The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-07-12
Constant Crops.

THERE is an enormous amount of steal
ing done among farmers, considering tie
reputation they have for honesty. There
was the farmer we saw cutting hay, yes
tertlay, on a piece of land from which
he has taken fifteen successive crops of
hay. To he sure there was not much to
take, but the process which has led to this
light crop was one of theft and robbery.
It may be the man who practices this
upon his farm is the first to feel the loss,
for land once deteriorated by constant
cropping, with nothing returned to it, is
not easily recuperated under the best of
tillage.
There are half dozen wheat. fields in
sight of the writer's table that will yield
but half what they should, because they
have been "wheated" nearly to death.
The stimulus of greater foreign demand
will probably induce the owners to SOW
them again, as long as the soil is easily
prepared, and there seems to be good
chance to get something out of the land
that has brought so poor a return for few
years.
When will farmers learn that their
profits do not hang on foreign wars, by
big droughts or excessive rains in other
parts of the country, in truth, upon the
misfortunes of anybody? but rather up
on the success they can maintain in the
production of all the land can be made to
produce continuously. The cropping of
our grass and grain lands for years togeth-
er, with the practice of no rotation, or
without returning adequate remuneration
to the soil, is thieving process that will
be the ruination of our agricultural pros
perity unless changed tor better system.
If Northwestern wheat is 10 stand at
the head in quality, there is no reason
why it may not occupy the same rank in
quantity per acre. But if this present
system of wheat after wheat is continued
much longer, our reputation for quality
will avail us nothing, for we shall have
none to sell. The soil, no matter how
rich in the elements of plant growth, will
not bear constant drain upon its food
elements without manifest deterioration.
There must be some return made for what
is renewed, to maintain the fertility. We
are told that certain commercial fertili-
zers can he used to restore fertility lost by
over.cropping with wheat, but the safest
method is to return, year by year, an
equivalent for what is taken off. This
can be done by the greatest certainty by
keeping good balance Of stock to stand
against the wheat sold, and raise enough
to feed the stock we'll, returning the ma
nurc to the soil.
Clover is grand crop to employ in re-
storing to land what is requisite. But
there is some misapprehension about
clover. From many places complaint
comes that it is very difficult to stock with
clover: but among good farmers, if the
land has not been weakened by robbery,
there is little difficulty. The great reason
why clover will not catch does not lie in
climate, but in the fact that the elements
of quick growth have been removed and
the clover is not pushed to establish itself
at the outset.
Another mistake about clover is that it
can be moved one year for hay, taking off
a second crop for seed: moved the second
year, and then the sod turned over and a
great deal of good returned to the soil
thereby. Here is another steal. The
clover plant is biennial to begin with
and has exhausted itself the second year
and is ready to die; beside crop OF
clover seed exhausts the plants of pretty
much all the good there is in them.
The men who succeed best with clover
cut one crop of hay early, getting as
strong growth as possible thereafter,
then turn it under before the seed forms.
By this system the greatest growth of
root and top is obtained to return to the
soil.
The prosperity of farmers lies in the
amount of grain they can produce per
acre. The maximum is not easily stated,
but of one thing we can rest assured, there
is no prospect Of reaching it under any
method of culture by which the soil does
not get value received for what it gives
Detroit Free Press.