The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-05-01

horse plOw and turned the whole
mass under as deep as two mules
could pull it. I then spread ten
loads of lot and stable manure broad
cast on top of the plOwing with 300
pounds acid phosphate and 1OOpounds
kainit. then narrowed this in with
a spring tooth harrow and sOwed 1
bushel wheat 18th of December and
narrowed in the seed with a smooth
ing harrow. [ cut this off and got 80
bushels of wheat. then turned un-
der the stubble with a Dixie plOw
and let stand few days; then took
a spring tooth harrow and went over
it, and on the goth of June sowed 1
bushel Unknown or Wonderful peas
and ran over it with smoothing har-
row. About the first days of OctO-
ber, moved the peas for hay and
cured as stated in this article. I got
1000 pounds of as nice hay as any
body would wish to see. The feeding
value of which would be hard to
Overestimate such hay will bring on
our market rs cents per hundred
weight any time.
l have had some experience in
baling the pea hay. Last year I put
up 400 bales with hand, homemade
baler. 1t costs about five cents per
hundred to bale in this way, and
pays we'll for the trouble 1st, it
takes less barn room. The bales
weigh about 125 pounds and occupy
about 25 cubic feet of space and is
much more easily handled and, in
the second place, being more com
pact, the air is excluded and the hay
retains it's sweetness and nutritive
value better It can be baled when
quite limp but must be free from
dew or rain moisture. Now wish
to give a recipe, which if faithfully
and persistently followed, will bring
the Southern farmer out of the low
grounds of sorrow, dependency and
gloom, up on the table lands and into
the monday effulgence of success
and good cheer. The COW pea will be
the principal ingredient in the list.
Let every farmer plant one third of
his land in cotton, one third in small
grain, one third in corn cotton fol
low small grain, small grain follow
corn, and corn follow cotton. The
land sown in small grain SOW in peas
when the grain is cut off. The land
/ in corn to be cultivated level and the
last plowing (2Oth of June to 1st of
July) SOW in peas, 1 bushel per acre !;
when the fodder is ripe cut the corn
stalks at the ground and put in
! shocks about $50 stalks to a shock.
Then when the peas begin to yellow
NOW with mower Then don't buy
| one pound of ammoniated guanO, but
/ get acid phosphate and kainit, eX-
/ change your cotton seed for cotton
seed meal and feed to cattle. Take
/ proper care Of the manure thus made.
/ Keep all the cattle you can feed with
! the forage saved from this rotation.
/ Compost the manure with the acid
phosphate and kainit and put back
on the land. Thus the land would
be enriched by the peas where grown
and by the manure returned. The
farmer would get plenty of nice milk
and butter which would enable him
to raise pigs, calves, chickens and
children, live at home and be happy.
If all our Southern farmers could
and would follow this plan this South
land of ours would blossom as the
rose, the fragrance whereof would
make glad the nations and the indi-
vidual farmer would flourish as the
"green bay tree planted by the rivers
of water, whose leaves would not
wither and who would bring forth
his fruit in his season" Now, Mr..
Editor, this is no fancy picture or
fine spun theory, but crock bottom
TRUTH which deserves a fair trial.
Now I know all farmers cannot jump
into this system like jumping on the
morning express, but by patient,
diligent perseverance we can evOlute
out of the old ruts into this new and
better way, which is the highway to
success. I have for some fifteen
years had my attention turned to the
possibility of the COW pea as a stock
feed and land iInprover, but am
indebted to Prof. Massey as to the
proper mode Of cutting and curing
hay. 7 followed his directions in
1nn1.t raa1. haforn last and made GOOD