Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1910-09-22
A wINTERCovER CROP

The farmer Who does not Try to get
ell be can out Of his land annually and
yet leave il in condition to yield more
the following season has mistaken his
vocation.
One way to DO this is to plant cow
peas in the corn at the time Of the last
cultivation; harvest the corn in Sep
TENDER and pasture the cowpeas in
October. Early in November deep
break and plant to rye. using about
one bushel per acre. Our reasons
for preferring rye are the following:
1. Il IS hardy. Il will terminate
and make a stand when other grains
fail. Oats and barley will winter kill
when rye will remain practically unin-
iursd BY the frost. Il stands tramping
and grazing better thss other grsins.
2. Il takes kindly to poor soils,
which is an important factor on most
lands.
Where hairy vesch will succeed, the
addition Of a peck Of vetch seed to a
bushel Of rye is an Improvement.
Where there is no boil weevil in
Hesitation. rye or rye and vetch may be
planted between the rows Of cotton in
October, and not later than the FIRST Of
November. It is better to use a mar
row drill in planting. but where farm
ers do not have this the seed may be
sown by hand and cultivated or hal-
rowed in.
Crimson Clover.-On lands adapt
ed to it. crimson clover sown in the
corn at the last working has given
excellent results. About is pounds
to the acre is generally used and BY
the first Of the following April it fur
nishes a cutting Of ! IL to 2 IL tons
Of cured hay or, turned under, adds a
great body Of manure to the soil. The
territory in which tbs crimson clover
thrives best appears to be from the
latitude Of the northern portion Of the
Gulf States to the latitude Of the Ohio
River.
Oats or barley do we'll some win
tiers. When they succeed they furnish
a large amount Of winter grazing and
considerable humus for blowing under
in the spring.
Facts About a Winter Cover Crop
1. A winter cover crop largely
prevents loss Of soil fertility by wash
ing (erosion); some lands suffer
greater loss than others by washing.
but all lands are more or less injured
BY it.
4. Soils without cover lose con-
siderable fertility by evaporation dur
ing the fall and winter. A whit
cover crop reduces this loss to a neg
ligible quantity.
3. Such crops. to some extent,
prevent the seeding of the land to 70, !
weeds.
4. They increase the porosity Of
the soil, and add the humus so essen
tial TO fertility.
5. They make a valuable crop
while the lands would otherwise be
idle. which is a net gain to the land.
We must increase the vegetable matter
in the soil to an amount sufficient to
enable the soil to retain a much larger
proportion Of the rainfall than at
present and to greatly increase the
mechanical conditions Of the soil.
6. A very important consideration
in the winter cover crop is the large
amount Of grazing that can be secured
from it at time when it is especially
valuable for young stock, and its valt e
is not limited altogether to the me- e
supply Of food. 1t adds to the health
and vieor Of the stock. On an av-
erage from 2 to 2 IL months grazing
can be secured at a nominal cost Of
little labor in preparing and seeding
the land S. A. KNAPP,
Special Agent in Charge.
All, that any heart should hold so