The Ronan Pioneer

Benefits Shown in Winter Hay Crops
Not the Least Is Reduction in Fertilizer Costs.

Fall-planted legumes and small grains occupy the land at a time when it would otherwise be bare and exposed to the leaching out process of soluble plant food, and to the erosion of the soil itself.

While the chief advantage of winter hay crops is that they furnish a good crop of fresh feed at a time when it is likely to be low, there is another advantage, especially where legumes are grown, that the fertilizer bill may be reduced and the land put in such shape that what fertilizer is used will pay better returns.

It is not expected that farmers will have much more money to invest in fertilizers next spring than they had last spring. For that reason it is only good insurance to take advantage of suitable growing weather in winter to fill the land with humus and organic matter.

Limestone and legumes are being rated as important soil builders in North Carolina this season, and indications are that both will be used to a greater extent than in the past, say North Carolina field specialists.