The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-10
Farm Work for May.
Progressive EarIIler.)

Writing for Southern farmers. one
is apt TO forget how big the south
is. and how far one section Is ahead
Of another. ] had a letter RECENTLY
fApriI 22) from a correspondent IN
Louisiana. who said that his corn was
over knee high, while mine is just
fairly above ground. Hence these
notes and suggestions may not always
exactly fit in every part OF the SCUM
But these notes are INTENDED more 10
remind our friends OF what they
might forget rather than TO tea 'hehl
what to do.
Of course. the great work for May
is the finishing OF the corn planting
and the getting the cotton in the
ground. April is all right for cotton
planting in the far South. but there
is no advantage in the upper South
III getting the seed Of cotton or corn
il very early.
Where one has a Tirnson cloveI
crop to turn for corn il is we'll TO LEI
it stand till after cotton planting and
turn it after it is dead. 1t will 90
more good then, and there Is always
plenty Of time to make a corn crop
in the South from late planting.
Where the clover is grown to De fol-
lowed by cotton it should be turne
under as soon as in bloom III April,
the soil we'll fined and The planting
done on the eve
Try planting some Of your upland
cotton on the level. and use the
smoothing harrow and the weeder on
it in the early stages, and see how
easy it is to get ahead Of the grass.
A mum Der have written to me indi-
eating that they will not plant COW
peas because Of the high price Of the
seed. But peas have been high for
- a--
Southern farmer have to buy them?
They are grinding them for protein in
the stock feeds North, and peas are
going TO be q profitable crop for the
Southern farmers. There will never
be any more 75-cent peas. and you
car not aford nOt to SOW them. no
matter what the price.
Soy beans are NEW hat lower in
price, and d mixture of the Tail Vel
low soy bean and coWpeas. sown half
and half, is excellent, for the soys will
hold up the peas from the ground and
make h harvesting and curing
easier. The Tall yellow SOY bean is
the best variety for the South. while
the dwarf-growing ones and earlier
ones Will do in the more northern
localities arnd the high mountain sec
tons Of the South.
On the western mountain plateau
and valleys Of the Southern Appala-
chan system the Medium Early soy
beans viii very nicely taxi the place
Of the cowDeas where the summer
nights are SO cool. The seed should
be planted III rows like cotton and cul-
tiVated, though they can be sown
broadcast. But. like the cowpeas.
they should not be planted till the
ground is warm.
Covpeas sown in May as soon as
the land is warm, VIII make a heavier
crop of hay than sown later, but for
seed-making, the latter planting is
best now make up your mind that
next spring you Will have peas 10
sell at $3.50 to s3.0n per bushel in
stead of having them to buy. There
IS always going to be a demand for
them at paying prices. and with the
machinery now in use. it is easy TO
save the seed from the hay. and nave
the hay to feed, for if the crop is
cut at the proper stage. the seed Will
mature we'll in the hay.
Growing peas or SOY beans espe-
cIally for seed, they should be plant
ed in rows and cultivated. / believe
that a better crop of hay can be
made from drilling them all over the
land with a wheat drill than in any
other way; certainly a far better crop