The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-09-27
A WINTER COVER CROP.

U
The farmer who does not try to get
all he can out of his land annually 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 Sep
tember 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. It is hardy. 1t will germinate and
make stand when other grains fail.
Oats and barley will winter kill when
rye will remain practically uninjured
by the frost. It stands tramping and
grazing better than other grains.
2. It takes kindly to poor soils,
which is an important factor on most
lands.
Where hairy vetch will succeed, the
addition of a peck of Vetch seed to
bushel of rye is an improvement.
Where there is no boil weevil infes-
tation, 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
narrow drill in planting, but where
farmers do not have this the seed may
be sown by hand and cultivated or
narrowed In. ~.-e-i s.e+ssa1asaat1sU
On lands adapted to it, crimson Glow
er sown in the corn at the last work.
ing has given excellent results. About
Is pounds to the acre is generally
used and by the first Of the following
April it furnishes a cutting Of one and
one-half to two and one-half 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 northern portion OF the
Gulf States to the latitude Of the Ohio
river. ~r-.- ~p~ lSeRe~s.* |'<'RFe~'
Oats or barley do we'll some win
ters. When they succeed they furnish
a large amount of winter grazing and
considerable humus for plo#ing under
III the spring.
Facts About Winter Cover Crop.
1. A winter cover crop largely pre-
vents loss of soil fertility by washing
(erosion); some lands suffer greater
loss than others by washing, but all
lands are more or less injured by it.
2. Soils without cover lose consider
able fertility by evaporation during the
fall and winter. A winter cover crop
reduces this loss to a negligible qusn-
tity.
8. Such crops, to some extent, pre-
vent the seeding Of the land TO foul
weeds.
4. They increase the pJrosity Of the
coil, and add the humus 81 esseIt:al
to fertility.
5. They make 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 en-
able 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 secur-
ed from it at a time when it is espe-
cially valuable for young stock, and its
value is not limited altogether to the
mere supply of food. 1t adds to the
health and vigor Of the stock. On an
average from two to two and one-half
months grazing can be secured at a
nominal cost of a little labor in pre-
pairing and seeding the Land.
S. A. Knapp,
Special Agent In Charge
DOGS IN PEACE AND VAR.