The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-09-17
IN THIS NUMBER-sOME RANDOM COM.
MENT,

mental work on the farm, especially
with regard to commercial fertili-
zers. 1t is worthy of careful study.
The same principles that you observe
in feeding your horses apply in feed
ing your soil. You want your horse
to have so much hay, so much
corn, so much fodder, so much
water, each meal. But if you
find in his trough at the be-
ginning of some feed half enough
corn already placed there, you simply
reduce by half the quantity usually
given him by yourself. Or if enough
fodder has already been given him
by some one else, you keep in your
barn the quantity of fodder you
would otherwise have given. To
add the usual quantity of corn or
fodder when enough or half enough
had already been placed there by
some one else would be waste. But
what has TINS to do with the fertili-
ger question? Simply this: The
crop you wish to raise needs so much
nitrogen, so much phosphoric acid,
somuch potash. If you go it blindly,
applying of each ingredient year
after year the quantity that it has
been estimated is best for that par
tiouIar crop on 'the general run of
land, you also are perhaps wasting
valuable time and money. Exercise
the same common n that you use
when you look into your horse
trough to see whether your son or
your hired man has already placed
there enough corn, fodder or water.
Ask your soil by properly planned
experiments. Find out if Nature by
leguminous crops or otherwise has
already placed in it enough nitrogen.
If so, the application of this most
costly of fertilizing ingredients is
money wasted. Or has Nature
placed there so much potash II phos-
phorio acid that enough will be avail.
able to enable you to reduce with
economy the quantity usually ap-
piled? IF so, is not the application
of a full quantity money thrown
away? These are pertinent ques-
tions, and their correct solution
means money in the pocket of every
farmer. From time to time articles
advising the proper ways of conduct
ing these fertilizer experiments have
appeared in The Progressive Farmer,
and others will appear hereafter.
We hope that many of our readers
will give some of these a trial next
season.
X X
The article next following Mr..
Merriam's, entitled excepting Boys
out of School,, is one worthy of no
less careful attention. We know it
is a little hard to pay out cash to
some hired hand for hat fOdder-pull-
ing or cotton picking that your boy
might do if he we're at home. But
consider whether or not such action
in your own boyhOod days was wise.
If it proved profitable in your own
case, remember that your boy must
face competition fercer than that
which has prevailed heretofore,
must compete with millions of other
boys that are %proiting by advantages
better than those of the nineteenth
century. And your boy cannot fight
life's battles with an out of date
equipment
X X r X X X
The pan reported by Mr.. Barbrey
to keep weevils out of corn and peas
is not difficult or expensive, and the
successful experiments he has
already made with it warrant US in
recommending it to all readers.
X X X X X X
How many of our readers know
anything of the In ian Republic in
North Carolina, a delightful sketch
of which was written for the June
Woman's Homo Companion by Ian.
don Knight? The first part of this
sketch appears on page 1 and the
concluding portions will be giver
next week.
X X X X x \
Read on page 8 Mr.. Grantland'
experience with hay. New York
farmers find hay raising very profit
able, and they get only 81 ton pei
acre. Here in North Carolina we
continue the suicidal policy of send
ing North for much, of our supply
and what do official reports show the
nrndnction ner acre here? MOrC