The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-06-14
THE STATE TEST FARMS.
Chemist Kilgore Tells Of Experiments and Re
suits Accomplished.

Z, made quite an interesting review of the
rk being done on the State Test Farms which
e under his direction. Among other things,
e says in the report:
"This is the fifth years work on the test farms
; In the Eastern part of the State and the second
year in Iredel County. We are making expert
ment on these farms with field crops according
to one general plan, so that the results may be
comparable and furnish data as to the culture
and method of handling these crops on the differ
ent soils and sections of the State. The work is
being repeated from year to year until it is found
that sufficiently reliable data has been obtained to
justify the discontinuance of the experiments.
Seventy to eighty experiments are being made
with each cotton and corn on o~ne-tenth acre plats,
forty with peanuts, in Ed~gecombe County alone;
a corresponding number with cowpeas at Red
Springs and Statesville; about fifty with grains
at Edgecombe and Statesville; more than one
hundred with grasses and legumes at Edgecombe
and Statesville. They are all intended to cover
tests of fertilizers best suited to the production
of these several crops on the different soils, and
the best paying amounts of fertilizer; investiga-
ton of method, preparation and cultivation, and
of varieties, of which there are corn, twenty-nine,
of cotton twenty-five, of cowpeas sixteen, grains
forty, and then all the grasses and legumes, which
seemed at all likely to succeed.
"On account of the general interest which has
been awakened all over the country in the inn
provement Of varieties of crops, we have found
increased interest in the kinds of cotton, corn
land peas which are grown in the State. To gel
reasonably definite data regarding comparative
yields of our various kinds of cotton and corn,
we have obtained the large number of varieties
referred to of these crops and have them under
experimentation In the three sections of the State.
While this is being done, we have selected one
kind Of cotton and one of corn for each of the
farms, the ones that have seemed to do best as far
as our experiments have gone on those particular
farms, for improvement by seed selection. We are
conducting considerable detailed work with cotton
and corn, with the idea of bringing about improve
ment in this way.
"I have referred a number of times to our ex-
p%eriments with hairy or sand vetch. Our con-
tinued success with this crop gives us still great
er confidence in it as a winter growing soil i'm
proven for both pasturage and hay. On the Edge
combe farm, on light sandy land, we now have
about twenty acres of this crop in excellent con-
dition. 1t was grazed by cattle, sheep and hogs
up to the first of April, and is now in full bloom
and ready to be cut for hay. Our success with it
at first was doubtful because of the lack of the
proper bacteria in the soil, but with a moderate
incubation to begin with, the soil has now be-
come thoroughly infested with the bacteria and
the crop is making an excellent growth. I might
say that this crop was started three years ago,
and the crop this-the third years. largely the
result of reseeding itself.
"Our experience with Burr clover is encourag-
ing. While we made almost an entire failure from
sowing the clover last summer, due to the very
dry, hot fall, in which almost all grasses and
clovers failed, the areas on which this clover grew
Lost snr;nn nicely reseeded and have nrn-