1894 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
329 
vent fermentation, nor is either of them advantageous 
to sandy or loamy soils. WM. c. stubbs. 
Director Louisiana Experiment Station. 
Trouble Overestimated in Texas. 
The advice frequently given “ never plow under 
green crops while green as it will sour the ground,” is 
too general to be true. It is a fact, that during the 
heat of summer, on some close, sticky land, which 
lacks the proper amount of air incorporated with the 
soil, and where moisture is in over supply, the plowing 
under of a very heavy crop has frequently caused acetic 
fermentation in the crop turned under, and the results 
have been injurious to plants under such conditions. 
If any one of these three conditions be lacking, high 
temperature, absence of air, or an excess of water, no 
damage will result to crops turned under green in the 
South or elsewhere. The trouble is one which has 
been greatly overestimated and during the spring sea¬ 
son little or no danger need be feared of bad results 
from green manuring. 
We have very much land in the South which is 
entirely deficient in organic matter, and for this rea¬ 
son suffers severely from the hot sun by baking, and 
from drought by easily yielding up all its water. But 
these lands may very largely be restored to their 
former state of fertility by turning under crops of 
green stuff, such as Sweet clover, cow peas. Red 
clover, Soja beans and some others. Crab grass is not 
so good for the purpose of green manuring as are some 
other grasses that have more woody fiber present in 
them. The addition of any form of ashes or of lime 
would largely prevent the souring of land in turning 
under green crops. I am satisfied that the same re¬ 
sults can be accomplished by turning under green 
crops in dry weather, or in cool weather, without this 
extra expense. J- h. connell. 
Prof. Agr. and Director Texas Agr. College. 
Light Green Manuring for North Carolina. 
I believe two green crops in one year are too many. 
One crop followed by a seeding to rye or clo7er, would 
be more rational. Lime or cotton-hull ashes would, 
in great part, neutralize the acids formed, no doubt, 
but why put in anything which will necessitate a 
neutralizer ? The lands are very poor. The owners 
in many cases cannot afford to pay for lime which, on 
these soils, is of doubtful utility. We have been 
taught that lime is a good thing to stimulate the pro¬ 
ductiveness of a rich, but rather stubborn, soil. Such 
conditions do not exist here. We must get organic 
matter into the soils, and husband it instead of liming 
it. More and more organic matter, with deeper and 
deeper plowing is the salvation of Southern farmers. 
07er large areas, the soil is thin and poor. A whole 
generation has cultivated cotton extensively with 
shallow plowing and bare fallows after each crop, 
each year adding more and more mineral fertilizer, 
until a halt or change is necessarily near at hand. 
These lands are capable of being raised to a high 
state of fertility. There is an almost impervious clay 
subsoil which, when not reaching the surface, is so 
near as to appall one when he tries to get a seed bed 
deep enough to retain the water of summer showers 
from one period of low pressure to another. This is 
one reason why we need organic matter and deeper 
plowing to help hold the water. This, in turn, brings 
us back to the green matter which cannot decay so 
rapidly if there is moisture enough to keep down the 
heat by evaporation, and a larger body of water to be 
heated. But there is really no need to turn under 
large crops of green matter. Clover or rye can be 
turned to profit as cattle food and the stubble will add 
to the Soil without endangering it. Cow peas, the 
favorite green manure, may be turned under after 
most of the fruit has been plucked. The cow pea does 
not ripen its fruit all at once, but many fiowers which 
are destined to open and ripen fruit are yet in the bud 
while some of the fruit is already ripe. When most of 
the vines are dead there is time to plow under and sow 
wheat or clover for a winter crop. There is no better 
way to get all the benefit of a hay crop and good sum¬ 
mer pasture following it than to sow grass seed on the 
well prepared seed bed over the pea vines, in late fall. 
North Carolina Experiment Station, f. e. emery. 
Always Feed tbe Soil Through Stock. 
The dictum, “ Never plow under a green crop while 
green, as it will sour the ground ! ” as applied to the 
South, is sound advice. It is in accord with the ex¬ 
perience of intelligent farmers, and the advice is 
approved by some scientific men. Whether because 
it “ sours the ground,” I am not able to say from ac¬ 
tual experience, but I do not believe that to be the 
correct explanation. Many believe the deleterious 
effect to be due merely to turning up the soil in hot 
weather, without regard to the character or condition 
of the material turned under. I caused a little ex¬ 
periment to be made last year, in which this very 
point is incidentally covered. It is recorded on page 
122 of Bulletin 24. The main object of the experi¬ 
ment was to prove that a crop of pea vines should be 
converted into hay, and not reconverted into soil. 
