The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-16
WITH THE FARMERS
By Prof. w. F. MASSEY

on this account, be set closer. There
Is but little danger from frost. on ac
count of It's habit of late blooming.
most valuable consideration In many
localities" In fact. L do not know n
better strawberry than the Chesapeake.
IL is not early. but ripens a littlo
ahead OF the Candy.
Peking Ducks.
What car you tell US Of tho Polsiny
duck and Its special valuer' Whilc
have often said that 1 am not poui-
trynan, have had a little experiences
with ducks Many years
the Peking ducks were first introduced
from China. my wife invested $40 ia
drake and two ducks. They were
wonderfully fno and large, and 1T
seems to mo that tho breed has de-
teirorated In this country, Cor the
PekinSs ] see generally are not near
SO large as those first ones Tho ducks
laid rapidly, and my wife sold two
dozen eggs for $40 dozen, and then
Matched quite number. Then Some
one stole the drake, and we sold tho
remainder and quit On ono occasion
bought about dozen pin-feather
ducks TO fatten. My experience then
with ducks led me to conclude that
had rather fatten n pig than young
auck. 80 far as tho feed Is concerned
FOR breeding stock, tho Pekipgs are
me, as they lay " great batch OF eggs,
and can be increased rapidly Bmt
had rather sell the young ducks To
some ono else TO fat;cn. IL ,vas 90
ing TO duck raising, ] think that /
would use the Pckings
Supplies.
II has always been amusinr 70 ma
10 read the Southern farm papers adj
vising the cotton farmers to grow
'heir own supplies" That is / sup
poso. to grow enough corn and oats to
Feed tlEir stock, I'm order to grow
moro cotton. Now. this talk of every
thing else but cotton being simply
supplies makes me very tired. OF
course, the farmer In tho cotton belt
should raise his feed of all sorts. ana
ne should grow II in an equal rotation
with his cotton crop. and not only have
supplies for his own use. but corn Ia
sell and oats TO SELL and an abundance
or pea hay. not to cell. but to feed 10
stock at a profit. L read once in n
southern daily paper that Mr. SO and So
had grown corn enough tina, neaso1 10
last him three years. And the infer
ence seemed TO be that Nj, So and So
would grow no corn for tire. years
out would Peep and feed The old wee.
VII eaten stun as supplies" There
Will be no real agricultural advance
rncni in the cotton belt until the
fa,mcrs get rid of tho notion that
EXCEPT cotton. ] knew one farmer Ia
North Carolina, who bought run-
down farm, and at once put IL into
a thTce-year rotation OF corn and peas;
oats, peas, clover. and cotton. clover,
and back to corn, and fed all the
roughage Even In the second round
OF his rotation he made scventy-nNe
bushels OF oats acre. and ON the
same land made TWO tons OF cowpea
hay. and left tho land In crimson clover
In the fall. and he wrote 10 me that
he thought that the crop OF oats and
pea nay beat cotton long way in pro-
Mt He had so much supplies" tina;
his barn would not hold all his hay
and he had 10 stack ~ large part of
II outside, and on "a farm where The
whole of ii formerly made about 200
pounds of lint cotton an acre, he made
600 pounds acre or one-third the
land, and made nifty bushels OF corn
and scvonty-hve bushels Of oats. and
led stock enough TO manure his corn
hcld over In every round OF the rota-
ton. And he had corn and onts 10
sell as well as supplying his own
needs. And the supplies" enabled
him TO hold his cotton tlll the prlco
suited him. and he was not compelis,.
10 rush II on the market in the fall
TO pay fertilizer and other bills. for
MS stock brought him money in tho
spring, ana he got on cash basis
iHa' IS the way TO grow Suppliee, and
supply some who have not learned
how.
I.cspede1s.
Lcspedezai or Japan clover, as IL is
Nlilcd. has spread all over the Pied
mont country OF the South as far MS
me RAppahannock River. and perhaps
httle further. Some OF the papers
arc urging farmers in the upper South
70 SOW icspedcza. In all the red-cIay
regions there Is little need for SOW
ing H. for II Is very general. and has
made many All old broomsedge pasture
iar better by It's presence But. DO
cause down in the lower end OF tn.
mississippi VALLEY on rich soil. IL crows
tan enough for hay. many farmers In
North Carolina are asking me about
sowing lespedeza. Now there is moth
ing better to have on a pasture in
summer. and IL not already there. 4,
VIII be well 10 SOW IT.. But / do not
think that 1T Is crop to take into !,
farm rotation In the upper South. for
~ VIII never grow tall enough 10
make hay, except down near the Gulf.
and any one who sows IL in the upper
South expecting to cut hay from IL.
viii certainly be disappointed Got II
on eTcry waste place for pasture but
depend on peas and soy beans for your
summer forage crops.