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THE IlfDUSTIilAIi AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY.
Volume XVIII.
RALEIGH, N. C, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1903.
Number 34.
AGRICULTURE
Green Manurial Plants for the Southern
States.
Editor of The Progressive Farmer:
The great value of green manure?
for the light and humus-lacking soils
of the cotton region is now general
ly appreciated by all the more intel
ligent farmers. It is well known
that soils lacking in humus burn
out in dry summer weather, rarely
giving over half the crop that simi
lar soil well stocked with humus af
fords, when both soils get the same
amount of fertilizer and tillage.
There is an unfortunate tendency
among cotton growers to depend too
much upon commercial fertilizer for
making the crop. Commercial fer
tilizer is always profitable when ap
plied to soil rich in humus, but
on humus-lacking, and therefore
drought yy soils neither commercial
fertilizer nor anything else can in
sure a good yield in dry seasons. Ow
ing to the mild winters of the cotton
region, there is no reason why all
cotton fields should not carry a win
ter crop of some legumine, which
will furnish a good supply of vege
table matter to turn under in spring
in plenty time to prepare the land
for either cotton or corn or almost
any crop grown in the Southern
States.
Of the many legumines available
for winter growth in the cotton re
gion, there is no reason why all cot
ton fields hnnld nnt nnrrv a winter
crop of some legumine, which will
furnish a good supply of vegetable
matter to turn under in spring in
plenty time to prepare the land for
either cotton or corn or almost any
crop grown in the Southern States.
Of the many legumines available
for winter growth in the cotton re
gion, probably the best is Crimson
Clover, trifolium incarnatum. This
clover is perfectly hardy and adapt
ed to the soils of the cotton region.
It generally does best when sown in
early fall. The seed in the hull or
chaff is more desirable than the
cleaned seed sold by seedsmen. Na
tive grown seed is far superior to
imported seed. The seed in chaff
may be sown on surface of ground
if there is a growing crop of any
kind upon the land. If cleaned seed
is used it must be covered in. The
seed in hull sown on a Bermuda
grass or crab grass so4 never fails
to make a good catch. It is usual to
sow 45 pounds of seed in chaff or 15
pounds of seed cleaned per acre.
When the crop is left upon the
land, until it is ready to cut for hay,
or until it is in full bloom, which is
the proper condition for cutting
the yield is from IV2. to 2 tons of
cured hay per acre. The feeding value
is equal to the best red clover hay
but is not quite so palatable. If the
clover is allowed to stand until the
heads turn brown or until the seed is
nearly ripe, the feeding value is de
teriorated and at the same time an
element of danger is introduced. The
stiff prickly hairs of the ripe seed
hull are liable to stick in the mouths
or stomachs of animals, and this has
caused the death of a few horses and
mules. But when cut when in full
bloom, there is no danger of injury
and almost every species of stock
relish the hay.
When the crop is cut for hay the
roots and stubble remain to furnish
humus, but on most sandy soils this
is not sufficient to replace the humus
annually burned up in making a crop
of cotton. Therefore the manure
made by the stock fed upon the
clover hay should be carefully saved
and used upon the subsequent crop.
There is among many cotton
growers an idea that clover turned
under causes "rust" in the succeed
ing cotton crop. This can not be
true, because "rust" is due to fun
goid or mite parasites.
Neither will a crop of clover turn
ed under in early spring or late fall
"sour" the land as many imagine.
All typical cotton soils are defi
cient in lime and potash two miner
als which are necessary foods for
clover as well as for cotton plants.
Before sowing clover, it will be
profitable to top-dress the land with
500 pounds of lime and 100 pounds
of muriate of potash or 400 pounds
of kainit per acre. These minerals
do not easily wash away and will re
main until all are taken up by the
clover or following crops.
The cotton grower who will intel
ligently use crimson clover as a "be
tween season" crop can make cotton
pay handsomely at much lower prices
than the staple now commands, be
cause for the same amount of land,
labor and fertilizer he can obtain a
more than average yield.
GERALD MCCARTHY,
N. C. Dept. of Agriculture.
Some farmers in the county will
make fully $100 an acre on tobacco,
in spite of the low prices, though
many have barely made expenses.
