The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-09-18

in fattering terms Of the work we are
,adca1oring to do for the North Caro-
Tina farmers, and says that he is sor-
rt tu note that so few farmers are
..nding their boys to take our Aori-
rlItura course, but he will send his
soa and hopes that he will get here
. thorough course in Agriculture. as
tine State needs better system and
q thorough awakening along this line,
Gur friend says that he saved some
meas to sow in his corn. but found
Them all eaten by weevls, and he
uoGJd like TO know how to prevent it.
Woud also like to know if Bermuda
Grass seeds here, as he has heard that
IL dta; not. 1t is rather a curious
fact that it is the business men of
cur State who have the greatest faith
I'm the soil of North Carolina and it's
capabilities, while the men who have,
an their lives. been scratching ove.
this soil in a thoughtless sort of a
way. imagining that they have been
farming. are fully convinced that
EARNING doesn't pay" Certainly it has
nog paid them, and will never nav
them till they realize what real sys-
tsnatic farming is. Now in regard
T.. keeping the peas free from weevils
! would sack them as soon as thresh-
Il. and would scatter ali through the
.achS a lot cf the Napthaline balls.
called moth balls, and sold cheaply at
every drug store. These viii usually
keep them out. But examine them
during the winter and if ycu find any
live insects then put the peas into a
tight boN cr boxes. and place on top
ot them an open vessel CT Carbon
aisuIphde and clC-c up tight About
q hi Il
will 90 for 100 bushels. The stuff is
very volatile and the fumes are heay-
.sr than air and will sink through
the peas and kill every living thing
there. Keep the chemicals away from
fire. and funioa+es in = building
gaere there are no animals that might
harmed by the fumes. and do not
rrothe them yourself mere than can
be- helped as they are very disagree
able and unWhOlescme Al traces of
II will saon disappear and the peas
will not be hurt by it. As to the
see,,r" Of Bermuda grass here, we
w.r, formerly Of tho opinion that it
makes nc seed in this climate. But
we find this an error. It seeds sparse
H. hUr it still makes some seed.
i friend in tho Eastern rart Of the
Stats writes that he has q large piece
OF VtH drained black soil deep and
apparently rich, but it Will not grow
Over ~ bushels of corn per acre. VIII
grow rice. but he finds that he cannot
cultivate it every year ErOfitably. He
wants II know how to improve this
land. and he is fully able to follow out
any line Of improvement | may sug-
w is very evident that
land that will grow rice. but viii rot
grow good corn lacks sem ething that
CfT1 l. c,T do
without. Your lard is the black peaty
II so plentiful in the Eastern section
and al the same time so commonly
9nHoiuCtive by reason Of mineral
n"fttr II is purely a humus soil and
has am abundance of nitrogen max
lag matter but is seriously lacking in
FA@~phoric aoid ard potash. Rice
needs plenty OF nitrogen while phcs-
F4orjc acid and potash play very
small rart in its growth. while corn
a.".s not only plenty of nitrogen,
bot particularly a good percentage
q potash, and hence it fails On your
lirh land where the potash is lacking
Inc food ration in the sojI is one sid
t'. l0u say you cannot make 1t pay
10 cultivate it every year. ] say YOU
cannot afford 10 merely let it lie idle
'i"h alternate year. To improve a
'2'h YOU must keep it at work. While
'.n crop farming and the cultivation
1' 'ac land annually in the same crop
"' uC"n the bane Of the South. we
"Ij never get our lands 10 their pest
stage CT prOductiyeness till we real!ze
jI@l IT is not rest the land needs but
r@tflon Ct crops and the judlclous
USE Of fertilizers. Cur State Chemist
lt'fJ at the recent meeting OF the
'pHlmsSloners of Agriculture, IN Ral-
'.2h, that our farmers buy annually
"A.H' five millions of dollars worth OF
'"mmercial fertilizers in this State.
=" lar as the cotton crop OF this year
@ concerned they would have been
"5'1rr off had they bought none at
aIi, Tor in most of the cotton land
mere is such a deficiency Of hunus
VI winch YOU in your black soil have
' much, that the fertilizers have not
Dgeh made available by reason OF lack
moisture, and the crop is worst
"'' IT would have been without any
5''i|cr | am satisfied that hall
,". "0neN now spent for complete Ter
'/'rs, could he saved and the crops
..F OF and the land better lmproV-
~. I'll The farmers bought only what
IH need and get what they can get
~ proper farming, without cost from
"if No." on your black soil as
S"0, you have plenty OF the hh-
Wv our sandy uplands need SO badly:
W." iand Is well drained, but still
ce S moist in dry weather because
H. Ne moisture retaining nature OF
'e"ef1blc matter in it. You can
mat land into a high state OF
''''NeneSS if you farm right and
n.t ,"N pfing the change about with
fa amy great outlay more than any
vl,I,' should be able to afford.
T,.i' suggest q three wear rotation.
ra,., 'S divide the land into three
ALI 'r helds. Plant corn on one
ae,d Ina give it at first a dressing OF
i"eHPhate and kainit in equal