The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-20

soil but also dininishes or completely
wipes out all bank deposits. Now l do
not want the reader to conclude that
am opposing the use of commercial
fertilizers; this is not the idea, but we
want to impress upon the reader this
valuable lesson.
More commercial fertilizers may be
used on rich soil than on poor, worm
out soils and in order that the farmer
may get the best returns from the money
he invests in commercial fertilizers he
must use in connection Herewith large
quantities of organic matter.
Shade the Soil
1t has become a well established fact
that one of the best methods for con-
serving or protecting the plant foods in
the soil Is to shade the soil and pro-
vision for shading the soil the entire
year is very important To do this
some form of green crops should be
kept on the soil all the year, or as long
as possible.
This can be done largely by an intelli-
gent use of the winter grains that
shall here mention. But there are other
advantages to be gained by keeping
green crops on the soil the entire year.
The winter-growing grains will hold
plant food In the soil and prevent the
soil from washing so that soil protec-
ton is one of the strongest arguments
in favor of growing crops.
Another reason for growing winter
grains, is that the farmer usually has
more time in the fall than he has in
the spring for preparing his soil for
seeding. The soil is generally in bet
ter condition for receiving seed in the
fall than it is in the spring This Is
particularly true with most of our
southern farm. Where there Is so
much rainfall In early spring II spring
sowings are made at all the seed has
to be planted in the mud and the re-
suit is when dry weather comes the
soil becomes SO sun-baked and hard that
the crop is practically a failure, or in
other words it does not pay for seed
and fertilizers, to say nothing OF rent
for land or cost of labor.
Then again, winter grown grain Is
nearly always more firm, Is OF a better
quality than spring sown grain at its
best and insures to the farmer the high
est market price for his crops.
Winter crops are less effected, as a
rule, by insects, blight, rust or other
diseases which often destroy spring
crops.
Bv a proper system of winter crop
growing the farmer can grow from two
to three crops each year instead OF one,
as he has been doing. Often this one
crop does not pay the grower nifty
cents per day for his labor. Statistics
show that we have many farmers VINO
really do not get from their crops thirty
cents per day for the days that they
labor IN producing their crops. There are
vet sections in our country where fam
ilv of an average of five persons are
compelled to live on $50 per year. star
walton wages, brought about by the one
crop idea.
Winter Wheat
Most of our readers live in sections
where winter wheat alone can be grown
at a profit. However, there are not
many crops Of wheat grown IN our cot
ton states as yet but the interest In
wheat-growing is on the increase and
there are many sections in these states,
or in most of them, where winter wheat
may be profitably grown. Recently
received reports from some experiments
made In Georgia with winter wheats
which had proven very satisfactory
Georgia has made wonderful improve
ments along these lines by demonstrate
ing beyond any doubt the value of this
higher class of agriculture. Winter
wheat is one of the most valuable grains
to place in this rotation of winter crops.
The experiment stations of Tennessee
and Maryland have both been making
experiments with wheats and I would
recommend our readers to write to Di-
rector Morgan of the Tennessee Expert
ment station at Knoxville, Tenn; also
write to Director Patterson. director of
the Maryland Experiment station at
College Park, Md, and get bulletins Civ
ing information and reports on results
of their work
Winter Oats.
The spring oat crop IN the southern
states is one of the most unsatisfactory
and one of the most Improbable crops
that our farmers try to grow. In fact.
the oat crop belongs to a high or
northern climate and to soils that are
very rich, so that it would be best for
our farmers of most of our southern
states to abandon the spring oat en-
tirely Not one crop out of ten ever
pays for seed and rent on the land. OF
course, there are a few sections where
this statement may not be strictly true.
In the black belt of Texas and on many
soils in Oklahoma, including the indian
Territory, there are soils that are pro-
ducing paying crops of spring oats, but
under their present system of manag
ing the soils it Is only question of
time and a very short time at that,
when the spring oat in these sections
will be worth no more than 1t is now
In Alabama or Georgia. The oat crop is
one that requires a vast amount of water
for its production. 1t takes even more
moisture and plant food to produce an
oat crop than 1t does to produce crop
of corn.
So where our southern farmers will
persist in growing oats at all, the
question is, why not grow the oats in
the winter when there is nearly always
surplus of moisture? But another
question comes in here which is, what
variety of winter oats should we use
and where can they be produced? hany
varieties of winter oats are advertised,
some of them being suitable for some
sections, while they are worthless in
other sections.
The better plan will be for the farmer
to procure several varieties and prove
them on his own soil. In this way and
only in this way, can he learn what is
best for his section or his farm. l will
mention one variety which is proving
very satisfactory in many sections.
This is the black Russian oat, known in
MANY sections as the black Tartarian
oat. This variety ripens very early and
NAV be harvested so early that the far
mer has his land when the oats come
off to plant to cotton or corn, or better
still. a crop OF sorghum and cowpeas.
This crop will come off in time for
sowing rye in the fall and in this way
the rotation is going on all the time,
the soil being improved and the farmer
o.o1s that nav him for his Ia