Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-11-28

humus content, but afford the only
economical means Of building up
the nitrogen supply. In ordinary
farm practice, where cotton and
corn are the chief crops, these green
manure crops offer the only means
of maintaining organic matter and
nitrogen. They should be extensive
ly grown in general farming to pre-.
vent the soil from becoming impov-
erished and unproductive from con.
tinued cropping. While the peanut
is legume, which is being eXten.
sive1y grown at present, it is of
no advantage to the soil where the.
whole crop is harvested and sold
from the farm.
The practice of burning corn and
cotton stalks and other crop resi-
dues cannot be too strongly con-
demned. Referring to the table Of
plant analyses, it is seen that prac-
tically tWo-thirds of the plant food
required for crop of corn or cot
ton remains in the stalks, leaves,
etc. If these residues are burned,
all the nitrogen is lost, and the
phosphoric acid and potash remain
behind in a. few unevenly distributed
ash heaps, and are of little value
to the succeeding crop because of
the uneven distribution over the
land. This means a net loss of over
twelve dollars worth of plant food
when the stalks, leaves, etc, from
a onebale cotton crop or hundred
bushe1 corn crop are burned. Per-
haps the organic matter lost would
have been equally as valuable to
the land as the plant food contained
in the residue. Approved methods
for fighting the boil weevil call for
burning all litter or turning it under
deeply. To burn all vegetable mat
ter off the ground entails such a
loss as would be disastrous in it's
accumulative effect. Deep turning
and rotation is the best permanent
practice. %
The function of nitrogen is to pro.
duce growth in the plant itself, Civ.
ing size of stalk and limb, and deep
green color to the foliage. Its need
can be readily detected by weak,
stunted plants and the absence of
deep green color.
Preparing Mixed Feed for Dairy
Cows
G. r. F., Warrenton, Ga,
writes: Please tell me just how to
mix corn ground with cob and
shuck with velvet beans ground
with the hulls. How much salt
should be mixed with it and
how much should be fed to
cows? Do you think I should
build silo and is concrete the
best kind to build?
In your situation we would mix
equal parts of corn, cob and shuck
with equal parts of velvet bean meal
containing the hu11s. If your velvet
beans and hu11s are ground together
remember that regrinding may be
essential. 1t is very important that
you thoroughly commute the par
ticles of hulls to the point where
they will not cut or inJure the in.
testines. 1t is less important with
cows than with other classes of
stock.
1t is better to use rock salt than
to attempt to mix salt with the COM
bination Of grains you have indi-
Gated. If you will place rock salt
in the managers the cows will take
all they need, or you may put it
under shelter outside where they
will have access to 1t.
You may improve your grain mix
ture by combining some cotton seed
meal Herewith. In other words,
make your ration one-third corn and
cob meal, one-third velvet bean meal,
and one-third cottonseed meal. Or
dinarily cows should have about one
and one half pounds of grain per
100 pounds live weight. Sometimes
more should be fed and sometimes
not so much. 1t depends on the flow
of milk, the age and condition of
the animal, and the supplementary
ration provided. In addition you
should provide all the clean bright
hay and cut fodder they will eat. If
this is softened for a few hours with
water containing a little salt it will
be more palatable.
One who is in the dairy business
and expects to stay, and proposes
to feed and handle a number of
COWS will find silo indispensable
as furnishing the most desirable sub.
stitute for grass at the least relative
cost. If you are in position to do so it
would pay you to build a concrete
silo Of the Monolithic type that will
last indefinitely if properly con.
structed. It will cost a little more,
but the permanency of the struc.
ture would more than offset this in
the long run.