Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / June 22, 1912, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
FEED CROPS YOU CAN STILL PLANT Pages 5 and 15. A Fai and Home Weekly for the CaroUnas, Virginia, Georgia arid Tennessee. FOUNDED, 1886, AT: RALEIGH; N. C. - .-..' Vol: XXVII; No. 25. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 1912. Weekly : $1 a Year. Are We Content to Remain M mers EW. mien .are able to build for the future. This seems to be a " special failing of the present-day American. Perhaps it is insep arable from a land of great and diverse, opportunities; but after giving all excuses for the failure of the Southern farmer to use D legumes in ineuuuuing 01 sou leriuiiy uieir iiui weigui, ..we are sun , filled" with .wonder as. to why Southern soils are not more rapidly : improved by -the growing of more legumes. " - All agree that the growing and plowing under of legumes is the most rapid, ? easiest and most ecohomicai method of increasing crop yields. It -is also generally accepted that there is aw better feed tor livestpck than theleguines,' that the manure made Instead of Farmers ? . .. . -A- , ''''' : . ' "A " V'y - - A , I 1 . .. . 1 11 mi I 11 1 I nil 111 I'll II- j " ; - ' L ' T-" ' f 1 CRIMSOli CLOVER AND WflAT---SEE ARTICLE ON 47--" - - and- that stabiinanurehasmar- ' Xeldus eifect;on practically all soils; in increasing crop yields, h. In short, z one may look through agricultural literature, v pr; .interview all good farmers and find no difference of opinion as to the Rvalue of legumes in our agriculture. Why, then, are they not more ex tensively grbwn? We can conceive of but one reason : The gains are for the future, the returns are not always immediate and direct. We are better miners than farmers,; ' think more of this year's crop and the money to1 be "obtained from it than of future crops. ; . : 7 ! Anyone who has plowed a crop of xowpeas, soy beans, crimson clover or other legume into an average poor Southern soil, or made a liberal application of stable manure to such a soil' knows that the crop is regiilarly increased from 25. per , cent to double the former yields. For instance, Duggar in Alabama obtained an increase in the sorghum crop of 59 per cent or three tons per acre the second year after cowpeas, and 61 per cent or 3.1 tons of sorghum hay. the second year after velvet beans. He also obtained an iricrease of 660 'pounds of seed cotton per acre or a gam of 72 per cent; after plowing . under velvet beans. : . . . , . These are not unusual results on our average poor lands. It is ; not theory, but actual results. No one doubts the facts. Indeed, everyone knows that such increased yields are the common results of the plowingjunder of legumes, and yet the majority of farmers con- : tinue planting cotton and corn and harvesting yields which are not profitable. One would think that every farmer in ;the whole Cotton . Belt would at once plan, to plow under a crop of some legume on every acre to be planted to cotton and corn next yearv. If the benefits -were only on the first crops, this would make the growing of legumes "profitable, but, as stated above, the increase in the crop of sorghum;' tiay, even the second year, was from 59 to 61 per cent " - - It seems like needless repetition to recount these well-known f acts and yet not one-fourth the lands in cotton and. corn this year grew a crop of legumes last year, much less had such-a crop plowed into the 1 soil. The results will be our average crop of 15 to 20 bushels of corn: ; and 175 to 200 pounds of lint cotton per acre, when two-thirds of the land would .easily gr having one ,cr9p of legumes plowed into it. -;.,!; '. rsh t . tV'Z . ' I : ' : ' ' ;;' Y- '". . It is safe to state that in any other business on earth, a demonstra tion of a method by which the cost of production could be reduced to the extent that the growing of legumes will decrease the cost of pro ducing a bushel of corn or a pound of cotton would be generally adopted.' Why then do we not grow more legumes? : v 'rA--'" ., 'i i i Manywowld be the reasons given ;were the farmers of the South 6 be individually asked this qtiestibriThe two. most common excuses are, the difficulty inVrjreparing the land at a tlmwlienra'and 'cotton need ciil BvanaldS -high: cost of seed. 1$ he i irsi is "only -lid when wpjan ? tobflarge proportion of iiur lands tojcom andxotton, and the second is rid 'excuse at 'ill. If the seed are too highr why riot grow them" and secure 8bme&3 'wheri'ajyeasdna fair propor; jdQn"of -the land-now planted to cot-, tori is put to growing legumea as it should be, it can be prepared, for it takes no , more time to prepare, the land for sowing legumes' than for planting corn or cotton. . There is but one reason ferdurneglect;df; the legumes. , We have not yet fully realized the necessity for increasing the productiveness of our soils. ; We are.still satisfied with .'the1 low yields of corn and cotton, because these ctors, having been ourregular crops for so long, are easier to handle anil supply our immediate needs. ! Grow more legumes,' even if thccorn and cotton acreage must be ; i reduced, and grow them and ploV them under if theiiyestock are not available to consume them ; but by all means and.' inlahy event grow more legumes as the one best means of increasing farm profits. r FEATURES OF THIS isSUE. ? CULTIVATE LEViEtil. ANn I SIIAXXOWTHIS 1 YEAR--The Mois- X ture May All Be KNeeed . . . . ".T.r . r.. -. . . ......... 3 FLOOR PLAN OP A GENERAL-PURPOSE BARN By Prof. Daniel Scoates .' . w . ; . . ; i ; .- '.: ,' . v ." . ..... 13 GOOD STATIONERY PAYSu-Try It and See. .'. . : ;. . ) fr.". , . . 10 HAY-RAKES Various Kinds. Described ... .... 5 PEAS AFTER THE GRAIN CROP Put the Stubble Lands to Work", PLANT SOILING CROPS Mr. 'Williams Finds Them Profitable. . . PROFESSOR MASSEY'S r COMMENTS Timely Answers to Farm ers Questions. "THE TRAGEDY OF THE FARMER'S WIFE" From . the Farm Woman's Point of View. . . ............. . . V. . . . ... . . . ; THE COST OF QUALITY Does It Cost Extra to Produce the j Best and Does It Pay?. ............. . . . . .1. . . . . a. .10 WHAT ARE TOE nOGS DOING NOW? A Pertinent Question. . ia WHAT TOE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE DOES Some Wrong Ideas Commonly Held. 10 ; WHAT THE FARMERS' UNION IS DOING And What the Members Should Be Doing. 18 15 5 8
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 22, 1912, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75