The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-02-06
NOTES OF THE FARM
By w. F. MASSEY, of A. & M College.


clover. being a lcgumr, AMI having tlc
noduleS on the roots. aIfd are similar II,
fec ding quality 10 clover. | think the,
gather nitrogen from the :i.r, aid nitro
gen should be needless in the fertilizer.
But cow peas will enricn iani. while Wc
know that peanuts impOyer!>h ii. W owl:
like to give yol,r ideas III r"garti 10 th.
proper fertilization Of the '.rnit. Pe,lnf.ts
certainly are one Of the /" ".uEllnous
plants and gather iii ro@cl from the ar
just as COW peas do. But the i.ttrogen i
fixed in the form Of organic matter i'll
the roots mainly, and in the nuts. In
the COW pea, even when the vines are
mown. there is 4 large proportion lcft
IN thc soil. but the peanuts are AIKEN oiit
roo; and branch. and ono Of the most
valuable parts sold, 50 that the farm gets
none of it except III the shape Of fertili-
zers bought with the money. l ne COW
peas if turned into hay are fed on the
farm and the manure goes back on the
land. while but d small part OF the peanut
crop is fed on the land. We ale Of the
opinion that if the whole peanut crop
was fed on the land to hogs a:.d cattle
that the farm would not be loser OF
fertility. Lime III some form seems eS-
sential to the peanut crop, and the same
may be said Of other le2Mnes But it is
he opinion Of mary good growers that
heavy applications of acid phosphate will
furnish all the lime needed. as acid phoS-
pllatc contains about 40 per cent Of lime
j in the form Of 4 Snlphatc from the sui
phu!ic acid used in diSSolving the phos-
phatc Of lime III the rock. The great
difficulty Win the peanut crop in common
+ with most farm crops here arises from
the fact that the growers do not practice
4 10 nf fa, 'tNf,pp.1.
! an unrea>oning amount Of prejudice
among peanut growers against the. COW
LA. Some declare that COW peas on the
/ farm ruin the land for the production OF
(. ii, peanut. and one grower Went - far
! as ~ ~;,y he would not ALLOW man IL
i, 90 over MS farm With COW peas III his
pocket. III his. 81 course. was only has en-
pha1ic way vi dc, laring his prejudice
against he pea. Ii seldom happens tha;
i leguminou> crop following right on Tie
heels Of another legnnlinnuS crop viii &c
rs best. Sat cow peas have as great a
vali" in 4 farm rotation where peanuts
! are the money crop rs in any other sorl
Of farming They should be followed bS
the com crop with Ill the home NJ. .de
manure. and then the land should he pre-
pared Tor the peanuts Nhi" il ma.
nay to civ" a little nitrogen IL start n
carly growth there is little or no nct,
TO- large percentage Of nitrogen On tht
peanut crop. But Il heavy application o.
acid phosphate and potash i the mos
important thing in the growth Of the
crop. The lands where peanuts are corn
monty grown are deficient in potash, anC
il be COW pea crop is >own lmnediatei,
ahead O.: the peanut crop without an!
fertilizer. the COW pea S just as Iori af
potash ~ tAe peanut. and Will rob tn
soil - hat the peanuts need Winic CIV
ing the soil nitrogen o. which the pcanur
needs little. Rn1 if the coy peas area,
of the yo;fnuts are yivtn !; dressing .
acid phosphate and potash there will hi
only :, hi. crop of nay. bu the soil vii
he in better condition for the Ieann, cfoI
with Il similar application. Like ncarE
all the traditions Cn the f;irl-i in reference
to yiri0ns matters tn" prejudice agains
The CoWl,ea :tmon. the ]rCanuJ men na
Gouhtlt>s come from some un1ort dnat
experience in which the farmer wa
more to blame than the peas, and yet i
is at once noi>ed abroad that a Iaanu
farmer cannot safely grow COW peas, an,
the farms suffer in consequences. Gu
correspondent says ale proposes To try aci
. ho>lnatc and ka:nt. We would anvist'
in the absence of any previous rrcpar:l
ten with peas to uSf. the fGlloWin" mix
1ure: ac:L phoSphate. 1.i0O pounds: nj
tfatc Of soda. 300 pounds and murite o
potash 400 pounds To make ton. Is
This as ihcraliy AZ you choose. But yo7
viii find that 10 get the high pcrcenta@ e
of potash the PEAS need. you cannot Il
il with kanir. since haini, has bat |:
per cent Of POTASH and soon becomes ia
most costly form of potash When So
freight j; farm. Muriate Of potash ia
80 Fer cent potash and takes thefefo:
nut ene fourth the quantity that kan.
does. ard you will not have To freight ;,
lItlch useless material. We have grow
r"lnlltS after peas. and would moi hesi
tate To DO so again. provided the pea
had dose 0i :!v:d phosphate and potash