Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-01-07

soil selected will consist largely of loan
or be composed Of alluvion, in which
argulaceous and calcareous material
abounds. In many instances there Will
be no opportunity for choice of land, as
every tillable acre will consist of heavy
clay or a mixture of different kinds OF
soil forming heavy land, which Is we'll
adapted to the production of the sorts OF
grain alluded to. In grain farming the
aim is, as far as may be practicable, TO
adapt the system of management, the
mode of culture and the kind of crops to
the soil rather than to attempt the inJus
dicious experiment of adapting the SOIL
to the crops. Every product of the farm
should be favored with a congenial soil
indeed, this is eminently essential
whenever the farmer desires TO produce
the largest maximum yield per acre. A
fair crop of excellent wheat may be pro-
duced on light sandy soil; but such
land will not furnish congenial
sub-bed for growing wheat Barley,
for example, may be raised on light
mucky soils; but some other crops may
be produced on such land with far
more profit, as a mucky and peaty soil
is deficient in those elements of fertility
which make csngenial soil tor barley.
AS all soils are spoken of by working
formers as either heavy or light, the
proprietor of a grain farm will always
select land that is neither too heavy nor
too light. There is grade of soils be-
tween the heavier aud the light which it
is always desirable TO secure. Yet.
where the choice lies between light and
very heavy it will be more satisfactory
in every respect TO choose the heavy
land, as such ground will be found more
congenial to larger number OF crop
plants than the light soil. Besides this,
the heavy soil is susceptible of being
brought TO higher state of fertility than
the very light land, and the fertility can
be maintained from year to year with
less labor and fertilizing material than
where the soil is so light and porous that
the elements of fertility are lot retained
for the use of growing plants. When a
supply of phosphate, heterogeneous, or
other fertilizing matter is Incorporated
with heavy soil, larger than is essen
tial to meet the requirements of the
growing plants, the adhesive, argillace-
Gus portion of the seed. bed envelops the
valuable elements of fertility and retains
the minute atoms until the numerous
spongioles of crop plants, spread through
the soil the succeeding season, lay hold
OF and appropriate the rich pabulum that
has long been held in store.
The Intelligent proprietor of a grain
farm, if he has adopted system of pro-
gressive agriculture, chooses judicious
rotation of crops. Here also the impor-
tant principle of adaptation must be
strictly observed. On the heavier kinds
of landslide following rotation system.
will be found quite satisfactory in near
ly every respect, namely: Indian corn,
barley, oats. wheat and red clover. The
crop of red clover should be plowed
under The next year after seeding. On
some grain farms the system of rotation
is varied from the foregoing, thus: In
dian corn, oats, rye and red clover. In
some locations rye straw is so valuable
at markets in certain cities that certain
farmers prefer to raise rye instead of
wheat, as the remunerative price received
for the straw, together with the returns
for the grain, will greatly preponderatc
over the profits of a crop Of wheat on
the same ground. Besides this there Is
no other crop among the cereals with
which the seed of red clover can be
sown with the same assurance that there
will be "a good catch" as with rye. A
crop of clover in a judicious rotation is
more valuable and more important than
crop of rye or wheat. Red clover will
>, catch" satisfactorily in some instances
with wheat, oats or barley. But as oats
and barley are so liable to yield such a
heavy and dense burden of leaves near
the ground the young clover is often in
danger of being smothered to ruinous
extent.-N. Y. Herald.