The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-08-07
KENT'S JULY REPORT
FARM DEMONSTRATORS TELLS OF
CROT CONDITIONS IN TERRELL.
Boil Rot and Black Root Hurting
Cotton. Will Publish Articles On
History of the Disease.


During the month l have visited
SO demonstrators, 43 club members
and wrote IS letters and travelled
4S5 miles.
During the first part of the month
corn received its last shallow Guilt
walton, and where instructions have
been accurately carried out the re-
suits are as good as any one could
expect. Some of the records show
as low cost per bushel as 20 cents,
while but few will run over 80 cents
per bushel. The raising OF cheap
corn is one of the most important
features of Southern agriculture.
Until we can reduce the cost of pro-
duction we can't hope to feed it to
stock at profit. Good preparation,
the use of labor-saving implements
and good seed are the three things
that have been urged from time to
time in cheap corn production. A
cover crop of crimson clover on all
GOTH IdnUS LII dAACtlACA JNoA W 80 N1NN
another item to this.
Up to the last few days cotton has
been doing admirably well, but the
dry weather following the excessive
rains has caused 1t to shed great
deal of it's fruit, especially where
blowing was resumed after too long
a delay. AntracnOse, boil rot and
wilt, BLACK root" are causing con-
siderable damage all over the coun-
ty. During the month of September
we hope to publish articles on the
history, cause and prevention of
these two dreaded diseases OF cot
ton. We need not have them nor
will not have them if we will change
our methods little.
Seed selection of both corn and
cotton has received special attention
for the last month, and will be taken
up again in September. Fodder
should not be pulled off the corn
where we hope to select seed corn
for planting ourselves or for sale.
You decrease the value of the corn
5 to 25 per cent. We hope that not
a farmer will pull the fodder off his
breeding patch and thereby incur
this loss. Let the corn we offer as
good seed be the best to be had any
where, and it will be worth the best
price.
AS I will be on fur!ough during
August and will not get to see my
demonstrators and those who wish to
become demonstrators another year
till the latter part of September
there are a few things that I want to
call to their attention with all the
force of which I am capable. There
are things that are going to revolu-
tionize Southern agriculture by solv-
ing the fertilizer and live stock prob
lens. Georgia farmers alone pay
S18,000,000 annually for fertilizer
ingredient known as nitrogen when
they can raise practically all this on
their farms by planting legumes,
suchs as crimson and bur clovers,
vetch, alfalfa, velvet beans, etc. Why
our farmers have not already been
doing this is simply because they
have not known of the advantages
of these crops and because they have
not learned that they will grow prof
itably on our soils, but it is no longer
an experiment. 1t has been proven
beyond any reasonable doubt that
these crops will grow on our soils ii
properly started. II is going to solve
the live stock proposition by furnish
ing grazing during the fall, winter
and spring. Every experienced farm
er knows that he can't raise stock
till this is furnished, matters not
how hard he may try. Contrary to
a prevailing opinion it is going to
help us to raise a cotton crop instead
of hindering us, by furnishing the
required nitrogen to make the crop
and eliminating that dreadful date
well known to the all-cotton farm
er, October 18th.
Crimson Clover.
All demonstrators will be request
ed to plant corn on land where a
cover crop of crimson clover has been
turned under. This will give US from
SO to SIS worth of nitrogen to be-
gin with. This can easily be done as
follows: In the cotton middles be-
tween Sept. IS and Oct. Is SOW about
25 pounds of seed that have been
inoculated and run Immediately az
ter with Little Joe or similar har-
row lightly. Cloudy days or early
and late in the day is preferable or
account of the fact that the hot sur
will kill the bacteria if allowed Il
remain exposed for any length O.