The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-24
WITH THE FARMERS
BY Prof. w. F. MASSEY

fertilizers to strawberries In summer
after the fruit Is off. 30 that q strong
growth Is made for the next years
fruiting, and In spring apply tho phos-
phate and potash only. In this way
fruit we'll and mako firm fruit that
Will carry safely. Too heavy applica-
lions OF nitrogerous manures will
carry safely. Too heavy applications
| OF heterogeneous manures will make Inn
mense tomato plants. but not increase
tho fruit ms we'll as the mineral ele-
inents. In fact. where stable manure
Is used literally on the garden-and
as rule 1t should DO SO used IL well
rotted--it Is important that the man
I urc TO supplemented with a liboral APP
piication OF acid phosphate and pot
ash on sandy soils. such arc COM
monty used for vegetable growing, and
tho manure should be- lightest where
Underground crops arc to be planted
and heaviest where tho leaf crops are
| TO grow.
Glover and Peas for Truck Crops.
Talking with ono of our largest
truck growers to-day, he said that he
Is fast corning to tho conclusion that
NO cannot ufford TO pay s2.75 ton
Tor the New York stable manure. He
has been some years back using 1900
I tons or this manure. but he says that
he finds that with cowpeas and Grim
son clover and tho use OF CONNER
cial fertilizers. he can do as well as
with stable manure. He said that his
100 acres of canteioupes last year on
a turned-undcr growth OF crimson
clover. gave fully as good results as
when he used the manure. or course
he used fertilizer literally, and the
mr. IN n14
good as the vegetable matter in the
manure, and furnished nitrogen. too.
This is matter that would pay ell
truckers to investigate. especially az
around Norfolk, where the exclusive
use OF commercial fertilizers has made
trouble and whcre the soil needs tho
humus-making effect OF the leeumes.
To-dny'e mall brings me inquiries from
readers asking where to buy burned
lime, where 10 buy ground limestone
and where to get materials for mix
ing fertilizers mt home. can tell them.
but cannot tell them here. and this In
wolves writing moro Letters TO add 10
the thousands have already written.
Why dealers in these things do not
advertise is a puzzle to me.
! Fertilizer for Peanuts
/ wish TO mix good fertilizer for
peanuts and do not know what per
cent OF potash. ammonia. etc, 10 make
lined. but IL deficient in potash?" Pea
nuts arc one of the legumes which can
get nitrogen from the air. and hence
need very little I'm fertilizer have
advised the following. and II has been
used successfully By experienced
growers:
/ Thomas Phosphate tBasic slag) 500
! pounds; nitrate OF sode. Hfty pounds,
and muriate OF potash, ATTY pounds
wei mixed per acre. Tho Thomas
phosphate will furnish some lime and
! the potash is important in tho prevent
| ing or pops The nitrate of soda Is
merely TO give AN early start Later
The crop can get Its own nitrogen.
! Getting Organic Matter From Peas and
| Glover.
where live the crop OF canteloupes
| and wntermelons occupies thousands OF
: acres and tho growers have been nc
! custoned to depend very largely on the
! stable manure brought from New York
| by ra!l They have been paving s275
ner ton delivered on the siding here.
! lhis year the price has gone up to
I SO 20. md yet many arc getting H.
J Talking with W. +. Allen the largest
grower here. he said that while In
| years gone by lie had used 1000 tons
| OF this manure year he did not In
tend 10 buy II at present prices He
| said that last summer he made as 6ne
4
/ crimson clover as he had ever made
/ with the stable manure. and that here.
after he VIII depend on cowpeas and
! crimson clover TO furnish nitrogen and
! organic decay. supplemcnting them
| WIN nigh grade commercial fertilizer
/ mixture and he fears that II the crop
| proves Improbable the coming sum
| meF' many VIII find II hard to pay
! for the manure at present prices The
former price OF s275 was very high
| tor this manure. which carries n largo
amount Of waste hay and straw and
! 1T is hard to sec how growers are To
make any profit from Il at 1926 pcr
/ ION. Mr. Allen never fails to have a
! dense stand OF crimson clover. for lie
sows half q bushel Of seed an acre
saving that no knows no better in
surance OF crop than an abundance of
| seed He certainly gets the heaviest
i grown or any one In this section. and
! n Held or this clover, without n vacant
! spot. and growing over two feet high
certainly furnishes a larger amount
/ OF vegetable matter than the heaviest
| application OF manure and as the COM
mon practice liz to put tho manure I'm
! the burrows only. the dense growth OF
! clover all over the land should furnish
lar more organic decay, to say moth
| ing or the amount of nitrogen such n
! mass will furnish This. too. Is far bet
Yer than depending on commercial fer
tiliZcrs alone. since the fertilizers will
! be made all the more available by
| the amount Of humus- making material
/ that VIII retain the moisture in the
soil for the solution OF the fertilizers.
| In fact, such an amount of vegetable
! matter may make all the difference bo-
tween success and failure in dry
/ season. Cowpeas In summer, followed
! by crimson clover in the fall. should
/ more than take the place of manure
| scattered I'm the burrows only When
| our truck farmers fully realize the
Importance OF the lcgumes in tho i'm
proVement OF their soil. and in the
solution of the fertilizers used so Law.
! iShlv. there will he far more attention
| given to them There is growing
scarcity of city manure owing to tho
greater use OF motor trucks and We
l hIClnd nd