Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-04-05
The Farmers Educational and
Cooperative Onion Of America.
CONDUCTED BY J. G. srRIBLINe.
Communications intended for this depart-
Eas1s siiUuid ue addressed to j. G. Strlbling,
Pendieton, South Carolina.

Farmers, we are now facing serious
problem 10 our business. 1t is a triangle
of conditions that we are up against: our
products of cotton are being priced and
held down on the one side by an organ
lied body of spectators, the prices of
our fertilizers are being raised by an
other combination, while the increasing
price of labor Is holding down the other
corner of the triangle.
Who're shall we LOOK for aid in this di-
lemmaP Shall we look to the politicianp
No, he is too ousy looking after his
fences in political affairs. Shall we look
first to the cotton speculator and then to
the fertilizer combines and repeat the
lr':a.l"n's prayer, 80, Good Lord, or
Oh, good devil, whosoever's hands we
MAJ fall inso, help us?" No, we must
use mCre brains in our business and turn
away from this habit of playing losing
game ofSblind mans buff between these
dangerous, crushing obstacles, and use
moro of the manhood and gifts of inde-
pendence of farm life. We must form a
closer business relation with Dame Ma
ture. We must enter into combna-
t:on with her and learn ana comply with
her rules of business. If ever these bar
rem fields and naked lands of ours are
covered over again and clotted with a
green gown of verdure, after the fashion
OF Dame Nature, and made to bloom
again as the rose, we will have to look to
science for aid. 1t was mans folly and
his ignorance of Natures laws that de-
stroyed the natural fertility and richness
of our soils, and it cannot be restored
again cheaply unless we diligently work
with Natures ways in doing it.
On this line DR.. Moore, of the United
States Agricultural Department., has re-
Gently made a discovery of what is
known as the system of inoculating
poorer lands with nitrogen producing
bacteria, and has now put his plan into
practical use by sending out in a small
vest-pocket package enough of his "nitro-
culture" to inocnlate one acre of land :;
this soil when once inoculated will re-
main inoculated SO long as it is planted
in leguminous crops once in three years.
These germs when put into the soil,
fasten themselves to the roots of such le.
guminous plants as are at hand and draw
the free nitrogen out of the air and fec
it to the plants; thus the farmer may set
up his little fertilizer factory at work on
every acre of land he has, drawing down
from Natures store-house, the air,
which contains four-fifths of free nitro
gen. There is different sort of bac-
terra for every variety of these legumin-
GUS plants, cow-peas, clovers, vetches,
alfalfa, etc.
After July l the government will be
prepared to send out packages contain.
ing enough of this nitro. culture to inocu.
late one acre, free of charge, and we
advise farmers to prepare an acre of the
poorest land they have, get package
of this nitro-culture, and try it. We are
satisfied that here is the solution of
the problem Of cheap fertilizers, and will
in few years bring about revolution
in diversitied farming in the South-the
home of the cowpea-that will place all
who practice this new plan of fertilizing
his lands by Natures plan in such an
independent position that he can hold
his cotton until "the hair slips, or the
tail holt breaks" Each and every year
his lands may be actually growing richer.
His own fertilizer factory will be at
work every day and at night, too, while
the farmer sleeps.
Some seed houses are now Offering
this nitro-culture for sale at so per acre
sized package. We are to make care
full study of this new discovery and will
inoculate about eight plats in acre lots,
and will no doubt be in possession of
some interesting facts on this subject
during this season. This nitro culture
does not supply any of the mineral fer
tilizers, such as potash and phosphoric
acid, but as most of our lands are natu-
rally rich, or have been enriched by years
of continual application of these mineral
elements, we are not likely to need MOI Q
Of this in our lands in several years to
come.
Recent experiments with this nitro
culture at the Alabama Experiment sta
tion resulted as follows: The total
amount of nitrogen contained i'm the
crops per acre was as follows: Harry
vetch, inoculated, 105 pounds; not inocu.
lated. seven pounds; Crimson clover, in
oculated, l43 pounds; not inoou!ated.
four pounds. In these experiments an
average of 1lS pounds of nitrogen per
acre was produced or gained by inocula-
ton. The cost of nitrogen in CONNER
cial fertilizers ranges from Is to II cents
per pound. We have net gain of
$1047 worth of fertilizer in the crops
and leave the fertilizer, contained in
| roots and inncnlatinn hactar;a ;., 4LA