The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1899-11-15
HOW TO RESTORE SOUTHERN
FARM LANDS.
Trl-State Farmer and Gardener.

lne wonderful recuperating effect Of
! clover sod towards reclalming a wol
= and exhausted soil, since my advel
' as farmer and fruit growerin Georg
L have been experimenting for q nun
Der OF years with another branch {
the legume family, the Southern co
pea. My reason for experimenting o
this line was to find out for myself
tho COW pea would furnish the nitrogc
for any crop, and especially corn, will
out any other application. Ten year
ago this land produced nothing bu
May pops (passion vines) without fel
tllizeTs. L thought that here was al
opportunity for some experiments
work, to see what this land could b
made to produce in ten years, which
believe is considered reasonable TIM
to restore an exhausted soil. Thi
land is q sandy loan with clay sub
soil, and is well adapted for corn. Tn,
first crop planted ten years ago wa:
the speckled pea, which is a quick ma
turing pea, but the crop failed to grow
for the want of fertility in the soil, re
ceiving 10 application of fertilizers
The crop, what there was, was plowcd
under in the fall, and the next spring
was planted with the Unknown pea
and fortified with 25 pounds of muri
ate of potash, and 100 pounds of phos,
fair crop of peas, and IN the fall the
vines were turned under and the land
seeded to oats. The oat crop was
rather light owing to dry weather the
latter part of April The oats were
cut the last of May, and again planted
with the Unknown pea, making fine
crop of peas and vines; the peas were
picked and the vines this time were cut
for forage.
The next spring the land was plant
ed to corn with an application of so
pounds of murate Of potash, and 200
pounds acid phosphate to the acre,
half broadcast and the other in drill.
The corn was fair crop considering
the dry weather we had that year. TO
carry out description of the growth
OF the different crops would make this
article too lengthy SO give the number
of the different crops during the ten
years. There has been grown two
corn crops, besides the present one,
four oat crops /; also the same season a
crop of peas, and in the corn rows
with the exception of this year, but
would have been but the weather be-
ing dry and during severe storm on
the last dav of July the corn was badly
blown down. There has been an ;,n-
plication of potash and acid with
every crop but the first pea crop, using
more or less as the crop required, but
not II pound of nitrogen, only what the
peas have furnished. The present
May and received an application of
100 pounds of muriate of potash, and
800 pounds of phosphoric acid The
land was laid off in rows feet inches,
and the corn planted not quite 3 feet
apart, and cultivated on a level. 1t
has never looked but the darkest of
green since it came up, showing to me
cOnclusively that the crop was getting
all the nitrogen from the soil that was
needed and in an available shape.
This land must have been perfectly
void of nitrogen at first and there was
no organic matter in the soil, and as
the different crops have been grow ing
better every year, give the COW peas
the credit. think this year the yield
would have been onc-fourth more, If
there had been more prccipir alton the
fore part of July, yet it will thribblc
per acre the average yield of Georgia.
1t has been shown by experiment
that an acre of COW peas gave, IN vines
and roots, the following fertilizer in
gradients Nitrogen, 1T pounds :;
phosphOric acid, 26 pounds potash, 81
pounds. 1t would seem by this that
cowpeas ought TO furnish the nitrogen
for corn crop, as corn contains only
80 pounds grown on one acre. 1t is
not altogether the question of how
much plant food there is in the pea
crop, turned under, but the amount of
humus and organic matter furnished
to the soil, in much cheaper way than
by the use of stable manure, aud |
here notice that we cannot have in
this climate too much humus in the
soil, to retain all the moisture that we
can during tho dry spells between the
rain falls. BY this experiment, have
come TO the conclusion that farmers
can reclaim their worn out fields in a
cheaper way than by the use of stable
manure, and without the use of cotton
seed or meal, which should be fed out
to fatten stock, and the local markets
furnished with good prime beef.
We often hear of nations handing
down to coming generations great ma
tional debts to pay off. lave the ma
| jority of farmers of the South ever
thought what a debt they are handing
down to the coming generations OF
farmers, by impoverishlng the soil by
the one crop system, and regardless oi
any system of crop rotation ? AS tho
average farmer does not have the stable
manure sufficient to restore his worr
out fields, the next most practicable
method for him to practice is to follow
rotation of such crops, as will give
his soil all the vegetable matter that il
necessary to retain moisture, and witt
the corn crop moisture is the main thin!
on our uplands in Georgia as to tn
rotation each farmer must follow ou
his own plan, according to his mean
and the adaptation of his lands. No,
/ often read in the agricultural paper
: inquiries from farmers asking how t
{ restore their worn out fields. l say t
, you this, that you can take your wor
out fields and with proper cultivatio
, and deeper plowing, with cow peas t
| fnrpisb tho nifrOoon and potash on