Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-03-11

CiofcT pldut Is almost lnunltly small.
The English experimenters, however
found that untitled land, barren of veg
citation, lost annually from 35 to 40 lbs
of nitrogen per acre by drainage or the
passage of the rainfall down through
the soil while wheat field suffered a
smaller loss and land upon which clover
was grown held its nitrogen compounds
SO closely that few traces of them were
found by the analysis of the drainage
waters. The explanation clearly follows
as given by DIR. Armsby, that the mass
of clover roots absorb the soluble COM
pounds of nitrogen and save them to
the SOIL In this way clover certainly
tends to stop or suspend soil exhaustion,
if it does not restore lost fertility. The
value of clover seems to lie largely in
its mechanical action. 1t is a pretty
good subsoiler 1t will root farther in
to the ground than any old-fashioned
Wisconsin hog 1t ventilates the soil
and tears it to atoms. In short, it
makes it fit to eat, so that other plants
can digest it. But it operates upon the
plant food of the soil very much as a
check does on your bank account; it
makes it available but does not add to
it. w. A. Chamberlain, the accomplished
secretary of the Ohio Board of Agri-
culture, says: "a few years cropping
without manure or clover will exhaust
the first foot of the soil, and few
years more cropping with clover the
next foot" and he adds, 81 see soil ex-
haustion all over Ohio even in the trail
of clover with little farm stock or ma
nure.' I. B. Terry, of the same state
noted writer upon farm topics, says:
"Clover is pump that raises fertilizers
from the subsoil." That increased
crops in the Western states follow the
use of clover will be generally conceded
but in time the land will become clover
sick as it has in portions of the Eastern
states and England This matter is
important because the rule is almost in
variable that large crops are cheap
crops and large crops are produced on
ly upon rich soils and rich soils can be
permanently maintained only by return
ing in some form the elements taken
off in plant and seed, in wheat and milk.
The soil of England is richer and more
productive than it was hundred years
ago. They import grain and meat and
hay. The prairies of America, the
steppes of Russia, the wheat fields of
India contribute products which finally
fertilizes the meadows of Durham and
the hills of Deyonshire. The English
farmer knows the value of manure.
The Royal Agricultural Society of En-
gland, offered prize in 1885 for the
best titled and managed farm of 100
acres. The prize was won by tenant
of the Earl OF Derby man who had
worked the farm for IS years. There
had been placed upon the farm during
the year:
10C tons barnyard manure.
700 tons manure from London,
400 tons night soil from Liverpool
3 tons inter, salt, ashes, bone dust, etc
The economy of the man who cannot
afford to spend labor and money to keer
his farm in a condition of increasing
richness adds to the cost of everything
he produces. The dairymen have founc
this to be true and they are to-day il
spite of low prices the most prosperou,
class upon the farms of Wisconsin
The expression may be somewhat para
doxical, but the solid foundation of tn,
dairy business rests upon the manure
heap. One of the great branches, if no
the greatest branch of Agricultural in
dustry in this state is dairying and il
these days of butterine impurity tn,
COW men are obliged to think prett,
hard to meet the competition of hog,
and steers and human sharks. Their,
is no immediate prospect of raising
, prices. The fine work must be done a
, the other end of the line-in reducin.
the cost of dairy products. The dair,
farmer who attempts this must ordinar
lily begin with butchers knife. 4
, poor cow is an element in the business
| that must come out. A liberal est
mate for the average butter products
! of Wisconsin COWS is 125ibs each; al
, lowing II pints of milk for one pount
of butter. We have a milk product O
, 1900 pints each-an average of
quarts per day for 800 days. The av
erage cow should have an average rop,
, around her average neck and be huns
{ to an average tree until dead, for she i,
stealing from the good farmers of thi
state the dollars which they need to Civ,
them rest and home comforts and edu
cation for their children. Let us siz,
: up this average cow and see what sh,
amounts to: 125ibs of butter per yea
a 20 cts.-more than the average price
gives us $25. The calf isn't worth any
thing, but we will call it So. 400 pts
of skim milk are worth 81 total product
$35. The average COW skins the grass
from 3 acres of pasturage, the rent Of
which is worth $40. She will amuse
herself during the winter eating d tons
of hay worth $50 and 200 lbs of FEED
worth $160, making the annual ex
pcnse aside from the items of labor
$3.50. Balance in favor of the COW
$34-cost of each quart of milk 2 Is
cents. If the average COW had any
sense she would dry up forever rather
than work year for $40 or two days
for two cents. The good COW jump.
into the ring with an average butter
product of 800 lbs worth O. 20 cts. 500
the calf is worth its weight in butter
but we will value it at $3.50. From
her product of 5000 qts. we will get
3,400 OTIS. of skim milk worth S17-
total product $3.50. We will charge
her for pasturage $40, for hay-2 tons
SIC, for feed 2,160 ibs--12 lbs per day
for $50 days, costing at present prices
50, for 1000 lbs of corn and oats a
80 cts; $3.50 for 500 lbs of shorts OF
meal ca 20 cts; 1896 for 66Osibs Of
bran % 60 cts Total cost of ground
feed, $16.46;-total cost of the COW
for the year s42.46, leaving balance of
$42.04 net profit, and permitting the
labor account to balance the manure
product, which it will not do. This
COW makes milk at an expense of / 1-6
cts. per quart. She understands her
business. Her owner can look at her
at the end of the year with $42O5
worth of satisfaction. He can look at
the other COW with $40 worth of sat
| ,ofaof.op 7 1-oo,,- -. L -. II