Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Newspaper Page Text
ll b FOR THE FARMING, STOCK RAISING, dL'RYING, POULTRY AND OTHER INTERESTS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES. I VQL 7- NO. 18. * SJARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, JUNE 15, 1902. = 50 CENTS A YEAR. i TUE PHUfDEA V AND THE VELVET BEA\ I nE UUnrEH 1 AS FERTILIZERS IFOR THE vii/ETTK; The following is a summary of * Bulletin No. 120 of the Alabama Experiment Station. This Bul letin will be sent to all addresses - on our mailing list, and any oth ers who apply for it, addressing th^ir requisites to Alabama Ex periment Station, Auburn Ala. This bulletin records the re sults of more than fifty experi ments conducted at Auburn du ring the past five years, to ascer itain the Jeffect of cowpeas and velvet beans in the improvement the soil. The amount of soil im provement has been determined by the increase in the yields of cotton, corn, oats, wheat, and sorghum, grown as first, second third, and fourth crops after the stubble and roots of cowpeas or velvet beans or after vines, stub ble and roots of these plants have been plowed under. The basis for determining the in crease has been the yield of eacn crop on plots where no legumi ^f\{}s plant has recently grown. *»he fertilizing value of the dif •‘^varietics of cowpeas was l> vary considerably, and \j*'iblv in proportion to the ,i*‘i ceof growth. h1’ y tests tcere was a slight r yield of corn by plow ^ fowpea vines very late in . 1 ‘.11 than from postponing .owing until April; but it is A j.rded as generally as best to . Av in the vines not more UV * Wl V. 111V. IIV..U for six varieties en cowpeas were ige for mowing and in another ent of the dry table for fertili/. nbble, roots and In the entire —,.,jeas on one acre there was contained in one case 52.7 pounds of nitrogen, in another 69.8. and in another 87.2, an average of 70.2 pounds of ni trogen per acre, which is equivi. lent to the nitrogen in 1,005 pounds of cotton seed tneal. In the roots, stubble and fall en leaves on an acre, respect fully, 11.65, 16.2. and 51.4 pounds of nitrogen, an average of 10.75 pounds of nitrogen per acre, which isequivalent to that con i tained in 2^2 pounds of cotton seed meal. 'PUn A*' 4...-*.. seed cotton produced in the yekr immediately following the plow ing in of the vines of cowpeas velvet beans averaged in font tests 5<>7 pounds per acrt. worth (at <> 3-4 cents per pound and S7.50 per ton for seed t. SI17 The increase in the , first cotton crop after the use as fertilizer of the vines of the summer legumes was never less than 32 per cent, and averaged t>3 per cent. In one test with corn the in crease in the first crop where velvet bean vines had been plow ed in was XI per cent., or 12..3 bushels worth at least $<>.15 pe-r acre. With oats the average in crease from the vines of the sum mer legumes in three tests aver aged 17 bushels per acre, and with wheat the corresponding increase in two tests was 5.t>3 bushels per acre. Tl o increase in the yiel 1 ol sorghum hay after cow pt a and velvet bean vines averaged 87 percent of an average gain of 2.1 tons per acre, worth at S«».«»7 per ton. 14.2 cents. When the vibes of the cowpea or velvet bern were utilized as hay and only the roots and stub ble employed as fertilizer the in crease in the yield per acre of the crop immediately succeeding the stubble was as follows; 2<>8 pounds of seed cotton, or 18 per cent., worth S3.2" cts. 4.3 bnshels of corn, or 32 per cent. -s ousneisoi oats or.vv.4 percent. o 7 bushels of wheat, or 215 2.OS tons of sorghum hay or 57 per cent. The largest percentage in crease from either the vines or stubble of cowpeas or velvet beans was made by wheat ami fall sown oats, probai < pre vented the washing ..... y or leaching out of the fertilizing ma terial in the vines or stubbie of the legumes. Generally on sandy soil tl -e crops most completely utilize rie fertilizing value of the legu: : -s which leaves the land unoccupied for the shortest interval. It i unadvisable for legumes to to im mediately succeed legumes in the rotation of crops, for non leguminous plants like cotton, corn, the small grains, grasses, etc., make better use of the ni trogen of the fertilizing crop. The value of the increased product resulting from the use of the entire legumes for fertili zer was greater with cotton and sorghum than with corn, oats, or wheat. These experiments emphasize the importance of such a rotation of crops as will require a large proportion of the cultivated land of every farm to be devoted to to some leguminous plant. Comparing the fertilizing ef fect of the the vines with that of the stubble of the cowpea and and the velvet bean, the