The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-02-14
MASSEY'S VIEWS

valley near Huntsville, several years
ago, when he had already gotten an
ora cotton farm up to the making Of
50 bushels of wheat an acre from a
start Of about 6 bushels, if I remem-
Der Alright. His farm is a fine ex-
ample OF What can be done in the
South with hive stock and grain. For
years after buying this land he grew
no cotton at all, but I believe has
now added cotton. I print his letter
not merely for self-laudation. but to
show whom | hear now and then, who
made success from the teachings
Of The Progressive Farmer and other
live papers. When / was on Mr..
Davis's farm in early summer when
the wheat was just in head, | pre-
dIcted that he would make 5000
bushels. He did make, il [ remember
right. Il good ways over 1000 bushels
on land where he was laughed at in
the beginning for trying to grow
wheat. Another thing that struck me
was that while he had fine full-blood-
ed cattle | did not see any manure
lying in the sun around his barn. 1t
goes out to the fields where it helps
something grow. Then he had some
gullies and red gals, and on these
the red gals from frosting out, and
the rotten straw was finally plowed
in and the gall redeemed, while in
the gullies it gathered soil and tiled
them. too. From what / saw going
on when / was there years ago, [
am sure that nov there are no gals
nor gullies on the place. II We could
but get every young man in the South
to follow Mr.. Davis in the cultivation
of his farm. the South would soon be
redeemed. But the tide Of improve
ment is spreading everywhere. and the
men who so back to the old a as
one man wrote recently, are goins to
be eft rande
What Farmers Want to Know.
Would it be advisable for me to
use unground phosphate rock with
stable II on lane that made a
bale of cotton an acre for the fast
three years with five or six loads of
manure?' [ suppose that YOU mean
"undissOlved' phosphate rock. for UNI
ground rock would be perfectly use
less. Mixed with stabl" manure at
rate Of 100 pounds to a ton Of ma
nure you can get very good results.
But why keep putting that lane IN
cotton ear after year till It will not
make a bale or near it? Why not
improve the land by a good rotation
Of crops and make more manure and
get it up to two bales an acre?
Varieties cf COrn.-'1s Mosby Pro-
life Corn any better than Marlboro >
I hin there is very little difference
between the various types Of prolific
corn in the South, and that probably
all of them came from selection from
Cookies Prolific. In sections where
the Mosby has been long grown it will
probably be as good as any, and the
same can be said of the Marlboro.
That is, either will do best where 1t is
completely acclinlated.
Fertilizing For Peanuts have ad-
vised the use Of the Thomas phos-
phate on peanuts a most OF the
land in the peanut section Of North
Carolina and southeast Virginia is in
an acid condition. Plaster has been
used freely and this does not tend
to sweeten the soil as lime ~rbOna
does, and acid phosphate tends to
change what lime carbonate there is
in the soil to sulphate or plaster.
Thomas phosphate carries 40 pounds
Of free lime in every 100 pounds.
and to hat extent tends to sweeten
the soil, and when combined with
muriate will release insoluble potash
that may be in the soil, but THO pea
nut lands are usually rather deficient
in potash, and it IS the lack of potash
that makes pops.
salt as a Fertilizar.-"A man COM
ing from Virginia to Mississippi says
that he has used salt with great sue
cess as a manure He calls it agricul-
tural salt, and says that u Nlssls-
sippi lands are all run out of salt
peter. What do you think OF this:
T think that your man is talking
about things he knows nothing about
Salt is Of no use as manure. 1t IS
the chloride of soda and plants do
not use soda. Saltpeter is nitrate OF
potash, and Of course IS valuable, but
usually costs too much to use as q
fertilizer. Then the stations nave q
thai YOUR lands do not need potash,
and YOU can get the nitrogen by
growing peas and clover and feeding