The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-05-27

NJ 1Aa,s41ax1hn work the crop shall
low and level. But
in my land am Obliged to throw fur
grass. The cultivator will not do it."
Certainly 1t Will not. II you allow
the grass to get there. The iiificulty
with many farmers is that they do
not start the crop right. II you have
prepared the seed bed thoroughly as
II should be. and have planted the
corn. the first thing to be done is to
go over the land rapidly with n
smoothing harrow just before the corn
comes up. This will break the crust
and allow the corn to come through
easily. and will destroy any grass that
is just terminating. Then. as soon as
the corn is fairly UP, go over with
wceder both ways. and thus again
loosen the crust and Kill the grass
right around the corn You can get
over very fast with the weedcr, ana
can keep using II till the corn is half
knee high. and after that the shallow
running OF q cultivator Will keep II
clean while the piow will bring UP
more weed seed to Germnate. In
using tho weeder you Will have de-
stroycd most of the grass seed In
reach OF termination. and then let the
rest remain too deep In the soil
| was in n corn field In Maryland
last year that made a big crop, ana
noticed that tho ground at time the
corn was being cut down. was clean
Of all weeds and grass. / asked the
farmer how he kept the land so clean.
lie said that he went over IT eleven
times very shallowly with implements
Ike the weeder and the two horse
cultivator. that enabled him to go
over rapidly and killed every weed
more to the surface to terminate. y
grassy crop Is the fault OF the farmer.
Aifnlfa.
Can We grow alfalfa successfully
in Southside virginia." DO not know
any part OF Virginia where alfalfa
cannot be grown on good land. proper
ly prepared. IL is not n crop 10 SOW
on poor land. You must get the land
into good shape by the use OF peas
and other leEurncs to get humus into
IT, and. above all. must use lime liber-
ally. for alfalfa Is t, lime-loving plant.
Alfalfa Is not "a crop TO take into a
short rotation for the building-up or
the farm IN general but as hay crop
on suitable land where It can remain
for years. II can be made very useful.
That 4; Will thrive in various soil
and climatic conditions is certain.
One OF tho finest fields OF alfalfa
have seen in Virginia is on the Back
River farm of the Hampton Institute,
near Hampton Va. 1t has been gen
orally assumed that alfalfa must be
on land that IS at least eight feet
above the natural water-tahlo in the
soil. But here is clay soil but little
elevated above tidewater. In fact.
the salt tide flows UP into the bitches.
and the land is but a few feet above
It. and the alfalfa fourishes finely.
In Northern Virginia Mr. Jack is
growing II on hundreds OF acres ana
making fine business in the hay.
Sow the land in peas ana give the
peas n liberal dressing OF acid phos-
phate and potash Then you can cut
the peas for hay and prepare the
bubble we'll. narrowing In a ton or
lime or two tons OF limestone ground
20 Il powder an acre. and sow the al
fa!fa AZ rate OF twenty-five pounds OF
seed an acre. using again heavy APP
piicution of acid phosphate and muri
ate OF potash. Sow In late August.
for spring sowing. OF alfalfa is apt
TO be smothered by the crab grass.
Sometimes after the alfalfa starts II
turn yellow. When this is the case
NOW It or at once and il Will start
again all right. Then annual dress
ings OF acid phosphate or, better sim,
OF Thomas phosphate. VIII keep It
thriving. and you can cut it several
times during the season. The first
cutting should be made as soon as YOU
see young shoots starting AZ the base
OF the plants. and before these set tall
enough 10 be caught by the mower,
for that would lessen the second cut
ting. Grow alfalfa by all means, but
for the rapid and general improve
ment of the average farm stick to
peas and crimson clover in most parts
of the state.
Red Glover.
But in advocating the use OF peas
not mean to ignore the old stand-b
of red clover by any means. In those
parts of the State where il succeeds
well. In all the Upper Piedmont and
the valley, red clover is the important
legume crop. while crimson clover can
probably be used as catch crop
sown in the corn field as a winter
cover and for hay in spring or to turn
under for the Improvement of the soil
But to SOW on the winter grain. where
grass Is to follow, the red clover with
timothy is still the important crop
in the sections named And even there
the cowpea will make an IMPORTANT
aid in the production OF wheat, for af-
ter cutting oats, one can get crop
of peas for hay. and then put The land
into the best possible condition for
the wheat crop, as | have before
shown
The Greut Need of Our Soils.
Not only in Virginia, but all over
the Southern uplands, the great need
is the restoration and increasing Of
the humus or vegetable decay In the
soil. The growing and feeding OF lc-.
gume crops, and the making of ma
nure for the land are the greatest
means for getting back the humus that
has been used up in the long injudi-
cious methods of cultivation. and this
is tho reason for crop rotation.
Resting the Innd.
We do not use a rotation of crops
to rest the land. Nature will not
allow It to rest If we do not have
useful crops on it she will cover II
with weeds and grass to prevent bare
land. We rotate crops in order to
keep the land busy in its Improvement
by means Of the legume crops between
the sale crops. and thus get the hui
mus making materials. Not that these
crops should in every case be used dl-
rectly as humus- making material by
lao N,-tn ,,t