For some years I have been combatting the idea that 
it will pay to turn under a crop of pea vines, or of 
Ciover, or of anything else that is so valuable fcr 
animal food, and so nearly ready for the barn. South¬ 
ern farmers get many valuable ideas from Northern 
and Eastern practice, but ofttimes the ideas become 
distorted or inverted in transit. I tell them that it is 
not the practice to turn under a luxuriant crop of 
clover, either in the North or in England; but it is 
the aftermath, or probably no more than the stubble, 
that is so turned under, and that it would be equally 
reasonable to use wheat bran as a direct fertilizer, or 
to plow under a crop of wheat, etc. k. j. bedding. 
Director Georgia Station. 
R. N.-Y.—In the interesting experiment referred to, 
two acres of land were sowed to peas and fertilized 
with 200 pounds per acre of acid phosphate. This 
field was divided into 16 parts. On four parts the 
peas were picked and the ripened vines plowed under. 
On four more the vines were cut and left on the sur¬ 
face, on four they were plowed in while green, and on 
the remaining four, cut and cured for hay. Cotton 
was grown on the field, and careful notes taken of 
the yield on each of these plots. The greatest value 
in cotton was obtained fro n the plots where the peas 
were picked and the vines ripened. This was worth 
$44.95, and the peas brought $5.66 more, or $50.61 
total. On the plots where the vines were cured for 
hay, the cotton was worth $41.54, and the hay $14.35, 
or $55.89 in all. The poorest returns were made 
on the plots where the vines were turned under green. 
What Soil Needs Nitrogren P Long-Liived Clover. 
R. E. M., Stellacoom, Wash.—l. I have a piece of 
gravelly clay land which will produce 2}4 tons of 
clover hay per acre, yet the same kind of land adjoin¬ 
ing produces very sparingly of everything that I have 
tried excepting peas. Does not this indicate that the 
land is defieietft in nitrogen ? 2. Is not clay upland 
generally deficient in nitrogen ? 3. The statement in 
a recent Rural, that clover is a biennial does not hold 
good in this region. One of my neighbors has a clover 
field, sown four years ago, which cut four tons per 
acre last year and gives promise of an equal crop this 
year. 
Ans.—1. Yes, that would be our guess. 2. Not 
necessarily so. Nevertheless it is generally deficient 
in nitrogen. 3. Clover is a biennial, or nearly so. 
Does not your neighbor allow the clover to go to seed? 
Talk About Blackberries. 
if. P. N., Nichols, Conn. —On page 281 The R. N.-Y. 
does not mention Minnewaski blackberry. What is 
your opinion of it, and of the Kansas, Lovett’s and 
Palmer black raspberries ? Which is considered best? 
Ans. —The Minnewaski is an excellent blackberry, 
hardier than Kittatinny and less liable to rust. It is 
not so good in quality and we prefer Kittatinny where 
it thrives. We prefer Hilborn and Lovett’s to Palmer 
or Kansas as they behave at the Rural Grounds. 
Kansas, however, is a hardy variety and one of the 
best second early blackcaps. Souhegan is one of the 
best first earlies. 
When Will Corn “Mix” P 
S., Harwinton, Conn. —How near together can sweet 
and common corn be grown without mixing? If one 
side of a field be planted with one kind, and the other 
begins where that ends, how many of the rows in the 
center will be mixed ? 
Ans.—T he entire field would be liable to mix if 
blooming at the same time. 
Buckwheat and Potatoes at the South. 
H., Athens, Qa. —What is the best time of year to 
sow Japan buckwheat, first for a large crop of hen 
feed, second for loosening stiff red clay soil ? Where 
may Irish potatoes be profitably shipped from this 
place ? The first crop is nearly as perishable as 
melons if dug when ripe. Would they keep better if 
dug before maturity ? Can a second crop be grown 
without mulching with pine straw ? 
Ans. —The buckwheat may be sown at once, if for 
soil improvement, but for a grain crop it will usually 
strike better weather for maturing if sown in July. 
In your latitude, the Southern pea will beat the buck¬ 
wheat out of sight in the amelioration of clay, or in 
improvement of the soil. Our early Irish potatoes 
here are shipped to New York, Washington, Phila¬ 
delphia and Baltimore. They are always shipped as 
soon as of fair size, and before maturity. We grow 
the second crop every fall and have never mulched 
any. The potatoes of the early crop are bedded in a 
single layer and covered with an inch or more of soil, 
having first had a very small piece of the seed end cut 
off. From the first to the middle of August, we plant 
those that have sprouted, in deep trenches, and cover 
very lightly until the green growth begins. After 
this we gradually work in the soil, until the surface is 
loose, and afterward work them perfectly loose. It 
might be of advantage to cover the land between the 
rows with pine straw to conserve moisture, but we 
have not tried it. w. f. massey. 
