The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-10-05
A COVER CROP FOR THE SOIL
WILL BE BUILT UP BY THE HC-
MUS THUS PLACED IN IT.
Rye and Vetch Will Probably Do the
Work Best in This Climate. Deep
Fall Flowing Also Good.

n
Col. Bob Seeds of Pennsylvania re-
claimed very poor piece of land,
which he said was so poor and SO
billy that the cows fell off" by plant
ing COW horn turnips. Later he
found that crimson clover would do
the same work.
1t has been found that if vege-
able matter is placed in the soil the
poorest kind of land can be built up.
What will do for one section may
not do for another.
Mr.. S. A. Knapp, who has charge
of the farm demonstration work IN
the south, suggests that rye is the
best winter cover crop that can be
planted in the south.
These cover crops improve the
land wonderfully. Deep fall blowing
is also good, getting the land in fine
shape for work in the spring.
DR.. Knapp is a Louisiana farmer,
and understands the needs of the
farmers of the south, He recently
sent out the following bulletin, which
every farmer should read, digest and
act upon;
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
COW peas in the corn at the time
of the last cultivation; harvest the
corn in September and pasture the
cowpeas in October. Early in No
yember deep break and plant to rye,
using about one bushel per acre.
Our reasons for preferring rye are
the following:
Il. 1t is hardy. 1t will terminate
and make stand when other grains
fail. Oats and barley will winter
kill when rye will remain practical
" uninjured by the frost. 1t stands
tramping and grazing better than
other grains,
20. 1t takes kindly to poor soils, |
which is an important factor on most
lands.
Where hairy vetch will succeed
the addition of peck of vetch seed
to bushel of rye is an Improvement.
"Where there is no boil weevil in
festation rye or rye and yetch may
be planted between the rows of cot
ton in October, and not later than
the first of November. 1t is better
to use a narrow drill in planting, but
where farmers do not have this the
seed may be sOWn by hand and cuI-
tivated or narrowed in.
Crimson Clover.-On lands adapt !
ed to it crimson clover sown in the |
corn at the last working has given |
excellent results. About l 5 pounds |
to the acre is generally used, and |
by the first of the following April |
it furnishes a cutting of l 70 to Il |
tons of cured hay, or turned under, !
adds a great body of manure to the
soil. The territory in which the
crimson, clover thrives best appears
to be from the latitude of the north
ern part of the gulf states to the
latitude of the Ohio river.
"Oats or barley do we'll some win
tiers. When they succeed they fur
nish a large amount of winter graz
ing and considerable humus for
blowing under in the spring.
q A winter cover crop largely
prevents loss of soil fertility by
washing (erosion) some lands suf-
fer greater loss than others by wash
ing, but all lands are more or less
injured by it,
%. Soils without cover lose con-
siderable fertility by evaporation dur
ing the fall and winter A winter
cover crop reduces this loss 10 d
negligible quantity.
49, Such crops. to some extent.
prevent the seeding of the land to
foul weeds
"a They increase the porosity of
the soil, and add the humus so es-
sential to fertilitv.
IS. They make a valuable crop
while the land would otherwise be
idle, which is net gain to the land.
We must increase the vegetable mat
ter in the soil to an amount sufi-
cient to enable the soil to retain 2.