The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-03-06

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in r1r mountain country, says that ii"
reads these letters with 4 great deal o1
4 Satisfaction. and feels that they have
/ l..Ired him. Hence naturally ho asks
for moe. and asks few questions.
II vorld ike to know if you think It
will Uay 10 sow rape i'll Natauga coull-
.1y: | see that it is being Whooped up a
..reat deal in the papers as food, and ~
so * nm c!lrichpr Of the SOu. Z. " I'll
Alfalfa DO well here: l am thinking OF
irving some this year. ,. also want
81 10 try crimson clover, but have mace
no eyurrinent vet | have been using
8 l.ca< for four years and am pleased with
ID tho, result but our season Is too snort
to raise our own seed. My land is
sandy and rather poor, though 1t pro
ducc~ fairly well. Manur" makes big
i show ON it, | have never tried fcrtih-
zerS. as | live 30 miles from the rail
ro,d. +. I see in the Bulletin for Jan
uarv Il formula for corn. What would
Il ton cost. say No. > on page Il. and
do you advise huying it this far from
tn. railroad! | wish to improve my
land a. | get my living from it, and viii
appreciate any plan that will help me.
>. Is line of any use to drop III the
Llu with corn: We can get good lime
al > cents Per GuSltl.
III re are doubtless many of the read
cgs 81 the Advocate in the mountain
country under similar conditions to those
surrounding our secluded friend down at
Vale Crucis. and perhaps we can aid
more than one in this letter. We CON
slider the Rape True Dwarf Essex vu1Ic-
tyl one OF the most yaIuahl" plants Of
recent Introduction for feeding sheep and
hogs succulent food during winter ana
~rriuy. 1t is 4 very hardy l:Iant, and IS
Of not much use here iii the Summer. a~
tGc hot >un socn kills H. But fGr WIN
tee and early spring It is very useful.
rs it gives the sheep and pigs green food
Wien there is hardy anything else of
that nature fer thcm. hape belongs
to the cabbage family. The seed should
l." ~ovn in Il ills lud cultivated till Well
grown Make the tjr~t sowing in early
YOU. can work the land. The fall Sow
three or four pounds per acre. Make
another sowing AZ early in spring as
You can work the land. The fall show
ing had better be in two lots 50 that
yoU can turn thc animals first on one and
then I'll the other. When we'll grown YOU
can turn sheep and pigs on ii and let
them eat the leaves. Then turn on
the other, and by the time they have
eaten the leaves off that the iir>t lot
viii have grown a.sain and You can tlr7i:
back and forth all winter Whenever
there is not SHOW enough to bury it,
The spring SoWn seed Will give YOU :;
food crop till YOU can Get something else
grown NJ until the crimson clover cemcs
on. cannot predict what Alfafa will
DO with you. There have been a thou
>nad failures with it for every success
east "f the Mississippi river. II is bet
ter adapted to the arid regions Of tne
west: Still if ycG hay" sandy land and
the Suh->oil Is not hard or wet clay il
may do well if YOU give the land i coat
@] limc. fer it viii not grow without
plenty ct lime in the sell. On your sandy
hottom lands it may be Il success if
llmed. Use about - bushels of lime :rn~
acre broadcast. 1t VIII lee better 20
SoW the seed very thckly broadcast or
If the land is very Wcedy. SOW in drills
and cUstiyate The first season. for lis
hrst growth is very feeble and weeds
may choke it cut. Wncn once we'll cs-
'"hIsh"d ii is there for many wears. but
YOU can get more feed from peas,
iFIcNr. II nccdS Il deep soil and a
mellow ~uhSoii. # the >u!-,oil is hal;l
clay. do ho: waste time with IT, Clsm-
SON Glover viii Ec likely to 20 wcll With
'''' A' b'Nt Way TO grow II III NOuT
section Will he to sGW it with Ru"kwneat
In july. The BuckN heat vii shelter
1t from the hot sun and make Il more
certain. Sow II pounds per acre. AZ
11 the peas, there are seInc varieties nov,
that rircn easily in 60 days The Vi
r."tE known * Warron'> Early will suir
YOUR r"njitleuS better than the later
Foi"S. OF can get The seed from w.
II, NaHIr, I'l1 Fijbelt street. philalpi-
Ina. and 4 w seed will give you a stat
WC"ld not adElS" You to use the com
mcTcial fertilizer mixtures IN YOUR la-
ca,ity. With clover and peas and lime
Nou can DO lil liz Your soil that can ne
denc With them, for the clover and peas
viii give YOU nitrogen and your soil is
hardly deficient in the mineral elements
more than the deep roofing peas ana
CGycr find Won.
IT | was farmin" under Your condi-
lions | would devote my attention ~
IN" sheep and cattle mainly. and feed
everything grown on The farm. thus rails
,hG Il lot Of manurc and putting the cro]
l' shape that can carry itself to mar
h'l- ''et AN improved buck of the South
''"h or Shropshire sheep and breed III
rom the common ewes lambs that will
'tIh- coed price. Breed for good NUT
lH "nd let the wool hc an incident o.
'i" mutton rather than an object Get
2Ioa DcNen bull and raise good heel
'Iilir. say Devon. for believe they
VIII bo better for YOUR mountain ,.olp,,.
'EH thAn the heavy short horns BY al
ways keeping Il full i!u@dcd bull and
'hAh@lEg occasionally and never under
any circumstances using Il grade ami
maj "S II huil. you will bc breeding ug-
"afd until your cattle will hardly be
distinguished from full boGdS. | can
hui advise the dropping of lime in in,
a'il. You must remember that lime j,
not q direct fertilizer, but acts more
''> a rcagent to bring matters in the soil
INTO an available condition. You can
not make poor land rich by merely linn