The Bulletin. 73 



that there is no profit in depending upon the commercial fertilizers to make 

 corn. You may get some corn, but if you figure up the difference you will 

 find that the increased yield has cost a pretty good price." 



Now, in the rotation practiced in the section I refer to — a three-year rota- 

 tion of corn, wheat, and clover — they feed all the roughage and the hay to 

 stock. They are liberal in the use of phosphoric fertilizer, and some use a 

 little potash. Each individual farmer must study his soil and know some- 

 thing in regard to its needs. 



In regard to lime, I am asked every day what kind of lime to use, ground 

 rock or ground oyster shells or burnt lime. It is largely a matter of cost. If 

 ground shells or rock are cheap enough, you can use them ; but you will have 

 to use two or three times as much as of burnt slaked lime. I found that when 

 I bought a car-load of 440 bushels I slaked nearly 900. I got good immediate 

 results with a smaller amount than I could get from ground rock; but it is 

 largely a matter of cost. I would as lief have ground shell as burnt lime. I 

 think I can get quicker results from water-slaked burnt lime than from 

 ground rock ; but I do not get any better results in the final benefit to the soil. 

 I believe the time is coming when the ground rock and the ground shells will 

 be used almost exclusively. If you can get ground rock cheaply, use the 

 ground rock. There is less oxidizing material in it to burn up the humus. But 

 you should keep plenty of humus there. 



Now, another point I want to talk about is the growing of alfalfa in North 

 Carolina. I was asked to tell these people here to grow alfalfa. We can 

 grow corn, as the young man was telling us this morning. If you meet the 

 conditions for growing a certain crop, you can grow that crop. If you make 

 the conditions right for growing alfalfa, you can grow it; but very little of 

 our soil here in North Carolina is as yet in good condition to produce good 

 crops of alfalfa. It is of no use to put it on poor soil. We had better defer 

 alfalfa, except in little plats we can look after closely. We need a short rota- 

 tion to bring the legumes rapidly on the land. Some think rotation means 

 resting land. I found in South Carolina a few years ago that they had come 

 to the conclusion that it was best to let the land grow cotton one year and let 

 it grow up in weeds or grass next year, then plant cotton again. I advised them 

 to try a three-year rotation that would bring more fertility to the soil — cotton, 

 oats, and corn — and still have the legumes by planting peas in the corn, follow- 

 ing the oats with peas and crimson clover. I told them this (which experi- 

 ence has shown to be true), that peas in a cornfield will increase the corn crop. 

 There is no doubt of that ; but if we did not make any more corn, or as much 

 corn, the peas are worth all they cost in the corn. 



Tuesday, 7 :30 P. M. 



President Shuford: The Convention will please come to order. 

 I want to call attention to the speech of Mr. Knapp. In Catawba we 

 are engaged in the dairy business, and with the help of the Department 

 of Agriculture and of the College, we had laid plans for making 

 Catawba one of the biggest counties in the State. About five years 

 ago the dairy work was started in a small way. Mr, Conover, from 

 the Department, came to see us and helped us with the work. We 

 found that we could not increase the work unless we got a market, so 

 we met and had a discussion and organized a small cooperative cream- 

 ery. About forty farmers milking 300 cows brought in their cream, and 

 during the first month we made 4,000 pounds of butter. This month 

 we shall make 12,000 pounds of butter and market about $1,000 worth 

 of eggs, paying out about $5,000 around Hickory and that community. 

 The biggest month was last . February, when our sales were about 

 $9,000. We put up our butter in pound packages. Every cow is 

 tested for tuberculosis. Every cow is tested for butter-fat, and we try 

 to get rid of the cows not making good. 



