The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-19
WITH THE FARMERS
By Prof. w. F. MASSEY

''SNi'oA w ~, no cannot get Qt,
am very GLAD TO know that you have
improved your land 80 that you do not
need TO buy potash. and I wish that,
every farmer in the Southside region
! could realize what n good farm rota
| ZION and stock feeding would do for
| him But. unfortunately. we have to
advise men according to their prac-s
tees, and know that tho fertilizer
| J have advised for tobacco has uni
tornly given fno results. A farmer in
South Carolina In similar soil wrote me
within n week past that he and his
neighhors had used my formula and
had cleared this season $3.50 an acre
on their tobacco. There arc nlluvial
lands along tho rivers that flow from
tho Blue Ridge. rs In Gloucester, where
( potash is as plentiful as in the upper
country, but by far the creator part
OF the Underwater section. especially
the sandy soils, needs applications OF
potash. and tho black swamp soils
arc all very deficient In potash.
Legume Crops and Soil Improvement,
Richmond: II nm daily reading your
valuable articles In rho Times Dis
patch with much interest and great
benefit, Having bought two books
written by you---"Practical Farming,
aud Crop Growing and Crop Feeding.
II notice in tho latter bool: that tho
( flat pea made 4i.tt2 pounds of green
! matter, tops and roots an acre. and
also made more dry N t.ter. nitrogen.
I phosphor!c nclS and limo than any
! other of the legumes mentioned there
/ in The Velvet bean Is referred 20 as
making great growth of roots ana
! vines, and might be grown TO advant-
| age in tho Improvement of poor land In
Southeast Virginia VIII you kindly
! tell mo through your valuable paper.
something about the cultivation OF,
= To-.
! IL would pay to grow them hero I'm
| Virginia for hay and the Improvement
or the land? Would you advise the
| spreading of ground limestone on
young German clover during the win
/ ter, or 10 walt till the clover has been
| plowed under Just before planting corn
| remembering that spring .s a yery
| busy time, and the spreading might be
! omitted? Where n full crop of peas
| has been first dIsked down and then
piowcd under. during November and
| December, would you advise spreading
| ground rock during the winter on this
land. or Just before corn Ia to BIO
/ planted? Would you put other ferti-
|. ltzers with this ground rock, and iS
SO, what mixture. and what quantitiesr'
/ In the first place, I would say that
all OF us who are students OF soils and
CROPS. are annually learning things and
| finding out that what we formerly
| r.. -
gard To tho fat pea, while 1t makes a.
heavy growth of organic matter, It's
! utter worthlessness ms stock food has
| thrown II out OF consideration In
! fact. IL was found to have some poison
GUS quality. Tho Velvet bean ia an ex-
ceedingly valuable crop where 1t ma
! lures. But, after writing what you
quote, have found that 1t will not ma
ture in Southeast Virginia and in fact,
nowhere north OF the southeast corner
OF North Carolina. 1t failed to mature
| at Raleigh, though | had an enormous
growth. There has been another vari-
ETY. OF the Velvet bean introduced which
Is claimed to be earlier, and have some
seed Of 1t which propose to test this
coming season. While tho Velvet bean
win mako a very heavy growth In
J Virginia, do not think that as II hay
crop ii can compare in feeding value
with the cowpca, rs II would have to
be cut here at an immature state and
| would have no beans as tho cowpea
/ wall have and these add greatly To the
/ feeding value. Hence, ! do not think
that tho Velvet bean would be as good
| for our use as the cowpea
III You wish to use the ground lime
stone on tho clover either now or I'm
spring / would use IL now, and give
IL time 10 have some effect But as a
! means Tor preventing acidity from the
/ turning under OF 4 green crop, the
stahe" ournt lime Is FAR better than tho
ground rock, l had rather use LOCO
pounds an acre OF slaked lime than
1000 pounds OF ground limestone nm
acre Where peas were plowed down
IN November and December. 1t will be
| Wen Ia apply lime or limestone now
ana harrow II In. But where turnine
under growth OF crimson clover,
Whicn you call German clover, for corn.
would prefer to apply the limo, after
Proving Tor corn, and then harrow IL
IN. II VIII then pay very we'll TO an
ply 400 pounds an acre OF acid phos-
phate broadcast for the corn.
| Cannot Do II, Repeat.
Some one asked me recently for a6
/ vice as TO the best fruttgrowing sec
tion OF Virginia, and | msde reply In
The Times Dispatch. and now the men
having lands for salo are flooding ma
With letters asking for the address of
the Inquirer Now az / have before
SAID do not file these letters. and can
not. Of course, give the addresses, and
would not, II could.
Gnrdcn feas.
IND that / made mistake in my
inquiry, IN asking you the best ynrie-
ties OF suSar peas. l meant the best
early English peas for market pur-
poses. and Will be glad to have YOU
toll me what ara the best early sorts
or English peas for shipping My soil Is
NorIoill sand and no clay" know of no
better extra early peas than tho
Alaska and Its varieties. One OF these.
called Nonpare!i have grown for
years and find 1t good. There arc sew
crai very dwarf peas that | lind useful
In my garden. as they can be planted
close hut do not know whether these
would be profitable IN field culture or
not. These arc Motifs Excelsior and the
American Wonder. They are carly, but
not quite so early as Alaska. but ars
very prolific bearers.