Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-02-24


What Legumes Would Do,
Attention was called last week to
che fact that cowpeas in Michigan
gathered 139 pounds Of nitrogen to
the acre. Now if these results can
be had up in Michigan how much
n greater the amount of nitrogen the
pea will bring to the soils OF the
+ South in our longer season. A ton
s per acre Of 2-S-2 fertilizer would
give but forty pounds of ammonia. or
/ about thirty-four5 pounds OF actual nj
+ ttrogen,. more than. 100 pounds less
than an acre of peas gave in Michigan
and much less in proportion tnan an
acre in the South will give. The
forty pounds. in the ton of low grade
fertilizer would cost at the, lowest
estimate Sc. Two tons Of cowpea
\ hay per acre would have a feeding
value of at least $40, and fully eighty
per cent. of its manurial value could
be saved if the manure is rightly
handled, and a profit made from the
feeding, while the manure would nct
only give us the nitrogen, but would
add organic matter and tend to the
restoration of the humus to the soil,
/ which the 2-S-2 will never do.
And yet in the South men are buy
ing cottonseed hu1Is to feed. and
4 keeping no stock but the mules that
S have been paid for out Of the cotton
crop, and are planting cotton year af-
4 ter year-gambling on the chances
with 200 pounds per acre Of a poor
& grade fertilizer, in which they pay
{ for sacking and freight on 500 pounds
Of worthless filler.
" And then, for every crop planted,
their continual inquiry is. What sort
OF fertilizer?" and "How much shall
use?" never dreaming apparently
that if they farmed right they would
met need to buy any, fertilizer except
phosphoric acid and potash for the
peas, making at home through the
peas fertilizer worth far more in.
the permanent improvement of their
land than all the chemical fertilizers
ever compounded.
oh, the pity of it aIl?-Professor
Massey, in the Progressive Farmer.
Kind OF Cotton to Resist Boil WeeVn.
The Improvement Of cotton By
breeding, or more properly speaking,
by selection, to meet the new condi-
lions brought about by the boil wee
'VfI, is of the greatest Importance. Es-
pecially should the territory not yet
/ infested get, ready for his appearance
by selecting those varieties found
best in the infested areas and by ae-
climating and further improving
/ them. It is none too early to be-
,yin this work. for the weevil does
most damage when it first appears.
s IN selecting the cotton plant to
siave seed from, having view to boil
rReeYil conditions, the early fruiting.
fl,est yielding, vigorous plants should
lie chosen, and according to Bennett,
in Farmers Bulletin No. 314, which
1--WE advise every cotton farmer to
send for, should have the following
special cnaracteris tics:
4 the first fruit limb Ecst be
sioW, not higher than the fifth or
yaixth Joint above the seed leaf joint.
t2 The wood or primary limbs
Sfnust be low, and should not exceed
E1cur In number The first limb should
sslot be higher than the fifth or sixth
iEjoint above the seed leaf Joint
Isss = 80 The joint in the main stem,
i1n the fruit limbs and in the primary
limbs must be short, not exceeding
one to three inches in the lower part
OF the plant.
i,ft"H(4) Fruit limbs should grow at
flhe successive joints OF both the main
stem and the wooc limbs.
"(5) Fruit limbs should be con-
tfnuous in growth for continuous
!. f1.uiting until the plant is matured"
r. In addition to these qualities, size
OF boil, percentage Of lint to seed,
length of fiber and storm resistance
should be we'll looked to-
TO do this, it will be necessary to
at drst select only a few stalks that
come nearest to these conditions and
plant the seed of these in plot from
which the best stalks are to be taken
Z, for the seed plot the next year
ProT essiye Farmer.