The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-11-14

In our travels over the State this
summer attending our summer series OF
Farmers Institutes we have been very
much impressed with the immense in
crease in the cultivation of the COW
pea. Fewer fslds are to be seen rest
ing' In the old way by growing up
with weeds for future browsweatiDgs
but instead the farmers are fast learn
ing that the best rest for the land is to
keep it in q crop that will shade and
protect the soil and gather fertility for
succeeding crops far faster than the
natural growth. Wide areas are now
in peas that bore a crop of small grain
and the ''CloVer Of the South" is cover.
ing fields that never before grew it.
Many of these fields are intended for
the cotton crop Of next year, and as a
matter Of course the owners are think.
ing how best to use the pea crop. If
they have taken our advice so often
given in the press, the peas have had a
good dose of phosphoric acid and pot
ash in some form, and where this is the
case the course is plain is and the cot
ton crop can be grown at the smallest
cost if the owner simply adds the seed
from this years crop to the land.
One of the most thoughtful farmers
in South Carolina wrote US that he had
found that in his case, being far re-
moved from oil mills where he could
exchange the seed for meal and hulIs
he found that the whole seed after be
ing crushed to destroy termination,
gave him excellent results when ap
piled as he uses them. He found that
when a mass Of seed or other bulky
manure was applied directly in the
furrow under the cotton, there was
d ficulty in getting a good stand of the
cotton. He found also that while the
seed were q valuable fertilizer, they
we're Glow in becoming available to the
plant ss food. He therefore adopted
plan Of opening furrow mid way De
tween tte beds for the cotton, and
there bury ing the seed. By the time
the co5ton had developed TO the point
of making oom andfruit it had found
the 81 ed, which by that time had de
cayed to an extent sufficient to enable
them TO yield up their plant food and
he got better crops in this way.
What we most want to get at, how
ever, is the hest and most economical
way to apply the puI chased fertilizers
to the cotton. We have said that
where the pea crop OF this year has
been well supplied with phosphoric
acid and potash there is a better chance
for next years cotton. Experience has
shown that an applica ion Of the potas
g c fertilizers especially, some months
before the planting will show from them
better results than from a direct appi
cation at the planting time. And not
only this, but their application to the
pea crop will give a heavier crop of
forage. There is nothing that the cot
ton farmer needs more than plenty Of
forage and plenty OF cattle to feed it
TO.
The use of the entire growth of peas
as q manner direct will undoubtedly
show a greater effect on the succeeding
crop than the cutting eff Of the growth.
But the cutting and curing Of the crop
as hay, and the feeding Of this hay to
cattle, with the careful saving of the
manure will do more for the farm and
the farmer than the burying of crop
worth $50 per acre as food, three
fourths of which value can be recov-
cred in the manure made from the
feeding. Another fact in connection
with the using OF the whole growth for
the cotton crop is that it may give an
excess Of nitrogen and rank and long
limbed growth, and late crop. The
true way to use the pea crop preceding
q cotton crop is to cut and cure the
vines as hay, feed them to stock and
return to the land the manure thus
made.
But what shall the man do who did
not put any phosphate or potash on his
peasQ If ne takes them IF, he will Ger.
tainly have taken eff more Of the phos
phoric acid and potash Of which his
land was probably already def 3ient,
ard useless he applies fertilizers to his
cotton, he cannot hope for an increased
crop by reason of the pea growth. He
may to some extent get benz fit from
the peas so far as the increase Of nitro |