The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-05-16
RURAL TOPICS.
IMPORTATION FOR THE HUSBAND.
MAN AND HcUsEwIFE.
sons Practical Suggestions for the Farnss
stosk-Brseter, Pouitersr. Nurssryma.
and H~susskespsr.
THE FARM.
Tho Now A~sricu,,urs.

.11H ssO NS0W nBT1CNttuE0b atAFdTHEH
From the beginning-of the settlement
OF this country up to the present time,
shallow blowing and Indifferent culti-
walton have been practiced with the re-
suit of depleted, run-out soils from one
end of the country to the other. A
yield of six bushels of wheat to the
acre and twenty-si six bushels of corr was
reported as the average from 1870 to
. = by the United States census Deep
blowing and occasional subsoil plow-
ing with thorough and frequent Guilt
walton will not only prevent depletion
of the soilbut will increase its fertility
and increase the yield of crops each
season. Improvement of soil and i'm
provement in the yield and quality of
crops is suggested and demonstrated by
Improvement and advance in all other
Lines. Why is it true that grain crops
invariably exhaust the soil, while the
vast growth of timber forests invariably
increase fertility? If we can learn an
important lesson here we may be able
to turn to good account the lesson
tnught. 1t is q universally known
truth that after each growth of timber
has been removed the land 10 capable
of producing good crops. Newly
cleared lands are always relied upon
to produce large-paying crops of oil
kinds; but such lands are as surely run
down by o few seasons of continuous
crop production. Now why is this true?
The answer is the shade Of the timber
protects the soil from drying out and
the roots penetrating the earth preserve
mellowness of the soil and these con-
| Observation-Disclosures and moisture
form the attractionto the surface; plant
food and moisture are drawn from
great depths in the earth below the
surface soil, and in this way only is
such immense growth of timber pro-
ducedand sustained without exhaustion
of soil. This same principle is active in
the production of grass crops, which in
variably increase fertility. The grass
prevents drying out of the surface soil,
and moisture and m%ellowness being
preserved, plant food and moisture
are attracted to the surface to promote
growth and to prevent exhaustion OF
the surface soil. But when grain crops
culture, the surface soon becomes dry
and hard, and plant food and moisture
from great depths in the earth are
made available for the sustenance O.
growth. The surface soil in such case
is made to sustain growth, and the at
tendant depletion is in this way &C
counted for.
If the cultivation is deep and fire.
quent marlborough, SO as to preserv,
~mellowness and moisture of the sur
face soil, the most favorable condi
tions will exist for the attraction O
plant food and moisture from grea
depths in the earth and from "tha
great reservoir of fertility, the air." ant
in this way plant growth is sustained I,
the fullest possible extent, md a con
stantly. increasing fertility of the soil
with increased and increasing. yield O
labor required, is, secured, and a n
quent diminished cost of production
results. This. is the improved agricul
ture, which is also new, and this is il
full accord with the accomplishments o
this age of advancement and progress.
The original design in sending fortl
men to" It'll the ground" was that tho enc.
mics of tillage, the"thorns and thistles,
should all be %subdued; but are weeds
fewer than they were fifty or 100 years
ago? If not, then the ground has not
been properly titled. If the soil has no
been improved by tillage, then the till,
age has not been sufficient. 1t is mani
testify evident that the soil taken in tn,
natural state is capable OF being i'm
proved, by proper tillage; the surfac'
wi - w WY 0AN"S -.
the action of the elements upon tn
surface. If then q greater depth tina,
the shallow surface soil is broken u,
and opposed to the action of the ele
ments by deep blowing, q greater dept
of fertile soil will be secured, whicl
will increase its capacity for producin!
crops with less liability of exhaustion
If the "thorns and thistles," the repre-
sentatives tiguratively of all noxiou
weeds, are to be subdued, then the till
age must be such as to prevent thei
growth, not merely to cut them down o
uproot them after growth, for as tn
soil must of necessity be raised by till
age to o higher plane than that whicl
produces the growth of weeds, SO tn,
growth ofweeds prevents the soil from
attaining that condition or state bes
calculated to produce the growth o
plants which sustain human life. T,
prevent the growth of weeds and to i'm
prove the soil seem to be the objects o
tilling the soil; if these objects are Sc
cured by proper tillage, then there il
nothing left that man may or can d,
but 80 await with hope for the earth tt
yield her increase.-T. S. Teagarden
in Chicago Inter- Ocean.