The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-02-09
Short Talks About Fertilizers.

|
| part of almost every crop that
Is grown is returned directly to the
soil and thus becomes green manure;
but the crops grown especially for
| this purpose are comparatively few.
Those most commonly grown in the
| South are cowpeas, crimson clover.
bur clover, and rye. In some Sec
tions red clover is also highly-priz-
ed green manuring crop, and large
| acres of espedeza-Japan clover
are also utilized this way Other
winter crops sometimes used are the
vetches, turnips, and wheat or oats.
or these, the cowpeas and Japan
| clover are summer-growing crops,
red clover Is biennial-that is, lasts
two years,-the others are winter
growing crops.
The Best Way to Use Manure Crops.
All of these crops are valuable for
feed. and as a general proposition, it
may be said that any crop that can
be profitably fed to live stock will
pay better when so used than when
returned directly to the SOIL This
is because when the crop is fed the
feed value is. of course, secured, and
there may be saved in the manure
from so t. IS per cent of the plant
food that vas originally in the crop.
This plan. food, too, is usually in
more readily available condition for
the use of the following crop in the
manure tnan in the turned-under
crop.
The ideal way, then to utilize
crops grown for manuring is to feed
them to stock and to return the ma
nure to the soil, thus securing their
full feeding value and from two
thirds to three-fourths Of their orig
inai fertilizer value.
While this is true as a general
proposition however. the fact re-
mains that in many cases It will pay
to return q crop directly to the land
on which II was sYown-that is, to
pIow it GcwIr or otherwise incorp-
crate it with the soil before or after
maturity. The cases when this is
advisable viii mostly fall under three
heads.
When 1t Pays to Pfow Under . Green
Crop
The first is when the crop is so
light that the expense Of harvesting
1t would amount to more than the
difference between the combined
values obtained from it as feed stun
and as stable manure and it's value
when used directly as green ma
nure. Such cases are very common
on the poorer lands Of the South.
Many old fields can be most econom-
ically started in the way Of improve
ment by sowing a crop Of cOwpeas,
for example, in the spring, fertilizing
this crop with phosphoric acid and
| potash if these elements are needed,
working it into the soil when ma
| ture, and following it with a winter
crop, like rye or crimson clover, to
thing is removed from the soil. This
will, however, be the plan to be
recommended only on very poor
lands much lacking in humus, or un-
der other exceptional circumstances
The second case in which the d.
rect application of crop as a
green manure is to be advised, Ii
where the land needs the humus and
there is little chance Of its being re.
turned to the soil If the crop is re-
moved. If the owner Of the land, fol
example, has not stock to which tC
feed crop of cowpeas and can only
sell the hay and buy commercial fer
tilizer to feed his land. it may pa!
him to plow the crop under. ever
though he could sell it and buy more
plant food in other forms after get
ting pay for extra work of savint
and marketing the crop. This scare
ity of live stock to consume the crops
grown makes green manuring
necessity in many cases where 4
would be much better If the croI
could be first fed.
A third case is where If the fer
tilizer crop is left to manure it will
be in the way Of the succeeding crop
For example, If cover crop Of ry
is to be followed by cotton, it ma,