Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Jan. 22, 1910, edition 1 / Page 2
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"50 THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER AND SOUTHERN FARM .GAZETTE. i 4 Professor Massey'o Editorial Page. The Great Need of Southern Soils ; and How to Supply It. I LONG AGO BECAME convinced that any farmer whose money crop, is either cotton or wheat need nerer buy nitrogen In any form if he farms right in a short rotation and uses the legume crops wisely. The Southern pa-; pers are always 'full of advice to the farmer to di versify his crops and grow his "supplies." The writers in these papers have a very dim idea of what they mean by diversification. Mere diversi fication and the growing of a variety of crops is not what is needed It is a rotation properly plan ned for the increased production in an economical manner of his staple crop. Feed for his stock, of course, every farmer should produce in abudance, but there is no need for his growing a little of everything his climate and soil may produce. .While the cotton farmer should not be a one-crop farmer, he should be a specialist in the sense that all his farming should be directed to 'the increase of the productiveness of his land in cotton;; and his rotation of crops should be planned with that end in view. ' ' - V- I: Si ' If he plans a short rotation in which the peas come in often on his land, he can ( avoid the pur chase , of ammonia or nitrogen in af fertilizer, and can get it through the peas and the feeding of vayuo W.AI.U U1CBO.-DUU tutu e wujl euu.ue a . waste of the mineral matters from his soil. This will be smaller with the cotton farmer than any one else if nothing but cotton; is sold from his land, but there will, nevertheless, be a waste of phos phorus and potassium that must be made good. Shall he restore these simply for the production of a sale crop of cotton, or shall he use them more wisely to increase the growth of the pea crop and thus get more forage, and more nitrogen fixed in ..the .soil? It seems to me that the best use of -fertilizers, the true use of them, is to thus increase the crop that feeds "soil and stock, and in the end. will do more towards the increase of the productiveness of his soil rather than" to use them on the sale crop direct The. legume crops,; like the cowpea, are greedy consumers of phosphoric acid and potash, and their growth as forage and their work as nitrogen-gathers is greatly increased by a liberal use of these on the crop. The result will be. that th farmer has a larger amount of forage to feed, uxaikca mux o yruui lrom me cauie ana nas a larger amount of manure for his Save half the cost, of the commercial fertilizer by leaving out the ammonia and then nut on th nftft crop phosphoric acid and potash equal in value to tne complete fertilizer that would have been nsd In short, the great need of the cotton farmer i cotton grown at less cost, and the cost can be les sened most by the production of legume forage and the feeding of it with the corn crop on the farm. Growing abundance of the best forage and corn and feeding it to live stock, abandoning the purchase of the low grade complete mixtures and depending on the phosphoric acid and potash to make the forage, will do more to cheapen the cost of the cotton; crop than anything that can be done. The cotton farms need nitrogen; but they need it in humus-making materials like peas and stable manure, and it can be "gotten in this way without cost - Growing forage and feeding cattle 'and hogs is just as profitable to the cotton farmer as to any other class, and live stock lie at the very foundation of all rational soil improve ment, .no matter what the money crop may be. " Prize Acres and Paying Crops. IS INTERESTING, of course, to know how much corn can be made on an acre of land regardless of expense, but I do not think that even Mr. Batts would care to treat his whole crop as he treated the Drize acre. ' .'Still the fact remains : that whenever there is a prize for the largest yield per acre it , is always made in the South, and with the Southern prolific corn. But what is more to the point, and more en couraging than a big crop - of corn on" a single acre, is an account like the following which I have just received from -eastern North Carolina: -; "I have read with -much pleasure Mr. Batts's report in The Progressive Farmer and Gazette of how he made 226 2-3 bushels "of . corn on one acre. But It appears to me that that 226 bushels of corn cost him entirely too much to make. - , "I have made over three thousand bushels of corn this year on about seventy-five acres at a cost of less than 20 cents per bushel on land that four years ago didn't average more than seven or eight hushels per acre. I don't believe there is a single acre on my farm this year but has made over, 30 bushels of corn, and this, too without commercial fertilizer. I have on some: of my lands averaged as high ; as 6 5 bushels per acre with 150 pounds 16 per cent acid and 25 pounds sulphate of pot ash per acre, which is the largest amount of commercial fertilizer I have used to corn. "My. .motto is to make the very biggest crop possible with the least expense, and at the same time make my land more fertile, and I absolutely know I can add to the fer tility of my soil every ; year and never use any commercial fertilizer unless It Is: a little acid and potash. ; On two acres this year I have made five bales of cotton, averaging .. 