a source of nitrogen, the
comparative value being in our opin-
ion in the order named.
We paid visit recently to the Ex
pertinent FArm at Southern Pines
North Carolina, and we would advise
agriculturists every where, more espe-
ciaily those Of them engaged in raising
either fruits or vegetables for market
and who are located anywhere within
the bounds of the long leaf pine belt,
and whose soil is light, loose, sandy
and comparatively poor, to thoroughly
) familIariz9 themselves with it's work,
ings and with what is being done there
for their especial benefit. We took
) particular notice of the fact that nitro
gen lie badly needed on this soil, and
/ that where nitrogen bad been applied
} in the form of nitrate of soda, the vari-