Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1897-08-12
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE COW PEA.
Nsiuc Of the southern L~gum~ o. . Nitro
gen sssfh~reF.

During the past four rioz.hs We have
travrrsec quitc considerable portion
u the states of Alabama. Georgia.
North and South Carolina and Tennes-
see. We have visited truck farmers,
fruit growers. cotton planters. nursery
men. stock raisers. and even rice farm
crs, in the above named states. aud
more especially that portion Of them
that might iastly b- termed "live.
wide awake and ''progressive;~ men
who, a. agrienlturi>ts. have made for
themselves n national ard ut the same
time very rnviabie reputation. as. for
instance. g. ". Truit and J. 4 sims. ~
Troupe county. Va. both Of these gen
tlemen having harvested upwarti. o.
four bales ofcOttou from the single acre
IN a single season. and this Is not on a
single acre. but on five-acr- patches
Capt. Il. !. Drake. Of Marlboro county.
;. e, who harvested IS bushels OF corn
from the single aere in a single season.
and many Others too numerous to- men
ton who have made themselves famous
along their individual lines
We mention this 70 show that we
have gained quite n large fund Of valu-
able practical information from our
brother planters" 81 the sunny south.
We have learned. among other
things, that the southern pea. or COW
pea. however good i, may lie a. a mi
trogen gatherer. is by no means equal
las u source OF nitrogen, or n n means
Of furnishing hungry plant with nj
trogen in quick-acting and readily
avaiiable form To aLy of the
heterogeneous manures or fertilizers
that are Ia be- found on the
ordinary farm or purchased in the
market, ami more especially i this
the case with all light. loose. sandy
soils We believe that We have been
affected with the pea craxc- quite a.
badly a. anyone else. in fact, we
haven't got over IL 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 tit the vines are removed from
the soil in the form of hayi that they
aave actually impoverished the soil to
that extent Peas are greedy consumers
OF both potash and phosphoric acid, and
these unjust be- furnished TO them in
liberal quantities (ncver less than 200
pounds of acid phosphate and 100
pounds Of muriate Of potash per acre.
Or its equivalent in lxainit. while double
that amount may be used with mani
fest advantagel il an actual incr.ase 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 % 10. Is aud
- bushels of corn per acre from n
single crop of COW peas turned under,
We are just a. well satisfied that nitro
gen obtained from any other source
las nitrate 81 soda. cottou-seed meal.
crushed cotton seed. rotten cotton
seed. stable manure. etc. etci will
act quicker aud give more satisfac-
tory a. well a. more profitable results
than IL the cow peas had been turned
under. We expect 10 make n 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 supplx Of organic
matter of ''humus- in the soil. and.
third. as a source of nitrogen, the com
/ Parative value bei.g. in our opin<a in
the order named.
| We paid n visit recently to the ex-
| perimental farm at Southern Pines. y.
C., and we would advise agriculturists
everywhere. more especially thoss. 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 aud with
! what is being done there for theiresps-
eial benefit We took particular notic.
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-
sponded in no uncertain manner. The
same was equally true of potash in any
and all Of it, forms of phosphoris. acid
and of LINES but in every single in-
stance where cow peas were turned IN
der and relied upon a. a source OF nj
trogen, the crop. no matter of wha;
kind. was invariably and positively in
ferior.
Ihsorize over this as we wav. The
fact remains that organic nitrogen i,
slower in is action and decidedly less
satisfactory. ~ far aseither immediate
or hnal results are concerned. than ar.
the more readily soluble and imme,lf-
ateIy available ehemicale. a. nitrate of
soda. sulphate Of ammonia, etc. In the
instance of the experimental farm at
Southern Pines We think the land i,
TOO fresh lhumns being already present
IN exeessh hence already too open.
loose. mellow aud porous. which said
too loose and open condition the pea
vines would have . tendency TO exae,-
gerate- Possibly. e. Prof MASSEY and
his very efficient assistant. Mr.. Alley
ander Rhodes, are experimenting the
experiments at that place. these gem
tiemen may be able to 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 theorv
as briefly outlined above is correct. hut
II not. we are open to conviction, and
ANXIOUS to be put on the right track
u. Z. Larner, in Farm and Ranch.
CARE OE SWINE