The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-06-09
From the Southern Planter.

not rain, is all dry and dusty, never mind,
stir again inside of a week anyway, al
though you work IN cloud o. dust. This
stirring makes mulch that saves water
from eyaporation-save it for the crop.
Water evaporates rapidly from an un-
stirred surface when the sun shines or the
wind blows, but very slightly after you
have made the surface fine and mellow
two inches deep. This is the way to save
water for your crop in a dry time. But
keeping weeds down and saving water is
not all does by much work. No!
There Is much inert plant food in the
soil. Ordinary tillage makes little avail
able. This extra tillage makes more ready
for plants and you get larger crops Lar
ger because you have kept weeds from
getting any. Larger because you have
saved water for the crop Larger because
it has been able to get more to grow on.
| hope you all prepared your ground well
and have it we'll supplied with vegetable
matter then this extra care of crop will
pay still better.
The planting of corn for filling the silo
should have attention during this month.
We wish that more of our subscribers had
eilos to fill. We have repeatedly urged
the building of a sllo on every farm hav-
ing more than 4 half dozen head of cat
tie on the place. 1t is the cheapest barn
a man can build and preserves the feed
placed IN 1t IN Succulent condition, which
makes it always acceptable to heastOck,
and results III great economy IN feeding,
as the stalks are softened SO that they
are readily consumed with the finer portion
of the feed. In the July issue we will give
instructions for the building of a silO and
hope that many will be induced to try
one. Once used no stockkeeper will ever
want to be without one again. The best
crop with which to fill silo is corn or a
mixture of corn and cowpeas or corn and
soy beans. Corn alone makes a sllage
rich In carbohydrates, but lacking In pro-
tcin. The addition of COW peas or soy
beans supplies the needed protein, and
makes the feed as taken from the slo near
! ly completely balanced ration. Where
corn alone is grown for filling the silo, or
when corn IS grown mixed with peas or soy
beans. the crop should be planted in rows
three feet apart and six or eight inches
apart in the row. This admits of cult
waiting the crop and ensures that the
stalks shall carry d fair proportion of ears.
i
fully matured and the silage made will be
sweeter and not so watery. We are strong
ly in favor of growing COW peas with the
corn. Those Of our subscribers who have
adopted this plan speak in the highest
terms of mixed crop. They get an increase
in the yield at practically no cost except
that of the COW pea seed and get also a
much more valuable feed. 1t is true that
/ hn as
would seem probable generally. Usually
it amounts to about 25 per cent. In actual
weight but this grain costs so little and
is attended with other advantages in addi-
ton to the improvement of the feed that
render it most advisable. Amongst the
advantages is the economy in land to be
got ready for seeding and of the cultiva
ton of separate crop, and also the fact
that silo will hold much more feed made
| from a mixed crop than from one OF corn
alone Experiments made at the Dela-
ware Experiment Station show that a
circular silo seventeen feet IN diameter
filled with settled silage to depth OF
ItWenty-three feet would hold nlnety-twO
tons of corn alone or 1872 tons of mixed
corn and peas grown in the proportion OF
IS per cent. of corn and 25 per cent IN
peas which is about the usual proper
tionate weight when grown together
! When grown together the corn should be
first planted and at the second cultivation
the peas should be drilled in along side
the corn rows The best variety of pea
to use for this purpose Is the Whlppor-
Will as they grow more compactly IN the
corn row and do not reach across to tho
adjoining rows so to tether the croi
together and make it difficult to harves
with a ma chine. Grown together III TIL:
wav from twelve to fifteen tons OF sllagt
to the acre may be readily produced ant
on good land even twenty tons can be cut
Where soy beans are used for the protell
crop they may be grown between the corr
rows, which should, in that case, be fou
feet apart. We prefer, however, to grow
this crop separately and mix with th
corn when filling the slo. They make
, better yield in this way.
The forage crops, about which we Wrot
fully in our last issue, and on which sub
iect we say another word in this issue
/ should be planted during this month am
: July.
The thinning out and cultivation of tn
cotton crop should receive close atten
tion during this month. The yield OF tn
crop largely depends upon the early Vle
. orous growth of the plants and this l
very largely influenced by the qulcknes
! with which the crop is brought to stan
> and the repeated cultivation OF 1t.
: The planting of the tobacco crop ha
been much delayed by the drought Q
May and much of it will not yet nav
made start in growth, even II planted
Push on the work of planting as quIckl
= as the season will permit and let cultl
+ walton be often and shallow. When th
p crop is large enough to top do not top TO
4 high 1t is better to have lever leaves
r all fully and evenly ripened, than great
s er number Of which part have to be Gu