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THE IN DUSTRIAIj AND EDUCATIONAL, INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO AIA OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OP STATE POL.ICT.
, Volume XVIH.
RALEIQH, N. C, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1903.
Number 38.
AGRICULTURE
Growing Protein.
Editor of The Proresiv Farmer :
To the stock feeder and dairyman
there is nothing more important
than the getting a supply of the pro
tein part of his ration. Dairymen
especially buy a great deal of bran
and other food rich in protein for
the purpose of balancing their -rations.
They have long considered
that this is a necessary part of their
expenses. Then if some one would
tell them how to get this expensive
protein without cost, but in the" grow
ing of it to get enough benefit to the
soil to pay all the cost of the feed,
he should properly be regarded as
a benefactor.
Now this is just what the Experi
ment Stations have been doing. Some
years ago experiments were made at
the Delaware Station in which it was
shown that cow-pea hay and ensjlage
could profitably take the place of
purchased bran and other protein
foods. It was shown that cows that
had for some time been getting the
protein of their food from bran,
were changed from .the bran to cow
pea hay containing a similar percen
tage of protein, and they kept up in
the milk production as well as when
fed bran, and later when returned
to the bran they fell off in milk
yield. More recently the Tennessee
Station has been experimenting in
the same line. The following is the
table they give of the digestible mat
ter in the legume hay, per ton:
Dry Pro- Carbohy- Nutrl-
Matter teln drains Fat. tive
lbs. lbs. lbs. Ratio.
Alfalfa 1,832 211.6 746.6 27 6 1:3.6
Cow pea ... 1,786 215 8 768 0 80.2 1:8.9
Red Clover 1,694 131.6 707.0 83.2 1:5.9
This table shows that 1.16 pounds
of cow-pea hay contain aas much pro
tein as one pound of bran or 3.25
pounds of cotton-seed meal. The
bran costs on an average about $16
per ton, and much more in some
places. There is hardly a farm in
the South or in the Southern parts
f the Middle States where cow-pea
hay cannot be made at a cost of
$3 per ton. At the rate of two
tons per acre we have from the acre
431.G pounds of protein in a diges
tible form. This is equal to within
S.S pounds of the amount of pro
tein in two tons of wheat bran. The
too tons of cow-pea hay cost the
farmer $6. But this is not all. In
the growing of that pea hay the
farmer has left in his soil for future
rops in the form of organic matter,
as much ammonia as he would put
in a ton of complete fertilizer of the
nsual grade. As a ton of such fer
tilizer will average at least $20, and
generally more, and the nitrogen in
it will cost as much as both the other,
here will be a gain of $10 to, his land
while growing feed for stock worth
$6.00.
Nor is this all. If he feeds the
hay judiciously and saves the ma
nure carefully his soil gains fully
one-half or more off the value of
the feed, and he has evidently made
a large saving over the buying of
protein, in the form of bran. In
these times of high prices for feed,
is it not to the interest of the dairy
man to grow his protein when he
can do it and at the same time not
only save putting out money, but
can improve his soil at the same time?
The growing of these legumes, then,
becomes of the highest importance
to the stockman and dairyman.
The cow pea, as shown by the
table is the richest of all. But the
cow pea is not adapted to so wide a
range of climate a3 the alfalfa and
red clover, and it is only a question
as to whether the cows can be made
to consume in the form of alfalfa
and red clover as much protein as
would be needed for the best pro
duction. Alfalfa and red clover can
be grown all over the North, and
alfalfa, too, all over the South. But
in the South, for feeding purposes,
the cow pea has a value greater than
alfalfa per ton, though on limited
areas of very fertile soil the alfalfa
will make' the heavier crop during
the 'season.
But while all these legumes are
collectors of nitrqgen from the air
they are all of them the greediest
consumer of the mineral matters in
the soil, and to be able to do their
best both in the production of forage
and in the fixation of nitrogen they
must have an abundant supply of
phosphoric acid and potash avail
able in the soil for their use. Sup
lied with these they will do the rest.
Hence we see that the real place for
the use of the commercial fertilizer
is on these crops whicljthrough their
growth not only feed the stock but
feed the land and through the feed
ing of the stock enable the farmer to
increase "his manure al accumulation
and get more and more independent
of the fertilizer manufacturer.
