The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-07-01

dust mulch there, and never allowing a
crust to form on the surface.
THE KING OF THE LEGUMES.
Those shOrtsighted mortals who have
assumed that because the editor of the
Practical Farmer has for the past thirty
or more rears been fighting the battle
for tho COW pea. he advocates it to the
rxeIus1on Of the clover crop in all sec
tiers Of the country, arc certainly very
much in error. The farmer in the Mid
die States and in the North generally.
who abandons clover entirely, is doing
MS badly as the Southern farmer who
tries 10 make clover take the place of
the cow pea in his climate. There are.
however, large sections North, wherc
clover once ffourished. in which there is
ROW general complaint that it is more
and more difficult to get a stand of
clover through the first summer and win
tn" This state of affairs may be the
result Of very different causes. In many
rasos il is the result Of a using up of the
humus in the soil rendering the land
more compact and drying out more read
fly. Or it may be from a deficiency of
s0r0 clement Of plant food, generally
Ihosphoric acid and potash. Or it may,
I'M some cases. be the result of too frc-
Quout turning under of heavy clover
crowths and thus making tho soil acid
II has been found that the life of the
microscopic forms which live on the
roots Of the clover depends on the soil
hong foobIy alkaline in its character. In
such cases. and We have had such undCr
cHr own observation a dressing of lime
Will cure the trouble While clover is.
.s VIC suggest. the king of the legumes,
"0 believe that in the sections where it
has boon failing from lack of the mois-
'uro-rotaiung humus the COW pea will
.n'nr i'm rs an auxiliary TO help the land
rf ready for clover. Thus, instead OF
'un popular three year rotation, lcngthon
tv blowing the corn stubble in the
spring and sowing COW peas the first Of
."na Now these for hay. and prepare
the stphblo for wheat giving the wheat
-"od dressing of acid phosphate and
potash. and seeding TO clover. Or where
'". season is long enough, put the corn
l'ad in oats and follow the oats with
'"Hs ana these with wheat and clover.
-F1" as TO the time for sowing clover
III. Mr. Terry is all right in his ad-
F""a.T Of sowing on the honcycomb
@ro1nd in February or March in his eli
"".6- Put from Virginia and Kentucky
."Ha"ard it will not do The only COM
.t"t" failure We ever made in getting Il
-.aoa Of clover was from sowing in this
way. 4 warm spell came at once and the
.."T"0 Gnrmin2tcd only to be destroyed
'F Il frcozc as it came through the
-'nh0d In that case we used the COW
to great advantage after the wheat
Was cot, and in any locality it will stand
""E 10 cure tho loss of the clover. Many
.'aTrs saw that they fail to get as
-'"l stand of clover sown with oats
" ~HTlng as they do on wheat. In our
@t"r"nco there is no better place TO SOW
"Ffr seed than with spring oats. We
'''F failed to get q stand sown with
.'h goats. From Virginia south we
"Ia always as rule SOW clover in
'a'l with the crop of winter oats in
''hh"r. If. through dry weather, it
aus Won still have the spring chance as
-."1 as ever. But it will seldom fail
I'll narrowed in. In all the mountain
'."'F Of the South red clover is as
.'''" - crop as anywhere but we can
aEroo with Mr. Bryan that it sue
.fas ~ over Georgia. The cow pea is
'' its best in the mountains where
f|Ean ljvos. and tho clover is not
.''' In tn" lover cotton country Of
."". whore the cow pea is king of
-th'& and It is waste of time
money 10 tIv to get clover to sue
i'For is needed in tho North and
extent in the elevated clay soils
., southern mountains. but from
'.'' iudgo TO the sea in the South
states clover can never dispute
, '~" "i the COW pea. BY clover we,
s.. mean medium red clover.
'' our friends have treated of
''"E"1s. and wc have no objection
hut the crop especially meant
.peelal is red clover. If the fail
H cover has been caused by de-
'I Plant food in the soil this can
p. rfmodicd as We have suggested
r. ''HIHng the wheat crop literally.
r. ",H pay in the increased wheat
t. WY "IIl render the clover more Ger
r~, h' best stand VIC over had wa
ah owing seed among rye yin May
wa..t4 '" rE" was joining to head. We
"'' advise this. as a rule but tho
H,.. was favorable and tho result was
e. we nave had fine cronS of clover