The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., 1912-03-02
Prof. Massey's
Editorial Page
Farm Work for March.


II Shall l pillow this land with one-horse or
with two?" He has a rolling red clay upland
farm and would probably break it three or at
most four inches with horse, and then he
would have the soil running down hill in the sum-
Iner Hoods, and gals and gullies starting. On
land of that character always plowed with three
mules abreast to large plow and never less than
eight inches deep. l would do this in the fall and
follow on upland with subson plow breaking
the soil 16 inches deep. Then would have sown
rye as winter cover to turn under in the spring
with pair of mules to a plow. Then the land
would be in good shape for ining with the harrow
and planting the cotton the level or with a
very shallow bed.
Deep breaking and blowing under of organic
matter should be the rule in the spring for cot
ton or corn. Then there is no crop grown where
liberal use of high-grade commercial fertilizer
pays better than cotton.
am daily getting letters from farmers asking
me what fertilizer to and how much for corn
invariably tell them that have never made it
pay To use commercial fertilizers on corn. OF
course, they will increase the crop, but if you
nave piece alongside without the fertilizer and
compare the two. you will generally find that the
increase in the corn crop has barely paid for the
fertilizer, If that much
Inc way to grow cheap corn is to always have
sod of crimson clover on which the farm ma
nure has been spread during the winter as fast
as made and all turned under when the clover
is in bloom
one great advantage of this is that the corn
VIII never ire on clover sod, but will keep
- green to the ground and the crop will be grown
at far less cost than with fertilizers
Do not fertilizer that needs filler to
make ton, but get the best materials and n,iv
Ihem at nome in the proper proportions for the
crop Now what that will be cannot saw for
IN advising a fertilizer formula ] can only advise
In general way, and every farmer should exper
tn find out,
and what he need not buy
The experiments made by the stations in +bo
loWer mississippi valley seem to show that notasb
is not needed there a rule but nitrogen and
phosphorlc acid are needed most Soils espe-
cially phosphoric acid. Where cotton makes a
RANK weed and fruits sparingly l would GER
tainly use a mixture of phosphoric acid and not
asn' as these are the makers and carriers of the
materials that go to the making of lint and seed
III you have crimson clover on the land to
DC planted to cotton, you will need very little
nitrogen IN the fertilizer and can afford to ba
more liberal with the phosphate and po+ash Tban
remember that the soil will hold on to these and
put half of what you use under the cotton and
nan broadcast, so that when the cotton roots
get TO running, they will, across the rows
'heV VIII still find food for them.
ineh II you nave crimson clover sod for corn
DO not break it too early, We have plenty of time
" make corn crop in the South after the clover
. pietS "eh matured One of the best corn
OIoPs 1 nave seen of late years was grown on n
clover field where the clover was Let eat doas
ripe ana the burrows were edged up nicely thouob
some OF the clover stuck out But that was hattor
than turning it under fiat to cut off the soil mois
r' e' aho the cultivation scattered that
above ground and it was just where il wonld do
the most good in dry weather
me farmer who has been feeding rood forasa
W oeeFes this winter will have something To seu