The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-21
SATURDAY.

lsssSE Sss S how to mako
W. r.. ,.u@sc,. home mixture. How
many sweet potatoes should bed for
an acre. as want to get them early?"
sweet potatoes need fertilizer strong
in phospboric acid and potash, and
with only a moderate amount of nitro
gen. mixture of 400 pounds OF
acid phosphate. 200 pounds of cotton
seed meal. 400 pounds of muriate of
potash VIII make ton of good sweet
potato fertilizer. If used at rate of 800
pounds an acre. To get the whole
area planted early you will have TO
bed more potatoes than would ordin-
arily be needed. and l would bed three
bushels for each acre. though from sew
eral drawings you can plant more
ground from that many seed potatoes.
Sowing Glover Seed.
Would you advise sowing clover
seed on snow? Would you advise SOW
ing crimson clover seed after harvest
on stubble land without narrowing
or plow!ng?" suppose that red
clover seed might be- sown on a light
snow In February on land where II
would not be apt TO wash off. But IL
is better to SOW the seed on frosty
morning, when the soil Is slightly
frozen. and the sun will thaw II dur
ing the day. and thus cover the seed
by sinking into the soft thawed sur
face. / have seen good crops OF Grim
son clover made by sowing the seed
In stubblc after harvest. but think 1t
is very uncertain practice, and In
your locality 1t Is entirely too carly
then to SOW the clover. Better SOW
peas after harvest and cut them for
hay, and SOW the clover on tho pea
stubble in September after diskins the
stubble lightly with n disk drill, and
not harrow.
Still More About Lime.
A lime manufacturer sends me a
clipping from Southern farm paper
In which a correspondent is advised two
tons of ground limestone are better
than one ton of burnt line and that no
farmer can afford to pay more than half
the price OF burnt lime for the lime
stone. And further that no farmer can
afford to pay moro than $3.50 ton
for ground limestone delivered Then
the lime manufacturer argues that he
would say that no farmer can afford
to pay over So q ton for burned lime
delivered. i can hardly agree to this
Inference. since n ton of lump lime
will Stake double. and 1000 pounds
OF this slaked lime is In my expert
ence worth more than n whole ton OF
ground limestone, and hence. the lime
would be worth more than So ton
with the ground limestone at $3.50.
But as the greater part of North Caro-
lima Is destitute OF limo deposits, and
the farmers must look to Virginia for
lime, and the railroad freights on lime
to Eastern and Southern North Caro-
lima will average $500 ton. the Idea
that $3.50 per ton for limestone and
So per ton for burned lime Is the high
est farmer can afford to pay. would
cut off most OF the farmers In North
Carolina from the use OF lime at all.
/ think that the freight rates are eX-
cessive but that does not alter the
fact that where n mans soil Is in
need OF lime he cannot afford not to
use It. hardly know where he can
not afford TO use lime II It is needed
1t is n matter that vitality concerns
nearly every Southern farmer. for,
Notwithstanding the fact that he can
grow cowpeas and velvet beans on an
acid SOIL he is compelled to get the
soil sweet for the growing OF clover
and alfalfa / do not agree with the
enthusiastic advocates OF lining who
advise two tons an acre. 1t is far
better to use small amount every
round of n three-year rotation than n
large amount with twice as long an in
terval. In fact, as l have more than
once said in these columns, II lime
Is needed. then use lime that has been
made through burning the rock, for no
mechanical grinding can reduce 1t as
fine as VIII result from the shaking OF
the burnt lime. And I am not at all
afraid OF the lime destroying the hui
mus in the SOIL for l would aim to
keep up a supply for II to destroy
and bring into use by crop. Lime.
either as ground rock or burned lime,
will never make poor land rich, but
lime and legumes mako team that,
properly used. Will maintain and in
crease the fertility OF the soil, and
the farmer whose land needs limo (and
there is very little In the South that
does not) can afford to use lime and
pay what good lime Is worth at his
station.
This matter of good lime, too. Is an
important one, for there are low grade
limestone used for lime. and these
make low grade lime and. OF course.
as such cannot be used for Industrial
purposes, the burners can afford to
sell 1t low. 1t is the railroads which
make limo costly in the South, and
the effort on the part of the farmers
should be to get the rates on lime re-
duced to n fair rate, a rate OF $500 n
ton on an article costing shy So a ton
Is too great tax to lay on It, | do
not mean to say that SO Is a good
price for high grade lime, but i simply
make the comparison.
But what the Southern farmer needs
to learn Is that lime Is not used as a
fertilizer, and IL Is not good thing
to top dress grain winter crops with
expecting to get results In the grain
crop. In short, lime is OF far more use
to the good farmer who farms in
rotation with legumes than II Is to the
poor farmer, who simply CANDLES with
fertilizers to make crops. But there
are institute lecturers who are trying
TO persuade the farmers that all they
have 20 do to make their land rich Is
to fill Ii fun OF ground limestone.
have heard them say as much and
there Is no greater faliacy in farm
Ing. There Is nothing that will 80
well restore the sweetness OF the soil
MS well-slaked burned lime, and the
farmer whose soil needs II Will have
to get 1t. and get the best. In spite OF
the railroads He Will DO handicapped,
of course. If at q long distance. from
the source OF supply, but he cannot af-
ford not to use what the soil ahso-
,utely demands for Its Improvement
Making Hay of Crimson Glover.