Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-08-18
Sow CGUgaaS in the
Corn at The Last
Cultivation
BY w. C. LAssETTER.

SluC3 Cufh 10 ii GtGdn cultivated tlOD /
the land will necessarily be bare {
when the corn is removed In this
the land is exposed to many I
agencies which contribute materially +
towards lowering its fertility The
most important of these deletorious
agencies are: washing, teaching, and
destruction of good tilth. In this
nothing whatever is added to
the land and much IS taken from It.
In the sowing of cowpeas at the
time of the last cultivation of corn,
the farmer has not only means Of
controlling these injurious agencies,
but in the coWpca itself he has
most beneficial agency. The root
system of the eowpea will tend to
bind the soil aud thus materially les
sen the loss from washing. In other
words, the loss from washing will be
minimized. The young coWpea plants
will use UP those soluble plant food
materials which in case of rain would
otherwise be leaehea out Of the soil
and lost. In the plant they are com.
bined in organic form, and when the
crop is turned under these materials
will be freed BY decay and will ne.
come available for the use OF the
succeeding crop.
This does not necessarily mean
that they save only that plant food
which 0tAer1isa Wld be ashaEi
out of the soil during that period
when the plant is making its growth.
If cowpeas were not growing there
these soluble aud easily leached ma
terials would be formed in the 5oli
and lie there until the winter rains
leached them out. The cowpea grow
Ing there takes up The greater por,
ton of that material which is pres.
ent or is produced during its grow
ing period and combines it into sucn
form that 1t cannot be leaehed out.
The cowpea plant produces a large
root system of large roots When the
plant dies the roots begin to decay.
AS they decay the channels they have
occupied in the soil are left open,
thus leaving an entrance for those
agencies which increase soil pfoduc
tiyeness. II the soil had remained
bare the rains would have caused the
soil particles to run together and good
filth, or ease of cultivation, would
have been destroyed. But the open.
ings left by the decay of the roots
counterbalance this effect and i'm.
prove the filth.
But the addition of nitrogen to tue
soil is the greatest of all benefits to
be derived from the growing of COW
peas. There are certain bacteria
which are able to build home for
themselves on the roots of the COW.
pea plant These places of abode
called nodules, are easily seen on
any medium sized eowpea plant. III
these nodules the bacteria take free
nitrogen from the air and convert il
into organic, form. In this form II
remains in the soil and gradually be
comes available for plant use. Tue
bacteria growing in the nodules OF
the roots of an average crop of COW
peas will add several pounds of nj
trogen to an acre of soil.
There is little trouble in growing
a
crop OK corn on land the same year
Instead of the second crop being in
furious or being a burden on the
land, 1t is beneficial in that it saves
plant food which otherwise would be
lost, improves the physical condition
of the soil, and adds nitrogen secured
from its cheapest source, the atmes
phere. All this can be done by the
mere sowing Of cowpeas at the last
cultivation OF corn.
The cowpcas should be sown broad.
east at the rate of from tlnse 70
four pecks 10 the acre Immediately
preceding the last cultivation If the
season is al al favorable good
crop of seed will he produced which
of course should be saved. thus twu
crops are secured from the Same
land in the same year, and the bene
ficial efforts are secured without
cost. Where is the farmer who car
afford not to take advantage II this.
Are You Farmer or Soil Robber
The charge has been made Fhat the
average farmer is not farmer btH
a soil robber." Sometimes we thinF
this true of the Arkansas farmer
when we see him growing cotton OF
corn year after year on the same
land, never giving any thought TO the
plant food he is taking from his land
In a recent trip over the state Ne
had field pointed out to us that had
been IN cotton for Il years, to the
certain knowledge of the informer
without any effort ever being made to
put back some of the plant food
Another field we were told about
the cotton rows were laid Off tA
a negro before the war and the rows
are still crooked as he got them
showing that the land has never beer
broken. but new beds made each yeal
in the old midfles. Is this farming
This is time of year when II Is
necessary to keep the cultivater g9ias
overtime.
After cooling, mil!z sn5u.d in al