The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-12
(SOuthern Planter

yer seed TINS lal1 because OF the high
r,rice Of the seed, and many others
300 a there is lot seed enough
to go around. OF course it is de-
s;rab!e to have a legume error as q
winter cover. but where this has not
been sOwn rye comes in very handilv.
OF course it is simply a saver Of nj
trates that might get away from us
in winter, and a maker of organic ma
tariais to increase the humus in the
soil.
But even rye is Better tina bare
er01nd in winter, and there is still
plenty Of time for sowing it. AS a
winter cover crop the rye should
never be sown in less quantity thar
two bushels per acre, and the earlier
it is in the ground the better winter
cover and winter pasture you will
have.
\ recent writer in one of the farm
papers calls those Of US who have
been ~hammering away at the arIner
t. increase the hurnus content of their
soil. 'humus cranks.' [ do lot know
what the world would do if there were
no cranks, no men With hobbies, that
Will help mankind. l must confess
10 being one of the humus cranks, for
in all our efforts TO improve the pro-
Guctivity of our soils, the increase of
the hunus is the important matter. A
farmer n Eastern North Carolina has
been for some years growing peas
and other legunes solely for the in
crease Of humus-making material in
his soil, aided by applications of acid
phosphate and potash. He has built
up his soil to such an extent that he
said he was expecting to make three
bales of cotton per acre this season
had it not been damaged by a storm,
and he would certainly make two and
2 half bales, and about 100 bushels
OF corn per acre.
think that he would nave done
the same thing more econOmically had
he used the legumes for feed and used
the manure but would perhaps have
been longer in getting to the point
Of productiveness he has reached.
And the wonder IS hat while one
1Ab IL " 49, NA1i oA1h1o iiio itI1iN
up to the making of two and a halt
bales of cotton per acre, there are
men all around him who adhere to
the old plan and max less than halt
q bale Of cotton per acre and not corn
enough to feed the mule that works it
One would suppose that an objec'
lesson like this would make better
--:, - I ~o,~l 4I~n - -
But it seldom does. The difference
very largely is that the farmer men
toned above always has a Wintel
cover on his land While the land o
his n~eiehb0rs lies with dead cotto1
stalks on it all winter, to be chopped
down in the spring and the lane
planted to cotton again. aided by {
little dribble Of the <I0or 2-8-2 fertil
izer.
Mfr. Costen. of Northampton, say
that my advice to che sweet potato
growers on the Eastern Shore to SOW
crimson clover as a winter cover t.
be turned fOr sweet potatoes is al
right. for he has tried it. What
great saving Of labor il would b.
i'll place Of Iaboriously raking ant
hauling the pine leaves and wood
trash all winter to turn this in TO
sweet potatoes. 4 good crop of Grim
son clover would save a large part o
the fertilizer bill because the grove
would only have to supply the crol
with phosphoric acid and potash, tn
clover giving him an abundance o
nitrogen. Cow peas in summer an
crimson clover in winter make a team
hard to beat.
SoWn among corn would inquire til
corn crop, and have always said tina
in my experience the presence OF tn,