The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-23

Southern agriculture At heart.
The cost per acre of fertilizer is IN
! CreaSing, more being required each
year to bring given results. while the
. averag e yield per acre of crops is rath-
/ er decreasing. The cost of all this fer
/ tilizer reaches a stupendOus inquire IN
! the aggregate. and is a yearly tax on
the products of every farm. The farm
! ers themselves are largely to blame for
/ this condition of affairs. because they
/ have got in the habit of buying a lot
! of fertilizer, and no class of people in
the world are harder to get out of a
| rut than farmers. With the trust in
/ control of everything, fertilizers will
go higher and the outlook requires
some vigorous thinking on the part
| of the farmers
/ Well. what can we do. is asked. The
solution is simple, and every farmer
/ could have his own fertilizer factory if
/ he just would. No country in the world
| is so blessed with a variety of crops
! Oegumes) for enrching the soil, ard
! i'm the velvet bean, COW pea. begger
weed and clover, on every farm we
have the means at hand to save one
| half our fertilizer bills, make our farm
more productive, and fight the fertil-
izer trust to finish.
Now, fellow farmers, as planting
time approaches, let's give this subject
earnest thought l have bought as
high as $4,000 worth of commercial fer
tilizers year, and years ago began
the study of plants that would build
up the soil and save this terrible eX-
pense. | thought very highly of the
COW pea until | tried the velvet bean,
but experiences has proved the bean
so per cent. more valuable and ahead
of everything as a stock food and soil
improVer.
! was the first to discover their value,
and with ten years experience has
been so satisfactory | have constantly
increased my acreage, and this year
am planting 500 acres. Once its grand
qualities become fully known the South
will be benefited millions of dollars
i'm the saving of fertilizers. They have
been tested from Maryland to Texas,
and as far north as Michigan for fer
tlizer with most flattering results.
The only drawback the beans has
in the states north of Florida is its
long period of growth and uncertainty
of seed rpening before frost. making
it necessary to depend on Florida for
seed, which makes them scarce and
expensive.
Believing IL possible to aCclimate
them to the north, and the period of
growth so shortened as to mature the
seed. four years ago | had a friend in
Ohio conduct some experiments along
this line on specially selected seed.
The results were most gratifying. A
few of the seed were forced to ripen,
and when planted the ensuing season
grew off much more rapidly than the
Florida grown planted alongside for a
test, and they ripened easily, while
the Florida grown were only in bloom
when frost came. These seeds were
in turn tested in Indiana, Missouri and
Michigan the next season and ripened
in every instance, whereas practically
none of the Florida grown seed matur-
ed.
To test the matter fully l planted
the Northern grown seed here on my
farm, side by side with the Florida
grown seed, and they ripened fully a
month ahead of the native seed, prov
ing conclusiVely that l had succeeded
in shortening the growing season by
acclimation. l had a lot grown es-
pecially for my use, and am planting
them exclusively even here in Florida,
as they seem more vigorous and stocky
and bear better. 1 consider this dis
covery of untold value to farmers
north of Florida, as they will be able
to raise their own seed at much less
expense by planting those acclimated
seed and be dependent of Florida seed.
The effects in restoring old wornout
cotton fields has been so truly remark
able that they have been most aptly
called the poor mans fertilizer.
The Louisiana station found that the
beans from an acre of ordinary land
contained 191 pounds of nitrogen, 243
pounds of potash and Al pounds of
phosphoric acid, which. when plowed
under, has a fertilizing value of $40 an
acre. When moved for hay the field
is more than double that of COW peas,
while the manurial value per acre of
the stubble and roots is equal to an
application of 400 pounds of cotton seed
meal.
The Alabama station made a series
of tests of the fertiliZing value of the
velvet bean that shows some most as
tonishing results, and is an object les
son to every farmer. An old worm
out hillside field grown in cotton for
years was used for the experiment and
alternate plots planted in beans, and
the usual growth of crabgrass, weeds.
etc, permitted to grow on the other
plots. Each set of plots were fortified
with potash and acid phosphate alike,
but no ammonia used on either. The
plots were similarly planted in corn,
cotton, oats. sorghum and wheat. No.
l is the bean plots and No. the ordi-
nary growth. The respective yields
were as follows:
Seed cotton, No. 1, 1873 pounds, No.
2,91S pounds; increase, $50 pounds; value
of increase per acre. $3.50: sorghum,
No. l. SIS tons; No. 2, 1855 tons; in
crease, 3.11 tons: value of increase per
acre, $2O.74; corn, No. l. 25.9 bushels,
No. 2. 1883 bushels; increase, 1882
bushels; value of increase per acre,
$6.15; oats. No. l, 1876 bushels; No. ?.
S.4 bushels; increase, 25.2 bushels; value
of increase per acre, $lo.0S: wheat. No.
l, S.5 bushels; No. 2, 81 bushels; in
crease, "a: value of increase per acre,
1892.
These plots were similarly rotated in
cotton, oats and sorghum, the three
years following the blowing in of the
| beans to te st the permanercy of the
| fertilizer IN beans. The value of tn
| three crops in tht three years on the
bean plot was $112.90 The value OF
| the crop on the rlCt where no beans
| had been planted was $69.S3. differ-
enCe of $iZ.97 faNorng the beans, or
an increase of s14.32 an acre per year.
l have accomplished results on my
own farm equally startling.
i Now, fellow farmers, stop and con-
slider these marvellous figures. Just
! think of it! Your farm can be made
| TO yield an average of $14 more per
acre every year by planting a crop of
velvet beans every fourth year for
| fertilizer. DO you wonder that I and
every other farmer who has had ex-
! perience with them is so enthusiastic
! in their praise and that we Florida
| farmers are considered so pros porous ?
! They can be made and plowed under
| for 81 an acre and every flrmer can
test them for hig own satisfaction.
| The enormous growth is truly an eye