The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-08-03

the whole plant were turned under.
After twenty years study, and an
nual experiments with the common
pea as fertilizer, am more than ever
convinced of it's superior value, as be-
ing the quickest and most economical
plant to use.
The pea.plant is great lover of nitro.
gen and carbon, both Of which it
gathers from the atmosphere in large
quantities, and the more of the foliage
left the better for land. But if turned
under without the application of some
sort of acid with it, it loses vast quan-
titles Of the nitrogen which has been
converted into ammonia during the
process Of decay. have used land
plaster sOwed broadcast over the plants
and leaves when wet and then turned
them under, with splendid results. As
the plants underwent decay in the soil
the sulphuric acid in the land plaster
united with the escaping ammonia,
converting into fixed salt, or sulphate
Of ammonia, but not being satisfied
with the application Of the gypsum be
cause it supplied no phosphoric acid,
began to use acid phosphate sowed 200
to $50 pounds to the acre, broadcast, on
the leaves and vines just as was done
with the land plaster. The result is,
that had heavy coat of manure in
this method, and corn and cotton both
now growing on land treated last fall
in this way looks as if they had 25
wagon loads of stable manure to the
acre. I tried sowing the Unknown
pea in the drill and when the plants
were fully matured, sowed the acid
phosphate on them, ran plow on one
side, barring them out, then coming
with the wing and wrapping the vines,
leaves, and acid pl osphate all up in
the bed, let the bed alone until last
spring, when this land was re bedded
for corn; the result is tall, green, splen-
did corn, Notwithstanding a long
drought, which at one time promised
to ruin it all.
So have adopted new method of
fertilizirg my land, seeing that it is out
Of the question to get manure enough
to enrich the soil. When oats and
wheat are reapad off, we open burrows
three and one half feet apart and SOW
the Wonderful peas in the drill, cult
vate once with blowing, and just be-
fore frost is expected, SOW the acid
phosphate right on the leaves and vines,
bar the rows IF, and with turning
plow following, turn the vines down in
the furrow, bedding on them. In the
following spring re-bed it and have a
bed made as rich in ammonia and phos
phate of lime as il I had filed the drill
with common manure.
I am not making acid phosphate nor
potash salts to sell, nor am an agent
for any Of these chemicals. make
the corn and cotton. The reason the
pea has shown so little benefit Oh light
land where turned under is because the
land is too open to held the ammonia,
and it being very volatile, and having
q great ffnity for water, it escapes in
moisture cvaporated. The addition OF
the acid phosphate is of two-fold bene
fit, for it furnishes phosphate of lime,
and the su!phuric acid in it unites with
the ammonia forming ulphate which
is taken from the soil in only two ways,
viz: teaching out, cropping out by
growing plants. Let him who doubts
it, try the use of a good acid phosphate
one time in the way described above,
and he will find the COW pea or the
Wonderful pea his great manure heap.
I have turned under the growing
crop Of vines when they would first
signs of blooming, applying nothing
with them, and the following season
season was unable to trace the work
so little good did the young vines do.
1t will be found yet that the most
economical way to use the commercial
fertilizers is to use them to produce a
heavy crop of pea vines to turn under
with acid phosphate the season before
using the land for a main crop, unless
it is for wheat or winter oats.
By using the pea and acid phosphate
in this way the fertility of the soil may
be doubled every year and a crop of
oats reaped at the same time.
D. G. MEACHAM.
Raleigh, N. c., July 25 1897.