Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-09-23
WINTER COVER CROP.
Absolutely Essential to Most lntelli-
oent Practice Of Rural Economy.

The farmer who does not try to get
all he can out Of his land annually
and yet leave 1t In condition to yield
more the following season has mis-
taken 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 November deep
break and plant to rye. using about
one bushel per acre. Our reasons for
preferring rye are the following:
|. 1t Is hardy. 1t will germinate
and make a stand when other grains
fail. Oats and barley will winter Kill
when rye will remain practically un-
injured by the frost. 1t stands tramp
ing 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 a
bushel OF rye is an improvement.
Where there Is no boil weevil In
festation, rye or rye and vetch may be
planted between the rows OF cotton
in October, and not later than the
first of November. 1t Is better to use
narrow drill in planting, but where
farmers do not have this the seed may
be sown by hand and cultivated or
narrowed in.
Crimson Glover. On lands adapted
to II, crimson clover sown in the corn
at the last working has given excel
lent results. About Is pounds to the
acre is generally used and by the first
Of the following April 1t furnishes
cutting of Ii to "a tons Of cured hay
or turned under, adds great body or
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.
Oats or barley DO well some WIN
ters. When they succeed they furnish
large amount Of winter grazing ana
considerable humus for plowing under
in the spring.
Facts About a Winter Cover Crop.
/. A winter cover crop largely pre-
vents loss OF soil fertility by washing
(eroslon) some lands suffer greater
loss than others by washing, but all
lands are more or less Injured by II.
2. Soils without cover lose con-
siderable fertility by evaporation dur
ing the fall and winter. A winter
cover crop reduces this loss to negli-
gible quantity.
3. SuCn crops, 10 SOIlc CAtche, PiN
vent the seeding Of the land to foul
weeds.
4. They increase the porosity OF
the soil, and add the humus so essen
tial to fertility.
S. They make q valuable crop
while the lands would otherwise be
idle. which Is a net gain to the land
We must increase the vegetable mat
ter in the soil to an amount sufnclent
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 consideration
I'm the winter cover crop Is the large
amount Of grazing that can be secur-
ed from it at a time when 1t is espe-
cialIy valuable for young stock, and
it's 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 to "a months graz
ing can be secured at nominal cost
of a little labor in preparing and seed
ing the land. ). A. KNAPP
Special Agent in Charge.