Vol. LXII. No. 2791 . NEW YORK, JULY 25 , 1903 . $1 i’ER YEAR. 
^MANURIAL^ CROPS IN THE SOUTH, 
HOW THEY USE CRIMSON CLOVER AND COW PEAS. 
Oreat Value to the Land. 
Crimson clover is sown largely as a catch and cover 
crop, at the last working of corn, tomatoes, canta¬ 
loupes or crops in which the harvesting will not 
Interfere with the new seeding, and under favorable 
climatic conditions a 
stand is assured, al¬ 
though less likely in 
corn than most other 
crops as the young 
plants may he killed by 
the hot sun, if sown too 
early. To avoid that, 
the sowing of the seed 
is often delayed until 
about the time of har¬ 
vesting the crop. In 
some cases, ihe early 
planted corn is har¬ 
vested first, when the 
ground is thoroughly 
prepared between the 
shock rows and seed 
sown, by that means 
increasing greatly the 
possibility of a stand. 
The very best condition 
is to fit the land same 
as for wheat fallow; 
sowing the seed possi¬ 
bly one month earlier 
than you would wheat, 
applying at the same 
time, about 250 pounds 
of standard grade acid 
phosphate per acre. 
My plan is to sow both 
at the same time, with 
a wheat drill. Under 
these conditions success 
is assured. A very 
large acreage was sown 
in this section last sea¬ 
son, giving the farmers 
of our State a large and 
most excellent crop of 
Crimson clover hay, 
which was secured in 
the best possible condi¬ 
tion, much of it yield¬ 
ing two or more tons 
of cured hay per acre. 
In one case 13 tons were 
sold from a trifle over 
four acres of ground. 
Farmers are learning it 
does not pay to plow 
under these valuable 
forage crops, although 
a few years ago it was 
largely done. This 
same ground that fur¬ 
nished these large crons 
of hay, is now growing 
a second crop of either 
corn, tomatoes or pos¬ 
sibly cow peas for seed or hay. Last season many 
wheat stubbles in which the Spring sowing of Red 
clover was destroyed by the hot sun, were plowed 
and sown to Crimson clover in the month of Septem¬ 
ber, giving to the farmers who adopted that method 
a crop of hay and one of corn this year, instead of a 
crop of weeds, which is likely to follow a failure in 
the seeding of Red clover. Cow peas do not fit in 
our rotation so well, but are valuable for hay or seed 
and in many cases are sow'n as a manorial crop for 
wheat with most excellent results; when followed 
with Crimson clover instead of wheat, a very rapid 
improvement of the soil is realized. Even if both 
crops are cut for hay, as a milk and butter producer, 
I consider well-cured cow pea hay first in value and 
Crimson clover hay next. Either in my judgment 
is better than Red clover. On thin soils, an applica¬ 
tion of from 200 to 300 pounds of rock with about 
five per cent potash added is very beneficial, to be 
applied at time of sowing the seed, which is best, but 
If not then very early in the Spring as a top-dressing. 
On fairly good land, growth enough will be secured 
without any application whatever. The farmers in 
this section are realizing to a greater extent each 
year, the great value of these crops, both for feed and 
as a soil improver. chas. barker. 
Delaware. 
Cover Crops in General Farming. 
I had the management of a farm near Dover for 
some years, where i 
sowed Crimson clover 
in all the orchards, all 
the corn, all the toma¬ 
toes and in other crops 
wherever possible to do 
so, at some convenient 
season between the first 
of August and the mid¬ 
dle of October. In or¬ 
chards the cultivation 
w'as continued until 
rather late in the sea¬ 
son and then the Crim¬ 
son clover seed was 
sown and harrowed in 
thoroughly, but not too 
deep. The orchards 
were plowed again in 
the Spring before the 
rains were ail over, and 
while the soil was still 
fairly well filled with 
moisture. In one case, 
after a crop of Crimson 
clover and turnips had 
been plowed in rather 
early in Spring, cow 
peas were planted in 
drills about two feet 
apart. Cultivation was 
kept up until the cow 
peas covered the 
ground. Later the peas 
were cut for feed and 
then tire ground was 
harrowed and sowm to 
clover and turnips, in 
time to make a good 
covering for the Win¬ 
ter. The Crimson clo¬ 
ver seed was sown in 
the corn just after the 
last working, and was 
then covered with a fine 
cultivator, or if the 
ground was mellow, the 
seed was sown just 
ahead of the cultivator 
at the last working. 
One year, a heavy wind 
and rain so bent the 
corn over before the 
seed was sown that it 
could not be cultivated 
again without breaking 
a good deal of it. After 
the rain the seed was 
sown and a fairly good 
stand was secured, but 
it was not as even as 
when the seed was cultivated in. The course pur¬ 
sued with the tomatoes was very similar to that pur¬ 
sued with the corn, the clover seed being put in at the 
last working of the tomatoes. 
My experience with Cow peas is more limited, but 
one field of 18 acres which had borne successive crops 
of corn, was in consequence in very poor condition. 
ROSE PHILADELPHIA RA.MBLER COLOR DEEP CRIMSON. Pio. 197. See Ruralisms, Page 534 
