The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-06
WITH THE FARMERS
By Prof. w. F. MASSEY

and make 1t as cheap or cheaper than
the ground rock.
bright Tobacco After LcSumcs.
Charlotte County: II notice that you
say that If 4 tobacco grower IN the
bright tobacco section cannot practice
a good rotation and Improve his soil,
1t Will BIO "a heavy drawback to good
farming. Now 1t Is a fact that we
cannot get the best results on pea or
clover sod, which, In my opinion, is
the best rotation for grain and soil
Improvement. Then. very naturally,
we, who are devotees ut the shrine OF
the golden sheen and velvety texture
OF hue-cured tobacco. and also aim Ia
BIO In line with improved farming. cast
about for . plan to suit our needs
We must inevitably have different ro-
tations for separate lines of produce.
If wc wish to bring up our land to
grow bright tobacco. when 1t has been
improved by peas and clover, We must
SOW 1t to ryc, and plant corn, and fol-
low the corn with rye to turn under
for tho tobacco: thus making a three
year rotation. the rye taking the sur
plus organic nitrogen from tho soil
for tho corn. and supplying simply
humus for the tobacco. Then we can
work tho land in tobncco and rye two
or three years. and after each crop,
with q weed fallow every three years,
you have three-year rotation for
tobacco that will make good bright
tobacco with a fair application of fer
tilzors. In my opinion. nothing can
compete with rye as n pulverizcr Of
the soil even when plowed under quite
smnll," My correspondent suggests
just about what have often suggested
10 the growers or bright tobacco. IL
seems that II is the excess of organic
nitrogen that makes the tobacco coarse
after a legume crop, and ] hive moro
hn TIA tos
overcome this and still got the good
effect or the legume crops. would be
to put some crops in between the peas
and clover and the tobacco which
would probably use the excess of or
ganio nitrogen. The peas followed b.
crimson clover will certainly improve
tho corn crop. and cannot see the
need for rye In between the clover
and the corn while rye following the
corn for tobacco would answer very
well. one trouble, / think. with the
tobacco growers has been that they
fan to realize how much nitrogen tho
peas and clover have gotten for them
and then use the same fertilizer they
would otherwise USE and thus get an
e1cess OF nitrogen. ! would like some
OF the tobacco growers In the bright
section to make small experiment
after clover. and use no ammonia In
the fertilizer. but n liberal amount OF
sulphate of potash and a moderate
amount of acid phosphate, for in all
Of my experiments with bright to-
bacco. II Was an excess OF phosphoric
acid that made bony leaves.
Overhead Irrigation.
North Carolina: What do YOU think
OF the overhead Irrigation that Is now
being used by number OF truckers in
this section? WIN 1t pay In our climate
and with our rainfall?" You have In
Eastern North Carolina an abundant
supply Of annual rainfall, II IL was
uniformly distributed during the grow
ing season. But. unfortunately, there
are almost every summer long spells
Of DIR: weather, which seriously inter
tere with all crops. and especially with
those OF the grower OF vegetables. The
truckers crops are valuable. and SOM
means for keeping up the water sup
pls VIII often make all the difference
between success and failure. We had
good example of this on the Eastern
Shore OF Virginia two years ago. In
n limited section OF Northampton
County they had an abundant rainfall
during the growth OF their early po-
tato crop, and, In that section tho
growers made money. North OF there.
there was an unprecedented spring
drought. and the growers made almost
complete failure. Had they had some
means for supplying their crops with
water IL would have turned failure
into success. Then In Eastern North
Carolina many of the growers who arc
using the overhead irrigation use IL
for the crops they are growing under
cover OF glass or canvass, and IL is
essential that some means be ut hand
for watering the frames, for the crop
Is too valuable TO run any risk ana
in that season OF the year Ii may not
be safe 10 open up for rain. Ii would
be an expensive Undertaking to pro-
vide system OF the sprinkling pipes
over very extensive plantation. but
for the more valuable crops of the
truck garden. especially the frames, IL
VIII pay very we'll To install the over
head watering, getting n head from an
elevated tank hlled by gasolene
engine.