The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1902-05-10
AND PLANTER.
IMPROVING POOR LAND.
some of the Requisites for RestOr-
ing Fertility to the
Soils of the south.

The question is often asked what
should be the first thing done to re-
deem an old worn out field. In the
first place, no land should ever be al
lowed to become s. poor as to be
abandoned and left to wash into gull
lies. Yet there are a great many
fields in such a state that it 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 one 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. 1 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
II each year; that is, to turn up a
little clay every year. By this process,
the soil is deepened gradually. We
can not make a 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
est of soils can be made rich in a few
years with care as to the mode of
cultivation, crops planted and fertil-
izers used. No one must expect to
make something from nothing, SO if
poor land is made rich, it must be
done so gradually.
Neither wheat, corn, oats nor cot
ton should be sown on poor washed
land, as these crops tend to make it
poorer. What is most needed is hui
mus. We can not grow legumes I'M
less there is n liberal supply of pot
ash and phosphoric acid in the soil.
1t is generally thought by some that
a clay soil has enough potash and
the only thing required is nitrogen
and phosphoric acid, but my expert
ence teaches me that this is a mis-
take. Of course there is potash in
the soil, but not sufficient nor availa-
BILE for the requirements of the grow
ing crop.
TO improve poor land ut the least
expense we must first begin by rails
ing crops that do not leave the soil
poorer when matured than when
sown. Cow peas and the clovers are
great land improvers, but if sown on
poor soil, and no fertilizer be used.
of course there will be nothing made.
On the other hand, take a poor piece
of land, sow about four hundred
pounds acid phosphate, two hundred
pounds kainit and one hundred and
fifty of cotton-seed meal to the acre,
sow in cow-peas about first of May,
cut the crop when ripe, which will be
in September. Harrow the ground
well and sow annual clover, using
about three hundred pounds of acid
phosphate, and one hundred and sew
enty-five of kainit. The clover will
be ready to cut about the middle of
May, then sow the same land in cow
peas again, using, say two hundred
and fifty pounds acid phosphate and
one hundred and fifty pounds kainit.
Cut the peas as before and SOW Glow
cr. When this crop is cut, pillow 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 out for nitrogen. None is need
ed after We once get a crop of peas,
as they make nitrogen from the at
mosphere, but should the first crop
of peas be a poor one, it would be Il
good idea to use some nitrogen when
the clover is sown.
When we have barn yard manure, a
good fertilizer would be, to use tif-
teen hundred pounds manure, two
hundred and fifty of acid phosphate,
and one hundred and twenty pounds
kainit to the acre, plowed in and har-
rowed well, when the peas are sown.
l find that it is hard matter to inn
prove land under the tenant system.
OF cours there are some Vino rent
land and take care of and improve it,
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 to make his soil produce better,
but so many acres must be planted
in cotton every year, that it seems
there is no time left for improve
ment. l nave often heard the ques-
ticn asked: docs it pay to buy fer
t~ilizers to put on a very poor piece of
land? / can not make enough to pay
me fer 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,
it does pay, and pays a good per cent
No one can take a poor washed hill
side and make it pay the first year,
but if care be taken in stopping it
from washing, using a liberal supply
of the proper fertilizer and raising
peas and clover for several years,
then afterwards putting corn or cot
tom an same land. there will be n