Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-18

| IMAM any OIL Jne crops menllOuSu II
does best however, when given good
! chance to establish itself before cold
weather AS TO the grazing of the sor-
| Shum we frequently let cows Craze on
| the first and second crops. In only one
| instance in many years do we recollect
| of cows being injured by grazing on the
| second crop of sorghum. In that In
| stance one or two animals died preSum-
ably from prussic acid poison. In dry
| seasons some poison of this character
apparently develops in sorghum and. OF
| course, cattle consuming the stalks con-
| taining II will die very quickly. Thls
rarely occurs, however. in the southeast,
| but is much more frequently met with
west of the Mississippi river. Our
/ experience has been such that we would
not hesitate to Craze sorghum. OF
| course there is no positive assurance
| that an animal might not die from the
| effect of prussic acid which may have
! developed in some of the plants produc-
| ed on poor. thin land, under droughty
| conditions. There will be little benefit
in grazing sorghum after it is cut down
by frost, as 1t wlthers up rapidly and
! the greater part of it's nutriment is lost.
The same is true of cowpeas. Most OF
the nitrogen this crop contains is either
in the grain or leaves. When the leaves
fall after frost occurs the benefit which
the Incorporation of the plant with the
soil early in the season would bring to
the land is not obtained. We suggest
gather the crop on the good areas of
soil, you turn all refuse under and Sc
cure the maximum amount of beneficial
effect II may exert on the land when
used in the capacity of a green manure.
Preparing Land for Wheat and Oats
A. II. NJ, waycross, Ca, writes: l am
planning to plant some wheat and oats this
fall. Last fall l turned the land deep,
turning under a lot Of velvet beans and
grass. / have corn and velvet beans the
land this year. Would you advise turning
the land this fall or narrowing with disk
harrow? What kind of fertilizer 90 you
think best TO use?
The desirability of turning land for
wheat at this season of the year de-
ponds very much on the physical con-
dition of the soil and whether you can
prepare satisfactory seed bed through
cross disking. When practicable we arc
disposed to advocate the blowing OF
l,done, however, time should be available
to let the land stand say for about 80
days after it has been broken before
seeding. In other words, it should firm
down, as the cereals require a fairly
firm seed bed. You may wonder why
it is desirable to break the land at all,
We advocate this practice so as to give
depth and frlabillty TO the soil ana
also for the purpose of burying weeds,
trash and other materials which may
cover the surface of the ground. This
insures its more rapid and uniform
decay and ii presents much finer sur
face on which to do the seeding.
In drilling wheat, which we think to
be by all odds the best practice, it is
better to distribute the seed uniformly
on dirty or trashy ground. Therefore,
as you would not need to plant wheat
until November LIST to 18th in your sec
ton of the state, we see no reason why
you should not break the land and
handle as suggested. We would advise
YOU to use on soil of the character de-
Scribed one or two sacks or good
grade of cottonseed meal, or any other
,F ME rrrai Mt oi
same equivalent amount of plant food.
along with 200 to 800 pounds of acid
phosphate. The application of 200 to
800 pounds of fertilizer under wheat
we believe to be a desirable practice.
The soils in your section of the state
are probably lower in nitrogen and
phOsphoric acid than in some other To-
calities, therefore il is good practice
to supply these elements in as liberal
amounts as possible. Should any nj
trate of soda be available next spring
we would advocate top dressing the
wheat with 100 pounds per acre, put on
about the 18th of February. According
10 our experience, early planting CT
wheat is the most profitable.
As to varieties of wheat, we think
YOU will find the Georgia Red, Fulcas-
ter. Mediterranean, and Leaps Prolific
satisfactory varieties to use in your sec.
ton of the state.
Varieties of Cotton Suited to South
Georgia
j. j.. D.
please tell me what kind of cotton seed will
he hest to plant in the boil weevil section,
as the boil weevil has damaged my crop
One-third
bool weevil through the choice of va
riety of cotton alone. This is an in
sect which can be controlled to some
considerable extent if certain definite
rules and regulations are observed
and carried into effect.
In the first place you should now de-
strOy all cotton stalks on your place
before frost occurs. Just as soon as
Of cotton you will gather, as a result of
weevil damage, off the plants you may
plow them under to a good depth. Cover
them as completely as possible. Do not
delay this operation a single day. BY
This means you will destroy thousands
and thousands of weevils, which will
otherwise hibernate in your cotton field
or in the vicinity thereof and be ready
TO start fresh and extensive damage
to your crop as soon as the weather
opens up in the spring. Next, you
should destroy all weeds and thrash
bordering your cotton field. 1t is also
inadvisable to grow cotton on the same
land year after year. The next step is
TO select a variety of cotton noted for
the early setting on of the squares and
rapid growth and development of the
bolls during the early part of the sea-
son. For your section of the state we
imagine you will find the Covington-
IOOlc ABOUT as SATISFACTORILY as any
strain adapted for general cultiva ton.
Endeavor to secure the best available
seed possible. Remember that there
are all sorts of seed offered for sale,
and you should therefore buy from a
reliable party. Pillow the land intended
for cotton as early as possible this
fall. Make every effort to plant your
seed as soon as practicable in the
spring. Fertilize the land very liber-
ally, using applications of nitrogen and
phosphOric acid so as to stimulate a
rapid growth and a quick maturity Of
the plant. Cultivate frequently in or
der to force the crop forward. In the
early spring as soon as the cotton is
out of the ground go over the fields
and pick off every weevil. Continue
this practice until the crop on the lower
part of the plant is developed. If you
do this, you will be able to raise cotton
with fair measure of success in boil
weevil infested territory. If you are
not prepared to follow out some such
plan of action as has been advised and
suggested, you will find that the Wee
wills will practically destroy your crop,
once they have we'll established them
selves in your community