The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-03-13

next that live stock in larger quantities
is kept TO return to the land that por-
ton OF the fertility taken from it which
is not called for in the making of beef,
mutton bacon. butter and other pro-
ducts, and which, in the absence of live
stock. is sold off the farm never TO return
in equally as available form
The wintry weather which we have had
in February has no doubt largely pre-
vented the seeding of Canada peas and
oats for forage crop, and of oats, as
advised in our last months issue No de-
lay should now be allowed in seeding
these crops II they are TO be at all sue
cesS1ul,- they must be seeded early this
month. One gentleman. writing US on
the Canada pea and oat crop says that
| he seeded his crop on the 9Th of March
| in 1898, and made fine crop, which was
ready for feeding on the 1st of June but
| he adds, Il would advise sowing this crop
| earlier than l sowed; in fact, it should
! be seeded just as soon as the ground is
| in condition to work-in February, if pos
| sible.' In preparing the land for the oat
| crop. see to it that much better prep
aratlOn is given than is customary
Merely just turning over the top two or
three inches OF soil and sowing one busheI
| or even two bushels of seed TO the acre
| IS not sufncIent TO ensure profitable
crop. The oat crop can be grown success
| fully and profitablly in the South, espe-
| cially when the grey winter oat is seed
| ed as il ought to be in September or Oc-
tober, and even when seeded in Feb
| ruary or March, if the grey winter oac
| or the rust proof is sown, good prepara~
| tion OF the land is made. and the crop
| is seeded on land in a good state of fer
| TO
| ash fertilizer is used on thin land. II,
| however. these conditions are not COM
! piled with or spring oats are seeded, the
| crop is not likely to be profitable one.
| and it would be better farming to wait
| a month or two and SOW cow-peas for a
| forage crop instead of the oats.
In our last issue, We gave advice as to
| the sowing of grass for meadows or pas
ture. We refer our readers to that issue.
| AS the land is fit TO work. clover
| and grass seeds should be sown. Where
ever the seeds to be sown on a grain
I, crop. it will be found an excellent practice
! to harrow the crop before seeding the
small seeds. This will not only make a
| better seed-bed for the clover and grass
seeds, but Will greatly help the grain
| crop. After sowing the small seeds roll
| the land if dry enough to roll and thus
! compact the soil around the seeds and
| ensure better termination. Do not spare
| the seed. 1t is penny wise and pound
| foolish to do SO. The light seeding OF
! grass seeds which are so common in the
! South, have much TO do with the poor
| stands obtained. Even the best grass
| seeds are very uncertain in termination.
| In some varieties, the percentage of via
| BILE seed is rarely mere than 30 or 50
| per cent This is through no fault Of the
| bt)t iC hy 81 10
, ditions at the time of blooming and ripen-
| ing. Much clover is lost from not cover
| ing the seed sufficiently at the time OF
| sowing. Left on the top, the seed germi-
| mates. and then having but a slight hold
on the land few days of hot sun kills
| the young plant Our own practice always
| was to harrow the seed in lightly, and
| We scarcely ever failed to secure a good
| stand.
One of the most important matters now
| calling for the attention of farmers is
the kind and quantity of fertilizer to be
bought and applied for the production OF
the seasons crops. AS our Old readers
well know. we have always been the
staunchest advocates for the use of farm
yard meanure as being in every way the
most reliable fertilizer for all crops eX-
cept, perhaps, the Irish potato crop, and
we/are satisfied that if farmers would
keep all the live stock that their farms
could be made to carry, with our Won
derful climate facilities and adaptabiity
for the growth of forage crops, that on
most farms nearly all the fertilizer need
| ed could be produced at home. 1t is true
! that farm-yard manure is lacking to some
extent in the mineral elements needed
in plant food and be profitably i'm
proved by the addition of acid phosphate
| n
wisely be expended in the purchase OF
! these forms of fertilizers. We. however
! realize as fully as any can do that
| until the present system, or rather want
| of system. of planting rather than farm
ing is abolished. the purchase OF
| commercial fertilizers is a necessity or
most farms; but we feel that we should
ill discharge our duties as advisers Of the
| farmers, if did not urge upon then
the Importance of getting out of this ne
cessity. especially for the production O
| the staple crops. as soon as pOSSlDle
Whist the application of mixed fertili
| zers, when applied in sufficient quantit,
and Of q high grade. and to the ylelt
, of the staple crops, yet the almost uni
, | versal experience is, that such increased
yield is rarely sufficient to offset the cos
of the fertilizers. When, as is usually the
case only hundred two pounds o
some low grade fertilizer is applied pc
acre. we believe there was never <e
any profit shown TO result and the mon
> ey spent might just as we'll nave ceel
:, thrown away. In what we have said a
10 the use of commercial fertilizers, W
i. desire it to be clearly understood tha
we have reference only to their use o1
a the staple crops. such as corn, wheat an
| cotton, the market price Of which is, b.
!, reason Of world wide competition reduce
.. | at the best to little more than the aver
, age cost of production on naturally fertii
y land except in seasons OF drought an
| scarcity. High grade commercial fertlll
n zers can when carefully selected TO NEE
V CONTINUED on Second Page.)