The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-02-01
PROF. MAScEY'5
VIE WS
Progressive Farmer

.otton or wheat need never pus
oitroeen in any form if he farms flsh'
in q short rotation and uses the lesunIs
crops wisely. The southern 49,
are always full of advice to the lal
to diversity his crops ana gro" h7
.suDnHes" The writer's in these pd-
nore have q very dim idea or Nndt
they mean by Investigation. mere III
y~ersifcation and h CROWNS OF 49,
riety of crops is not what is heS"su
1t is a rotation properly pianlleu
the increased production in an econ
omical manner of his staple crop
Feed for his stock, of course every
farmer should produce IN abuhddHCe
but there is no need FOR his CROWNS
a little of everything his climate ana
soil may produce. "hlle the cotton
farmer should not be a one-crop
farmer. he should be a specialist IN
the sense that all his farming should
be directed to the increase OF the
nroductiveness of his land in cotton,
and his rotation of crops should b>
planned with that end in view.
If he plans q short rotation III
With the peas come in often on his
land. he can avoid the purchase OF
ammonia or nitrogen in a fertllizer,
and can get it through the peas and
the feeding of cattle with these. But
there will still be a waste of the MIN
eral matters from his soil. This VIII
be smaller with the cotton farmer
than any one else if nothing but cot
ton is sold from his land, but there
will. nevertheless, be q waste OF phos-
phorus and potassium that must be
made good. Shall he restore these
simply for the production Of a sale
crop of cotton, OF shall he use them
more wisely to increase the growth
Of the pea crop and thus get more
forage. and more nitrogen fixed in the
soil? 1t seems to me that the best
use Of fertilizars, the true use of
them, is to thus NcreaSe the crop that
feeds soil and stock, and in the end
will do more towards the increase of
the productiveness of his soil rather
than TO use them on the sale crop di-
rect.
The legume crops, like The cowpea,
are greedy consumers Of ~phOsphOric
acid and potash, and their growth as
forage and their work as nitrogen
gathers is greatly increased by a lib
eral use of these on the crop. The
result will be. that the farmer has a
larger amount of forage to feed,
makes more profit from the cattle
and has a larger amount of manure
for his money crop. Save half the
cost Of the commercial fertilizer by
leaving out the ammonia and then put
on the pea crop phosphoric acid and
potash equal III value to the complete
fertilizer that would ave been used.
In short, h great need Of the cot
ton farmer Is cotton grown at less
cost, and the cost can be lessened
most by the production of legume
forage and the feeding of 1t with the
ance of the best forage and corn and
feeding it to live stock, abandoning
the purchase of the low grade com
piete mixtures and depending on the
phosphoric acid and potash to make
the forage, will do more to cheaper
fhQ cost nf tho cnffnn ovan thar INV
thing that can be done. The cotton
farms need nitrogen, but thav mood
1t in humus-making materials like
peas and stable manure. and it can
be gotten in this way without cost
Growing forage n feeding cattle
and hogs is Just as profitable to the
COTTON farmer as to any other class
and live stock lie at the very foun-
dation Of all rational soil improve
ment. no matter what the money
crop may be.
Prize Acres and Paying Crops.
It is interesting, Of course, to know
how much corn can be made on ar
acre OF land regardless of expense
but ] do not think that sven Mr.. Bait.
would care to treat his whole crop as
he treated the prize acre. Still the
TACT remains that whenever there i
a prize for the largest yield per acre
it is always made In the South. anf
with the Southern prolific corn.
Put what Is more to the point, ane
more encouraging han a big crop o,
corn on a single acre. Is an accouu-
like the following which I have i,s
received from eastern North Carolina
u have read with much pleasu-.
MT. Patts's report in The Progressiv.
farner and GaZettee of how he mad,
22b 2-3 bushels of corn on one acre
Rnt it appears to me that that %,
busnels OF corn cost him entirely to,
much to make.
II have made over three thousan
bushels of corn this year on abou
seventy-five acres at a cost Of less tina,
20 cents per hushel on land that fou
years ago didn't average more tina,
seven OF eight bushels per acre
don't believe there IS a SINGLE acr
On my farm this year but has mad
over 20 bushels Of corn. and his
90. Without commercial fertilizer.
nave on some of my lands average,
as hlDG &C ES EiicholS hAa