The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-07-08

second, Barnwell.
Third. Anderson.
Fourth, Laurens.
Fifth, Chester.
Sixth, Bennettsville.
Seventh, Columbia and Sumter.
Columbia will be the general head
quarters, which will be in charge Of
Mr.. ]. r. Stiles, graduate of the
Mississippi Agricultural and Mechani-
cal college, who has been a practical
and successful farmer in that State.
Mr.. Stiles will reach Columbia in a
few weeks to inaugurate the new
work.
DR.. Spillman stated that ten pro-
gressiye farmers will be selected at
each station who will inaugurate on
their farms one or two lines of de-
monstration work. Mr.. Stiles will WIS.,
1t each Of these every few weeks dur
Ing the growing season and aid them
In the work.
The plan as now proposed will con-
sist Of six different lines Of demonstra-
ton work. divided as follows:
Il. The planting of winter legumes
as cover crops, the object being to Keep
the fields covered in winter to pre-
vent washing, and to provide heavy
rich green growth to turn under be-
lore Wanting another crop. There
viii De four crops of ths kind: Burr
clover, crimson clover, red clover and
vetch.
Instances are known where these
have been used lands have trebled in
yield in three years. The enrichment
of the soil Occasioned by these erops
enables the farmer to dispense with
the use Of nitrogen entirely, thus saw
ing him the cost of the most expensive
fertilizers.
2. incubation of lugumes All
crops of the leguminous family require
certain kinds Of bacteria in soil. In
conjunction with the first demonstra-
ton different methods of inoculating
legumes will be tried. This will be
done in order to give the farmers an
opportunity to find what methods are
most practicable and economical.
8. Deep plowing and the use of
cheap fertilizers with leguminous cow
er crops for cotton. About $12.OOO,-
600 is spent annually in South Carolina
for fertilizers, possibly one-quarter of
this amount being consumed in the
purchase Of nitrogen. Thus the use of
leguminous nitrogen will eliminate the
latter cost resulting all in a saving Of
S3,OOO.OOO a year. and leave thu soil
improved thereby.
4. The Williamson corn plan will
be tested along with other methods
in order that the best results may be
obtained
Crop Rotation.
3. Crop rotation. for which South
Carolina soil Is admirably adaptod.
BY pursuing this method the present
cotton crop will be produced on one
third of the land now used. leaving
the other two-thirds for grain. hay
and other valuable crops.
Speaking Of the possibilities in the
growing of hay, Or. Spllman cited
the case of a farmer who lives near
RlackSburg, in Cherokee county. as
an Illustration: He had been plant
ing hay for eight years ana the sales
Of his crop in 1906 were sufficient To
make Il net profit Of SCI the acre on
land purchased for ST the acre. This
farmer had been offered 800 an acre
for the same land by the farmer
from whom he purchased it eight
years ago.
Dir. Spilman stated that the best
general crop rotation was cotton fol-
lowed by corn. with cowpeas. and
winter oats, followed by cowpeaS the
following summer. This is three
year rotation plan The method per-
mits of three catch crops to turn un-
der, to wit: Burr clover may be- sown
in cotton just after the first picking
and turned under just before plant
ing corn. Rye and crimson clover
mixed can be sown after the cowp,a
harvest and turned Under the follow
ing spring before planting cotton,