The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-03

Your query is rather indefinite. You
40 not say what crop you are using
the ground rock phosphate for. Then.
IL me land is sour the rock phosphate
VIII not sweetcn II. The only thing
Tor this is lime carbonate. on land
that Is well supplied with humus. the
rock phosphate will do very well. The
time To apply 1t depends on what the
crop is TO jje. II for corn next spring,
put ii on this fall and 1t will have some
time to become In an available form.
The soil VIII hold on to II, for 1t does
not leach from the soil ns nltrates will.
1t viii act very well on new cleared
land or mixed with stable manure. but
on thin soil. deficient In humus. 1t will
be a good while before it will show
any erect on the crops. You can use
IL In almost any amount About 800
pounds an acre will do.
Failure of Glover.
Years ago wo grew red clover with
abundant success. But In recent years
1t Is har'l 10 get stand. and even
when We get Il good termination II is
apt ~ die out after wheat harvest.
Do you think that incubation will
help" Where clover has formerly
thrivcn. and now falls. It Is evident
that conditions In the Soil have become
unfavorablc. and II Is not incubation
mat is needed. but "a renovation OF the
conditions in the soil. Some years ago
! was occurring at an institute In the
fine county of Bucks. In Pennsylvania.
| found that they were running their
land In grass for hay to sell IN the
Philadelphia market. until the land
would not make hay crop. and then
they turned the sod for corn asked
them why they did not make Il shorter
rotation and grow more clover They
replied that they could not grow clover
any more. though IT formerly did nne-
ly. The main reason / was sure was
that their coil had gotten so acid that
the bacteria that live on the clover
roots will no longer thrive. And this
is a very common reason for the fail
urc Of red clover. Another reason is
The burning out OF the hunus in the
soil Long and improper cultivation.
and neglect to maintain the humus
in the soil causes tho soil TO run to-
gcther and bake hard, and in such con-
ditions. after harvest. the clover sim
ply dries out from lack Of moisture.
Now If clover formerly did we'll on
your land the duty OF the farmer is
TO hnd out why il no longer does we'll
You can test your soil for acidity with
tho blue litmus paper, and II IL is acid
then lime IT, II one farms in a good
rotation and always has winter
cover OF gone sort on the land 70 turn
in spring. and grows plenty OF legumes.
and lines each field once in six years.
he can keep the land sweet. and by
maintaining and increasing the amount
of organic decay in the soil he can
maintain moisture conditions and pre-
vent the failure OF the clover after
harvest With n soil swcctened by
an occasional lining and the humus
content maintained. there will be no
difficulty in growing red clover in all
the Piedmont country. But with an
acid soil or one in which the hurnus
has all been burnt out. no amount
OF incubation Will have any effect In
ocu!ation with live bacterial cul-
tmrc. will certainly increase the num-
Der OF the symbolic bacteria on the
clover. But II the soil conditions are
unfavorable to the bacteria they will
soon perish. just az the bacteria that
formerly made the soil n living soil
have persisted
Iumus. or organic decay. Is the life
OF the soil because II is the home of
the bacteria that are working for the
farmer. But neglect the maintenance
OF the organic decay. and run the soil
down to the dead mixture OF sand and
clay. and the bacteria VIII perish and
the clover Will fail. The s"ec;ening
OF the soil by lime and the maintaining
the hUmus in the soil are far more i'm
portaut than artificial incubation.
would not give a cent for any artificial
culture Of bacteria IL the soil WIS not
in a condition for them TO thrive. Re-
store the conditions that formerly ex-
listed in your soil. and you Will have
no difficulty in growing red clover.
The Maryland Tenant System.
Alexandria: Some time since saw
Il reference In The Times Dispatch TO
the Maryland plan for renting land.
Please send me the contract. rs the
paper has been mislaid. or print the
matter again" The gist OF the Mary
land plan is that the tcnent furnishes
all the stock and labor. and the land
owner furnishes comfortable dwelling
and outbuildngs. The tenant farms
on written contract, and is never
moved SO long as he does this we'll.
He owns the stock and all the hay,
fodder and straw SO long AS he feeds
it on the farm. You can get from the
Secretary OF Agriculture n copy OF the
Farmers Bulletin entitled "a Farm
Tenant system and Its Results" This
Will give you the whole plan In detail
as practiccd in Eastern Maryland. Civ
ing the results on one estate, and more
fully than l could give it In the paper
a Corn Club Boys Corn.
Sussex County: Il wrote to you last
fall that my acre OF corn was n fail
ure on account OF drought. You sug-
clover TO turn for the corn in spring
did this last spring. and we have
had Il good season and my corn is fine
l planted the Prolific. and the main
stalk has two to three ears. and the
suckers made nice ears. The entire
acre Will average three cars or more
to the hill The older farmers said
that my acre ought to make twenty
barrels But two weeks ago we had
Il great windstorm, and the corn is
badly blown down. so that 1t looks as
though 1T Will be impossible to save
the fodder. and the corn is damaged
as much of 1t is broken off. What
would you do?" If you had intended
to save the fodder In tho usual way
by topping and stripping the blades.
perhaps it Is fortunate that the corn
blew down, for the stripping OF the
blades would have reduced the yield
of corn. Cut the corn off at the ground
and cure ii in shocks, tying the tops
of the shocks to keep them from fall
ing. Cut when the shucks are dry.
The ears broken off may mature all
right II not too green.
Variety of Wheat.
please inform me what variety of
wheat will be best to sow in my sec
pi Al