CRIMSON CLOVER AND PEAS 173 



If the southern farmer is ready for no more, let him 

 sow a single pound of seed in some good spot of well- 

 prepared soil, nourish it and sow again the succeeding 

 year, and, continually, till the inoculation is complete. 

 From that little spot may radiate lovely fields in every 

 direction ; it may become the center of a new agriculture. 



Crimson Clover and Cowpeas Together. The "South- 

 ern Farm Gazette" contains the subjoined helpful letter 

 written by W. C. Crook, Henderson County, Tenn. : 



"We sow crimson clover alone in our corn fields at last plow- 

 ing, at the rate of 15 to 17 pounds of seed per acre. From this 

 sowing we nearly always get a splendid winter crop for our 

 soil. But after careful experimenting we have almost abandoned 

 sowing it alone at the last plowing of corn. We found by sowing 

 it with cowpeas that, in case clover failed, we still had one legumi- 

 nous crop and could follow with rye just the same. But when 

 sown with peas we have but few failures with the clover. It is 

 greatly shaded by the peas and thus protected while young from 

 the hot sun and parching winds. The decaying peavines also pro- 

 tect and nourish the clover through the winter season. We also 

 sow crimson clover along after wheat and oat harvest and get fine 

 results. But here, as in our corn land, we get best results when 

 sown with peas. By so sowing we can cut the peas for hay and 

 still have the clover for a second hay crop, or to be turned down 

 for green manure. We do the latter, as we get all the hay we can 

 use from cowpeas, and it is a better grade of hay. The cowpea hay 

 is not so good when sown with clover, as one must not sow over 

 3/4 bushel of pea seed per acre. Therefore the hay is coarse. 



"We find it pays to give land intended for peas and crimson 

 clover a top dressing of 250 to 300 pounds phosphoric acid per acre. 

 By doing this we are able to take very thin land and get a heavy 

 crop of both peas and clover. We have made many experimental 

 tests to see the effects of turning in a good growth of peas and clo- 

 ver ; and always found the following crop to withstand a drouth 

 splendidly, make a very rapid growth, and yield from 200 to 400 

 more pounds of seed cotton to the acre. In one test we found the 

 wheat yield increased 7Y<\ bushels, and on another the corn yield 



