Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-10-28

Your interest in The Journal is appre-
ciated. as an endeavor is made to con-
duct thsgdepartment in a manner which
viii make it particularly interesting and
beneficial to the thousands Of farmers
who read it's columns every week.
The best time to turn under green
material for the improvement of the land
is certainly not later than when it is in
good condition 10 make into hay. Cow
peas may be turned under with adj
vantage. for instance when the lower
leaves and pods begin to show a tinge Of
yellow and velvet beans just before frost
falls on them. Rye should be turned I'M
der before 1t heads out, as it is a crop
which dries the ground with great rapidi-
ty and is liable to leave IL in bad physi-
cal condition for the next crop on that
account. Frost should never be permitted
to fall on green crops before they are
plowed under When frost deadens a
crop a part of the nitrogen in II is
put into condition where the first rain
which falls win wash it out of the plants
and probably from the ground. Besides
that. the leaves of most plants, partic-
ularly legumes, contain a large part Of
the nitrogen, and when a severe frost
falls on them they become brittle and
are blown away by the wind.
There Is no danger in blowing under a
green crop provided il is well incorpor-
ated with the soil and is in the condition
which have indicated. We have plowed
under hundreds Of acres of various crops
for soil improvement and have yet to eX-
perience any difficulty with souring the
land 1t is. OF course, possible to in
jure land to some extent by blowing
under a green crop IL il is turned I'M
der during very warm weather when
the crop and the soil both contain a
maximum amount of water as during a
wet spell. but the injury to the land
from using green crops is frequently
more imaginary than real.
II Is good practice to SOW rye in cotton
to be plowed under the next spring
for the sake of soil improvement Any
crop growing on the land tends to gather
and store nitrogen and prevent IL from
being leached out OF the soil by the vio-
lent rains which sometimes fall in the
winter 1t would be better. of course. to
use some vetch with the rye. Crimson
clover could be used advantageously as
well. We presume this rye is being
planted in the open furrow. In that case
IT will probably stool and make a more
vigorous growth than If it is scattered
boadcast. Any method which may be
pursued to get a cover crop on the
land in the winter is good practice.
HAY CAPS FOR CURING PEAVINES.
r. A. s.. Darien, Ca: We have just
cut two acres of very thick peavines. We
have had them cut for several DAYS.
They have been out in the sun for three
days and under shelter the balance of
the time and are still pretty green. We
are anxious to bale them. and wish to
know IL we can do this successfully in
this section. We have very heavy dews
here and many farmers claim that pea
vines can not be cured successfully here
and baled.
The best method to pursue in attempt
ing to cure pea vine hay in your section
OF the state and under the conditions
which pertain is as follows: Secure at
least three stakes not less than three feet
long and drive these into the ground at
an angle Of IS degrees. Place the three
so as to form a triangle. The vines
should be cut In the morning and allowed
to wilt as completely as possible that
day and then put in large cocks, build
ing the piles up over the stakes. which
enable the air to circulate up through
the mass OF vines and help to cure the
, hay out rapidly. To protect from the
dews at night secure canvas hay caps not