Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / May 7, 1910, edition 1 / Page 2
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Saturday, May 7. I9i0. 402 (2) PROGRESSIVE FARMER and gazette. Prof eooor Maooey'o Editorial Page. Farm Yfork for May m IRITINQ FOR Southern farmers, one Is apt to forget how big the South is, and how far one section is ahead of another. I bad a letter yesterday (April 22) from a corre spondent in Louisiana, who said that his corn, was over knee high, while mine is just fairly above ground. Hence these notes and sugges tions may 'not always exactly fit in every part of Cb South. But these notes are intended more & remind our friends of what they might forget tather than to tell them what to do. 'y.y-. Of course, the great, work for May is the finish ing of the corn planting and the getting the cot ton in the ground. April is all right for cotton planting in the far South, but there is no ad vantage in the upper South in getting the seed of Cotton or corn in very early. Where, one has a crimson clover crop to turn 'for corn it is well to let it stand till after cotton 'planting and turn it after it Is dead." It will do 'more good then, and there Is always plenty of time to make a corn? crop in the South from late planting. Where the ; clover is grown to ;be: fol lowed by cotton it should be turned under as oon as in bloom in April, the eoii well fined and the planting done on the level: V Try planting some of your upland cotton on the level, and use the smoothing harrow and the weeder on it in the 'early' stages, arid see now last year to put that field in cotton , again, butl stick to the rotation and continue me improYe- ment Thousands of Southern farmers have found that the level cultivation of corn is best, and the croD is heavier where the roots are not damaged by running" a turning plow through - and-hilling the corn tip. On low swamp lands the hilling should be done before planting, and. the beds maintained for drainagebut the cultivation even then should be shallow. yield. ; I raised a fine crop of pea1 hay Ust year on this neia. it nasn't been plowed since. ' I will plant It in corn this year.." The soil is a light sandy, with a red subsoil, easily put in good order. I want to sow annual clover at the last harrowing of the corn, and thought I would apply 300 or 400 pounds of acid phosphate per acre. At what time would you apply the acid phosphate, and how would you put it In the land?" While planting corn with peas will certainlv for a time increase the yield, It will finally ex- easy It is to get aneaa or. tne grass. 7 : . 5 1 A number have rtten . to pe, " indicating that "they will not plant eowpeas because of the , high price of the seed, But, peas have been high for 'several years, and why should any Southern iarm r have to, buy, them? .They are grinding them "ior protein in the stock feeds North, and! peas vare going to be a profitable crop for the Southern farmers. There will never be. any more 7 5-cent peas, and you can not afford not to sow, them, no Vmatter what the price. Soy beans are somewhat lower in price, and a tnixture of the Tall Yellow, soy bean and eowpeas, eewri half and half, is excellent, for the soys will Iwtd up the peas from the ground and make the harvesting and curing easier. The Tall Yellow soy "bean Is the best variety for the South, while Che dwarf-growing ones and earlier ones will do In the more northern localities and the high The same is true of cotton, for the cotton roots haust the phosphoric acid and potash and nit run as far -as corn foots across the rows, and the jn decreased yieslds. Peas and clover will frivo crpp will be damaged by the turning plow as yoU ; all the nitrogen needed in a good rotation, badly 'as corn. Planting on raised beds on low ! ana by following a three-year rotation, you can lands is all right, but shallow cultivation Is "Sht Lpnnently increase the productive capacity of there. $cip.; - v; the soil. By taking off a crop of pea hay you ,Thenwhy ,not try the level and shallow cum ihae drawn heavily on the phosphoric acid and yatl:j)ntpbaccoT TTy .lt, oni part! 6r your crop p0ta8h, and the field should have the manure this season, and 1 believe you win aoanaon me made from the feeding of the. hay if you wish to laborious hilling of tobacco. There are machines prevent loss. Taking a crop of pea hay from the " now in use for setting tobacco plants two rows jana ana returning no manure, is a good way to at a time, which save a great deal of labor and run ft down. It would have been far better to get the crop set rapidly. , have sown crimson clover on the pea stubble last falllf "you; want M putltin corn again, but it would have been!( better . to have ; applied 400 pounds of acid phosphate on the stubble and have I . J. 1 A. 4 J J Xl 1 . ATERMELONS and cantaloupes are. of bU"u - ? oatBl tt"u lue wnai AiuivjHuwo au v v with peas this summer for hay and then sown the course, up and growing in the lower South, " nnA BnMnA . , .. . -V clover and spread the manure made from feeding : tne Plazas s done even aa:far north . .. , v as southern Maryland. Thin cantaloupes to 18 inches in the rows and watermelons to 1 3 "feet, "fftt-xX?? fV-"t Here me cantaloupes are pianiea lnrows-o leei umuhouai uiajvm "nai. Auuiuer reaaer apart and watermelons 1 0 feet. When the culti- asks as follows about making hay of crimson vatlon Is finished; and the soil is still fresh from clover: ir-.iHjn .:itrr. u. maf jiir a v. . the last; working, sow-crimson clover all over the ' 4r have a piece ?6f land in crimsfon clover I landJtwlll do no harm to the melons, and will 1$ intend putting in corrir With' the clover there give you a winter "cover arid a - humus-making jg about one-half of a stand of volunteer oats. May i on the. Truck farm,. if". crop the next spring'. r3 Spraying' should be begun on the early Irish potatoes as soon as they are a few inches high, using the Bordeaux mixture. ' As soon as the 1 old I beetles are seen around laying eggs, add' 6 ounces 1 . Can f let them standi until they are large enough to mow4 and Y then' make as crop of corn? Or would you advise plowing up now and preparing tor cornt",; s !"': ' f This man can make, a, good hay crop by plow- mountain sections of the South. 