St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-08-26
FARMER AND PLANTER.
NEXT YEARS COTTON CROP.


Next Years CRODos
In our travels over the state this
summer attending our summer series
Of farmers institutes, we have been
very much impressed with the inn
r,ense increase in the cultivation Of
the cow-pea. Fewer fields are to be
seen .resting" in the old way by grow
ing up with weeds for future brow
sweatings, but instead the farmers are
fast learning that the best rest for the
land is to keep it in crop that will
shade and protect the soil and gather
fertility for succeeding crops far fast
cr than the natural growth. Wild
ar,as are now in peas that bore crop
Of small grain, and the "clover OF the
so.,th" is covering fields that never be-
fore grew it. Many of these fields are
intended for the cotton crop of next
year, and as matter of course the
ON ners are thinking how best to use
the pea crop. If they have taken our
advice SO often given the press, the
I,eas have had = good dose OF phos-
phoric acid and potash in some form,
and where this is the case the course il
plain, and the cotton crop can be
grown at the smallest cost if the own
er simply adds the seed from this
years crop to the land. One of tie
most thoughtful farmers in South Car
oIina wrote us that he had found that
in his case. being far removed from
oil mills, where he could exchange the
seed for meal and hulls, he found that
the whole seed after being crushed to
destroy termination gave him excel
lent results when applied as he uses
them. He found that when a mass OF
seed or other bulky manure was ap-
piled directly in the furrow under The
cotton, there was difficulty in getting
gu1d stand of the cotton. He found
also that while the seed were valua-
BILE fertilizer, they we're slow in be
coming available to the plant as food.
He, therefore, adopted the plan OF
opening a furrow midway between the
beds for the cotton, and there burying
the seed. BY the time the cotton had
developed to the point Of making
bloom ana fruit II had found the seed,
which by that time had decayed to
such an extent sufficient to enable
them to yield up their plant-food. end
he got better crops in this way. What
We most want to get at, however, Il
tine best and most economical way te
apply thu. purchased fertilizers to the
cotton. We have said that where the
pea crop of this year has been well
supplied with phosphoric acid and pot
nsh there is q letter chance for next
years cotton. Experience has shown
thst an application. Of the potassic fer
tilizers especially, some months before
the planting will show from them bet
err results than from : direct applica-
tion at the planting-time. And not
GnIy this, but their application to the
Eca crop will give 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
pcss as manure direct will undoubt-
edlv show a greater effect on the sue
ceeling crop than the cutting on OF
the growth. But the cutting and cur
ing of the crop a. hay, and the feed
ing of this hay to cattle, with the care
full saving of manure, will do more for
the farm and the farmer than the
b,rying of a crop worth $40 per acre
as food, three-fourths Of which value
can be recovered in the manure made
from the feeding.
Another fact in connection with the
using of the whole growth for the cot
ton crop Is that it may give an excess
Of niRrogen and rank AMI long-limb-
ed growth and q late crop. Tie 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
maoe. But what shall the man do who
did not put any phosphate or potash
on his peas? II he takes them on. he
will certainly have taken on more OF
the phosphoric acid and potash, of
which his land was probably already
deficient. and unless he applies fertil-
lzerx to his cotton he can not hope for
an increased crop by reason of the
rea-growth. He may to some extent
get benefit from the peas 70 far as the
increase Of nitrogen in the soil in con-
cerned, but while the cotton may
nuke q ranker ssweed," II win fail in
the fruiting. The peas will relieve him
from the purchase Of the most costly
part Of complete fertilizer and hS
will not be compelled to buy nitrogen
n all, especially II he uses his cotton
seed as suggested. But what shall he
use, and when shall he apply the fer
tilixer? We have already remarked
that ii hos been found that the miner.
ii plnnt-food in the shape Of phospho.
ric acid and potash give better results
when applied some time previous to
| the planting Of the crop, and we know
| too, that . liberal broadcast applica,
| tion Of these II better, not only for thu
| improvement Of the land generally
hut for the crop Of cotton. The expert
ence Of our South Carolina frieni
points to this. Few farmers realize tn
abort time in which fertilizers appliei
directly in furrow under the plants ar,
available to the plant. The parts Of tn
roots CT any plant which are engage,
in collecting food are near the ex
trems tip Of the small rootlets, ami
when these get beyond the area il
which the food II applied and begil