Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-10-08
miscellaneous Rsaains.
GRAIN mi
Demonstration Agent Blair Talks OF
Wise Agriculture.

wise Agriculture.
TFor The Yorkville Enquirer.1
Sow legumes to feed the soil and
wheat and pats to feed YOU.
Why should we SOW legumes? We
should SOW legumes to add nitrogen
Zone of the most valuable Of all plant
foods), to add humus, a thing which
all soils need to help hold moisture
and digest the plant food that we ap-
ply in the form Of commercial ferti-
lizers. 1 have not seer a single farm
er who has sowed legumes n roi-
lowed same with corn. who has been
sorry Of the fact that he sowed same;
but l have seen them sorry OF the fact
that he did not SOW more.
I have not seen a piece of corr TINS
year (where it was planted after a
legume), but that the yield was in
creased from one-third to one-hair
and with less fertilizers Of a mucn
cheaper quality than would have been
used on clean cultivated land.
A crop Of crimson clover that will
cut three-fourths Of a ton Of hay to
the acre, if turned under. will add be-
tween six and seven dollars worth OF
available plant food to the soil-pret-
ty cheap fertilizer for one and one
half dollars worth Of seed, the amount
that it takes to SOW n acre.
A crop Of hairy vetch that will cut
three-fourths Of a ton Of hay per acre
will add to the soil between $40 and
s11 worth Of available plant food per
acre. I don't mean to say that a man
should try to SOW his entire farm to
cover crops, as this would be a high
priced experiment in case his v
crop made a poor growth; but every
farmer should try to SOW a part OF his
crop to see the benefits derived from
anne.
Where land has ever been sown to
clover or vetch, one must be sure "
to SOW such land without inoculating
his seed. There will be more legumes
sown this year than heretofore, as I
have had more than double the re-
quests for in~oculating material than
ever before.
1 am especially anxious that every
boy who intends to plant an acre OF
corn next year, insist upon his father
to get for him fifteen pounds Of GRIM
son clover seed to SOY on his acre,
and request me to have enough inocu-
lation sent him (free) to %inoculate his
seed.
In every case this year where a boy
has his acre planted on clover sod, he
is making better and cheaper corn
and hurting his and less than the boy
who has his corn planted on clean
cultivated land.
Now, as to the wheat and oat pro-
position: Let us not allow this lie
cotton to make US forget to sow
enough for home consumption at least.
Because cotton is now selling for IL
cents, there is no guarantee that 1t
will sell for IL cents next year. If one
had told you in the fall Of 1913 that
cotton would sell for z cents in 1914,
you would not have believed him; but
it sold at that figure, anyway.
This year taught the farmers Of
York county that they could raise a
living at home and had it not been for
the back debts Of 1914. they would
be in as good shape this fall as ever
before, regardless Of the war.
o~ not ipcicfinO nnon any0na
sowing all oats and wheat, as this
would make an unbalanced agricul-
ture, and this we do not want; but
our county, state and nation depends
upon a well balanced agriculture.
If we raise too much Of any one
thing, the market will not justify a
fair price. Therefore, let Us sow what
wheat and oats we need for home con
sumption; then if we get Z cents for
our cotton, we will still have a living
and if we get IL cents, we will have
some money.
The cry last fall, when we were
sowing a large acreage to wheat and
oats, was: how are we going to get
rid Of the crop? So far, 1 have not
heard Of anyone that has more than he
knows what to do with.
In sowing wheat and oats it has
been my experience, when sowing
early in the open furrow," that one
should never SOW more than three
fourths of a bushel of wheat or one
and one-half bushels Of oats per acre,
The better the land the less you should
use, especially oats. I also find that
oats make a much better yield where
the land is thoroughly broken and
prepared before sowing, and fertilized
at the rate Of at least 200 pounds of
something like standard fertilizer per
acre when sowing and from so to rs
pounds Of nitrate Of soda per acre in
March.
The same will hold rue in wheat
except it will do with less prepare
ton before sowing than will oats.
Yours truly,
p blair