'On the western mountain , plateau and .valleys 'of the Southern Appalachian system the Medium Early soy beans will very" nicely take the place the eowpeas where the summer nights are so cool. The seed should, be planted in rows like cotton and cultivated, though they can be sown broadcast. But, like the eowpeas, they should no t-be-plantedtilLlhe groundJs jvarm. of Paris green to 50 gallons of theBordeaux g me-lovey an fixture and spray before you see any young ones ln Wobmwithout an wference to the 'condition . natcn, ior you can kiu many 01 me 01a oeeues of the oats for Jf he lets the clover stand till ana siop meir egg laying, ana me Poa wu. the heds get brown, the hay will be dangerous do mere reaay ior me young ones as soon as wejr ffied for horses. Or he can let the clover stand hatch. In many trucking sections they use Paris fm aa nA auu h.va tma n v. . .rnn nt green and water only, but it is far better to use COrn by turning the whole under, the Bordeaux mixture to prevent the blight, as " v the early blight often cuts the crop short Where enravine for the buea alonevou can nut IilME FOR BROOMSEDGB The Value or a a pound of arsenate of lead in 30 gallons of wa-J permanent meadow should not be underestimated ter and kill the bugs with less damage to the anywhere, and we have all too few in tne boutn. plants than with , Paris green. It mixes better Among the worst enemies of meadows ana pas with water, and sticks better to the leaves than I tures is broomsedge. One correspondent who Paris ereen. -un. i nas Deen trouDiea writes to asK 11 lime wm ueiy Cowpeas sown in May as soon as the land is varm, will make a heavier crop of hay than sown later, but for seed-making, the later planting is best Now make up your mind that next spring you will have peas to sell at $2.50 to $3 per uhel instead of having them to buy. There is Always going to be a demand ior them at paying tQt ices, and with the machinery now in use, it is '"easy'to save the seed from the hay, and have the hay'toreed, for if the crop is cut at the proper 'Vtage, the.eeed will mature well in the hay. Growing peas or soy beans especially for seed, 'hey should be planted In rows and cultivated. :4elteve that a better crop of hay can be made from drilling them all over the land with a wheat r drill than in any other Y way; certainly a far better -crop than by harrowing them in broadcast. Do not be afraid to go over cotton and corn rttb. the weeder and break the crust all around th Afee rows by running the weeder across the "rows. . It will not hurt many plants, and wll 'save .liivhlg sore-shinned cotton from chafing Ugatnit ' Che crust, and will kill grass while It is Vst starting. You can go over the land so rapid ly that you hardly notice the labor. In a season : that is rainy the weeder will be Invaluable ln get ting the crop ahead of the grass. Perhaps you have begun an improving rotation Kit crops, and are finding that your crops were better last year. Now do not be tempted "be- cause you made a good crop of cotton on a field If any of the ereen lice annear on the early I Ms clover and timothy, and how to apply it. garden peas, dust them over with tobacco dust. I Lime will, doubtless, be a help in keeping out If tobacco stems are used in the furrow in plant- nroomsedge. The broomsedge thrives in acm conditions in the soil, and lime -will sweeten tne soil and encourage the growth of better grasses. Spread 2 5 bushels f of slaked - lime per acre and brush it in with a smoothing harrow, APPIiVIKO ITRATEI OF SODA. Among re- cent inquiries is one as to second application 01 fertilizers, as follows: , , "How shall I put second application of guano and nitrate of soda mixed to cotton to get best results? When should this applica tion be put to cotton? I will put down 200 pounds with seed with a Cole planter and use remaining 300 pounds as above-mentioned." Now, I would never make any second applica tion to anv cron exeent of nitrate of soda. There is no danger that acid phosphate or potash will get away from you in the soil, but it is better w use all that will be needed of thdse at the plant ing, since they are not so quickly taken by the plants as the nitrate is. and the soil will hold on to all of these that you may apply till some pia" takes them.. Where' cotton shows a pale coiui after starting. It is well to apply 100 pounds or nitrate of soda alongside the rows when the leaves are dry. as it' may scald them if they are toucucu when wet " ' ' V , ; , - ld In applying nitrate of soda to cotton, I wouia wait Ull after a good stand is chopped out ana the plants seem to need help. ' If the land alreaay makes a strong weed, the nitrate may d0 mIt harm than good in making a ranker growth. is the phosphoric acid and potash that make tn lint and seed, the nitrogen making a great vital activity ln the growth. Put in all the pn phate and potash you are going to use when 7 plant ' ' ' ing the peas there will be few lice. What Farmers Want to Know, ILL YOU KINDLY tell me the best fer tilizer to use on s weetpotatoes ? " r asks a North Carolina reader. To him I replied: The fertilization for sweet potatoes will depend oh the condition of the soil in which they are to be grown. If the soil is well supplied with hu mus or has a crimson clover sod turned down, I would use no nitrogenous fertilizer at all, ; but would apply acid phosphate and potash liberally. In the great sweet potato growing section of eastern Virginia, the growers rake the pine woods and haul the pine straw on the land during the winter to plow under for the crop, and they make good crops, too. Some growers there, however, are using crimson clover as a preparatory crop and are doing well. One large grower told me that he made 254 barrels per acre after clover, with, of course, some acid phosphate and potash. On thin soli that has little humus ln it, would advise an application of 400 pounds of acid phos pnate, 5 u pounds or nitrate of sola, and 100 pounds of sulphate of potash per acre. ROTATIONS Doubtless a two-year rotation is preferable to no rotation at all; but it is doubtful if any two-year system can give as good results as one that embraces more crops and runs for a longer time. Here is a letter I had and my reply: "I have a field of seven or eight acres that I have been sowing in peas one year and corn the next. Have kept this rotation up for three years, and have more than doubled the
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
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May 7, 1910, edition 1
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