The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-01

the fertilizers u:,d have any greet in :
fucnce on the difference in the g, ops /?
older farmers iold me that / was vast.
me tine and money in attempt u4 the
crop under tie conditions. This land
is very liifht. and where the p.., vines
and grass had rotted. n horse would sink
hoof deep have now drilled N..r Era
peas In rows. and will cultivate them
DO you think / can make a crop of seed
peas? j shall fallow sixty acres of
wheat stubble for wheat, and will use
LOU pounds of caustic ground lime an
acre. and VIII SOW timothy. herds grass
use?"
AS I have before said. the ground
rock phosphate is an excellent thing
for a good farmer. but a very poor
thing for poor one Now you do not
tell me what your farm rotation is. and
| am only informed that you are SOW
ing wheat after wheat That you got
better crop OF wheat after corn than
you did from plowing under peas is not
AT all surprising, for il Is evident that
the soil did not get properly settled
ana compacted for wheat and the
buried peas made il puffy and light a
very bad condition for wheat and grass
In this case, / do not think that the
ground rock was at fault but the too
late sowing and the burying OF too
MUCH vegetable matter late ia the sea-
son. You would have made more wheat
and grass IL the peas had been cut off
and the stubble only disked fine three
or four inches deep. You cannot put
land in good order for wheat by plow-
ing under late in the season mass of
green growth
Whether one should use ground rock
or acid phosphate. will depend on the
condition OF his soil. With a buried
crop or peas the rock should give good
results, but on land deficient in Or
ganic decay, IT will be slow in becoming
available. There was hardly any
chance for the wheat sown as late as
November 90. no matter what the fer
t!!izer used The late sowing and prep
aration and the pury condition of the
soil were responsible for the failure
more than the fertilizer or the weather
! would have considered 1t surprising
II you had made a good crop of wheat
under the conditions you name. Now
you propose 10 put wheat again after
wheat IT you do, the earlier the
breaking is done the better DO not
let a great growth OF rag weed cover
the land before turning it. In fact, II
you cannot get IL broken quickly, il
VIII be better 10 run a mower over the
stubblc and cut off the weeds before
they get much growth. The important
thing III growing wheat is early break
ing. and later complete fn.ng OF the
surface. and a large amount of vege-
IA bic matter, even weeds, turned under
The best place to grow wheat is after
hocd crop. either corn OF tobacco, and
then 10 simply fine the surface with
the disk and the spike harrows 1
would never plow land for wheat
later tina nthe first OF August, and 1
would then keep IL narrowed and
trampcd by teams till the first white
frost in October, and then drill the
wheat. do not think that your
Orange County soil is in special need
! OF potash. Lining and the getting Of
organic decay into the soil Will relea sc
the abundant potash in your clay soils
There are chocolate-colored soils in
Orange and Cuipeper that had better
have some potash, but the blood red clay
has great abundance OF insoluble pot
ash in II. l thing you are making mis-
take in using SO much caustic lime on
land for wheat In fact ! had rather
/ Ouy the fresh lump lime from over in
| The Valley, and Stake il before apply
! Ing II. One thousand pounds an acre
! Of slaked lime Is an abundance. The
fresh lime will Stake more than two
to one IN bulk. and If bought the
ground lime. ! would let IT air Stake
before using. On the sixty acres 10 go
into wheat, I would use 400 pounds OF
l6 per cent acid phosphate an acre.
The ground rock is 4 splendid article
TO mix with manure, about seventy
Ave pounds 10 each ton II Will very
greatly increase the efficiency OF the
manure But for immediate results on
the grain crop. ] would use the acid
I phosphate. Some ground rock har-
rowed in in the preparation OF the land
viii come into use for the grass and
clover. l have given you extra space
1 because ! wished 10 emphasize the i'm
portance of early and thorough prep
aration for wheat and grass, and hope
} that ! have made myself plain