The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-07-30
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
There We're Many Good and Valuable
Suggestions kade.
THEY WERE ALL E!GRLy APPRECIATED.

According TO appointment g farm
ers' institute was held in the graded
school auditorium il Scotland Neck
Tuesday, July 23:Il.
The State Agricultural depart
ment was represented by Messrs. 7.
B. Parker and S. B. Shaw, Of Raj
eigh, and 7. E. Brown, of Hartford
county.
Mr.. Parker is permanently con-
nected with the Department in dem
onstration work, Mr. Shaw is also
permanently connected with the De
partment IS Assistant Horticulturist,
and Mr.. Brown, a farmer of Hert-
ford county, has been connected
with the Department in institute
work for three years.
A fairly good audience of farmers
met in the institute, though not as
large a number as could have de-
sired.
SOIL IMPROVEMENT.
At 1890 o'clock, Mr.. T. B. Parker
discussed "Soil Improvement"
1t was shown that the soil is the
home of all agricultural plants and
a store-house for plant food. Land
that is plowed three inches deep has
a store-house for plant food of three
inches depth; and land that is bro
ken four inches deep is store house
for plant food four inches of depth.
So the deeper the breaking of the
land the larger the capacity of the
store-house for plant food and mois-
ture.
1t was shown that when land has
usually been broken three or four
inches it is not best to increase the
depth of breaking more than one
inch each year. 1t was also shown
that it is necessary thoroughly to
prepare all lands by breaking well
and pulverizing we'll by narrowing
before planting corn, peanuts, cot
ton seed, Or any other plant.
In soil improvement we need much
humus, or decaying vegetable mat
ter, which acts as sponge for the
absorption Of moisture to make
available the plant food in the soil.
The best and most powerful hunus
is stable manure; but there is so
little stable manure, compared to
the immense surface Of soil which is
cultivated, it is ir1praciicablc to get
sable manure enough to furnish all
the humaius needed. The cheapest
way to get the humrs into the soil
is to grow iegume crons, such as
COW peas, clovers and vetches, which,
make the humus for the soil, and
supply free nitrogen from the air.
Common clover viii gather nitro
gen from the air but it can not fur
nish phosphate acid and potash
These must be added to the nitrogen
that comes from the air.
| Cow peas, clover and vetch are
deep-rooted crops and the roots per.
citrate the earth, where they decay
{ and so leave the earth puncturec
and make an increased store-house
for plant food.
The green winter crops also great
q ly aid the soil by covering the lane
, in winter and save great loss by
teaching.
, PEANUT GROWING.
e Mr.. T. E. Brown, of Hartford
: county, presented the subject O,
peanut growing. The peanut cror
S in the United States now amounts t.
Ia, 600, 900 bushels, and North Caro-
lima and Virginia produce about hal
the entire crop.
: Several varieties of peanuts wer,
e mentioned but Mr.. Brown confined
: his observations chiefly to the NORTH
t Carolina Bunch, which are grown il
! Hartford county, and the Spanish
!, peanuts which are grown mostly il
: Halifax county.
s Stress was laid on the selection O.
t seed peanuts, which may be done b,
digging them little earlier thai
3 the general crop and picking then
r carefully by hand.
3 The preparation of the soil shout.
: be thorough, just as for any othe
crop. Peanuts should not be plant
ed on the same land oftener thai
! once in three years; and if the vine
are left on the land or returned il
! manure peanuts will not injure Ian,