565 pounds per bale. For these five bales I got 1 4 1 cents per pound and sold all the seed from the five bales for. $2 per bushel. . The two acres netted, about ; six hundred dollars, for. I only used about 400 pounds fertilizer to . the acre. I only planted -8 acres to cotton this time, but have gotten 29 bales from the 18 acres. -The two acres lust onnVAn nfWm 3d seeds. ruaranteed. I Charleston I nearly pay expenses of "my entire crop. "I have been farming only three years, and. : . what little success I have worked out along: this line. I4mu8t.!attribute to my closd adher ence to the principles you are constantly ad r vocating. For myself; I want to thank you . out of the fullness of my heart for what you; .. and your labors have done for me," ' This "is the sort of letter that encourages us la our efforts to improve Southern farming, for It is the making of profitable crops that we need in the South; the. making of good crops atlhe minimum of cost,, and the permanent improvement of the land while making them. , One friend writes that he would like to have that acre of Mr. rBatts'r to plant strawberries on this spring. ; He thinks that ; he would make more ; than ; the .corn made with no; more -fertilizer. It would, of course, be interesting to know what the residual effect of the mm' m am n a mI m " r . J.X ' ' ' uvij uiouuuug jar. oaiia maue wm oe On tne succeeding crops, and I hope he will test it Notes; and Comments. 3 HE EDITOR is right in saying that the mak ing oil 5 0 bushels of corn or more oa, a single acre by extra - fertilization and prolific corn is valuable as showmg; what is possi ble to be done, but it is far more important .to show how.- to make 5 0 to 7 5 bushels of corn per acre on the whole of a man's field by good farmlnrr ana less expenditure. THE STOCK FEED FRAUD. Dr. Butler's ar ticle about stock medicine swindles eoa to hm point. When I was chief editor nt n. form1 nbn 1 kicked against te stock feed advertisements but the owner said: "We cannot afford tn riW them, for they pay $,000 a year." The ProgreV sive Farmer and Gazette could easily get that, too, if it was disposed to look after th la aaa in. stead of looking after the real Interests, of the iarmers wno read the paper." We are trying to make a paper that will help the farmers and not swindle them. OUR MOST NEGLECTED CROP; Professor Barrow's paper should be studied. It is applica ble not only to South Carolina, but to the whole South, for, as he says; if the increase in crops' does" not keep pace with Increased expenditure for fer tilizers there must finally come an end to It all As Professor Barrow well says, the manure crop Is now the most important one for the South, and the success of the manure crop depends on the growing of more forage and the feeding of more forage and the feeding of the cottonseed meal In stead of letting it go to be fed in the North aid In Europe to enrich other lands. - i You need five drugs," said a foolish phyticiaa to a patient: "watef. food; air, 'sleep, Jand exJr- f lSeV u the patIent B0usht another doctor; aid the foolish physician died poor. V 's Seeds 0 For Superior Crops Q Wood's 30th Annual Seed Book is one of the most useful and com plete seed catalogues issued. It gives practical information about the best and most profitable seeds to plant for - v Tta Market Grower v Tho Private Gardener TtD Farmer ; v Wood's' Geeds are grown and selected with special reference to the soils and climate of the South, and every southern planter should have Wood's Geed Book so as to be fully posted as to the best seeds for southern growing. Mailed free on request. Write for It. 7. u. uccd a sons, ' Geedsmsn, rJc!:ond, Va. . AVe re headquartara pr Crass and Clovr Cads, Cd Po tatoas, red Cat. Cow Paaa, -Cc'aCeana, and all Farm ; and Cardsti Caada V ' Grown from pure bn Quality and satisfaction i Early Jersey Wakefield; Lanra TVn ViaVaA. ISH?0000 at $L60 per 1,000 . 6,000 to 10,000 at $1.25 per 1 000 W,000to20,000at$1.00peri;000 . 20,000 or over at special rates, " I PJnte dellTCty In good condlUon. -.Si" l, mak lly of a crate of cabbage plants containing 100 each of the foot varieties, dellyered at any Southern fctpreii office for $1 00. Armiun iv. PEnaY Youna Island, O.C. i. Q. TOfiTOWthafln. est flowers and 71 fi T. - ItieAiAiia Veeretables. rlnnt & k . . seeds. Ferry's Seeds are best . uecauseiney never fau In yield or quality. The best garden ers ann rnrmora uumn.. . ?Piw Ferry'a seeds to be the iUKnesi Btanaaru or Quality - yet. attained. t For sale everywhere. iFESXrS 1919 See4 Anaaal Free on request D.M.timaca sniorr.Mics. 0fi!,PJIEpSfI,UI,,B RATTLKJIAjat eivATEnr.iELorj .ceeds O tZTH r.. J forty years. No rthtr Tariety - - crtwn on rUnttlan of acrM. Vaaa4 fcrossttOa -wbtsra tiLTercrt Unda ra Swwn, 1 ox. 15c 7 oa. Lic-H ox. i0e Ih, C0cr-1 Ih. ttJA f1 T17 order- Eendfoe 34 . Corn-Cocke's Pmliflo exclusively. Orown especially for seed. Prize winning. Pro duces, fto 7 ears to stalk and 60 to 75 bushels to FARMS . , . .. , . .. ; . . : Pcat So j Beans, Bprt and Ap pier Oats, Cane Seed, Cottjjn Seed, all for planting purposes. Write for prices. Hickory Seed Co., Hkkbry, N. C. i FAMOUS IRON PEAS. t . A ... - - ll JriVS nd be nra Ton iret thm Z wbel. f.o.b. Car at BU sran dock. DouUe fWkH W.C.rOWKK.BKiiwdlC.i.Bridock.S.a to the conmi FAnr.!ths wim VISII THE BEST- ' We have limited amount o! ' Msii;pHxr pssuris conc mr - f0, r1!?. which we quote you l Ii.33 tab. Raif igh. jjh , book your d w?i0tw ior J deliver?, know ni ttl iM01- " d PEI?AcSc0iALE? 0F COTTON SS'vKel n5, : bank or butt nets house n R&ielrh. T v OUWP . 000 reward: isJftlHfef t: Brad Fan. cnand'eorn. "Tjf J J J!E!?ZZm?h tw0 e nl more aiinuaDn wi fe1 provement Illustrated in cafia og and on Poet Cards aent frr. - . I. W. UITCIIELL, Prop.. ' - ... ' . v? . ' ": 7'-: :. I ; Yootupmlla, . C - When writing adrertlsers, ple mention this paper.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 22, 1910, edition 1
2
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