The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-11-01

March or April. Crimson lover can
be sown in Craven county, n. g., late
in October with fair prospect OF SUI
cess. and it will be a little carrier III
spring than the vetch. But as you
want to put the lane in corn after CUT
ting the oats and Iegume or pastur1ng
them. you will have little pasture, ex-
cept the oats, perhaps, before March.
Better SOW a mixture of crimson
clover and vetch and leave out the
oats and turn all under for the corn
as you admit that the land is not
rich.
Which Ear for Seed?-''With three
ears of corn on a stalk, which is best
for seed, the top or bottom one! II
the corn is inclined to grow too tai
and to make the ears away up Oh the
stalks with a short top above them
the use of the ear next the groInt
for seed will tend to reduce the tail
stature, and will be more inclined t
make an ear or ears above 1t. Il tn
corn has already a fairly good & ture
and the ears come handy ana about
halfway between the tassels and the
ground, then take the best ear on the
stalk without regard to it's position.
Lime and Phosphate.-"Would like
to have your advice as to using lime
k1d puA CT p1IcotC4otC AONh "S
same time on cotton, etc? How can
l tell when lime is ~needed?' In the
first place, understand that lime Is not
used as a fertilizer, but as a means for
sweetening an acid soil, promoting the
formation of n%itrates from organic de-
cay in sell, and having q
eff ect in making sandy land closer mo
sitter land more porous. The com
con test as to acidity is to take a piece
of blue litmus paper than can be had
a: any drug store, and mOiSten some
of the soil and place the ftnus paper
III it. If it soon turns pink, it shows
aei0ity. Lining may not altogether
prevent this, but 1T viii render
the soil more nearly alkaline. But
lining alone will never make poor
land rich. It is useful to lime occa-
s%ionally where a farmer practices a
good rotation and gets humus into his
lard. But lime and phosphate rock
used together will be Of no advantage.
The rock is the phosphate of lime.
and is in 4 very insoluable tate, and
applied to poor land, or land that is
deficient in vegetable matter, it will
be a good while before plants can
Use the phosphorus it contains. But
where a growth Of peas and pea stub
bic is plowed under, the humic acid
developed from the decaying vege-
table matter will tend to dissolve the
phosphate. 1t will also act well when
lIllNCo III q oldOIc i DIT rate OF
100 pounds to a ton of manure At
the Ohio Station it was found that 40
pounds added to a ton Of manure
made a great increase in the crop over
that from a ton of stable manure with
out it. You need to make more feed
for stock and feed it and make ana
nure. Then you can use lime about
once in six years, and can use pulver-
lied phosphate rock to advantage with
the manure.
Tall Meadow Dat Grass.-"I am
especially Interested in tail meado
oats grass. | like it better than any
other grass. but can not seem to ge
a permanent field of it, TINS is on,
Of the best grasses for the South
Professor Phares, in his book on
grasses, says it is the best winter grass
than can be had for the South, and
that it will make twice as much ha,
as timothy, and for summer soiling.
may be cut four or five times. 1t is
an early grass. and associates we'll with
orchard grass, thickening up the
stand of this which is apt to grow in
punches. 1t should be cut like or
chard grass as soon as the heads are
out. On strong, moist bottom land
it will last five or six years, but or
dry upland, it is not so lasting.
would always SOW it in mixture with
orchard grass and redtop, and the sec
ond cutting VIII have the redtop in
plenty. Then when the Dat grass and
grass Will still be good. The tai
meadow Oat grass is better suited tn
moist and strong land, so far as las7-
ing is concerned, but it will grow or
thin land better than most grasses
though not permanent in such a loca-
ton.
I WHY WE PLOW.