The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-12
WITH THE FARMERS
BY Prof. w. F. MASSEY

first without regard to what was on
them last, SO that wo can get the rota-
ton In shape. Plant corn and give II
broadcast application OF 400 pounds
OF acid phosphate. and on sandy soil
IL Will he we'll to add twenty-five
pounds of muriate OF potash an acre
Just ahead of tho last working OF this
corn SOW an early variety Of pea OF q
bush habit liko the New Era. At ma
lurity cut the corn and euro In shocks
Ihen. II the growth Of the peas has
not been too heavy. disk them down
well by going over with tho disk hnr
row as often as necessary to make tht
surface fine, aud then drill In wheat
with moro of the acid phosphate at
rate oil 400 pounds an acre. After har-
Sestlng tho wheat, break and prepare
the soil well. and drill In cowpcas like
tho Whippoorwill. with wheat drill
set to SOW two bushels of wheat an
acre When the peas begin 10 ripen
pous, cut them and cure for hay, and
then disk the stubble fine again and
drill 10 wheat with the game appllca
'ion OF acid phosphate. Follow this
wheat again with peas for hay, and
lightly disk the stubblo and SOW Grim
son clover seed fifteen pounds an acre
On this clover haul out during the win
Ter all the manure made from feeding
the pea hay. corn slower and straw, and
turn al! under In tho spring for corn.
After turning this in apply 1000
pounds an acre OF slaked lime and har-
row 1t In. Then plant corn and repeat
the rotation. This will give you field
In corn and two fields in wheat every
year. with two crops of pee hay nfter
wheat, and peas In tho corn. and IL
turned to the soil the Improvement
should be rapid.
After tho nrst crop OF corn it Will
not be necessary TO use any fertilizer
on the corn. except the manure and
clover. but 1T VIII always pay TO use
come acid phosphate on the wheat
Now this is not telling you how TO re-
store land with green manuring, but,
In my opinion. Is a far moro profitable
way than by using all the crops as
green manure. After q few rounds OF
this rotation. YOU will find it neces-
sary TO cut tho peas grown among the
corn too, and you Will have constant
~ increasing amounts or forage TO
feed. and hence more and moro ma
nurc, till you can make manure enough
to cover the corn tend every year. and
each held VIII get coat of manure
once In three years The light dress-
Ing OF lime can be proiitabiy repeated
every time the land comes in corn.
Some Effects of the Lime Craze.
Albcmarle County: Il have been
reading your articles In The Times
Dispatch, and have derived much help
from them and have kept a good many.
But the pile Is getting bulky, and i
thought that perhaps could get all
.if tn
Growing and Crop Feeding" and In
close 81 for II. About four years ago
started patch OF alfalfa, about an
aero. on we'll drained, red hill over
ooking the James River tyou are IA :
niiiar with our soils). The land had
ieen In crimson clover followed by
fowpeas. These two crops had 1900
rounds OF & mixture of lime and acid
phosphate In equal parts. Cut several
7rops OF only fair amount There are
thout Ave acres more in the lot, which.
Shen | sowed alfalfa, l put In crimson
HoHer and cowpcas succeeding the
clover, using the same lime pho sphatc
mixture one year and 500 pounds of
pone-meal an acre the next ycnr, turn
ing all green crops under. Two years
ago l got q carload OF rock lime and
put two tons Of unslaked lime an
acre. Got the land In fine order and
planted thirty pounds an ncre OF al
falfa seed both ways. Got n good
stand. and cut two fair crops the first
season and not SO good the last sea-
son. and now the narrow-leaf plantain,
sheep sorrel and ny-trap to say moth
ing of the bull thistles. are crowdinE
out the alfalfa. VIII plow II up and
put in potatoes and corn. Please advise
what variety Of potatoes and the prop
or fertilizer for corn and potatoes"
have sent the dollar 10 the Farmer
Company OF Philadelphia, TO send YOU
the book. ] have none OF them here.
and have no interest in its sale. as /
sold the copyright TO tho Farmer Com
pany You have been apparently pro-
ccedinG on the suppositior that lime Is
used as fertilizer. and you mixed IL
with acid phosphate and thus made
the phosphoric acid less available By
rcvert!nE II to the acid soluble state.
Then after the clover and pea crops
you applied lime. and from what YOU
say, II seems that YOU plowcd 1t under
IL so. IL was n mistake. and there is no
wonder that the weeds common in an
acid soil are coming In. Lime should
always be merely narrowed In on the
plowcd land. so that II Will go through
and afect tho whole soil. Now that
YOU are turning the alfalfa and weeds
for potatoes and corn. you can refer
to what have written for the Ma
thews correspondent in regard to fer
tilizer for potatoes. With corn on such
n sod ! would use simply acid phos-
phate ut rate OF 400 pounds an acre.
Lime is useful MS 81 means for sweet
ening an acid soil. but IL Is a mistake
TO use lime as a fertilizer or 10 mix