The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-06-06
PROF. MASSEY'S VIEWS

land he told me that all of them read
The Progressive Farmer. AS soon as
We started the plows in the clover, the
pillow turning the burrows being drawn
by a fine pair of grade Percherons, and
followed by a subsoiIer drawn by a
stout pair of mules (not little cotton
mules) / said to Mr. Carr: You have
one man there who knows how 70
pillow. He has an e~leven-inch pillow
and is edging up his ~eleven-inch fur
rows" The average negro with a
plow like that would try to turn ff-
teen inches and flop it over and make
ridges and burrows on the subsoil. 1t
| was noted. however, that in his edg-
ing up the burrows there was a line OF
clover heads not covered. l told HIM
that was all right, for If the clover
is turned under fiat it is apt to cut off
the rise Of the capillary moisture, and
it is perfectly easy to chop up with
the disk harrow all the clover heads
that p%rotrude, and that being near
the surface, they will tend to prevent
washing.
Level Culture for Tobacco.
Now, in some parts of North Caro-
lima I have noticed that the farmers
ave learned the value of level and
shallow culture with corn and cotton,
but in the tobacco section l noticed
that while they are cultivating corn
level they are still pulling great hills
to the tobacco. Try level culture with
tobacco, and my word for it, you will
never again hill it up. Some are turn
ing crimson clover for tobacco, and
some contend that it ruins the crop.
The reason is that these last fail to
understand that in the clover they
have added more nitrogen to the soil
than they Would get in a ton an acre
of the 3-S-s, so popular with some
ohoooo ~ou,nr nr1 bovy 4 11pCf
the same fertilizer that they would on
thin, unimproved soil, and the result is
a late growth and cOarser texture and
darker color, n they charge it to the
clover that would have saved them a
good part of their fertilizer and made
better tobacco.
Some have asked about the effect
of lime on tobacco. / have never tried
it, but have seen it's effect. At a Mary
land institute two years ago, in a to-
bacco section one man had a sample
Of his tobacco that had had 1900
pounds Of lime an acre. 1t was al
most black and Of a very rough and
coarse texture. Another man had a
sample on which 500 pounds had been
applied, and his was a good brown
shipping tobacco. I assurued, then,
that the effect of lime applied directly
to the tobacco crop would be to dark
IL 49, SoAoA AN ASNA1. 4 I'LL t11ol
it would be better to use the legume
crops, like pea and crimson clover,
for corn, and lime with the clover, and
follow the tobacco after the corn and
the tobacco with wheat or winter oats.
This will damage either from
the clover or the lime.
Keep the C~ultivators Going.
Now, I would like every reader Of
The Progressive Farm er to determine
tina fhIC season shall Chn-- no ,,~r
ing ploWs in the corn OR cotton fields.
III smoothing harrow at the start
and the weeder will enable you to
keep the rows clear of grass, and the
riding cultivator will enable you to
get over the crop so rapidly that the
grass will have no chance even if the
weather turns wet, as it is apt to do in
July after an early dry spell.
But the dry Weather we have been
having IN most sections this May will
leave no excuse for grassy cotton if
the harrow and the Weeder are used.
But do not be in too big a hurry to
start them after a rain. Let the sur
face crust get dry enough to crumble
finely as the weeder passes.
Sweet Potato Culture.
On light, sandy soil, such as suits
sweet potatoes best, l have found that
the best potatoes. or at least the best ,
shaped ones. are grown on rather shall |
low ridges. Our growers here use the
c~ultivator entirely, and have a wire
guard attached to a tooth right be-
a wheel in the front Of the Gull
t~ivator. and bending both ways over
the rear Of the implement, SO that it
runs under and lifts the vines and
drops them undisturbed behind. This
enables them to keep the c~ultivator
running much longer than usual, and
away with the trouble of throw
ing the vines owe to clear out a row,
as the broad-hladed cultivator throws
earth enough to the rows,
This Month in the Garden.
DO not let the farm work make you