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Thursday, April 22, 1909.
THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER.
I V ;7 ' v
What Farmers Want to Know.
Answers by Proj W. F. Massey Unless Otherwise Stated.
TO MAKE COTTON ON HILIi LANE
First Essential Here as Else
where is to Build Up Your Soil.
Please advise me how to make
a good crop of cotton this year
on pasture land, twenty acres
of red clay hill and hillside land
.that has been in pasture four
. years and was covered over with
" japan clover and some broom-
sedge? I plowed last fall five
inches deep. When will be the
; best time to make the rows,
land what distance apart for
King cotton, and what kind and
J amount of fertilizer to use to
make three-quarters of a bale
per acre. Before it was turned
out for pasture it made one-third
to one-half a bale per acre with
out fertilizer. A. W. G.
sow crimson clover a sain on the
stubble and turn this In the spring
for cotton again, and by that time
you should make a bale per acre with
only acid phosphate. i
In short get all your land into this
sort of rotation and you will soon
find that you can not only make a
bale per acre but will make heavy
crops of oats and corn. j
FERTILIZER FOR CORN AND
COTTON.
fit would have been much better
had you ran a subsoil plow after the
hroavin? niow. so as ' to have loos-
ened the red clay to a depth of 12
inches. Then, on hill land I thor
oughly believe in putting all the fer
tilizer broadcast, and planting on tne
level, and cultivating perfectly level
and shallow. Your soil has acquired
a considerable amount of nitrogen
from the growth of the Lespedeza,
and on land that would make, with
out fertilizer, one-third of a bale of
cotton ner acre there should be no
difficulty in getting three-quarters of
a bale in a fair season. In fact, I
think that no farmer should aim so
low. I do not believe there is a cot
ton grower in the South who could
not average a bale per acre if he
farmed properly with a rotation that
will increase the humus content In
his soil. Through the growing and
feedine of legume crops and the
making of manure, and breaking
that does not stop at five inches, he
can check the tendency of his land
to wash, and retain the moisture for
his crops in summer. Instead of let
tine- it run down hill.
In vour nresent situation you will
have to consider the, probable growth
Only Acid Phosphate and Muriate of
Potash Needed After Crimson
Clover. 1
t
I wish advice as to the proper
fertilizer to use on a lot which
has been in cultivation for ten
years. It was in cotton last year.
I seeded it to crimson j clover
when I split the middles the last
of July; there is a fine stand,
and will be an excellent fallow.
I wish to plant four acres of It
in corn and two in cotton, j Please
advise me what fertilizers! to use.
S. P. C.
Brunswick Co., Va.
riate of potash Der acre for the cot
ton. ' . .
Put all the fertilizer broadcast and
plant on the level. Work before com
ing up with the weeder and after
wards both ways to kill small weeds
and break the crust, and the weeder
will save a good deal of chopping.
seed meal, acid phosphate and
kainit. Please -let me know
how to mix same. It has been
in cotton for a number of years
and makes about. 1,000 or 1,200
pounds to the acre, with 400
pounds of fertilizer. . W. P. H.
Bertie Co., N. C.
BEST FERTILIZER FOR jCORN
It is Well-Protected Stable Manure 1
How to Build Up the Soil. !i
. : 1 .- i
Please inform me what 3s the
best fertilizer or fertilizers for
corn on chocolate or clay
C. W
Nottoway Co., Va. j
soil?
S.
I would advise in the present con
dition of the land that you mix 1,200
pounds of acid phosphate, 100 pounds
of nitrate of soda, 500 pounds of cot
tonseed meal and 200 pounds of mu
riate of potash to make a ton and use
400 pounds per acre.
