The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-11-29
Auulviug Lime on Red Clay Land.

AS
HI. H. G., Pennsylvania, writes:
We have a poor piece OF land that
seems utterly devoid of humus, which
washes badly. My idea is to SOW
crimson clover this fall and next
.surIng turn it under and plant corn
TO be laid by with peas. l tried one
acre last fall, but when we planted
the corn this spring it was only
eight inches high, Would that growth
uay4 Would a crop turned under be
apt 10 heat and hurt the young corr
or sour the land? ~.
Answer-We have found crimson
clover q useful plant In Improving
poor, thin land, and especially Vaiua-
bic as n winter cover crop on lands
that are inclined to wash. Crimson
clover to give good results should be
sown on land of fair fertility and it
should be put in carefully. Tie land
should be broken and a fine seed e
obtained and the clover sown about
the 18th of September OF the season
is favorable. We grew crimson clover
successfully in Tennessee for several
years. and there is no reason why 1t
should not be raised in any part OF
the State if the land is in good heart
and it is put in early enough to make
a strong, vigorous growth before Die
weather. Crimson clover is a good
soil improver, as it is capable of gath
ering atmospheric nitrogen. There
+ cases on record where 125 pounds
of nitrogen have been added to a
single acre of land through blowing
under a single crop Of crimson clover.
The seed should be sown at the rate
o six to twelve pounds per acre and
without a nurse crop. Where a
nurse crop is used only a light seed
ing of oats or winter barley is ad-
viSable. Rye, as a rule, shades the
ground too much at the last working,
especially if the S is showery.
1t should be covered ard not scat
tered broadcast and left unprotected.
We grew a good crop here last year
at an elevation of 2240 feet. and
plowed it down this year and planted
corn on the land for silage. There is
prospects for a large crop are GER
tainly fine We had an unusually
dry spring and the clover was plowed
under when the ground was practic-
ally devoid of moisture AS a result
the corn did not start quickly on this
land, but since starting, owing to
favorable rains, the growth has been
remarkably vigorous.
1t is possible to sour land and so
S-Sx-N - kh-4,rh Sh0 nInrinr rn6or
of a green crop. The clover should
be p1owed under early in the spring
when not more than four to six inches
high If left to practically mature,
It pumps the water out of the soil
and leaves it in a dry condition. The
clover is likely to fre-fang and the
crop planted on the land not make a
rapid, vigorous growth, and the farm
er naturally reaps little benefit the
first season. BY blowing under the
crop before it has pumped all the
water out of the ground, rolling it
thoroughly, cultivatIng and stirring
the land well for a week or two so
a to allow it to settle and the clover
to decay, there is little danger of
sourlng the soil and less of injuring
the succeeding crop. The manage
ment Of the land and of the crop have
more to do with the results obtained
from blowing under crimson clover
or any other mass of green material
than anything else. This is a. i'm
=. portant fact to bear IN mind. Where
you can grow crimson clover as a
cover crop, utilize it ny all means.
1t is certainly a valuable plant, and
one that should receive more atten-
14on at the hands of the Southern
1araer than it has been given. Use
2e8 pounds of high grade acid phos-
phate and fifty pounds of muriate o.
potash if the clover does not make
"a rapid start and the land IS thin md
poof as indicated in your letter. A
top dressing OF fifty pounds OF nj
trate Of soda after it is we'll up would
probably pay you. A good crop OF
crimson clover will do much to i'm.
prove your land, and if you will sub
soil and deepen your field SO it will
store and hold water betterg you will
have less trouble from soil washing
in .he future.-Andrew n. SoUle.
Replacing Bran With Alfalfa.
A correspondent writes: Can you
tell me OF any direct experiments
that have been made TO demonstrate
that alfalfa OF ordinary quality is the