The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-09-29
A WINTER COVER CRoP.

The farmer who does not try to
get all he can out OF his land an
nually and yet leave it in condition
to yield more the following season
has mistaken his vocation.
One way to do this is to plant
cowpeas in the corn at the time of
the last cultivation: harvest the
corn in September and pasture the
cowpeas in October. Early in No
vember deep break and plant to
rye, using about one bushel per
acre. Our reasons for preferring
rye are the following:
IL is hardy. IL will germin-
ate and make a stand when other
grains fail Oats and barley will
winter kill when rye remains prac-
ticaily uninjured by the frost. 1t
stands tramping and grazing better
than other grains.
.. II takes kindly to poor soils.
which is an important factor in
most lands
Where hairy vetch will succeed,
the addition of peck of vetch seed
to bushel Of rye is an improve
ment
Where there is no boil weevil in
festation. rye or rye and vetch may
be planted between the rows of cot
ton in October, and not later than
tn efirst of Novmeber. 1t is better
to use narrow drill in planting.
but where farmers do not have this
the seed MAJ ne sown by hand and
cultivated or narrowed in.
Crimson Glover. On lands
adapted TO il. 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 il furnishes u cutting Of l l-2
to l. tons III cured hay or. turn
ed under. adds u great body of ma
nure TO the soil! The territory in
which the crimson clover thrives
best appears TO be from the latitude
of the northern portion of the Gulf
SkutCS " lAt ia'lIuuS vi the ou1O
river
Oats or barley do we'll some
winters. When they succeed they
furnish a large amount of winter
grazing and considerable humus
for plowing under in the spring.
Facts About a Winter Cover Crop.
l. A winter cover crop largely
prevents loss Of soil fertility by
washing ,erosiono some lands suf-
fer greater loss than others by
washing, but all lands are more or
less injured by it,
=. Soils without clover lose con-
siderable fertility by evaporation
during the fall and winter. A win
ter cover crop reduces this loss to
negotiable quantity.
3. Such crops. to some extent,
prevent the seeding Of the land to
foul weeds.
4. They increase the prosperity
OF the soil. and add the humus 50
essential to fertility
5. They make valuable crop
while the land would otherwise be
idle. which is net gain to the
land. We must increase the vege-
table matter in the soil to an
amount sufficient TO enable the soil
| to retain much larger proportion
of the rainfall than at present and
! to greatly increase the mechanical
conditions of the soil.
6. A very important considera-
ton in the winter cover crop Is the
large amount of grazing that can
be secured from it at time when
1t is especially valuable for your
stock, and it's value is not limited
altogether to the mere supply Of
yigor Of the stock. On an average
food 1t adds to the health and
from to 2 1-2 months grazing can
be secured at a nominal cost OF
little labor in preparing and seed
Ing the land
S. A. Knapp.
Special Agent in Charge.