Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-04-27
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
MEANS OF MAINTAINING SOIL
FERTILITY.
THE Main Reli,ncc Must Be Manure
Care OF Wagons aad Carriages
Notbcds- Fork Pickings and
Household Helps.
Maintaining Soil Fcrtliity.

applying manure as the only means
by which the universal depletion OF
soils may b. arrested and fertility
of soil restored, Rotation of crops"
is without doubt an important item
In crop productions and its impor.
TANGO ought not to be lost sight of
by farmers for u single season IL pos
sible Saving and applying manure"
Is another very important matter
No doubt that the manure lost in
tho United Stato3 each season. II
properly saved and used, would pro-
duce an annual increase In the yields
of farm craps TO almost, II not entire.
ly, oXtinguish the great "war debt
OF tho nation
crops and saving manure without the
use of other means will oven prevent
the further depletion OF soil, To say
nothing of restoring fertility to de-
pleted soils, IL without doubt u most
grievous error Ii IL not claimed
that rotation OF crops has the power
alone TO prevent depletion and, In
fact, only II small advantage Is claimed
for It, Saving and applying manure
then must he tho main reliance OF
those who advocate this theory
The manure carefully saved from
feeding to stock tho product OF u
given amount Of land will not supply
sufficient amount OF manure To
covcr all of the land from which tho
crop had boen taken. u will only
covor properly about ono-tonth the
area covered by the crop SO fcd,
Thus tho ctop from 100 acres care
fully fed to stock and all the manure
saved and applied to tho land would
not cover moro than ton acres, so
that ten years would he required To
20 over tho entire 100 acres, and
long before the expiration OF this
time the manure would be exhausted
on the first lands H. was applied To,
SO that Il Is clear that manure alone
will not preserve fertility But besides
this every farmer cannot, and, in
fact, but few can, feed all tho pro.
duets TO stock. Tho world would
perish for the want Of bread II all
farmers would feed the entire product
Of their farms TO stock. Then where
are you with your manure racket"
be II ever 80 good.
What then Is the main reliance TO
not only prevent depletion Of soil but
also TO restore soils already doplotedp
asks the journal Of Agriculture. A
good physician will sock TO find the
cause OF his patients ailments and will
treat the cause and remove IL. A
luacl will treat the symptoms and
let tho case ROMAN In darkness to
himself,
What then Is the cause OF tho de-
plction of soils so usually complained
Of, and tho cause Of low yields of
.rops as shown by the census reports
Tor tho past twenty yearsp
The attempt TO cultivate a much
larger area than could be properly
done has been the universal practice
shallow blowing with too little after
cultivation has been practlced as u
necessity and not because II was
thought to be the best, Careless
blowing and too little narrowing has
been the rule, And these failures
and ovcrdoses are the causes OF the
depletion Of soils. The remedy Is II
reduction OF the cultivated area, deep
and thorough blowing the ground SO
hat not only tho thin surface soil il
cultivated, such thorough blowing
that will result in strict obedience to
the requirements originally made
whom the first man was sent out TO
"till the ground. +"
IL the soil is broken up TO such n
depth that the moisture of rains and
melting SHOWS will be quickly alb
sorbcd and carried deep down into
usc OF plants when needed, then IL II
| brought to tho surface along with
tho necessarily accompanying fer
| tility by the capillary action Of the
earth, there can be no depletion OF
soils This Is filling the ground, the
whole ground and not simply thin
! crust OF the earth, rs Is done by shall
low blowing.
Shallow blowing allows the surface
to soon dry out and with dry sur
face the benefit of rising fertility and
moisture Is lost to the growing
plants, and tho air which Is "a great
reservoir OF fertility" fails TO deposit
the moisture and plant food it con-
tains while the surface is dry and
hard. The air and the earth must
act conformity in the elaboration OF
plant food for the support OF growth
and the conditions favorable to this
action must be supplied by the proper
! cultivation OF the soil. The failure
10 do this causes loss of fertility and
loss OF crop yields. Deep blowing
and thorough preparation OF the
soil by frequent and thorough har-
| rowings are indispensable requisites
in preparing the soil to receive the
seed that Is to produce the paying
! crops. Cultivation Is II term little
known among the average farmers.
TO obtain from '.mother earth" the
| fullest rewards the laws which she
has laid down must be complied with.
must be obeyed. True cultivation of
the soil coupled with true seed dcvel-
opment by the adoption Of special
| methods suited to the natural demands
| Of the various farm crops will recover
depleted soils and supply yields OF
crops commensurate with the rapidly
increasing demands of advancing
populations.
Twelve bushels OF wheat to the
acre and twenty-six bushels of corn
as the average annual yield through
out this great agricultural country
speak out in tones not to - misunder-
stood, telling the farmer he must
change present methods, and that
soon, or there will be a long and loud
| cry for bread heard over this Gland
of plenty Till the ground.