The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-07-03
Farmers union BUREAU.
by S. G. Farmers Union
Ruta Baga Turnips and Alfalfa.

lar until time comes to SOY seeds.
After broadcasting stable and other
] manure over stubble land turn the
whole under as deep as possible,
smooth surface and then roll or run
smoothing board over. This packing
down smooth preserves the moisture
and causes all foul seed to sprout that
is near the surface. Repeat this har-
rowing and rolling every eight to.
twelve days until time to plant. This
cultivation with harrow and follow
ing with roller destroys weed seed,
(the great enemy of both crops,l and
| at the same time fines the soil and
brings the moisture up to the surface
where the young plants need 1t. If.
commercial fertilizers are to be used
this should be applied by narrowing
in about q week before planting the
seed. AS to how much fertilizer to ap-
ply I could not advise without know
ing the land. But it is safe to state
that the deeper preparation Of the soil
the more fertilizer can be used and less
| on shallow soil as the amount of hu-
mus or rotted leaf mold in the soil gov
erns the amount of moisture stored
there for the use of plants IN dry wea-
Their, it is never safe to apply q large
quantity of commercial Fertilizers to
to lands destitute of humus and de-
pend entirely upon rainfall to supply
the necessary moisture continuously
at proper intervals to dissolve plant
food for the plants as needed.
We have had good results with say
400 pounds high grade acid phosphate,
100 pounds kainit, and 200 pounds cot
ton meal per acre. Wood ashes, lime
or land plaster are in many cases
cheaper and do better than kainit, but
more pounds should be used. If lime
plaster or ashes are used this should
be applied at time of breaking the land
Seeding Turnips: Mark of rows 20
to 80 inches wide, about one and q
half or two inches deep, drill in the
seed, and cover by rolling q common
wheelbarrow once or twice in furrow.
This packing the seed down in the
moist soil In the bottom of the trench
out of danger from scorching sun
shine insures q good stand and per.
mits working in a little loose dirt
about the young plants that gives ad-
ditional protection from scorchingsun-
shine. Cultivate with q very light
small weeder or harrow at first, finish.
ing up with larger cultivators. Thin
out to width Of common hand hoe.
In the Piedmont section planting may
be done from middle of August to mid
die of September. The later plant
ings are less woody, more nutritious
and keep better through the winter.
Bank as you would potatoes.
Planting Alfalfa or Lucerne Seed:
If YOU have the soil in fine telth and
comparatively free from weed seed, as
will be the case If you have COM
menced preparing the soil in time,
there is no doubt In my mind that
thick broadcast seeding Is preferable
to seeding in the drill. The only ad-
vantage in drill seeding is that it per-
mits the killing Of weeds and grass
by c%ultivating after planting. and my
experience Is that If cu~ltivating is com
menced after planting that it must be
kept up at great cost or weed seed will
keep on coming, and eventually choke
out the alfalfa during some rainy spell.
In the Piedmont belt seeding Is best
done in September to last of October.
Sow seed on smooth, loose soil, and
press in the soil with q roller. If you
have no roller q smoothing board will
do fairly well to press the seed In If
done just right.
About incubation: Wherever plen-
ty of stable manure is applied new, or
has been used in considerable guam
tity during last few years, you need
not worry about inoculating; your lu-
cerne will not need anything of that
sort. But where commercial manures
are used on land of uncertainty as to
incubation, no doubt about 1t being
safer to have the seed inoculated by q
by a reliable firm, where inoculated
soil cannot be obtained at reasonable
cost.
Caution Now there Ia a great deal Of
rot, passing around through the stero-
type press these days that no doubt
leads the novice into the delusion that
the mere seed soWn on almost any soil
will misteriously bring forth q won
derful crop, all brought about by the
magic properties in the seed alone.
Any one possessed Of a reasonable
amount OF common horse sense, ought
to know that unless the stuff 1t takes
to grow alfalfa, Is there available and
in the right preparation in the soil, you
need not expect the seed to gather up
something from the soil. that ia not
available in the soil. Perhaps the
writer has lost more money on alfalfa
during the last IS years than all other
seed combined, simply from the lack
of experience we now have. A good
rich loose clay loan of all soils is best
for Alfalfa. Any old salt lands that
have been MANFRED heavily for years
make a fine soil for Alfalfa. Alfalfa
roots goes down deep into this ground
and utilizes the rich salts that have
leached and gone too deep in the
soil to be reached by the roots of Or
binary crops.
Good crops Of Lucern or Alfalfa
and Ruta Baga turnips furnish all
stock and poultry on the farm with
good nutritious and healthy and sucu'
lent food the year round. All stock
love Alfalfa, either green or in hay.
Many years back u minister to
France-Gen. Davie STATED that in
portions of that country the poor PEG.
pie used and eat this Lucerne or AL
falfa as green's.
From early in the fall until late in
the spring all stock, poultry and PEG.
pie enjoy turnips and when the last OF
March comes, Iucerne is ready to take
the place of winter turnips for all
stock, and keep this food supply going
again until turnips come again In the
fall. For winter feed for hogs, turnips
and cotton seed boiled together at the
rate of one 10. cotton seed to four lbs.
of turnips make a fine food for hogs
In order to learn hogs to eat this ration
mix in a little bran or meal to start