excess in the next crop in favor of the vines averaged as follows; 0.0 bushels of corn per acre, • I or 4'i per cent .5 tons of sorghum hav or '> per cent. 452 pounds < seed cotton, per acre, or 40 per* ent. With these three crops the average increase in value per acre was s55.i,s greater from vines than from stubble. With oat i and wheat the vines of these legumes were not superior to the stubble when the small grain was sown immediately after the legumes matured. The te» tilizing effect of the stubble ot the cowpea or velvet bean was very transitory on sandy land, the average increase in the second crop of corn after the stubble being only 1.44 bushels per acre, or 12 percent, as compared to the yield of a plot that had not borne legumes. The fertilizing effect of the vines ol cowpeas and velvet beans was less transitory than that of the stubble and the in crease was 24 to 54 per cent in in the second crop, 14 percent in the third crop, (oils), a0d the favorable effect was even per ceptible in the fourth crop (sor ghum grown in the same year as the third. The total increase in the value of the four crops oc cupyingcertain plots during the three years after the plowing under of the vines of cow peas and velvet beans was $42.ft? per acre, and the annual increase of $14.32 cents per acre. On tne other hand on very light soil the fertilizing effect of both stubble and vines had prac tically disappeared within twelve months after the plowing in of the legumes. Corn as the second c»-op yield ed 14 per cent, or 2.1 bushels after legumes vines than after legume stubbles, this represent ing a value of Sl.Oo. The per. manency of effect of legumes in soil improvement seems to be in proportion to the stiffness of the soil and to the mass of vegeta ble matter afforded by the legume, and the favorable influence of leguminous vines is not less per manent than stable manure. J. F. DUGGAR, Ala. Kxpt. Station. --- Knceurage young pig a eat out of a trough early. Keep the xrough sweet and clean. Feed no more than they will eat up. You can wean them at six weeks old. IT WILL NOT PAY To wait for the weeds to grow. If we do we must strike blows all the harder to pay tor it, It will not pay to wait till the “old of the moon” to do our work here on earth. The moon is al ways old—old enough to look out. for herself. We must do the same. It will not pay to try to make a two-forty horse of a ten-minute colt. It isn’t in the blood. It will not pay to work after ihe dav hangs up its lantern and gives you a hint to do the same. It will not pay to keep the noses of the boys and girls down be tween the from morning to night. If you try it you will look up some day and find that you are ( alone. It is not a paying thing to loose a dollar’s worth of life to save ten cents worth of money. a It will not pay to let the bright I bov leave home and keep the other one on the farm. It will not pay to let the good wife have to hunt all around for chips to start the tire. Everv Southern farmer shoiou subscribe for the Gazetth'. The Southern Farm Gazette, of starkviiie, yiiss., will give to the person sending it the LARGEST LIST OF YEARLY CASH sub scribers by the 1st of August, 1902, a full scholarship in one of the best business colleges in the South, valued at $4$. To the person sending the SECOND LARGEST list, we will give a scholarship in Stenography in a good school valued at S10 Y()|| ( AN I (ISh NO TiMr IO all others sending in lists who are not successful in 1VU Vin 11 liUJJj liU lllillj. winning a premium, wi will return 20 per cent of the anvmnt they have sent us as a commission for their work, so no one can lose in this propo sition and all stand a chance of winning a premium worth striving for. I his is a splendid opportunity for any young man or woman to acquire a business educa tion who might.not otherwise receive it. The scholarships we offer carry with them all the right and privileges one would get should they pay cash at the schools. Go to Work-Attend Public Meetings and soi'u it among vour friends and acquaintances. Subscribers to The Gazette are easy to get as j it is the BEST and CHEAPEST agricultural and stock paper in the South and every farmer and stock raiser needs it in his business. Sample Copies Free. Notifv us that you intend to compete in this contest and we will send you any reasonable number of sample copies that you may request. Send in names and money you secure every two weeks at least and we will keep a correct record of same. Everything will be conducted FAIRLY. SOFARE LY AND IMPARTIALLY. Renieinhi the Contest Closes August 1st. (in to Work and te the Successful Contestant. THE SOUTHERNFMM GAZETTE, STARKVILLE, SS. __ - — "■“™ 1 I -I I-I I— I I. . 1 ■ " " '■ '