The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-10-23

NOTES OF THE FARM.
ByW. F. MASSEY, of A. & M College

81 have been reading your letters
with some interest, and | think ! have
been benefited. | have fifteen "a.
twenty acres of upland with a lipbt
gray soil, and the clay open in some
places and IN others tight and spoutv
1.-The native growth is post and white
e96 Wheat will not fill on the tioht
clay land. 1t is tough. Would he olad
If you can tell me a way to get wheat
To- It'll on this land. / have used ma
uure and wood ashes on these snats
with no benefit. Land is in the west
rru part of Davie county, II Is hard
for me to advise in regard to land
am not familiar with without more
definite information. I am inclined to
suspect that these tight places are
basins that need drainage. 1t is not
probable that your Davie county land
needs potash very much and manure
would incline it more to straw than
gram. So far as its needs in the way
OF fertilizer are concerned | am of the
opinion that to perfect the wheat YOU
need more phosphoric acid than any
thing else Hence, | would advise YOU
to use acid phosphate liberally on your
land. If YOU farm right and make a
good rotation you can make that land
bring the maximum crops of wheat
with the use Of nothing but the acid
phosphate. But to do this YOU must
grow clover and peas and abandon the
putting of the same crop year after
year in the same place. The restora-
ton of vegetable matter in the soil
will TO as much toward the improve
ment of the tight elias as anything
else.
From Surry county: Il have order
cj some Harrity Netch seed. and want
to sow a few acres to NOW in the
spring. | do not know anything about
the pant, but notice that YOU recon-
mend II. How much seed per acre.
and how to SOW it? I shall also sow
q lot of rye for spring moving ana
will follow both with corn. Would it
bc better for me to SOW Netch entirely,
and leave of the rye? Your advice in
1be past has benefited me. My wheat
crop this year was AT bushels on p
acres My corn will make 80 to 40
6gshels per acre on upland and many
fields near it Will not make over , to
bushels." | am glad to know that in
The Efforts | am making to serve the
farmers | here and there strike one
who follows advice and succeeds. In
that beautiful valley Of the Iadl<in. I
have often noticed that the wide bot
tom lands are cultivated year after
year in corn, and that the crops are
seldom near as large as they should
be- on land of that character, while
nearly all Of these lands are capable
of a high production of wheat and
corn and hay and the feeding of great
herds of fine cattle. In fact. it looks
as rhoUgh it was designed by nature
for q stockman's paradise. And yet
YEAR after year the owners grow corn
and sell corn insteal of selling at
greater profit what the corn would
make along with pea vine hay in the
shape of fat cattle. 1t is almost i'm
possible here to get q piece of decent
beef. while all that Piedmont country
could produce all the beef and the fin
EST of beef at a profit that would put
thF present farming to shame. And
yer, right in your adjoining county OF
stokes, when out State veterinarian at
aFarmer's Institute asked the farmers
how much it would benefit them finan-
eallT 10 get rid Of ticks and to have
M" cattle quarantine line moved 50
mat hey could ship their cattle north
III any time they answered, not much,
IS amy part of the State where fine
,r"' ra'tIe would pay it is right along
.he valley Of the Yadkin. ! am glad
therefore. that you are getting inter
'>''a n leguminous crops, And the
grown" of forage. There is no doubt
mat the Hairy Netch will. not only
give }r7 forage immensely better than
i\'' "Hrh is the poorest kind of feed,
ha orc =
~ -A~ yet the seed is too high priced
''. farmers TO use it very largely. We
-.a 1+gJ per bushel here in Raleigh a
W." days ago, and the seedsmen advis-
[' '4e sowing Of a busheI per acre,
VI" do not think quite SO much IS
-F9it.' / shall SOW two bushels on
Hree acres. The plant seeds
"'t.E that the seed must soon be-
p"' 'araper. If YOU allow some OF
1a r"t 10 ripen they will seed the
alo and the crop will come again next
| ''''Fi without further sowing. There
| " '"tGcr of It's becoming weed
grows only in winter. IT Will be
,.I |"r Nuu to sow the whole lald
1" ''"h and SOW some rye with t.
."F tH" help the rye will give III
,''"@ mp he vctch. which is inclined
al, -' '"'l and tumble about if soWn
J an waiting now for the land
son soft enough to plow and VII.
Am early as possible in October.
ha.'' Iar opinion that it would have
@ar. D." jf'r 10 have sown late in Sep
F. ..'d the drought permitted it
el Ir"doll county: ''Will il be
o, ,., 'rrd thrcshed barley to horses
;rr. r.t ih" remaining broken boards
-o-g " 'irn IN any way. have beer
~, ..'"' " $ dangerous? Will it pay
ays ""rley at 80 bushels PER acre
Dor @''7l'l'lte for corn at 20 bushels
NorI "Nh ordinary seasons?
Arrl -' afraid 10 feed barley VIII
cr ''3rd~ TO horses. either whole
ley "-"'a. 1t may pay to grow bar
sno...f -eo@titute for oats if YOU sOv
gr.i, ''ai"d barley, but there is n'
h Ar, 'ah" he place Of Indian corr
"1n agriculture. But amy tar