The great lack of most of our soils
is phosphoric acid, but it is found
that when this is applied alone there
is not near the result unless a suffi
cient supply of potash is also given.
Alfalfa and red clover are both help
ed by an application of lime, but
on the other hand the cow pea is in
jured in its growth by the direct ap
plication of lime; why so, we cannot
say, but know it to be a fact. Hence
even in the red clay soils of the
South where there is a store of pot
ash in the form of an insoluble sili
cate, it is advisable to apply to the
cow pea a proper percentage of pot
ash with the phosphoric acid. For
the best results on the sandy soils of
the South, where the cow pea flour
ishes best, and where the soil is more
deficient in potash than the red clay
soils, it will pay well to apply to
the cow pea crop 400 pounds per acre
of acid phosphate and muriate of
potash mixed at rate of . five parts of
the acid phosphate to one part of the
muriate. Such an application will
give a heavy crop-of forage and will
through the greater root develop
ment increase the amount of nitro
gen fixed in the soil. Thus the stock
man and dairyman cannot only get
protein for their cattle ration free,
but can actually make a profit in the
getting of it.
W. F. MASSEY.
Wake Co., N. C.
Call for a Meeting of Tobacco Growers
at Danville, Va., Nov. 17, 1903.'
The Progressive Farmer knows as
yet nothing more of the plans for
the meeting called in the following
address than is given in the address
itself, but we commend the idea to
our readers and shall be glad to
have them discuss it in our columns:
"To the Tobacco Growers of Virginia
and North Carolina:
"From the best information we be
lieve that the present tobacco crop
is an average one in quantitynd a
superior one in quality, .but the pres
ent prices offered are far below the
cost of production. We urge the
farmers in every county of the State
to meet and elect delegates v to a
State Convention of Tobacco Grow
ers' Association to be held in Dan
ville, Va., on Tuesday succeeding the
third Monday in November, which
convention will consider plans for a
State organization, to be adopted in
each county and district of the State,
so that the interest of the producers
will be protected.
"2. We urge all tobacco growers
to hold their crop of tobacco and not
offer it for sale until after the State
Convention above called.
"3. That a committee of five be ap
pointed, whose duty it shall be to
take all necessary steps to extend and
advance this move .and t make all
necessary arrangements for holding
said State Convention.
"4. That we urge the tobacco grow
ers of our sister State, North Caro- -lina,
to join with us in this move
and send delegates to said conven
tion, to be held in Danville, Va., as
above-mentioned.
(Signed) "T.Y.ALLEN,
"Chairman of Committee."
Catawba Farmers to Cut Down Wheat
Crop.
We have interviewed a large num
ber of farmers this week about wheat
sowing, and every one says there will
be the smallest crop planted in Ca
tawba this year that there has ever
been for manyyears. A few farmers
will not reduce their crop more than
a fourth to a half, but there are
some who will not sow more than
a tenth as much as last year, and
some will not allow a grain to be .
planted on their lands.
"The reason for this is, that for
three years the fly has been so de
structive that the farmers have lost
a great deal of money on their wheat
crops and they are not willing to risk
another one. Wheat is a very ex
pensive crop. Preparing the land is
expensive ; the seed, wheat and the
fertilizer are expensive and the drill
ing are expensive. On an average,
the wheat crop in Catawba has cost
the farmer $5 an acre, by the time
it is put in the ground. A failure
a3 complete as last year's is very '
costly. Newton Enterprise.
Of Interest to Stockmen.
The 'A. & M. College Veterinary -Department
will give a free veterin
ary clinic at the college every Thurs
day morning hereafter, from 11 to 1
o'clock. Any domestic animals, cat- 1
tie, horses, swine, sheep, dogs, poul
try, etc., may be brought to the col
lege and they will be treated for dis
ease or operated on surgically free
of charere by Dr. Tait Butler, D. V.
S., State Veterinarian and Professor
of Veterinary Science in the college,
and Dr. G. A. Roberts, D. V. S.,
Assistant Professor of this branch.
All the veterinary students in the
A. & M. College .will be present and
will assist in the clinic. This clinic
will be of great benefit, both to the
agriculturalstudents in the A. &
and to the farmers and other owners
of animals in the State. .