The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-07
~. 4. siusSeY.

w. II. MusseE. let the seed form II
@wtfl be dangerous feed for horses. Far
better, SO fas the wheat is con-
rerned, It would be TO SOW Whippoor
will peas on the wheat stubble and
give them good dressing OF acid
phosphate. and you can get hay crop
worth three times as much as the mill
dot and then can disk the stubble fine
and get a better crop OF wheat than
you COULD after an exhaustive crop
like un:liet.
Nitrate of Soda.
II AN told that the use OF nitrate Of
soda Will make the land poor Is
,he-e any truth in this?" injudicious
use o: any chemical fertilizer, merely
20 Increase the sale crops, without any
effort towards the permanent improve
ment OF the land will tend 10 soil
exhaustion Nitrate of soda Increases
abe vital activity of the crop, and
enables the plants 10 draw more heavi-
IL on the natural supply of plant food
sn the soil. and hence will tend TO
coil exhaustion IL no effort is made to
increase the humus in the soil and the
total dependence is on fertilizers. Nj
1ra,e OF soda, like all chemical ferti-
lizers can be made OF great use in ,he
hands OF good farmer when rightly
used. and can be made. and often is
made, the means for soil exhaustion
in the hands OF farmers who consider
fertilizer merely as a means for tenn
porarily Calvanizing an exhausted soil
.nto some sort Of production Chemi-
cal fertilizers can be made the most
rapid and efficient means for building
up the soil! by a proper rotation of
crope but used as they have been
by thousands OF Southern farmers,
they have been the means for making
the soil and the farmer poor. The
farmer who farms in n good rotation.
grows an abundance of legume crops
and feeds them and saves and returns
mis- manure TO the land. will never need
TO buy nitrate OF soda nor any other
form Of nitrogen in fertilizer for the
usual farm grain crops
In The best wheat-growing section
of Maryland. the farmers have largely
abandoned the purchase OF ammon
atod fertilizers and most of them use
no fertilizer except acid phosphate and
that on the wheat. their money crop.
And since adopting this practice the
wheat crop OF that section has been
largely Increased \ fertilizer manu-
facturcr in Baltimore told me that over
so per cent OF the fertilizer sold TO
these wheat farmers contains no am
monia al all. as they do not want it.
getting all they need in clover. peas
needs 10 buy what he can get free
and make a proht in the getting, through
the lecumc crops Special farming.
with mora valuable crops like truck
crops and tobacco, may demand heavier
complete fertilization, hut the gra n
farmer who farms right never needs
TO buy nitrogen.
FIXING Nitrogen.
An editor OF n farm pa per once told
l.. .. L.,
the soil by legumes, as ii would be
washed away f this was the case.
but is fixed in the leSumcs. This is
true but all the same the formation
of the ntrates Is made in the soil.
and the lesumes take 1t up. and any
crop associated with them will set
some That fixed IN the peas is. OF
course, then IN the form OF organic
nitrogen that becomes available to
crops in the decay and nitrihcation of
the organic matter But peas, sown
among corn Will increase the crop
OF corn This was shown at the Kan
sas Station and the Cornell Station in
New York. and have proved il in
my own experience.
But DR.. c. G. Hopkins stated to me
that he found peas among corn dam
aged the corn. This is easily explained.
DR. Hopkins is cultivating the r!ch
black prairie soil of Illinois. and the
peas found plenty OF nitrogen in the
SOIL and drew on that. and failed Ia
get nitrogen from the air, and hence
soils the peas wifi Increase the nitro
gen and the corn viii benefit by 1t.
Does Not Want to Manure 1t.
YOU seem TO think that crimson
clover Will grow anywhere But down
here In the lower Tidewater section
we need clover to improve our land
without having 20 use' 80 much ma
nure VIII red clover do better than
crimson Red clover is not so well
suited 10 Your section as the winter
growing crimson clover. which Will
grow poorer soil than red clover
VIII One OF the finest fields OF GRIM
son clover / have seen was right near
the railroad station at Franklin. right
down In the swamp country Where
live We have as sandy and some as
poor sol! in any other OF the coast
country. ard Yet crimson clover thrives
on the saudicst NJ ridges when given
some acid phosphate and potash The
man who objects TO using manure or
his land usually has little 10 use He
is like the man in North Carolina, who
replied when urged MIN to grow moro
forage and feed stock. IL do not want
who does not want 20 be pestered w!tt
stock. and simply wants to crop hi:
land in summer and lay by all winter
seldom has the manure 20 use and i.
apt 10 be the man who buys VIVA,
feed ne needs There is net section
in the whole eastern coas, recior
where crimson clover viii not thirty.
with any sort OF fair treatment from
New Jersey to Florida Stock feed
ing IN some eort lies at the foundation
Of all soil Improvement no matter VIVA
you! money crop is
Growing Sage.
Cannot We grow sage successfully
There seems TO be great deman,
for Il here in the fall" Certainly
Nothing is more easily grown tina,
garden sage. The seed should be sow
early in spring, and the plants trans
planted later to rows two feet apar,
and six inches IL the rows. This VII
mako strong growth later i'm tn
summer and can ne cut green uearl
TO the ground ard cured in any war;
place urde- shelter. II will not bloor
the Hrs. season, anc you Will nave n
Covers in the way. But do not kee