The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-03-21

as much as SIS per ton, II our people
would buy for cash, which is not an
lmpossibility, and club together so as
to increase the tonnage to Car loads in
one order, we then could get the vari-
GUS ingredients at the lowest possible
price and make still another saving,
ar d in this way reduce the price of
our fertilizers to the minimum l
think l have seen a statement that
there are about a quarter of million
tons Of fertilizers sold in North Caro-
lima annually.
L have nc means Of knowing how
much OF this is manufactured guano.
but it is safe to say that if the farmers
would come together as one man, and
buy for cash, that they could save
thousands Of dollars, that are needed
to put into the necessities of life and
make homes brighter and happier.
The letter of Mr.. Tyson, calling our
attention to the gathering and storing
OF nitrogen by plants, instead of buy
ing it at the high prices that we have
to pay Tor it, needs more than a pass
ing notice. Little do we know OF the
possibilities of our cow pea, for il is
the clover of the sandy sections. do
not know the analysis of the COW pea
vine. wish Prots. Massey, Emery or
anyone who has it, would give it to US.
Also that of red clover, But according
to the letter of Mr.. Tyson, which l
think is borne cut by the observation
of practical farmeIs, it is q plant that
should be found on more farms than
it is.
Tdere is no section Of North Caro-
lima that have ever seen that it does
not thrive. When I came to the red
hills of Orange I was told that could
not grow many things that I raised on
on my farm in the Eastern part of the
State; among them, cow peas were
named. However, l preferred giving
them a trial, and the result is that l
gathered 40 buehels Of clean peas eff of
less than 90 acres OF corn, for I planted
them among the corn. Not big yield,
to be sure, but just 40 bushels more
than some others have made on the
same number Of acres, AID the only
cost was the seed and gathering them
In addition to the 40 bushels of peas
there are many pounds of ammonia
uE in
have cost me IA cents per pound and
freight If had bought il in the shape
Of commercial fertilizers. There may
be also many pounds Of potash that
we're pumped up by their deep roots,
and put where the shRllow roots of
corn, wheat and oats can get it. W.
do not know the value of our COW pea,
because we have not iItelligently ex
perImented with it, aud tried to find
out it's worth to us. There is a man in
Western Pennsylvania who annually
buys from me from 10 to 80 bushels of
COW peas. His fret purchase, some
five or six years ego, was an expert
ment, but he was so well pleased tn st
he continues to buy them and says
that with COW peas, acid phosphate
and potash, he has solved the problem
o. how to restore fertility to the soil.
H wrote me that he plowed and
planted in COW peas, a strip through
his clover field, that the summer was
exceedingly dry, and the clover was 80
parched that the field would have
burned over, but the strip of COW peas
kept green and luxurIant throughout
the season. l mention this fact to
show how some people appreciate the
COW pea in sections where they can't
raise their own seed, owing to the short
season for ripening had another
man from Northern Ohio write me
that he raised COW peas 18 inches tall
on clay land that the top sOil had been
washed off and was too poor to pro
duce c9rn, and he felt convinced that
they would be of decided benefit in his
section as an enricher of the soil. 1t
will pay us to experiment with COW
peas, acid phosphate and potash to see
how cheaply we can add fertility TO
the soil. I am satIsfi9d that judicious
experimenting will reveal a great deal
to US that will be Of value. / have
soma suggestions to make to our ALI
onces along this line, but will defer
them for another issue. In the mean
time let the brethren be thinking and
gathering facts to put in some article
to be sent The Progressive Farmer so
that we all may be benefited by each
others experience.
Fraternally,
T, B. PARKER, S. B. A.
-. l.