Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-11-01
Maintaining Fertility.

Farms adjacent to large cities are sooner
run down, and the soil becomes poor and
unproductive much sooner than remote
farms. One great reason of this is the
ready market a large city affords for every
thing a farm can produce, and the tempta-
ton to farmer To dispose of hay. grain,
straw and husks is so great that the
farmers do not keep as many cattle, horses
or sheep as they would were they not so
convenient to ready market. The conse-
quence of this is there is less barnyard
manure made to go back to replenish the
soil and year after year the land is thus
robbed and impoverished until the farm is
put in the list of worn out lands. 1t is
a great mistake to thus rob d farm of its
best manurial elements for if fed on the
farm the products would yield returns
more than twice that amount realized in
the cities, besides being beneficial longer
than one season.
1t is no gain, nor is it any economy to
sell farm in a way that DESTROYS the fer
tility of the land. Some farmers defend
their methods by saying. "Oh, | always
buy some kind of commercial fertilizer to
take the place of the barnyard manure that
! would have if did not dispose of my
straw, husks. etc. Well. what do you
know about the component parts of the
fertilizer you purchase? Do you know
your land needs just what these fertilizers
the kind you get-are said to contain?
Do you think their use is as sure to bene-
fit both the crops and the land as the gen
uIne barnyard manure? Do you expect to
keep up the fertility of the soil by the con-
slant use of commercial fertilizers? Ifyou
do Danish such an idea. and remember if
ing that is worth initiating your ancestors
in, 1t Is the application of barnyard ma
nure. the great and only truly reliable soil
fertilizer
If you have an abundance of hay and
straw, it will pay you to buy up sheep at
the stockyards in the fall. and also cattle.
and feed them through the winter Their
manure will more than pay for their keep
ing, and they can beside be disposed of In
the spring at good profit. 1t is indeed
poor farm and an indifferent farmer who
does not have every other year a pasture or
meadow lana that Is so rich that he can
break up in his order Of rotation of crops
to follow with grain. Many practical au-
thorities have concluded it Is best to keep
the barn-yard manure hauled out and
spread on the land about as fast as it is
made, as the land will thus get the bene
tit OF many elements that are lost while 1t
Is undergoing fermentation. OF course. In
advising this, reference Is had TO pastures
and grass lands; if thus spread on plowed
lands before a crop has got started, much
OF the liquid element Is lost.
Does the farmer. who to his sorrow
notices that his land is getting poor and
his crops each year getting less. and his
work becoming harder even to get these
light crops, pause and consider why, per
haps, the adjoining farm mas been at the
same time improving. and l. yielding
larger and better crops than 1t did a few
years ago? No. Well. there Is simply
tins difference: One farmer has run
his farm with an aim to keep mp the fer
tlllty Of the soil, the other simply to get
all he could out OF the soil; Ii short. one
farm has run up. the other run down.
Take farm that Is in the finest tiith.
where the land Is rich and producing fine
crops. and let it be rented year after year.
either on shares or In any other way. and
1t Is only matter OF Il few years heTons
the land will not produce half a. much.
The reason Is easily seen The tenant :.
not interested IN maintaining The fertility
Of the soil-his principal aim Is to ge all
he can out Of it. and if he does not truly
ride free horse to death. It viii only be
because his lease was not quite long
enough to overcome the excellent condl
ton the soil was In when be commenced
Baltimore Sun
The Chinese wall Is the largest wall In
the world 1t was built b. the first en-
peror Of the Tain dynasty. Its length Is
l-2J0 miles. Including parapet of Eve
feet. the total height of the wall is twenty
feet; thickness at the base twenty-five feet.
and at the top fifteen feet
The largest library Is the Bibliotheque
National at Paris. founded BY Louis XIV.
1t contains |. 400010 volumes. 80, 600
pamphlets. 175 900 manuscripts. 800. go
maps and charts. and $50. 600 coins and
medals The collection of engrayings ex-
oeeds l,:S;o, 600, contained In some 10000
volumes.