The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-25
WASTE OF FERTILITY.
Means by which Nitrogen May be Re-
tanned.

MeeHS Dy Wnicn nitrogen May De Re"
tanned.
Western Farm Journal.
Much of the fearful waste of fertility now
going on in the West is entirely needless.
There are two or three points connected
with the subject which it will pay the farmer
to understand thoroughly. The main
point the Western farmer has to consider
is how to manage nitrogen. This is about
the only element that washes out of his
soil unless he lets the soil itself get away.
When the ground is frozen up in the win
ter there is no danger of this. The summer
managent then becomes the important
thing. If he will only keep the soil full OF
living roots in the summer season there
will be little waste. How can he do this 2
One of the main benefits of q grass
crop lies in the fact that it eoes
this. Whenever there is an atom of hi
trogen lying around loose, so to speak,
erwlse with grain crop. The land lies
waste from harvest to seeding time. The
snort rotation for grain-raisers which the
journal has frequently suggested will OBJ
v1ate this. When sowing spring grain, SOW
clover. Ii stand is secured il will soon
cover the stubble and completely cover the
ground till winter. As soon as the frost is
occupies it fully until moving time. If it
is not intended for moving, but
purely for fertility, the mammoth va
riety should be used and seed crop
taken. The roots, however, are still at
work, and in few days the ground is
covered. Late in the fall, plow un-
der. and everything will soon be locked up
by the frost. An increase of twenty BUSH
els OF corn per acre can be safely counted
on the first year, and almost as much the
second. 1t is then time to take a crop of
spring grain and repeat the course. The
longer We use this rotation the better we
like it.. We regard 1t sure shot whenever
stand of mammoth clover can be obtained.
We started in on this course two or three
years ago, and had our first results on corn
last year In the shape oil an increase
OF twenty-seven bushels per acre
over land of the same quality and the
same management Immediately Joining.
This year the corn on that same piece of
ground stands up like solid wall of living
green. and promises to duplicate the re-
suits of last year. Meanwhile we have
two other fields on clover sod. nothing
having been sown but clover, and the OBJ
]ect being fertility. pure and simple. 1t is
interesting to watch the behavior of these
fields from day to day. During the ex-
IRENE and protracted dry weather they
held the stand and color, showing a sur
plus OF available fertility.
Now that the rains have come they seem
to move Off like strong ana swift trotter,
every day widening the distance betH cen
them and lands equally good. but having
no surplus OF fertility. While this is
mainly due to the storing up of Nitrogen in
The soil by the roots of the clover, some of
it is due to the fact that there has been no
waste of the fertility thus stored. There
has been no opportunity for waste. We
orr tiaf iaA hot 1 ~ cd t,l
by that large class of farmers who are, in
manner, compelled to grow grain exciu-
sively, not being yet ready for stock, they
would find it to work like charm.