The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-21
The Result Of nnd Practices.


| nnally there was left the old dead
! mixture OF sand and clay and the
! old field was turned out for nature
to redeem with broonsedge and pine
trees. and but for the broomsedge and
! the pine trees. what a bowling wilder
ness there would be IN many parts Of
/ the South.
We Must Bent Nature mt Her Own Game.
! Through long years the broomsedge
and the pine trees w!ll restore the
! humus the greatest need OF our soils.
/ but the wise farmer can do the same
/ thing through a we!l-devised rotation
! Of crops. the growing and feeding of
/ the lcgumes and the makine; Of manure.
/ b. this means sc can build up the
soil IN few years better than nature
VIII do 1t In score OF years.
There arc no worn-out lands There
are deep sands that never had much in
. them Of plant food, but soils originally
fertile and OF n food mechanical com
/ position cannot be completely worn
! out. for nature puts atop 20 the rob
berry and locks up tho remainder in an
insoluola state only 10 be released
by the man wise enough 20 put the
! organic decay. with It's resultant acids
\ 70 loosen the lock. There is not q red
clay hill IN Virginia unless it has
been waehed into hopeless sulleys. but
can be restored and brought TO the
f4E0sSL s'lls OF PRODUCTION u prop
I cTly tarmed. In fact can greatly
increase the humus content, IN our
soils above what they naturally con
. tanned when virgin. and the legume
/ crops and cattle Will Furnish the
means We can do this with the le-
gurne crops alone. aided by chemical
/ fertilizers, but ae matter Of bus!-
ness farming. u Is far more cconom! cal
20 use tho legune crops 70 feed stock
than 10 use them as manure direct Il
is living soil NO need. a soil we'll
nllcd with organic decay, the home
Of tho millions Of bacterin that work
COR The farmer. but are etarved out
"hen the humus IS burnt out Of the
soil The greatest need then o, tho
South Is tho restoration and mainte-
nance % the new ground conditions
;hat formerly existed and Increasing
them
The Advantage the South Has.
The great advantage the South has
for the building UP OF ner worn lands
over tho North. lies IN the greater
abundance and variety Of the legume
crops that can be grown here. The
cow7ea S IN It's native home. and the
crimson dover. that refuses TO thrive
fin Northern winter. nourlshas here and
these crops enable Us more rapidly 10
get pack the humus than can he done
On g cold climate And Yet, all over
the south. men are trying 10 ealvan!ze
into = semblance Of life the old dead
mixture o.! sand and clay with a sole
O cp,rdencc on commercial fertilizers.
have no Aght 20 make against com
,nc-clal fertilizers They are indie
spensible IN our modern farming. and
can De made the means for greatly
Increasing the 7roductiveuess Of the
land whom properly and literally used.
But used merely 20 wiring a little moro
idea as 20 It's permanent improvement.
they have become the means for i'm
poverlsnlng tho farm and the farmer,
while used IN = rational way, and
literally used. they can be made the
means for greatly Increasing the pro-
dnctlvity Of the soil and putting pront
IN the farmers pocket
But 10 DO this the farmer must De
FARMER. ard not a mere planter. And
We have TOO many planters ard too
few farmers ana Il is the object OF the
publication Of these columns 10 do
what We can 70 make people aban-
don the old planting IDEAS and go into
real farming
Virg.ria's greatest wealth is in her
soil Good farming on all her lands
means prosperity to all the people OF
the state, cor all will prosper when
tn. farmer 'hr!vcs
Bartcrfn for Alfuifn.
kindly tell nc what other legumes
carry the same bacteria that live on
the roots % alfalfa" The Mc!ilotus,
commonly known as sweet c,ovc-.
which abounds in many places as u
weed carries the same bacterium as
alfalfa The so called burr colvcr
McdiCnCo dent.cUlata. is a near re!a-
tive TO alfalfa, which is Medicago
sntiva. and :: the seed OF tho burr
clover are sown in the hurrs. they Will
carry tho Ejaculation for alfalfa
Though ] am not very much 81 a
farmer ut present. read what YOU
write in The Times-D lspatch You
mention tho Citrus Trifoliata as de-
fcnsivc hedge plant. ind would like
to know where 10 get the seed or
plants" suppose that any of the
Richmond seedsmen can get the seed
20 keep the seed IN moist sand dur
ing the winter, as they Will hardly
grow i: allowed to get completely dry.
Hence, il would be as we'll 70 try TO
get tho fruit in thu fall and lot IT
rot down and wash out the seed In
the spring. ! do not care 20 advertise
dealers here. but any OF the leading
Southern nurseries can supply the
plants cheaply. One year-old plants
should be planted.
Weed In Alfalfa.
From Southampton County: Il am
sending you by mail under separate
cover bunch Of grass. which has
this year appeared in an alfalfa field.
which was sown in the fall OF 1911
We, in this section. term this water
grass, but. thinking we may be mis-
taken am sending il 10 You. and
VIII thank YOU To let mo know what
ii is. and how is the best way TO
eradicate it from the alfalfa field.
The land on which il grows is heavy
clay subsoil with fairly loamy top soil
but Is thoroughly underrlrained with
the tile, and | cannot understand, If
IL Is water grass. why II should make
its appearance in this land?" 1t is
the common practice TO call every
thing of a grassy appearance grass.
l5ut II you Will examine this plant you
VIII find that the leaves are round,
and there are no joints. Grass always
grows In Joints. Hence, your plant
Is not n grass at all. II is one of the
Rush family. Iyhici, eDncice