French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-11-15
PROBLEMS.
Rye and COWpeaS Compared With Les
Pedeza for Fitting Poor Land to
to Make a Good Pasture.

A reader has a piece of rather
poor land" and asks, (Which will be
the most economical method of bring
ing it up so it will make a good pac-
ture: To SOW rye this fall and pillow
it under in the spring and then SOW
cOWpeas and take them off for hay
before seeding to pasture, or sow les
pedeza next spring and Craze it next
SUMMER"
There r two problems in this
question. or at least, two points to be
considered. First, which will put the
land in better condition and second,
which will cost the most.
On poor land, a large growth of rye
for blowing under will not be made
but it will much improve the land if a
fair growth is made and the land is
well broken in blowing the rye under.
On such land the growth of cowpeas
should be fair, after blowing under
the crop of rye, especially if a little
acid phosphate is used under the cow
peas. The cowpeas will take a large
part of the nitrogen used in their
growth from the air, but since the
cOWpeas are to be removed for hay the
increase in nitrogen in the soil will
not be great. Usually it is not prac-
ticable to cut cowpeas closely and
considerable stubb1e and leaves are
often on the land. In such case the
nitrogen taken from the air and left
in the soil in the stubble and roots is
likely to be some larger than the
amount taken from the soil and re-
moved in the hay. On the whole,
therefore, we may reasonably expect
considerable increase in the fertility
of this land from such a procedure.
On the other land, if this poor land
Us sowed to IesDedeza next spring and
graZed next summer the growth Of
lespedeza is not likely to be large. II
the season be moist and a little acid
phosphate is used the growth of les
pedeZa might, however, be ~considera-
BILE. The ~lespedeZa will take a large
part Of the nitrogen used in it's
growth from the air and IS to- 80 per
cent of this will be left on the land by
the animals grazing it. But we think.
under usual conditions, the land is
likely to be in better condition for
seeding to pasture crops next fall if
the first or rye-coWpeas method is
AOA4O"CO CCIOOSH Jhe COSG Inlay DG
greater, and this is the second prob
lem which must be considered. To
SOW rye and cowpeas the land must
be twice prepared for seeding and the
cost of the rye and cowDea seed and
labor charged against the hay crop.
With the other method there is only
the cost of the lespedeza seed and the
sowing of it to be charged against the
value Of the pasturage. We think the
latter IS, therefore, likely to give the
best financial returns of at least will
necessitate the smallest outlay of
money.
When it is necessary or highly de-
sirable that some returns be obtained
from the land and the financial out
lay reduced to a minimum there is no
better way to improve land than to
seed to lespedeza and Craze for a
number of years The grazing is ant
to prove profitable and in the course
OF a few years the soil will lbe so i'm
proved that it will grow fair crops if
tne pasture plants suited to that Sec
tlon' provided washing and the
gFoWth of weeds are prevented.-Dr
1a1t Butler in Progressive Farmer.
[L AEZ E MNE I