Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-28


cedure or would you advise cowpeas in place
Of the melilotus. and when would ground
limestone be most advantageOusly applied to
the land?
One desiring to plant alfalfa next
| September should begin by preparing
| the land for that purpose as soon as
| practicable. If the land has not already
| been broken we would turn it over with
| a two-horse pillow to a good depth, but
would not subsoil it at this season of
! the year. Harrow and scatter over the
surface of the ground two tons of fine
| ly ground raw lime rock Plant early
maturing varieties of cowpeas as soon
as danger of frost has passed. Use at
| least 200 pounds of acid phosphate I'M
der the peas; 800 pounds would be bet
ter. The peas should then be plowed
under to a good depth. Then roll the
! land and cross disc it. Prepare as fine
| seed bed as practicable. Firming the
| soil after cowpeas have been grown on
the land is an important matter. Put on
| two tons more of lime. About the 18th
of September If seasonal conditions are
favorable, SOW alfalfa. We prefer to
use western seed and only choice seed
should be used.
We would inoculate with special Gull
| lures. We have found this more salts
factory and safer than the use of sofs.
Seed on a dark day if practicable. At
or few days before the time of plant
ing, apply 500 to 1000 pounds OF a
formula containing about per cent of
organic nitrogen and to 10 per cent of
phosphoric acid. Some potash would
probably be desirable If this material
were available at a reasonable cost. If
you can secure 500 to 1000 pounds of
wood ashes for use on each acre of land,
IT would be we'll to broadcast them over
the surface of the ground and harrow
| them in.
The seed should be covered with a
| light weeder or brush harrow. Early
seeding is desirable. 1t is important to
| secure good stand before cold weather
sets in. Cowpeas will be found much
more satisfactory for the purpose you
have in mind than :. sweet clover. II
should not be sown until later in the
spring than oowpeaS ordinarily, as il
sometimes does not start very readily
and often takes quite a while, therefore.
to establish itself.
EARNING ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS
PER ACRE.
E. &, Fitzgerald, Ca, writes [ have
purchased three acres OF an eight-acre tract
in Atlanta at 10000 per acre. and would
like to own the remaining five acres IL
could pretty safely calculate on making
$4,000 per acre annually. Do you think
l could do this by planting peas in the
spring and about June 10th sell the hay
tatoes put in vetch or other fan cropY Your
advice in this matter Will lie appreciated.
1t is not clear from your letter
whether you desire to make 10000 per
acre gross or net from the land in Ques-
tion. You should be able to make $4,000
gross without difficulty if you follow
"a proper system of cropping. We be-
lieve that if this land is at all suited
to trucking that your chance of MAX
ing a satisfactory income per acre will
be enhanced by devoting IL to truck
rather than to general field crops, as
you have suggested. For instance, you
could grow Irish potatoes to good adj
vantage and follow by sweet potatoes.
Under proper management you should
raise rs bushels of marketable Irish
potatoes per acre and 100 bushels of
sweet potatoes. We think these figures
are extremely conservative. You ought
to be able to net so cents a bushel on
the sweet potatoes and S1.00 bushel on
the Irish potatoes. There will be some
culls which you can feed to hogs to
good advantage. OF course, the plan
suggested will call for intensive and
careful cultivation. You would need
to institute an active campaign against
potato bugs which can be controlled by
spraying the plants with Paris green in
the proper strength.
We do not think you can hope to ma
ture a crop of cowpeas planted in the
spring by the 10th of June. Possibly
YOU would have to wait until the middle
Of July or first of August to harvest
the crop. Much depends on the season
and the variety of peas selected. We
think you would find 1t too late to plant
sweet potatoes after a crop of peas have
been removed from the soil to insure
the best results. You can grow vetch
and oats after your sweet and Irish po-
tato crop to very good advantage. II
YOU intend to handle this crop in an in
tensive manner, you must have yard
which you can do doubt obtain from
the city at a reasonable cost and sup
plernent with commercial fertilizers or
institute a proper crop rotation.
SELLING OATS VS.. DAT HAY.
]. F.. Blakely. Ca. writes: have
about 300 acres in oats. The market IL
90 cents bushel for the grain ana S2oOo
/ ,.sition? Am expecting to erect shed to
put the hay under to protect II from rain;
Will have II about 10 feet wide and 20
iake care of 100 tons Of loose hay2
planted NV alfalfa last November and il Is
about inches high and doing nicely. VIII
! il DO TO cut this year:
A. Ell t.ver your ques-
/ tion -..... lout more nlli-
mate know sou conoItlOis
and the .'tl are hkely 10
make. We forty ousneIs
| 20 the acre liberal yield
/ for q tract co.., area you mem