Refuse Bread for Poultry. 
E. C , Waverly, N. Y .—Can hens be successfully fed 
with refuse bread and meat from hotels, etc., without 
any grain ? Can a farmer near New York City get 
plenty of that kind of food for taking it away ? What 
difficulties would stand in the way of such business? 
Ans —If one could get the bread dry and hard and 
the meat before it became tainted, he might feed it 
successfully. The sweepings and refuse from bake 
shops are often sold for such purposes. At most 
hotels, such refuse is in the form of swill—sour and 
unfit for an 7 animals but hogs. Such swill is re¬ 
moved by the health authorities, though some farmers 
cart it away to nearby farms. We would not advise 
any one to go into the business unless he could secure 
the bread in dry crusts or crumbs. 
Real Facts About Western Wheat Growinar. 
Several Subscribers .—What are the facts about wheat 
growing in Dakota ? Is the business still profitable ? 
Have wheat growers changed their methods in conse¬ 
quence of lower prices ? What is the outlook for the 
future ? 
ANSWER by a DAKOTA WHEAT GROWER. 
As I did not keep an expense account for my farm 
in 1893, it is impossible to give exact statements ; but 
the results were not satisfactory to me. I raised 6,000 
bushels of wheat on 400 acres, it being as light a crop 
as I have raised in 12 years. The crop was generally 
light here last year. I inclose bill of sale for 1,163 
bushels and 20 pounds of No. 1 Hard, and No. 1 North¬ 
ern wheat which I shipped to D uluth. This will show you 
what the Great Northern Railroad and the middlemen 
are doing for the wheat growers of North Dakota. 
You can form your own opinion of the justice or injus¬ 
tice of their charges. The 1,163 bushels and 20 pounds 
of wheat sold in Duluth for $720.45, and I received 
$491.02 for it in the following manner : September 11, 
I drew 220; October 1, I drew $175 more against the 
wheat, and January 29, the wheat was sold, when I 
received a check of $96.02 to balance accounts. The 
accounts were as follows: 
E'relKhts to Duluth.$118.02 CommlSHlon. 11.(!3 
Advance elevator charges. 23.20 Switching. 2.21 
Relnepectlon. 1.00 Advanced on wheat. 220.00 
Weighing.20 Advanced on wheat. 175.00 
Storage. 49.08 Checit to balance. 00.02 
Insurance. 7.02 - 
Interest. 15.21 Total.$710.45 
The wheat netted me about 42 cents and 2 mills per 
bushel. While I think we can raise wheat as cheaply 
as it can be raised in any place in North America, I 
doubt its being raised for that price with any profit 
to the producers. 
Since times have changed and prices dropped to 
those now prevailing, in my opinion wheat is unprofit¬ 
able except on the most productive lands. These 
might yet be used so as to pay interest on the invest¬ 
ment, as the number of bushels raised per acre makes 
a corresponding difference in the price per bushel for 
which it can be raised. I think that wheat can be 
grown on the large, level, fertile fields of the Red 
River Valley as cheaply as anywhere, and I shall con¬ 
tinue to make it my main crop, raising only‘such other 
things as I need for feed at home. I believe time will 
work a change for the better.for, if the present low 
prices continue, many will be forced out of the busi¬ 
ness for lack of funds to cultivate their land ; this wiU 
diminish production and we may see better prices. 
It is true that South America, British India and 
Russia are extending their railroads and opening up 
new territory that will produce wheat. This would 
be a strong factor in depressing prices if it were not a 
fact that wheat is worth more for feeding animals 
than the present .market price. As the farmers are 
learning this fact, they will feed more and sell it as 
pork and beef. . Our lands are diminishing their yield 
per acre because of poor farming and cropping without 
restoring their fertility. I also believe that we have 
nearly reached our limit of production ; that our lands 
are deteriorating faster than we can open up new 
fields to increase production. Farther, it is well 
known that the United States has very little unculti¬ 
vated land remaining that could compete with that 
now under cultivation for the production of wheat. 
There are, now and then, parties who are interested 
in wild lands that claim otherwise, but we all know 
that all the United States have been explored by men 
of judgment and the best selections made. 
I shall pursue my usual course, summer fallowing 
about one-third of the land I expect to sow with 
wheat, and trust that by raising good crops, it may be 
as profitable as to change, except that I will arrange 
to feed a part of the crop if prices do not advance. 
More flax, oats and barlay will be grown here next 
year, and less wheat than heretofore. 
Cass County, North Dakota. s. c. carpenter. 
