The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-09-27
Soil Building

The soil is "fa,mer's bank" ard
if he takes out Of !. It more fertilityi
each year in growing his crop than he
rut back into-it, it is just like draw
ing on his bank sccounts-it win soon
get where his checks will be turned
down for lack Of funds.
So your farm will refuse to grow
D paying crop. One Of the greatest
objects ID farmer should have in view
is to build up his soil and make it
more fertile each year. And this can
be done in no other way than by di
ersification, rotation Of crops and ky
Giyersifcation, rotation Of crops and
by sowing leguminous crops, such rs
| cas-, velvet beans, burr clover, GRIM
son clover or vetch. In the next so
days either burr clover, crimson Glow
er or vetch should be sowed. Land
cannot be made rich by hauling guano
to the farm and putting it on the land.
If this could have been done, this
country would have been rich, fer
lie country. Any farmer in this
country can so farm his land as t.,
make living on it pay his taxes
and make his farm double or even
treble it's production in six years by
using the proper methods Of agricul-
tire and there is nothing that will pay
him a greater profit thaun to adopt
these methods. Working poor land is
cry expensive. I know most Of the
land is too poor to grow a legminous
crop and the land has to be inoculated
before it will grow them, and seeds
IRE expensive but want to suggest a
sure and simple method so any farmer
will be able to start these leguminous
crops to growing on his farm. They
,ecommend about Is to 20 pounds Of
crimson clover to be sowed to the
acre and 18 to 20 pounds of vetch
sowed broadcast and have known a
great many who failed to get stand.
These seed cost this year about 20
cents FER pound and there are a great
many farmers who haven't $500 to
put out on seeds for one acre. Now,
want to suggest little practical
and cheap way that any farmer can
use to get these crops growing on his
farm. 1 have tried these methods to
get my land inoculated and I know
hey will do it.
These crops should be sowed within
the next 80 days or they can be sown
at once in your corn fields or cotton
fields. Take a short gopher plow
and run a shallow furrow in the mid
| die, then fasten a small chain about
FIVE feet long to the foot of the plow.
| Get small cedar limb about L " feet
long and fasten to the other end Of
the chain-let it drag In the furrow "
to cover the seed so that the inocula-
| ton bacteria will not get killed by
the sun. You will have to drop these
seed through guano funnel. Walk
| Just behind the man who opens the
follow and drop the seed and the
bush will come along in the furrow
and cover the seed. BY this method,
three pounds of seed will be enough
to SOW an acre of corn land and 5 "
pounds enough to SOW cotton land
with row three feet wide. You can
buy incubation through this Office for
80 cents per acre for less than five
acres, over five acres the price is 40
cents per acre.
prefer vetch to either Of the Glow
ers and it is much easier to get a
stand. AS stated above, most of the
land is too poor to grow leguminous
crops. This is true, but by this
method, vetch sown in row in jan
uary can be fertilized with 80 pounds
of nitrate of soda to the acre. and
the vetch will run all over the land
and will make fine growth and then
your land will be inoculated for all
time to come. If you plant this same
land in corn, plant in the vetch rows
and see how much better corn you
make than where you did not plant
the vetch. tt will be equal to ESQ
pounds of fertilizer to the acre.
You can build your soils to high
| er state of cultivation under no other
| system and under boil weevil condi-
tions you cannot afford to buy guano
Grow your soils rich and you farmers
will be prosperous. Feed your soil
with vegetable matter and humus and
It will feed you.
B. Harris,
Commissioner.