The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-23
THE FARM AND THE GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST To AGRI-
CULTURALIsT AND HOUSEWIFE.

Shall Vegetable Matter BE Turned
Under Green or Dryt-Farmers
should Save Seeds-AbOut Sweet
of MuRkmeIOns.
Every year the question arises to a
more or less number of farmers what
to do with the humus crop that has
been grown on the land for the sake
of its Improvement. The question is
whether the crop. whatever it is.
should be turned under green or wheth-
er it should be left to mature and die
on the land? Most farmers after one
experience in the attempt to turn I'M
der rank vegetable matter in midsum-
mer are able to answer the question
for themselves. The invariable conclu-
sion, after one or two such efforts, is
to let the vegetable matter mature, die
on the land and be turned under
some time after January. Very few
small farmers are provided with a
pillow that will turn under rank pea or
bean vines satisfactorily and even
when this can be done it cannot be
recommended as a proper feature of
good farming.
Granting that four-fifths of the vines
can be hid away from sight by the
use of a 2 or 3-horse pillow with the aid
OF drag chain, etc, it will require sew
eral months to effect their decomposi-
ton and to warrant the starting of a
new crop on the land.
1t is really a disadvantage to the
soil to turn 1t up afresh any time
from July TO September merely for the
purpose of turning under the vegetable
matter The burning sun and perhaps
washing rains of those months have a
more or less injurious effect upon the
freshly turned soil that must be calcu-
lated. Four-fifths of the green Vege-
table matter is nothing but water
However dry the other fifth may be-
come before it is turned under and Civ
en- to the soil all that is of any value
as humus is saved. There is a certain
sourness given to the soil when green
vegetable matter is turned into it,
When this matter becomes dry this
becomes an item of insignificance and
is always easily neutralized by the APP
plication of little lime. From a long
observation and experience we have
found it a poor practice indeed to SOW
small grain in the fall either at the
time of turning under the green mat
ter or even two months later.
The green matter keeps the soil en-
tirely too porous all during the win
ter. 1t promotes a condition alto
gether unfavorable to the young grain.
The slightest freezing of the soil in
such an open condition does harm
where there would be. very little if it
were properly compact. Rather than
sow grain of any kind on such soil in
October 1t will be much better to wait
until February before sowing
Few farmers make use of a roller es-
pecially one of such weight as will eff
feet proper compacting of the soil,
and their only reliance for securing a
firm, compact condition of soil is the
rain. Now in the fall with us this is
very uncertain occurrence. For two
or three months after July there may
be nothing more than two or three
slight rains that do little in firming
soil kept open by green vegetable mat
ter.
Considering all the disadvantages,
therefore, there should be only one
answer to the question Whether it
is better to turn under green vegetable
matter in the late summer or autumn
or wait and let 1t die on the land and
then turn under the dry matter sew
eral months later" AS a farm prac-
tice based upon reasonable principles
the answer must always be Let the
crop die on the land and then turn UNI
der the dry matter. Essace