Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1902-05-08
FARMERAND PLANTER
IMPROVING POOR LAND.
lag Fertility TO the Wora-out
Soils of the south.

The question is often asked what
should be the first thing lone to re
first place. no land should ever be al
lowed to become 50 poor as to be
abandoned and left TO wash into gull
lies Yet there are a great many
fields in such a state that il does not
pay TO cultivate them unless a change
BE- made in the mode Of farming. The
first thing toward improving poor
soil is to stop the washing: this can
be done by making terraces with a
fall of not over n and a half inches
To every twelve feet. or by means Of
small bitches. though the former are
better. as they do not take up any
room for cultivation. Care should al
ways be taken in not blowing thin
soil too deep. / have known poor
fields made a great deal worse by be-
ing plowed in this manner and bury
ing what little soil there was 1t Is
a very good rule to pillow shallow at
first on thin soil and go a little deep
er each years that is, to turn up a
little clay every = by this process.
the soil i deepened gradually. We
can not make 4 large crop of any
thing the first year on poor land. no
matter how much we may fertilize
same. but at the same time the poor
ct II soils can be made rich in a few
years with care a TO the mode of
cultivation. crops planted and fertil-
hers used No one must expect to
make something from nothing. so II
poor land ! made rich. il must be
done 80 gradually
Neither wheat. corn. oats nor cot
ton should be sown on poor. washed
land a. these crops tend 70 make II
poorer What Is most needed : HUI
mus We al not grow legumes IN
les there i a liberal supply Of pot
ash and phosphorie acid in the soil.
II i generally thought by some that
\ clay soil has enough potash auI
the Only thing required Is nitrogen
AMI phosphorus acid but nv expert
ence teaches me hat this Is a mis-
take. ~ course there i potash n
the soil bat not sufficient nor availa-
Die for the requirements Of the grow
ins crop
To improve poor land at the leas-
expense We must first begin BY rails
ing crops that do not leave the soil
poorer when marured than when
sown- Cow peas and the ~eiovers are
great land improvers. bat II sOvn On
poor soil and No fertilizer De used.
Of cours there viii De nothing MADE.
On the other hand. take n poor piece
of land SOW about four hundred
pounds acid phosphate. two hundred
pounds kainit and one hundred and
fifty Of eOttoa-seed meal To the acre.
SOW in cow-peas about first Of Nav.
cut the crop when ripe. which viii be
in September Harrow the ground
well and sow annual clover. using
about three hundred pounds Of aeid
phosphate. and one hundred and sev-
enty-nve Of kzinit- The clover will
be ready to cut about the middle of
May. then sow the same land IN cow
peas again using. sag two hundred
ard fifty pounds acid phosphate and
one hundred and 6fty pounds kainft-
Cut the peas As before ami sow Glow
er. When this crop IS cut plow well.
harrow thoroughly and plant in corn.
using one hundred pounds acid phos-
phate and fifty of kainit to the acre.
BY this process but little money is
Paid L for nitrogen None IS need
ed after we once get a crop Of pea
as they make nitrogen from the at
mosphere, but should the first crop
of peas be a poor one. it would be n
good idea To use some nitrogen when
the clover is sowu.
When we have barn ward manure. a
good fertilizer would be, to use if-
teen hundred pounds manure two
hundred and fifty OF acid phosphate.
and n hundred and twenty pounds
kainit to the acre. plowed in and har-
rowed well. when the peas are
/ find that IL is hard matter to i'm
prove land under the tenant system.
OF ours there are some who rent
Ian and take care of and improve IL.
but the average tenant generally
leaves a farm poorer than he found
it. The only true way TO improve our
soil is by hired labor and carefully
managed The average farmer knows
how 10 make his soil produce better.
but 50 many acres must be planted
in cotton every year. hat il seems
there Is no time left for improve
ment- l have often heard the ques-
ticn asked: Does it pay TO buy fer
tilizers to put on q very poor piece Of
land3 l can lot make enough TO paw
ne for my trouble This can be an
swered by saying, it does not pay if
we expect to live through only one
year but If we wish to make farming
pay in after years. as well as to-day.
II does pay. and pays a good per cent.
No one can take a poor washed hill
side and make II pay the first year.
but Il care De taken in stopping il
from washing. using a liberal supply
Of the proper fertilizer and raising
peas and clover for several years.
then afterwards putting corn or cot
ton on same land. there will be a
wonderful improvement IL will be
found that the money spent for fer
filters and the labor came cheap in
the long run--P. H. Hangum. Jr., in
Texas Farm and Ranch