Then adopt a rotation of crops and
do not keep the land in cotton con
tinually. Sow crimson clover seed
among the cotton in September and
on this spread all the manure you
can make during the winter and
Sow peas among the
The best fertilizer for corn is stable
manure. A complete commercial mix
ture seldom pays on corn, f To "get
trnnd corn erons one should If arm in tiQti r rnrn
a cnnd rotation and always! have artr.- .mi tWr thpm down, after cut-
crimson clover sod manurea auring tine the corn off at tne ground ana
th winter to turn unaer iors curu. 0-hrsnrncr to fiirt ana sow wiuicr
I I OUUlkiln w
The farmer whose crops aro wheat oats. Follow these with peas for hay
nnd norn should have a good .rotation nrlmson clover again on the
. ' 1 A M 4- -pr 9 n rrk ri! f r-m Vl d IT I .... J i. t 4- t m nnwl n rf frt
OI Crops, gTUW yicutjr ui yeas; ""V pea StUDDie, auu luru lb i oy""6
and ieea me nay ana au cuiu w- cotton. in snon, iry 10 atuummaw
ver and make manure for tjie corn. numus in the soil and feed the hay
Then he can afford to buy acid phos- and corn stover and cottonseed meal
phate and potash for the wheat and to stock and make manure, and you
With a good growth of crimson
clover you will need only a good
dressing of acid phosphate and potash
for the corn or cotton. For corn I
would not be in any hurry about
turning it under. The finest field of
corn here last summer was planted
after the clover was completely dead,
and in that state, there is no danger
of souring the land, and the clover
will have done all that it can. Cotr
ton needs a longer season and the
clover should be turned under as
soon as in bloom or perhaps earlier
to get the land in good order by time
cotton should be planted, i But you
will have nlentv of time to make a
crop of corn after the clover is dead.
Four hundred pounds of acid phos
phate and 50 pounds of muriate of
potash well harrowed in will do for
the corn, and the same amount of
have to consider uu pro u-.u i phosphate and 25 pounds of mu-
of "weed" on your land in laying off u p v y ;
the rows. I would assume that tnree
and a half feet will be wide enougn
in the present condition of the land,
and I would chop to two feet. 11 you
nre eoine to follow the bedding plan,
It. matters little when you lay off the
rows, but I would not put in the fer
tiliser or make the beds till just De-
fore planting time. The fall plowing
will be a great help, but tne iresniy
prepared beds, and shallow planting
nn them will Start tne COILUU uu.
Ttirelv T would use on that land
mlvtnre of 1300 pounds 01 aciu
phosphate, 600 pounds of cotton seed
meal, and 100 pounds or nuraie ul
soda to make a ton, and of this would
,ico nmiTiHs in the furrows, and
200 pounds per acre down tne mm
riioo ac the mt ton blooms. I would
make the first cultivation as the cot-
trm nnnMra with a weeeder cross
completely break
the plants, and
Wnni fton mitivate altogether witn
a riding cultivator as level and shal
low n rmssible.
Tn the enrlv fall SOW Crimson ClOVCi
jseerl amonsr the cotton, ana uuiius
tho fniiowitisr winter get out all the
manure made and spread It Broadcast
on the clover and turn under ior
corn. Plant peas among the corn
and cut the corn off and shock it and
in September disc the peas down and
sow winter oats on the land, and fol
low these with peas after giving a
, onn nmmds of acid phos-
u. B-.., ur.,r f the neas. and
that is all he needs to buy if he farms
i.fcrht TT'nrmers in this State Who
ll)UVf - .
have bought no ammoniated fertilizer
for twenty years make 40 to 50
bushels of wheat per acre J and 75
bushels of corn. But they, always
have a clover sod to turn for porn and
manure enough to cover the field.
What your soil needs is a thing I
cannot tell, and no one but fyou can
find out. In my book, "Practical
Farming," I tell exactly how' you can
do this. J t
Tt mav nay to use 300 pounds of
acid phosphate and 25 pounds of mu
riate of potash per acre on corn
We need good farming far more
than fertilizers. I
Fertilizer for Cotton.
I have a piece good j heavy
land with clay subsoil, that; I
grew a fine crop of peavines on
last summer. Mowed them off
and sowed in rye in September,
and grazed the rye through the
winter. I want to plant this in
cotton, and manure with cotton-
will soon find that one-third of your
land will make more cotton than all
of it now does.
Nitrate of Soda for Grass.
I have a lot of red top that I
wish to top dress with nitrate of
soda. Please tell me the proper
amount to use on an acre, what
time it should be applied, and if
it should be dry when applied.
J. J. M.
Mecklenburg Co., Va.
Editorial Answer: The nitrate of
sola should be applied to the grass
now, just as the new spring growth
is beginning. Use 75 to 10Q pounds
to the acre, and sow when the grass
is dry. Just when the grass has dried
off after a rain is a good time.
"Is Grouch a club man?"
"No. The only thing he is a mem
ber of is the human race, and he's
not in very good standing with that."
Judge.
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