St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-09-11
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
THE COW PEA.


During the past four months we have
trayersed quite considerable portion
Of the states of Alabama, Georgia.
North and South Carolina and Tennee-
see We have visited truck farmers,
frsit growers, cotton planters, nursery
men, stock raisers, and even rice farm
ers, in the above named states, and
more especially that portion of them
that might justly be termed .live."
wide awake and ''progressive; men
who, as agriculturists, have ma lie for
themselves a national and at the same
time very enviable reputation, rs, for
instance, q. w. Trui. and J. {. SIMS, OF
Troupe county, Ga, both Ut these gen.
tlemen having harvested upwards OF
four bales of cotton from the single acre
in a single season, and this is not on
single acre, but on five-acrc patches
Capt. z. j. Drake, of Marlboro county,
S. c., who harvested 81 bushels of corn
from the single acre in . single season,
and many others too numerous to mem
ton 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, among other
things, that the southern pea. o. cow
pea. however good it may be as mi
trogen gatherer," is by no means equal
las a source of nitrogen, or as a means
Of furnishing a hungry plant with nj
trogcn in a quick-acting and readily
available FORM to any OF the
heterogeneous 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 have been
affected with the ''pea craze" quite as
badly as anyone else; in fact, we
haven't got over it yet but we try very
hard not to expect more Of them than
they are capable of accomplishing.
Peas furnish neither potash nor phos-
phoric acid; yet, because they extract
from the surface soil and pump up from
the subsoil beneath considerable guam
titles of these manurial substances.
they are often given credit for the full
amount of both. as though they had en-
riched the soil to that extent, while the
fact is Gf 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 phosphoric acid, and
these :must he furnished to them in
liberal quantities never less than 900
pounds of acid phosphate and 100
pounds of muriate of potash per acre,
or its equivalent in kainit. while double
that amount may be used with mani
fest advantage) if an actual increase in
fertility is the object in view in plant
ing them. Peas attract their nitrogen
from the atmosphere and store it up in
the soil in the form OF organic nitro
gen, and although we are well 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 .
single crop of COW peas turned under,
we are just as well satisfied that nitro
gen obtained from any other source
las nitrate of soda, cotton-sccd meal,
crushed cotton seed, rotten cotton
seed. stable manure, etc, etc., will
net quicker and give more satisfac-
tory as well rs more profitable results
than if the cow peas had been turned
under. We expect. to make a liberal
planting Of peas every succeeding year.
first, as an economical feed crop for
hogs and live stock of all kinds; second,
to keep up a good supply of organic
matter of ..humus' in the soil. and,
third, rs . source Of nitrogen, the COM
parative value being, in our opinion, in
the order named.
We. paid visit recently to the ex-
detrimental farm. at Southern Pines, n.
C., and we would advise asriculturists
everywhere, moro especially 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 familiarize them
selves with its workings and with
what Is being done there for their espe-
cial benefit. We took particular notice
of the fact tina. nitrogen is badly need
ed in this soil, and that wherever nj
trogen has been applied in the form OF
nitrate of soda the various crops re
sp0nded in no uncertain manner The
same was equally true of potash in any
and all of its forms of phosphoric acid
and of lime; but in every single in
stance where cow peas were turned un-
der and relied upon as source Of nj
: trogen, the crop, no matter OF what
kind. was invariably and positively in
ferior.
Theorize over this rs we way, the
fact remains that organic nitrogen is
slower in its action aud decidedly less
satisfactory. as far rs either immediate
or final results are concerned, than arc
the more readily soluble and immcdi-
ately available chemicale. as nitrate OF
soda, sulphate Of ammonia, etc. In the
instance Of the experimental farm 1T
Southern Pines we think the land is
too fresh (humus being already present
in excess), hence already too open,
loose, mellow aud porous. which said
too loose and OPEN condition the pea
vines would have . tendency to exaR-
gerate. Possibly, ~ Prof. Massey and
his very efficient assistant, Mr.. Alex
ander Rhodes, are experimenting the
experiments at that place. these gem
t.emen may be able 70 throw some
light on this question.
From the beneficial effects of lime
upon every plot to which it has been
applied. including those plots where
pea vines had been turned under, we
can not avoid the belief that our theory
as briefly outlined above is correct, but,
il not. we are open to conviction, and
anxious to be put on the right track