The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1897-06-02


such as clover as a means for the i'm
provement of the land, and many peopl
have been misled in the south by thes
writer's into supposing that the sam
practices will be Of value in the south ]
isNwell known to all the readers of farm
papers that the writer has, in season AM
out of season insisted upon the great ne
cessity for the restoration to our worn
soils of the humus or vegetable matter
that they have been deprived of by oul
course of improvident culture.
A soil, particularly a sandy soil, that is
barren of vegetable matter, will not give
the same results from the use of com
mercial fertilizers as one Astounding ir
humus will 1t behoves the southern
cultivator, then, to consider carefully
how he can best restore the exhausted
humus and thus bring up the productive
capacity of his land. We have said that
some of our southern friends have been
misled by the writings of northern men
into supposing that the same practices
that prevail there can be used in the
SOUTH and many to their sorrow have
tried the blowing under of green crops
soil and warm climate is damaging in.
stead of beneficial. Now, we wish to say
that we don't believe in green manurine
as it is understood in the north, and we
have always warned our friends against
the practice. Even in a northern eli
mate and on the clay soils where the
practice originated, we do not think the
blowing under of green crops in the
height of summer is the best we can dc
for our lands
In the growing of leguminous plants
for the improvement of the soil it is well
known that the benefit to the soil comes
largely from the fixation of nitrogen in
the land through the agency of the root
microbes, and that this work is not done
in the earlier stages of the plant :
growth, but as it natures. If, then, we
cut short the work the plant is doing fol-
us when it is less than half done, anC
bury the whole in the soil, we not only
run the imminent risk of SOurlng thu
land, but we lose what the plant woult
have done for us had we allowed it tt
complete its growth. Then, too, we dc
not get the amount of humus we would
have gotten from the full growth. Sc
we would not use the term green ma
nuring at all, as it is misleading to mex
perienced cultivators. Use the legulni-
nous crops for the restoration of the
humus by all means, since through their
help you can get the needed vegetable
matter in the soil more cheaply than in
any other manner, but let the legume:
do all they can for you before you pillow
them under, and never pillow them under
green in hot weather.
Our southern field or cow pea is the
grandest of all legumes for the south
and if it is allowed to get perfectly ma
ture and allowed to die on the land moth
ing but good will come from blowing i
under, but do not let any green manure
enthusiast, who never grew crops in his
life persuade you to sacrifice the pee
CROP and at the same time run the risl
of doing serious damage to your land b!
blowing them under green.
In no way can you better start thu
development of the productive power:
of exhausted land than by growing COW
peas on it for the purpose of plowins
them under and nowhere will the com
mercial fertilizers pay you better thar
on this same pea crop, for on tho peai
you can use only the cheaper forms OF
mineral fertilizers in the shape OF acid
phosphate and potash, and thus enable
the peas to use more nitrogen and tt
leave more fixed in the soil. Then, if the
growth is to be plowed under when ma
ire, the greater the growth you can get
the larger the amount of humus you car