The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-03-15
HOW CAN COTTON AND corn
MADE MORE fIIEAPIN
southern Planter

iSouthern FAINTER
To.c-lcr with thousands ct farm.
w, are troubled with the qu,>t...
Gotten acreage for 1S!tS. W.
corn. bacon, >yrvup. potatoes. rf-
in abundance-anplc for orr Needs
plant cotton aS n surplus crop. hr.
don't make either ii or corn .
enough.
We fear THAI something i~ e.-
with our system of preparing. -
ing and cultiyating the land. .."
licvc that there must be ~omefnf.-
the shape of labor saving machine.
implements that YOU can suggest
would help us.
In addition 10 your views. We a~. FL.
Won invite articles on this SuGir.- r..
YOUR readers, whose suggestions M
". Of service to many besides our~..
SUBSCRIBERS
You have stated the problem thar
confrontS the Southern farmer. ...
lem that Will never be settled by ID,
of commercial fertilizers i'm the u
they have bccn 50 long handled ".
South. The constant dependence. ..
applicationS of commercial fertilizers .
the mere purpose Of producing ID
crop. has in it too much of tine -....
ling principle to he permanent d. pr,...
bic. SO long AZ the crop commands
fair price there may be an apparent rrI
hut an apparent me only. AZ tu, ...
cess leads directly to loss Ofu f.r'.,.
and the destruction of the huuu> m Gid.
soil. The more see of cotton .r.N ...
the more am convinced that |...
been right in insisting that the u...
true WAY to use commercial fertilizers
is TO use only the cheaper forms iu a,
phosphate and potash salts for the I...
pose of aiding the growth of lcGum.- g..
he consumed II the farm. either a> n
source Of humuS direct or for the plrm-,
OF supplying food for stock a0d To ua..
nfanurc for the land. The only WA.
can see for the reduction in the cost ..
producing the staple is to build up '..
land ana get the cotton without "a fer.
tilizer bill attached TO it. | have olt..
said tina | would not feed cattle Win,
there WaS no profit except the mauUr.
and | believe that | am right III this. tw
But there are few sections III the Nun.
where the rational feeding Of cattle
such good foods rs COW pea hay
corn fodder and corn cannot be done .
Il profit in the sale of the animals. ..
the manur be left 10 pay for the" .a.u.
and to build up>the land. Our Sourhr.
farmers as Il rule, imagine that lurru
Is no money III the corn crop "a q sal.
crop. and think. if they succeed in g,'
ting enough to serve them in their pres
cnt way Of feeding, they are doing we'll.
There IS not much profit in thr corn
crop. or. for that matter. Ill any crop
when the crop is as small as ii is in luo
III jority of cases in the South. But u
one has his land i'll shape to practice ID
good rotation Of crops, he can, by aH.
plying the homemade manure to the
corn crop in Il broadcast application.
rapidly increase not only the production
of the corr crop. but thereby iucrcH-'
his capacity for feeding stock. and Will
the manure III such Il shape in the
soil that the oat following the corn i'm
the fall VIII soon reach the maXimum.
With fifty or more bushels IF corn Der
acre and Scvcnty-fye or more Of oatv
per acre. the crops are raised in import
ancc. and the margin for profit is in
creased.
| have a letter ut hand now from a
North Carolina farmer, who say.
Prom Il piece of land thatp was in cIu}-
er | moved the clover in 1896 and soNcI
the land III peas. and moved twelve TONS
- ids loi ' 4 Il |.'
pea stubblc in September and sowcI oats.
and made scventy-fve bushels per Jrr
Then applied 500 lbs acid phosphate ..a
acre and sowed peas again and saved rao
hay. The past fall have ploWcd Juat
land With three mules. eight inches dnrl
and propose to work it in cotton nest
year.
Now ! Will prophesy that this Hand Will
ma kn n EIU trDn cnttnn and tha h.N flee.
to stock and the manure resulting There.
from has paid we'll for the fertilizer used.
while the lane is vastly better for tN"
growing Of the lcgumcs. When u mgI.
gets his land up to the production OF
~Scvcnty-fye bushels OF oats per aero
without an application Of fertilizers. the
olt crOp assumes greater Importance in
his eyes. SO ! say that. if You Waut t.
cotton ut the minimum cost. you
must do it by building up the lHnd au.
the production of bigger crops Of corr
and oats. and especially bigger crop
OF peas. When a man makes manure
enough TO over over Onc-third of II>
farm annually for corn. follows this Will
oats. or wheat. if his land is better fOi
that crop. follows this with peas heavily
fortified with acid phosphate and pot
ash. and feeds all the corn and peas
he Will soon have his coffin crop aftcI
the peas free from the tax of the fer
tilizer man: and in a few rounds 81
such q rotation, he vii get more cotton
and more Of everything else than if n.
adhered TO the old gambling in fertilizer.
for the sake Of Il sale crop. Farm SvStc
Hiatically if YOU want to farm chcaplv
Quit the tenant system and get all yol
can from cash labor. Plant fewer acre
IN cotton anu grow more per acre.
w. +. MASSEY.