The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-07-31

lES OF THE lFARm
By w. F. MASSEY, of A. & M. COLLEGE,


81 have been reading your letters
aud ana clad to read them
have been a merchant. | quit the
..,..., ...ause ! could not get living
. er .r. but hate merchandising
,,.,r-.. than anything | ever did. SO |
XIV. zone back to mother earth fol.
Lr,.. AGAIN. My brother takes the
,.aner and | read it, otherwise | would
tt.L. il myself. Brother and | have
araa pasture on Moccasin creek Of
obonr zoo acres, which grows a large
,o,2lInv hay. We have 40 cattle on it
noy, and believe it would feed forty
more We pen them in the lot at
nioht. and keep the lot we'll Uttered
with pine straw. VIII it pay to hanl
straw i'm that way, or will it be bet
rer. 10 fence in an acre, and when
that is enriched. put them in another
small lot. | want to raise clover and
pea, to feed them on in winter, at
ieast those we keep over. Our pas
ture /, half in one county and half in
another. ! have % small steers two
wear, old. VIII it pay to keep them
over during winter. Or to sell as fast
as they get fat? The remainder Of
the stock are COWS and heifers. | am
too far from market to sell butter,
bfino - miles from Raleigh. Our pas
mre land is all swamp land, and we
want to take in some hill land this
winter | have corn on a piece Of
land which | want to keep in the
rasrure in winter. viii it pay to SOW
clover i'm the corn when laying by?
What Is the best to SOW on it for Win
fer pasture The upland soil is grey
gravel We have 200 acres of upland
besides the pasture, half in cultivation
and half i'm timber, that is in old field
pines. We want an honest living out
of it. and want your advice.' This is
but enc specimen of similar letters
tat am constantly getting since
this series of letters began. not only
from the readers of this paper, but
from those who read them in the. 9th
er papers of the State into which
they are copied. We write these for
the benefit of the farmers of North
Carolina and are glad to have them
copied elsewhere, as they thus reach
more of those for whom they are
written. Having so large a piece OF
natural meadow land adapted to pas
| rHDG cattle, our friend is fortunately
2-ated. Keep on penning the cattle
night and haul pine straw to make
manure. Use the manure on your up
lands To grow corn. Sow peas among
the corn at last working and cut the
corn of at the ground when glazed.
and then cut the peas for hay when
we'll podded. Then SOW the land in
winter yetch and rye for winter pas
tre. In May plow it all under and
SOW the land in peas for a big hay
crop Cut and cure the hay. and pre-
pare the land we'll and SOW in winter
oats i'm September. and SOW with them
red clover seed, giving them Il dress
ing OF 300 pOunuS per acre oil acld
phosphate. Sow peas again after the
oats, if YOU fail to get Il good stand
OF clover, but if YOU get the clover,
You Will have the land we'll started IN
Improvement, and can either pasture
1t or cut it for hay the following sea
son. and then ploW it fer cotton. This
WIFI give YOU four wear rotation, ]
you grow no cotton, OF a five year one
II Eou grow both clover and cotton.
but better plan would be to ar
range Your upland into three fields,
ana run three year rotation OF corn,
winter oats, peas and cotton. 1'y
ha'lHg 50 much permanent pasture,
yen VIII he able to raise a large
amount Of forage from the use Of the
manure on the uplands. Put all your
manure ON the third that is to 90 into
corn. and spread it broadcast as far
dH IL VIII 20. Feed all the corn and
.gnNff 10 fattening cattle or to COWS.
IoI,o" the corn with winter oats, and
,"' 'hem and at once prepare the
'''0 ANA SOW it III peas, using 3oO
pounds OF acid phosphate on the peas.
"' THESE and cure them for hay, and
sI' ioiioWIng season prepare the lana
iO' cotton, and the growing OF the
peas VIII enable YOU to get q fair crop
VI cotton without buying any fertili-
[yI Ipf 1t except what you may get
,I"Hi the sale of your cotton seed, fc1
.'e cotton seed ought to go back on
gNe land either UIrectIy or in the
loII" OF fertilizer paid for out Of tho
s''' "t the seed. In laying by the
''''h. SOW crimson clover seed d
."Ie "I J. pounds per acre, and during
1e winter get all your manure out
WI mat clover and in the spring turn
"i under together for the corn. Not
.,i h'" find that your corn will be ;
'f crop and every time you ge'
,l'"ho the three tends YOU will fine
m'e production larger. and as YOU ge
n[ nay and corn YOU can feed more
r,"'' and the more cattle you feet
more manure YOU will have t.
eo 'h the land. till YOU can cover tn
Ial crop twice in succession on tn
.' ana You Will in a few years b.
'7Ird AT the Improvement II
ALL. S'Il. You ought finally to b
r '' carry $50 head of cattle o