The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-05-11

falfa was suited to the crop, and if
not. what the land needed in order to
make a good crop. Alfalfa. he SAID,
was one Of the best hays known to
the world. though pea-vine hay was
almost as good and close second.
Alfalfa. he said, contained every
thing necessary for food for stock.
He cited Mr.. H. II. Abrams field Of
alfalfa as a fine specimen OF the crop.
South Carolina. Of course, could
raise as fine alfalfa as could be grown
in the world, and yet he gave III
stances where it was being brought
into the State from Oklahoma IN car
load lots at $26.50 per ton.
Planting Peas.
As soon as a crop Of anything was
taken off the land, he urged that the
land be sowed in peas. and even II
Q crop was not made If the peas
we're turned in the land would be in
better shape for the next crop.
Rotation of Crops.
Mr.. Jenkins next took up the sub
iect of rotation Of crops, and asked
his hearers to give him the reasons
why there should be rotation Of crops
one crop with a different
crop. It was suggested that it was
necessary in order to get vegetable
matter in the land: to shade the land
through the summer, and also to give
a winter cover crop. and number
of other excellent reasons, which Will
be touched on later. Vegetable mat
ter. said Mr.. Jenkins, had humus
which retained about its weight IN
moisture. or six times as much mols-
ture as sand. More vegetable mat
ter was the thing that was needed,
and rotation was the practical way
to get it. One crop left food for the
next crop; all plants did not take the
same food from the soil, one needing
more ammonia and one more potash,
or other things, and rotation was a
great saving in this respect.
And one Of the most important rea-
sons for rotation of crops was to
give some other crop than cotton
one of the South's greatest needs.
Another reason suggested for ro-
tation was that it improved the me-
chanical condition of the soil; the
roots Of COW peas, for instance,
breaking up the soil and getting it
loose. Another was that it kills out
the weeds that are not wanted. Cow
peas, he said, would 60 long ways
towards killing out the things that
were not wanted. One reason was
because if there was a good crop the
land was thoroughly shaded.
Mr.. Jenkins was asked if he knew
of any way Of killing nut grass. He
suggested that about the only prac-
tical way was BY rotation of crops
which would give a continual shade,
and suggested as an experiment oats
followed by peas or cane.
Commercial Fertilizers.
He was asked a number Of ques-
tions in regard to the use Of nitrate
Of soda on grain and corn. and he
said that it was beneficial if proper
lv applied but that it ought to be ap-
piled before the ear is formed on the
inside so as to swell the whole thing.
This brought up the subject Of COM
mercial fertilizers. and Mr.. Jenkins
said that more money was wasted on
the farms in buying commercial fer
tilizers than in any other one thing.
Every man. he said, ought to do his
own mixing. giving the proportions
Of the various ingredients suitable to
the particular land which it was de-
sired to put 1t on. Nitrate OF SODA
was being largely given up on cotton,
he said; it made fine crops for awhile
but exhausted the land too much.
Seed Selection.
Mr.. Jenkins then took up the sub
iect of selection Of seed, urging the
necessity for a careful selection of
the soundest and most vigorous and
healthy seed. In selecting corn for
planting, for instance, the corn
should be selected in the field, and
the ears taken which were as nearly
alike as possible-the same size ears,
the same number on the stalk, the
same size grains, and about as nearly
the same position on the stalk as pos
sible. The object should be. he said,
to get standard and to try to i'm
prove that standard. BY making