Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1901-10-11
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
ABOUT CORN AND cow PEAS.
Important Subject TO the Southern
Farmer Discussed From q Prnc-
tlcaI Standpoint.

tical Standpoint.
The cultivation OF corn, cotton, etc,
may be done with cultivator having
ficm five to eight teeth. The crust
will thus be broken, and IL the work
he done sufficiently early, while the
grass is small, IL will be destroyed. III
a baking rain falls soon after plant
ing, the cultivator can be advantage
ously run across the rows. thus break
ing the crust and enabling the plants
to come through.
The soil should receive at least one
deep, thorough blowing after the cul-
tivator has been employed, as afore-
said. To do this, throw the dirt from
the plants with an ordinary turning
pillow, then run some suitable narrow
pillow in the bottoms of the burrows,
and, if there be time, proceed thus
until the entire iniddles are plowed.
Deep culture will prepare the soil
for the penetration of the roots, but
should be superseded by shallow cul-
ture before the roots run out to any
considerable extent. Careful tests
have shown that deep blowing, say
six inches deep, near the corn, after
the growing season has considerably
advanced, will damage the corn from
16 to 20 per cent.
We take it for granted that the
corn has been planted in wide drills,
not less than six and half feet apart,
with a view of drilling row of COW
peas midway between. l have no hes
itancy in saying that If equal facili-
ties be given corn and COW peas, the
climate being suitable for each, the
peas will, on an average, be the more
valuable crop.
A good crop of COW peas will easily
gather from the air 100 pounds of nj
trogen per acre. which is worth as a
fertilizer about Is cents, pound.
consequently when the vines are
turned under they will carry with
them about SIS worth of nitrogen
per acre, to be drawn on by the next
crop From 30 to so bushels of shelled
peas per acre can easily be grown,
worth, say, 80 cents per bushel (they
are now worth $3.50, we thus have a
total of $50 per acre, which is much
more than the corn crop of the
United States will average. The pea
vines will supply the much needed
humus. In addition to this, while the
vines are rotting, important chemical
changes will take place. Much benefit
Mill be derived from these two
sources, which are now taken into ac-
count.
Peas drilled midway between wide
corn rows can be successfully grown
with, at most, but little detriment
to the corn. Some argue that peas, by
shading the ground, are an advantage
to corn.
When peas are planted as late as
they will mature, they do their prin-
cipal growing after the corn has gone
into decline. Therefore, very nearly
a full crop of each can be grown. For
a joint crop of corn and COW peas the
peas may be planted from June 10 to
July 10. The Black and Whippoorwill
pease are preferable for late plant
ing,
In a climate where COW peas will
flourish, a row of corn should never
be planted without making proper
provision for peas also. This provision
means drilling and thorough cutliva-
ton. The COW pea is too important
crop to broadcast and leave to take
its chance with grass and weeds. A
rank growth should be produced by
using o fertilizer containing phos.
phoric acid and potash in proper
quantities.
After one deep blowing cultivators
may principally be employed for corn.
A strip about foot board, midway
between the corn rows, is preferably
plowed deep each time up to the time
the peas are planted. A loose bed
will thus be prepared for the peas. 1t
pays well to pillow deep, even to sub
soil, for peas, as they stand drought
much better.
Cultivation should be continued as
long as the pea vines will permit. The
crust can advantageously be broken
until the corn is in early roasting ear.
Many corn crops are virtually
ruined by quitting them too soon. A
crust is formed and the by what is
called capillary attraction the soil is
soon deprived of moisture.
make this matter palmer by using
"a simple illustration: If you hold one
end of pin in a candle the heat wiD
soon compel you to drop it. In this
case the pin In conductor of heat.
Even so with the soil. The crust, in
connection with compact soil, is a
conductor of heat and, as result, the
moisture is soon drawn from the soil
Many fine crops of corn have been
virtually ruined by few days of dry
hot weather, when they could have
been saved by breaking the crust in
time. Avoid this loss by preparing q
dust mulch. The surface of the mulch
may become heated, but the heat car
not be conducted downward.-Bryar
| Tyson, in Southern Farmer.