The man who made 1,500 pounds of
tobacco to the acre will have to get
only 6 2-3 cents a pound to get $100.
Lumberton Argus.
Nursery Grown Trees.
Editor of The Progressive Farmer :
Loss both to the purchaser and
grower of nursery trees is very com
mon through ignorance or careless
ness. Quite a large percentage of
nursery trees fail to grow either be
cause they have not been taken up
properly, packed carefully for long
shipment, or badly planted and cared
for by the purchaser. This loss
could and should be almost entirely
eliminated. It is possible to do this
with a little more co-operation be
tween nurserymen and purchasers.
The former should at least under
stand their business to the extent of
knowing how to take up and ship
their trees. Any nurserymen guilty
of ignorance or carelessness in either
respect should not longer be pat-
ronized. Nursery growing should be
an exact science. There is no ex
cuse for guesswork or slipshop meth
ods. As an illustration of what some
would-be nurserymen will do, I once
ordered a lot of LeConte pear trees.
There was shipped to me a mixture
of LeConte, Bartlett and Sheldon
pear trees. The excuse the nursery
man gave was that his men! thought
they were all LeConte. If a man is
not sure of getting the variety he
he orders from the nurseryman it is
much better to raise the trees in a
home nursery when you can be sure
of your stock.
There are nurserymen who are un
reliable in shipping their stock in
such a way that if the weather hap
pens to be dry and the goods delayed
on the road, the trees will arrive
practically dead and worthless. It
is common to lay the blame on the
railroads, and purchaser and shipper
generally share the loss between
them. Now, a nurseryman who is at
all reliable should ship his trees in
such a way that nothing but an ex
tended delay on the road or accident
could permanently injure them. In
that event the transportation com
pany would be liable for damages,
and in most cases would pay if the
facts were properly presented. The
reform, however, should begin with
the nurserymen. There are plenty
who raise and pack and ship their
trees so that injury rarely happens to
them, but it is not always possible to
distinguish the reliable from the un
reliable grower of trees until one
has suffered some sad experience.
There is one precaution that should
be observed. Be very careful about
changing from one grower to anoth
er if the first has proved reliable in
his dealings. As a matter of self
protection the honest, reliable nur
seryman should always send printed
instructions about handling the trees
when received. Plain, simple rules
should be printed in large type, tell
ing the farmer what to do in any pos
sible emergency. In this way the
loss would be greatly reuced. Many
times receivers of trees hardly un
derstand the first principles of hand
ling them, and they are just as likely
to kill them as to make them grow.
SAMUEL BUDD.
Sow Wheat Late and Escape the Fly.
Editor of The Progressive Farmer :
Farmers troughout the Piedmont
section should take warning from
the past and sow their wheat late
this year so as to escape injury by
the Hessian fly. We gave such a
complete account of the insect in
The Progressive Farmer for June 2,
this year, that we will not repeat it
here. Let me, however, lay down a
few guiding rules for dodging the
fly this fall.
If there is no wheat up when the
fall brood of flies emerges, they must
either die without depositing eggs,
or must lay them elsewhere than on
the wheat. No eggs no fly, and the
field in which none of the eggs are
laid will not be hurt, for the mag
gots which hatch from the eggs can
not go from one field to another. All
the fields in a community may be
seriously damaged year after year
if they be sown in September or Oc
tober, while the one farmer who does
not sow until the middle of Novem
ber will escape injury in nine years
out of ten. We should say, there
fore, that as a general rule wheat
should be sown not earlier than the
first of November in order to escape
injury.
It may be argued in objection to
this that in some sections November
is too late. In such cases, we would
advise that the sowing be delayed two
or three weeks later than is usually
done; or, if this would still throw it
too late in the season, then sow just
as late as can be done safely.
If the Hessian fly does the usual
amount of damage this year it will
not be upon the farms of those who
follow this advice.
FRANKLIN SHERMAN, JR.,
Entomologist, Department of Agri
culture, Raleigh, N. C.
"We are ever prone to forget that
usefulness is the only true greatness.
Only he that serves others is great.
You can measure yourself by the
good you have done."