Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1904-06-23
Preservation of Soil.
Delivered Before the
= East Tennessee =
Farmers Convention
at Knoxville.
OF SHELBYvILLE, TENN
at Knoxville.

1NA hb N1IEuilsldUGtc. ltt ucaNA
stock on my cultivated fields
during these seasons when they
are wet, for it greatly Injuries
the texture and mechanical con-
dition of our clay lands. and
renders the plant food insoluble
or unavailable. | would plow
this rye under the next spring in
time to again SOW in peas, using
fertilizer as Before. and again
NOW the peas for hay. The
following fall | would turn this
land and sow wheat; asking 900
pounds of bone meal per acre. OF
if potash is deficient | would use
a high grade complete fertilizer.
and if the season was at all fav-
orable for wheat | would expect
from fifteen to twenty-five
bushels per acre. The following
winter | would put all the ma
nure | could get on this stubble
and pillow in the spring for corn,
and follow the corn with wheat:
thoroughly turning the land and
again using 200 pounds Of high
grade ammoniated fertilizer.
During the following February |
would SOW clover on this wheat,
and if | failed to get a catch, |
would let the stubble remain
until the next spring, when /
would again start on the same
rotation by sowing to peas.
Remember our first object in
the restoration of our worn out
land is to get vegetable matter
in the soil. | have not recon-
mended as strongly as some the
blowing under of green crops. 1t
looks too much like waste to pillow
under crop that is worth from
so to 800 per acre as a food.
Better save it and feed it to the
stock and return the manure
which is beyond doubt the best
fertilizer of all, as it not only has
a direct fertilizing value, but it
is also valuable in making the
inert plant food in the soil more
available. We should keep en-
ough stock to consume our rough
ness, such as hay, ETC., and if we
buy considerable amounts of the
concentrates-such as cotton seed
meal, bran, etc, for feeding, we
are at least ON the sure road to
the rapid improvement of our
land.
A word about manure | use
my straw very literally for bed
ding, which not only adds to the
comfort of the animals, but acts
as all absorbent and greatly in
creases the bulk of the manure.
| haul the manure on the land
during the winter and spring as
it accumulates, trying to get it
out at times when the land is
either frozen or dry enough so
that damage from tramping the
land will not result. | usually
put it on land intended for corn.
Now, to summarize the whole
matter: Practice a regular ro-
tation that will include clover or
peas, at least once in three or
four years, and always keep some
cover crop growing so as not to
leave the land bare to wash and
leach. Save all manure, and
never burn straw or cornstalks;
use commercial fertilizer liberal
ly, but judiciously; never pillow
or allow heavy stock on land
when wet; make a study of your
business just as any other sue
cessful business man must do.
There is too little thinking done
by the average farmer. He sim
ply goes right on in the old ruts
that have been made for gener-
atlOns. A man, to be successful
must have his plans laid out in
advance and think and work to
accomplish them.
In conclusion, / will say there
is not an acre Of land in the lime
stone formation of Tennessee I'M
less the rock is too close to the
surface, but that can be brought
to a high state of cultivation and
productiveness. / mention the
limestone lands, for my expert
ence has been with these lands,
which, from their appearance,
are closely related to your East
Tennessee lands.
This is not theory. | have
demonstrated these facts year