The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-15
WITH THE FARMERS
BY Prof. w. F. MASSEY

seed. and cut them In with q disk har-
row. have since been told, by men
consider good farmers. that l VIII
not make any wheat, and that 1t VIII
not do to cut II In with disk harrow
ITO me 1t LOOKS good. and tho seed
bed Is perfect. Why VIII ii not do 10
put wheat in with n disk harrow? Is
corn and oats ground together in equal
quantities good ration for colt?"
What the trouble with tho peas was
IL is hard to say positively. Early
sowing usually produces moro vines
than seed. The plants seem more
fruitful from sowing last Of June than
earlier. Cowpeas arc not heavy seed
makers at best, and II may be that
your soil lacked what is necessary for
the best seed formation. phosphorus
and potassium. You do not say what
IL anything you applied to the,soil for
the peas. | think that you would have
lad better crop had you given the
acre about 800 pounds of acid phos-
plate and twenty five pounds OF murI
ate of potash. My opinion Is that II
was the deficiency of these In the soil
which caused the failure. The peas
can get plenty of nitrogen from tho
air, and can therefore make a good
growth Of vines, but they cannot get
ar. and these are essential to the seed
making. Flowing land and sowing
wheat and disking it In is IL very poor
preparation for q wheat crop. In tho
first place. you made too little previ-
Gus preparation of tho soil Whea;
needs we'll settled and compacted
soil after blowing, and the blowing
should be considerable time before
sowing. and in the meantime the land
should be narrowed over and over and
tramped by teams To get II In n we'll
settled state. Then putting tho seed
in with a disk harrow puts some In too
Gcep and some not deep enough, and
IN the loosely prepared soil there will
always be moro winter-kiliinE than
81 weilprepared coil The wheat
should have been sown with Il drill.
This would have put the seed In al
q uniform depth, so that they would
all have terminated together. II your
wheat passes the winter all right and
the soil has fertility enough to make
wheat, YOU may make n moderately
good crop, but would have n far bet
ter chance had the preparation been
more complete. ard tho seed properly
drilled in. corn and oats ground to-
cctheI will make u good grain ration
for q colt but 1t should DO three
iourths oats and one-fourth corn.
Preparing for Corn.
Land now IL crimson clover is TO be
Tut in corn next spring. ana acid
IL make rs good corn to apply the
phosphate during the winter on the
clover and turn II Ia when blowing
FER corn, or should Il be applied after
flowing rd narrowed in? | read with
much pleasure and profit what you
write In The Times Dispatch. and con
slider that you arc doing much good.
* near many favorable comments on
hem"
think that the application OF the
phosphate now will have n far better
effect on the corn than to apply IL
in the spring, since it will help the
growth OF the clover, and the moro OF
that you have the better. and in turn
ing under the clover you recover all
OF IT. Nitrogen teaches rapidly from
the soil. but the soil will always hold
on TO the phosphorus till some plant
calls for it, Anything that will in
crease the growth OF the clover will
help tho corn. by giving you a heavier
growth TO turn under. believe. too
that the basic Stag applied now will
be better than acid phosphatc ~ IL
vii! carry q considerable percentage
OF lime, and that VIII help the clover
too. ana the Stag will have more time
10 become moro available than freshly
applied.
Soil Analyses.
Why viii not the stations make soil
analyses for the farmers" In the
first place because they cannot afford
to do so. To make Il complete analysis
OF soil Will cost the chemist about
so. Suppose that a station should
oHer TO do this free; is il not easy to
see that II would cost too much Then.
too. the chemists know that the soil
analysis VIII not help the farmer 10
learn what his soil needs. Il Will
simply tell him what 1t contains. and
iothinE al I'll about the nvaila bility OF
the plant food that may be In Il A
certain heavy ana unproductgvc clay
soil has been shown by analysts to
contain thousands OF pounds OF potash
IL the foot depth OF AN acre and yet
an application OF soluble potash has
Eood effect on that soil. simply be-
cause Its potash is locked up in an
/ insoulaole shape. Soil analysis is Of
ten very uscui 10 the scientific soil
investigator, but as means for in
forming the farmer In regard TO the
needs OF his soil in fertilizers. the
analysis Will be OF very little value.