The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1899-02-16

LIGHT ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS
How "Worn Oui" Land Can BE Re.
stored, the Erndica ton of BeF.
muda and Other Grasses.

QUESTION: am new conner to
Georgia and have just bought farm in
Cobb county. One field of about 80
acres, fairly level. is covered with a
growth OF young pines, and the land is
said to be worn oug Can this land be re-
stored, and if so how? 1t has clay subsoil
ANSWER = No land in Georgia is
"worn out" if it has clay subsoil, and
the top soil is not all washed away. BY
continuous planting of single crop the
plant food preferred by that crop may
be SO reduced in the soil that good re-
suits can no longer be attained.
Or long succession of clean
culture crops-such as cotton-might
so exhaust the humus in the soil
as to render ir for the time being almost
barren. Such conditions, however, do
not mean that the land is worn out by
any means, for judicious cropping for
few years will make it fertile. My ad-
vice is to cut down the pines at once
and burn them Oh the land. Then
break the ground close and Deep and
afterwards harrow in bushel of BURT"
oats TO the acre, narrowing in with the
oats 200 pounds of a good. complete fer
tllizer. AS soon as the oats are har-
vested broadcast and pillow in to 5
pecks of field peas to the acre. turning
under with the peas 200 pounds of aide
phosphate and 100 pounds of kainit
This will insure you fine crop of peas
and good growth of vines. Gather
the peas when ripe. but let the vines
remain upon the land. About Nov l
turn under the dead pea vines and SOW
3 pecks of Georgia raised rye to the
acre. to be turned under in the spring
before it runs up to head.
The turning under of the pea vines
and rye will furnish sufficient humus to
the soil to warrant the planting, of
corn or cotton crop afterwards. Humus
Is the great need of most of our lands
that have been cropped so long in cot
ton. and without its presence the appli-
cation OF commercial fertilizers is money
thrown away. A judicious rotation of
crops, in which the sowing of field peas
should always hold prominent place,
will prevent exhaustion of humus in this
soil, and would diminish the amount OF
socailed worn out land in Georgia.
State Agricultural Department.
Pay From Milk and Butter,
QUEsTIoN.--I can. sell the milk from
several COWS at 20 cents gallon, or I
can sell the butter made from the same
milk at 80 cents a pound; which will
pay the best?
ANSWER. The sale of the milk will
be much more profitable than the sale
OF the butter at the prices mentioned.
The milk from an average dairy cow
will contain from 3 to . per cent. Of but
ter fat. One pound of butter fat will
make little more than / pound of but.
ter Therefore it would take 33L
pounds, or 4 gallons of milk testing 5
per cent of butter fat TO make pound
of butter 1t would take % pounds of
milk, or gallons, testing per cent of
butter fat, and it would require 20
pounds, or 21a gallons of milk testing j
per cent. of butter fat. to make pound
of butter. You would thus get in the
first place so cents, in the second So
cents, and in the third so cents for the
milk, which if converted into butter in
each case would only bring you 80
cents. OF course. in making the butter,
you would have the buttermilk left.
but adding its value to the butter would
not make any material difference. The
following table will give the exact num-
Der OF pounds of milk required to make
l pound of butter, according to the per
cent of butter fat contained in the milk: