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THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OP OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY.
Volume XVIII.
RALEIGH, N. C, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1903.
Number 30.
AGRICULTURE
Sowing Alfalfa, Crimson Clover and
Hairy Vetch.
Editor of The Progressive Farmer :
These are all winter-growing for
age plants, affording excellent hay
about the first of the next May. They
also furnish some pasturage in Feb
ruary, March and April. All of them
improve the soil. The seed ar kept
in stock by all prominent seedsmen,
seed of crimson clover costing this
year about 6 cents, and hairy vetch
and alfalfa about 10 to 12 cents per
pound. The best grade only should
be bought.
For small seed, like alfalfa and
crimson clover the soil should be well
settled and free from trash. Cover
with harrow and roller.
Alfalfa should be sown broadcast
only on jrod, well drained land near
ly free from seed of weeds and grass.
If w ly land must be used, sow 10
Pounds per acre in narrow drills, and
cultivate it. Sow about 20 pounds
of seed per acre broadcast, inoculat
ing tiie seed exactly as described be
low, except that the earth for inoc
ulating alfalfa should be taken from
a spot where alfalfa or burr clover
has grown for some years. Before
sowing the seed apply broadcast on
s'il except lime soil one-half to one
ton of slacked lime per acre, and
harmw in; or the 'same amount of
u 1 ashes may be substituted. Well
rotted stable manure, especially that
made fmm feeding cotton seed meal
Hid hulls to cattle, is the best fertil
lz r, and manure is almosjb indispen
ble if i borough natural or artifi
cial iii'M.-ulation does not occur. If
onuner. i;il fertilizers must be used,
a mixture of cotton seed meal and
lfepliote will be helpful.
On suitable soil, not too weedy, al
alia endures without reseeding for
' number of years. It can be cut at
'i;t three times per year, making a
l-'-c yield 0f haY except during the
tir.-t year.
Ali.-iia is best sown from Septem
ber ir, t(, October 15, but on good,
, 1,1 lln,l it can also be sown in
March.
Una?., n clover is sown at the rate
of p.-unds per acre, September 15
to O,.o!.or is. It may be 80wn bg.
"t,!l the standing cotton stalks,
ClJV, rni- lightly with one-horse har
'ow r cultivator. If the land is
dear of trash, not hard, and has been
ctivated up to midsummer, no
Preparation is needed. ' Other lands,
hlQh reluirG breaking, should bo
thoroughly compacted with harrow
and drag or roller before seed are
sown.
Failures with crimson clover are
frequent, due most frequently to(l)
want of inoculation; (2) soil too
loose; (3) late sowing; (4) very poor
land; and (5) acid soil.
At Auburn on sandy land lightly
limed ,crimson clover has generally
succeeded admirably when inoculat
ed, yielding IY2 to 2 tons of excellent
hay per acre, and it has invariably
failed when not inoculated.
To inoculate crimson clover sow
rwith the seed 1 to 3 tons per acre of
soil from a field where crimson, red,
low white, or other true clover (not
Japan clover or lespedeza) has been
grown. -One of the low white clovers
(having roundish leaflets and in May
white roundish heads of the size of
the end of the finger) can usually bo
found in old pastures, lawn, road
sides in small towns, etc. The inoc
ulating earth should be finely pul
verized, evenly sown, and promptly
and thoroughly harrowed in with the
seed. In addition the seed should be
dipped in water in which has been
stirred some of the soil from around
the clover roots. This dipping alone
may result in the inoculation of a
part of the seed.
Thorough inoculation (shown by
an abundance of characteristic
double-pear-shaped enlargements or
tubercles on the crimson clover roots
not later than January, and by dark
green color of leaves) makes nitroge
nous fertilizers unnecessary, because
plants with tubercles can get their
nitrogen from the air. Phosphate
(100 to 200 pounds per acre) is need
ed on'sandy land whether the plants
are inoculated or not.
--Hairy vetch should be sown either
broadcast or in narrow drills, from
September 1 to October 15. If for
hay sow 20 pounds of vetch mixed
with the usual amount of beardless
wheat or fall oats. For pasturing
during February, March and April,
sow vetch with rye, wheat or oats.
To insure success the vetch seed
should be inoculated with soil from
an old patch of vetch qr f rom a part
of an old garden where English jeas
have recently grown.
Crimson clover and hairy vetch do
not grow again from the roots. Crim
son clover does not effectively reseed
the land. Vetch can be made to re
seed itself either (1) by cutting it
very late, after some of the seed have
scattered, or (2) by cutting the hay
very early, when, in wet seasons the
stubble and a slight second growth
will afford seed, or (3) by removing
the stock pasturing on it after April
20. Cbwpeas, sorgum, or other
broadcast summer crop can be grown
without interfering with the seed
shattered on the ground in May.
J. F. DUGGAR,
Agriculturist, Alabama Experiment
Station.
A FREE FARM LIBRARY.
Our Washington Correspondent Speaks
of Several Popular Bulletins Which
Every Progressive Fanner Reader
Ought to Have.
Editor cf The Progressive Farmer :
Over 6,500,000 f armors' bulletins
were distributed by the Department
of Agriculture last year. The de
mand for some of these bulletins was
so great as to necessitate a number
of reprints of the same.
"What were the most popular of
the farmers' bulletins issued by the
Department?" I asked Mr. Joseph
Arnold, assistant chief of the publi
cation division.
"Probably the most sought after
bulletin," he answered, "was Good
Roads. For Farmers (No. 95) also
bulletin No. 36, entitled Earth
Roads. There seems to be a general
awakening all over the country on
the good roads subject. Another bul
letin in much demand is No. 51,
Standard Varieties of Chickens.
This pamphlet could, I believe, be
read with profit by every farmer not
already a chicken fancier. The ef
ficiency of the average barn yard
fowl is far below what it should be,
and yet it is such an extremely easy
thing for any farmer to breed up his
barn yard flock into probably fifty
per cent greater productiveness.
Over 125,000 of these bulletins were
distributed. Another closely allied
pamphlet (No. 141), is Poultry Rais
ing on the Farm, of which 130,000
were called for. Xhis publication
goes more into the care of chickens,
discusses incubators, brooders, etc.
and the diseases which young chicks
fall heir to, along with their reme
dies. Bulletin 106, Breeds of Dairy
Cattle, has also proved a very popu
lar one, 125,000 copies having been
distributed during the year. This is
another subject - which interests al
most every farmer throughout the
country. Bulletin 55, Dairy Herds,
also was requested to the extent of
10,000 copies. This bulletin, written
by Major Alvord of the dairy divi
sion, has some extremely valuable
suggestions for farmers who are in
the milk and dairy business or con
template embarking therein. The
Fruit and Garden, (No. 154), is a
valuable little bulletin of which we
distributed 60,000 notwithstanding
it was published well along in the
year. The Venegtable Garden is an
old publication of the Department
which has been reprinted many times,
but the demand for it continues and
65,000 copies .were sent out last year.
The Apple and How to Grow It (No.
113), was in demand to ' the extent
of 95,000 copies. Practical Sugges
tions For Farm Buildings (No. 126),
appeals to the farmer of all sections,
and wo printed and distributed and
even 100,000 of this.- It is a 48 page
pamphlet containing a large number
of drawings and cuts, which enable
the farmer who is not a carpenter
or mechanic to himself make a good
many needed improvements, utiliz
ing his own or his hands' spare time,
and at the cost of only the raw ma
terial of lumber and nails and possi
bly paint. Bulletin No. 170, Princi
ples of Horse Feeding, although but
recently issued has been in great de
mand, as every farmer is presumed to
have at least one horse which needs
feeding.
"I would like to say a word right
here, however," said f.- Arnold,
"about the distribution of these bul
letins. The Department's supply is
very, limited whereas every member
of Congress and Senate has his quota
of the same and we would appreciate
it if farmers would apply to their
own Congressmen. The appropria
tion for publishing them comes from
Congress and it is but right that
Congressmen should know of the de
mand, as well as have the opportuni
ty of supplying it. Of course, in case
the supply becomes exhausted, a di
rect application to the Secretary of
Agriculture will always find us very
glad to furnish the farmer with the
desired publication if we have it, or
if not, as soon as a supply is printed.
The division of publication has a
printed list containing the titles of
about 175 Farmers'-Bulletins, cover
ing almost every feature of farm
work and growth and we will be glad
to furnish this list upon application.
The bulletins are usually short,
covering from 12 to 40 pages con
densed articles which even the ex
tremely busy man"" can usually find
time to glance over and pick from
useful points."
. GUY E. MITCHELL.
Washington, D. C.
Sampson Democrat : Mr. A. E.
Underwood, of Earnest; was a caller
in the Democrat office Monday.
Speaking of tobacco conditions, he
said he knew of men who have left
a good portion of their tobacco crop
in their field, and one man who had
a fine crop, had offered it to any one
who would gather it. This goes to
show how uttertly disgusted and dis
couraged our people are over the
prices.