Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-12-24
THE FARM AND HOME.
5oMETHiNG ABOUT GROWING
CRoPS ChEAPLY.
Fertility of soil the Flrst Eequlsise--pGr-
able Gate Posts--Generai Purpose
Horse-Farm and Home
Hints.
Growing crnns cneaplr.

Growing Crops cheapiy.
The first regulstte in growing crops
eheaply is to secure rich land and TO
restore fertility to that whose plast
food has been exhausted. The fact
that tine richest lands in this country
were new and could be had iornothing
has been against efforts 70 increase or
even maintain fertility. But that
fact 90 longer holds good Much OF
the best managed land in the older
states has more available fertility
than it had when first cleared Of tho
forest Market gardeners cannot be-
gin on land newly cleared with It's
mass Of vegetable matter that 10 SUI
perfc!al view seems Inc haustbly
fertile such land is not rich enough
for the crops they grow Without two
or three years heavy manurlng, with
thorough culture to mix manure with
the soil. The mass OF leaves and
other rubbish which newly cleared
land holds has very small proportion
Of either heterogeneous or mineral plant
food. Ii does not heat rapidly. A
growth Of clover blossom p,owed
under is far richer and 1t decays more
rapidly.
We have frequently heard good
farmers declare that fields that have
come under their regular course OF
tillage. manure and clover were richer
than the new cleared woodlands No
doubt this is true says the American
Cultivator When the first forests
were removed trees were logged and
burned as they fell The large guam,
tity u ashes that thus became mi ed
with the soil increased us available
fertility. II is truc that the ashes
we're gathered and sold but some
could not be saved and there was al.
ways more or less burned vegetable
matter mi ed with the 80 alter a
clearing was made.
Cheap production in these times
means u continued increase in soil
fertility What Is put into Inc SOIL 10
enable il to produce larger crops Is
better than any other use farmer can
make o. their surplus. Ii W Il enab .
the farmer each year 10 pa. his own
labor or that he hires TO more fect.
i've use. II the same crop grown il
will be larger per acre and with only
n tr,Ang 9 ira peuss Hut better
even than this tho increased fertiugy
will enaoIe the farmer 70 change his
crop TO something that pays better.
On d poor farm can on.y b. grown
crops that give little or no profit any.
where. Hence such land Is left idl.
or only half worked Ia the same
ueigh0Orhood pcrha will Ds land
naturally no better than tire other but
whose fertility has been Increased %
that large amounts 81 labor can be
put on it and still leave u profit over
cost OF cutti alton and market az
AS rule the more labor d crop re-
quires the better II pays. provided al
ways the land DO rich emo Oh to So
cure the ma imum yield
Improved implements ara to q Ger.
tain extent a help in prod { ng
cheaply. This is especially 50 OF m.
plcments that aid in cult waiting the
soil and destroy ng weeds. Those
that merely help the farmer to har
vest large acreage with little labor
are not 50 promotive Of good farm.
ing. Some modern grain hnrvesters
secure crops and pay nominal profit
on land so poor that tho crop without
such aid 10 har esting would be lef
ungathered. When all the grain had
TO be- cut by u cradle small crop
did not pay. II can be cut now sith
weeds and thistles BY self binding
harvesting machines and this leads
to sowing more grain than can be
properly MANFRED or the ground be
properly prepared for. But this is
no real gain 10 the large farmer. II
has simply enabled him 10 sell the
fertility o. his land at u lower price
than he can afford 10. After the mis-.
chief has been done he finds that he
has not grown his crops so chcaply al
he thought and has sold them too
low for profit.