The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-03

The season once more draws near when
the Southern farmer must begin TO carry
out his plans for securing a bounttful
supply of FORAGE for his stock for next
winters feed says C. X. McQuarrie in
Florida Agnculturist. A few words, there
fore, about the velvet bean as a source
of forage as well as a renovator of the
soil might be very opportune, and l would
suggest 10 those who are unaware OF the
value of this bean to Try a small patch of
it and just watch the result. Those VINO
have already grown the bean will bear
me out when | say that We have nothing
in its own line to equal It, II Is a great
forage producer, and the grain, boih IN
the green and dry state, is equal to any
thing grown for food for any stock, ana
it is not TOO much to say that everything
that walks on four feet is fond of it,
The velvet bean grows and makes
fair crop where cowpeas would scarcely
terminate the seed. 1t is an excellent i'm
proven of the soil in that it is the best
nitrogen gatherer among all the Known
legumes. Its foliage is so dense that 1t
shades the land completely during our
hot days of summer, and by shedding the
leaves nearest the ground, il forms
mulch that conserVes the ordinary mos
ture in the sol. In short, We have in the
velvet bean what the Southern farmer has
so long been looking for that is some
thing that will produce good prohtap.e
crop and at the same time help TO put
backbone into the poor sandy soils OF the
South
/ have said that it will make a falr
crop on land too poor for COW peas, put
it will repay it's grower for a little COM
mercial fertilizer applied to the soil pre-
Vious 10 planting ume. Some farmers
are sanguine enough to think that theIe
will come a time when commercial Ter
tilizers might be entirely dispensed win.
There is no indication that that will ever
come; in fact, the tendency is rather the
other way as every year sees marked
increase in the fertilizers used, and every
broad-minded, observing farmer knows
baf fCra dollar Tins invested he gels
back ten and sometimes twenty, accord
ing 10 the intelligence and wisdom eNeI-
csed in the selection of the proper KIM
of fertilizer and the method and time oL
like every other crop, the velvet beans
has a preference, if we may use the term,
for a certain kind of food which is best
suited TO it's requirements and which en-
ables it TO return the most prontaDi5
high in phosphorc acid and potash. Be
ing a natural nitrogen gatherer, IT, doe5
not require any nitrogen fed TO 1t IN tne
shape of fertilizers. II we cannot Stt
fertilizer containing no nitrogen, the pest
way 20 get over the difficulty Is 70 puS
our phosphate and muriate of potash, ana
prepare our own fertilizer, bringing Ile
apaysis as near near as possible TO ~ Per 59urndrei
bounds Of this per acre, brOadcasted anu
mixed ia the soil short time before plant
ing will pay for itself at least twengt
fold. on poor, worn-out soils lt Is -, IN
10 drill In the fertilizer and plant the bean
in the drill after II has had GOOD ram
on it, +ha
In preparing the land for this crop me
best method in my experience has petlt
10 run Off burrows about five feet aPaIt
and drop bean every ten to fifteen inchSs,
this will give good stand, and as, w
croD is a long season one 1t should 70
planted as early in the season as posSlDie;
Some time in late June or July make IA "a
very thin sowing of Giant beggar weed ~
the water furrow; this will spring up
quickly and be ready just in time Tor tno
bean 10 climb all over il (for the latter w
doubtedy does best when il has some Nus
on which 10 climb, If the bean has psSSn
planted early in April, which IS realy sr1
proper time, a thin sowing of fodder c ol
Continued on Seventh Pagel