Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-30
Cover Crops for South Georgia
Orchards

Cover Crops for South Georgia
Orchards
W. NJ. v, Albany, Ga, writes:
7 am going to plant lot OF
Augusta vetch at the rate of 80
pounds per acre and one-half
bushel of wheat with 1t. we
expect to plant it in our peach
orchard as a winter cover crop.
Can we plant them about the
first of September? what va
rieties of wheat are best for thls
section?
The Augusta vetch, sa you doubt
less know, is not nearly so Marcy as
the hairy vetch. You are, therefore,
likely to lose the stand in case you
have very severe freeze TINS
winter. On the other hand, the
chances of your growing sat
isfactory crop of Augusta
vetch in the vicinity of Al
banv are very good as your winters
are usually mild. In all the tests
made at Athens, however, the Au-
gusta vetch has been killed out by
reason of a severe cold snap Whlch
we have every winter.
The amount of seed you expect TO
Use per acre is all right. Our plan
has been to use a bushel OF Wneat
or oats along with the Vetch. Ihls
Gives the vetch something on when
10 climb, and we have always teIt
that we secured a larger volume OIL
green material as a. result OF inns
nractice which we could. use either
an hay or turn under as green
manure. Oats and Vetch make an
excellent combination hay, rather
better we think than wheat anu
vetch. Both combinations can, OF
course. be fed as hay TO mules IN
the early spring. =.
probably O. beardless variety OF
wheat is to be preferred to a beard
ed one. but we think this does not
make any particular difference. AS
tn varieties of wheat, We Woulu
recommend the following as well
adapted to your section: georgia
red Mammoth red, Leaps prohflc'
Fulcaster, Fultz and Dawson 6o!o-
en- chaff. Fultz and Leaps promo
are beardless sorts.
According to our observation ana
exnerience, the best results nave
always followed the use of seed Cd
tanned from local sources. w neal
should be rather literally fertlizen
on soil of the type described IN your
letter with an application of at least
800 pounds of fertilizer at the nme
the crop is planted. This shoulo
consist primarily of carriers or phos'
nhoric acid and potash. TWO nun
dred pounds of acid phosphate anu
one hundred pounds Of KANT VIII
answer very well. The addition OF a
hae OF cottonseed meal Will prove
helpful. You may use an equal
amount of available nitrogen Ior
any other carrier of this element
that you can purchase at a lower
cost. u,o,.
these crops with satisfaction IN your
section as early as the hrst or Sep
TENDER. The best season for plant
ing in north Georgia is from the
first to the fifteenth of Octoher' as
w. sic likely to have tavorabie sea
son in the soil before that date IN
YOUR section Of the state.
Will Tt Pay to Seed Canada
Field Peas
M. n. v, Lafayette, Ca,
: writes: Have you had any expert
4 ance with Canadian field peas for
hay? When is the proper time
to sow them? Have you ever
s,tried them with oats? Do you
think sweet clover would do well
here on average red clay land?
We have grown Canadian helo
meas for p number OF years in our
experimer al plats. We have founc
this crop rather unsatisfactory from
the stadpe;nt of Georgia conditions
In YOUR section, we would prefer tc
1dant the winter vetch rather thar
Canadian field peas. When peas are
seeded, II ey should be gotten into
the GROUND as soon as favorable
weather r3nditions develop, say from
october I to Is. They will not make
much top before January. They
have proven to be rather hardy with
us. and have stood the freezes OF the
winter season very well. These
peas of course can be planted in Jan
uary. If seeded late. they will no.
make a satisfactory crop. We have
grown them both with and without