The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1916-02-24

year, Joe-oats, corn, fodder, hayF
mo, sir, not yet" laughed Joe. 1.-THE
reason l want to plant the cowpeas Is
that l saw in the book that the pea
vines are a legume and gather nitro
gen from the air and store it away IL
the soil In little warts or nOdules Oh
the roots of the vine and that a crOI
OF peas on land is worth a ton Of com
mercial fertilizer for the next crOT
year. Then there will be q lot of fall,
en- leaves from the pea vines to be plow.
ed under, and they will add some hui
mus to the soil"
/ II always heard that a crop of cow
peas helped land, but never knew ex-
actly why" said Mr.. Somerville.
Haven't you been studying your
book about Agricultural" asked Joe
severely 1--WE been through mine
once and am half through it again.
And l don't leave a page until | can
remember the sense Of it."
"Well, the truth is, Joe, I've been so
busy here at the store and our book
keeper has been sick
II reckon it is right hard for you to
find the time. Well, as 1 was saying,
III get those pea vines off, knock down
the cornstalks into the low burrows.
then get a turning ploW and bed that
acre up on those stalks and pea vine
leaves and roots to form humus for
spring"
Then you ought to give that land
a rest"
mo, Stree" Joe shook his head.
Land doesn't need rest as long as you
put something back into it for what
your crops take out. HI SOW that acre
down in White Milan turnips. They
are quick growers, and we can sell
every one Of them here in town before
Christmas"
give crops in one year from one
acre-it hardly seems possible, joe
at is possible, for it has been done.
See here" Joe hauled from his pocket
a clipping from a country newspaper
in another part of the state telling Of
what a progressive farmer there had
done. u found that paper in the road,
and lay awake ever so long last night
thinking it over after read about that
man, and it works out all right
"That is certainly farming some!'
said the senior partner. And just to
think-moSt Of he people around here
are satisfied to get less than one
fourth of that amount Of produce from
their land,
THAT sort Of farming doesn't satisfy
me-" said Joe dccisiycly.
"Or me, either. now know what can
be done. And, by the way. Joe, there's
a commercial fertilizer concern offer
ing a prize Of &1G0 to the boy in the
corn club contest in the state who
makes the largest crop with his fer
tilizer. The state chemist ccrtifes that
the product Of that factory is up to
standard"
We've got to use some chemical fer
tilizer, and we might as well take a
chance on that prize, too," said Joe.
"All right We'll go after everything.
And there's a nitrate Of soda firm Of |
tering another hundred the same way, |
but | don't know much about that |
stuff. Do you"
Eyes, sir; nitrate is the quickest |
way for plants to get nitrogen, and
hat is the main element. Just scatter
he stuff on the ground about corn just
before 1t tassels and the books say
t will increase the crop nearly one
bird. It's fine for cotton, too-push-
IS it right along"
i've never seen any Of the nitrate
II heard Of it being used about this
leck Of the woods" said Mr.. Somer-
lille
Neither have l. The book says 1t
ONES mostly from Chile and it looks
Ike common, coarse, dirty salt and dis
Olives quickly in water or by the mols-
ure Of the ground. That is how the
cots get 1t SO soon after it is applied.
When it strikes the roots that plant
1st everlastingly hustles."
IF we go in for all these things and
Yin out, Joe, It's a pretty big prize In
honey alone on the corn. There's SIS
Or the winner In this county, 500 for
lie fertilizer and another 500 for the
itrate-$275-but that is in competi
on with the entire state"
I'm going to do my level best, and {
hen fellow does that he'd as soon
1mpete with the whole world as not"
That's the way to look at it. Then
lere Is the state certificate, with the
lip to Washington
Il certainly want that trip" said Joe.
want to talk to the head men of the
apartment Of agriculture Of Washing
N and see what they are doing.
ant to go right to headquarters and {
'e for myself and learn something"
What are you going to do with your -.
oney if you win it?" l
well, half Of it is yours, you know 7
mo, indeed; half the crop money is
Inc, The prizes belong to you if you
in" Il