The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1915-06-24

! Cultural ONCE III tno C0aInOof OF
! Commerce room.
Mr.. Fletcher has 'hankering''
/ for things green in the winter time.
In Cumberland county he found one
bare field after another. with only
two acres Of Clover in the whole
county and not over five hundred
acres in all winter growing crops.
This means that lands were being
washed away, that plant food was
being leached out, that farmers
produced no winter grazing and
therefore an Inadequate supply of
provement. In other words, the
farmers were not producing the
things most needed. Mr.. Fletcher
at once started campaign for Win
ter cover crops. Few farmers
would cooperate with him at first
because they were not acquainted
with him, and did not believe such
things as grasses and clover would
grow on their soil. Some ridiculed
him, and others even wanted him
out Of the county, but Fletcher has
staying qualities and winning ways.
He paid little attention to their op-
. position and Indifference. Here
: and there he gained farmers con-
fidence, induced him to plant few
. acres Of winter-growing crops by
. the way Of showing him and his
neighbors that the crops would
grow successfully, if properly man
aged. Much to the farmers sur
prise and Fletcher's qualification,
) the crops succeeded. These few
demonstrations the first year con-
vinced most farmers Of Fletcher S
) knowledge and varacity.
: The next season he urged the
matter strenously again, and, Of
course, with more success. He es-
Inmates now that he has fully ten
: thousand acres Of winter crops in
5 the county and he expects to double
that amount next season. 1t IS &c
trouble for him to get farmers tC
plant winter cover crops now or dc
almost anything else he asks them tc
Go. Some Of them who wanted to pu1
him out OF the county at first, arc
. now his best friends and are calling
: On him for assistance. These crops
consist Of three kinds Of cover, four
or five kinds Of grasses, vetch anC
:. alfalfa. Vetch is usually planted
with oats. One farmer has fvt
acres Of vatch and oats that are over
five feet high. He has, also five
acres of mixed grasses, some mixed
clover and oats and ffty acres O
oats that will yield from fifty to six
" bushels per acre. An05t e. farm
er has fine demonstration OF III
teen acres Of crimson clover witt
: oats and sixty acres Of rye witt
: clover for soil Improvement. Many
farmers have from five to ten acre
Of crimson clover, or clover witt
oats. or mixed grasses In man,
= cases a square yard Of these crop
= furnishes a good feed for a horse.
" One Of the best demonstrat tons i
:, that Of three acres Of alfalfa whlci
y stands thirty inches high. 2'his j
: something new under the sun t
. Cumberland County farmers. The
y have visited it from every section 0
- the county, even from surrounding
Counties, and have tramped path
around and through it. This. how
ever, does not mean to say that M 7
Fletcher advises every farmer to tc
: to grow alfalfa, because som'
:, Of them viii fail to carry out his in
- structions. There are certain speclfi
. things have to be done at the righ
= time and in the right way to succee
! with this crop. AS soon as III
7 Fletcher can renovate the indiffer
] ence Of this class Of farmers, probs
bIy he will have them, too, to gro
! alfalfa At any rate, the way he
going now, he will soon have th
/ whole county renovated as SO
fertility. This means larger an
more profitable crops, and in th
] end, the building up Of the hon
better highways, better school:
5 better churches, better and MOI
, contented farmers. A communit,
Of course. depends upon the kind
. farming done there. Mr.. Fletch'
is bringing to pass this kind
farming.
Who will give him title?
! EE:DOfi0Ill Fashion Announcement