Sharp County record., 1917-04-13
PEAS AND BEANS A
BLESSING NEXT YEAR
Farmers Urged 7 o Plant
Some Of These Crops On
Their Land This Season.

al ga D4Dto 1lC LDh ttlll!dAtllil-
good prices, along vi h everything
else, and with reasonable industry
AID frugality the farmers on the
/. poorest land can do fairly we'll and
escape many hardships in lie with
which they have heretofore had to
contend. This will naturally cause
the most of TIE farmers to plant as
X eHSiveIy as they can Of the
money crops, With the consequent
result that other crops and the land
itself will be more or less neglected
and run down. This will be a mis-
fortune that will rise up end stare
you in the face in the future. At
no time is it more imIorjant 10
raise plenty OF feed crops for all live
stock and 10 farm he land 50 i,
will be improved.
The humble COW pea is a great
soil improver for the South. Last
year the COW pea was not raised as
extensively as heretofore, and the
supply Of seed is low and the price
nigh. The COW pea makes good
hay, and nearly always brings a
good price on the market. TAey
should be planted in all the corn,
aud after wheat and oats. All the
spots Of poor land on the farm
should be planted in COW peas, soy
beans or velvet beans. Sow the
COW peas broadcast and cut for hay
The hay is good and the crop helps
the land. The soy bean makes a
good hay crop and is better for the
land than peas. A soy bean crop
is hard to save except for hay. The
pods pop open when the beans
ripen, and many are lost if the crop
is picked, but the little beans are
hard and will remain on the ground
until you can turn the hogs in to
eat them after crop gathering time
They make the very best hog feed
Soy beans can be planted between
the hills Of corn in the row and be
'ho9ged down" after the corn is
gathered, or before. If you will
feed the hogs on soy beans a few
days before you turn them in the
corn field, there will be little dam
age done to the corn by pasturing
the hogs in the field before gather
ing the corn, They will like the
soy beans better than corn, and will
let the corn alone until the beans
are done They may break down
an occasional stalk Of corn, but if
the soy beans are plentiful they will
do but little damage to the corn
The velvet bean is one of the
best soil improving crops for South
ern farms, 1t is rich in nitrogen.
The velvet beans can be planted ~
rows with the corn at about the third
plowing After the corn natures
and the blades dry up you can 90
ia the field and break and bend
over the tops just above the ear
This will not hurt the corn, but give
a good support for the bean vines.
and prevent them from breaking
down the stalks. The teans should
be planted about six feet apart in
the rows between the corn hills.
The vines are very vigorous and
make q heavy growth. In the fall
the corn can be gathered early and
then the stalks and vines be run
over, with a roller or drag, after
which q heavy disk harrow can be
run over, which will enable you to
plow under the whole mass, This
will add lots Of vegetable matter to
the soil, and produce splendid re.
suits In the crop that follows the
next year
Remember the COW pea, the soy
bean and the velvet bean, and try
some Of each or all this year on
your poorest land. They will be a
blessing to you next year
1