The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-11-09

grass, at the rate of one busheI to the
Ecre, end later in the winter, top dress
with farm yard manure. In the spring,
the long litter should be raked off and
che land be rolled, and the field will
take on new growth and stand for
several years.
The question Of the crops to be grown
next year should have attention at
this time SO that proper prep aration
may be made for them. The subject
OF the rotation of crops is one to which
much too little attention has been given
in the South, and the neglect of a
proper rotation is one of the great
causes of so much impoverished land
With the observance of a proper rota
ton, land should gradually become
more fertile instead of becoming i'm
poverishsd. One crop takes mainly
one element of food from the land
whilst another takes another, and a
third actually feeds the land with at
least one most important element, and
draws from the depths of the soil other
elements of food and leaves them near
the surface for the support of the next
crop. A wise rule is, never to grow
two grain crops succeeding each other,
and to let deep roofing crop always
be followed by surface feeding crop.
As far as possible, aIway provide that
leguminous crop, such as peas or
clover, shall intervene between two
grain crops, and let grass crop always
follow a deep roofing crop, and be only
seeded when the land is in good state
of fertility. Now is the time of year
when steps can be taken to establish a
system Of rotation under which the
land can be improved. What is the
best rotation to follow is a question de
pending largely upon local conditions,
and must be decided each for himself,
subject only to the general principles
above laid down.
Prof. Roberts has made a calculation
from experiments made by him, that
the farmers of New York State lose
$50, 900, 900 annually by neglect of their
manure heaps and Of the means at
hand for making farm yard manure;
and it is we'll within the mark to say
that the farmers Of the whole country
lose annually from this cause $500, 600,
600, sum equal to the increased value
of the farm crops this year, which is
the cauee of so much rel icing and
satisfaction. In order to provide a
part of the plant food thus lost through
causes wholly preventa6Ie commercial
fertilizers have to be bought and a large
part Of the crops have to be sold to pay
for these The farmers of the Southern
States alone last year bought 1873 802
tons of commercial fertilizers. Even
at $50 per ton, which is less than the
average value OF these goods, this
means the immense sum Of $22 776 040.
to be provided out of the crops grown
in these States OF this total tonnage
Georgia took 335, 6l7 tons; North Caro-
lima 1S5, 900 tons, and Virginia III, 704
tons, and even this immense consump
ton has been exceeded this year in all
those States In the State of Pennsyl-
vania, where the Dutch farmers know
and realize the value of farm yard ma,
nure, and make and save it more care
fully than in most States, $50, 600 tons
of commercial fertilizers only were
sold. If the immense loss of farm yard
manure was prevented by a careful
outstanding of all the means of making
and saving it easily within the compe
tence of every farmer, the commercial
fertiliz ers bought would yield much
greater return, as only when supple
mented by humus in the soil can they
do their best work. k.-Southern Planter.