Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-10-21
THE FARM AND HOME.
CLOVER ALTERH ATED WITH
WHEAT At A PROFIT.
Il pes Vet Fsyt Pgou the Glover Usdsr
sally LeEs-Take On the Teams
shoes-sows for Breeding-FArn NOtes
hna Hs1@e HlAfz-


In nearly al Eheat-groEing eoun.
tries this grain j. nov only produced
a. a los TIE laborer Is worthy %
his hire u the long run every
staple accessory food must give an
average pr,lSt to tie producer equal
70 Ehzt ais Labor can secure By the
prodnet5o1 q something else But
cheap wheat has doubtless had the
eject ~ melting wheat growers 20
means Of eeca0Enizing 50 as 20 pro-
duce 3 heat az the smallest cost per
bushel il most places cheap wheat
has been groAa only On nsW land
that he'd the stored-Up fertility Of
centuries. aRd as this has been ex-
hAusted such lands have been thrown
aside. and successive areas Of virgin
coil have beea brOaght under wheat
cultivation
This process cannot longer De con
tinued- II there are regions In Brit
ish Columbia where neW lands suita
bic for wheat growing can be found.
the difficulty 81 transportation viii
prevent their being brought under
cultivation. except very slowly.
Practically the wheat growing o. the
next twenty years er thirty years
will be OF land that has borne some
crops Of wheat. and viii need some
care 20 restore as lost fertility.
Wheat in close succession Is much
more exhaustive than are most
other crops Wheat requires phos-
phAte and nitrogen. neither can il
get except from The soil Nitrogen
for Indian corn Is developed ia the
growing season D. cultivation.
Fastening the fermentation % yeget-
able matter ia the soil With wheat
the only thing possible Is narrowing
In early spring Probably the greatest
benefit Of this Is 20 open ihe,soli 10
light and air. and hasten the nitrid-
cation u what vegetable matter il
contains A fall or winter top dress
ing q stable manure greatly adds 10
the benefit from this early spring
narrowing. aud il makes good
clover catch almost a certainty II
is b. growing clover alternately with
wheat that the requisite fertility
needed % produce . good crop may
be best maintained. But the competi-
ton IN wheat growing = nos 30
close, and prices are 80 low. that Il
nowhere pays 70 plow under clover
for the wheat crop. Il WIS always .
wasteiul practice. using the land .wo
years Tor one crop The farmer who
will grow the cheapest wheat here
after must grow and feed his clover
crop 50 a. 70 get a proGt from that
also
This practically means that cheap
wheat must hereafter b. grown In q
rotation. and perhaps as Incidental
70 crops that yield larger profits than
itself, says the American Cultiyator.
We knox farmers whose main crop Il
potatoes Who find wheat growing pro
fitable. because this winter grain
gives better chance for seeding wish
clover than any spring gram could
do II they sowcd clover with no
other crop, as is often advised, weeds
come In which the grains would
check Besides, clover the first sum.
mer yields very little. On rich land
il may cut ton per acre II left till
September, but this, though paying
well for cutting. gives hardly any
I profit Ii Is better to grow wheat
\ seed with clover and take the grain
and straw as clear profit. as the late
clever will be as good as IL sown
alone.
This necessity Of growing wheat
/ in rotation Is an advantage il Sc
curing greater economy OF labor. II
Is, indeed. the only way in which
wheat can be grown without the cost
Of harvesting eating out the greater
part OF the profit The prices OF
I field hands in harvesting are excess
sive. 81 and even 8 per day being
{ paid to able-bOdied. skilled men. II
is. except for blowing and sowing
the crop. the only time in the year
when those who grow wheat to the
exclusion Of all other crops have any
work to offer. II can only be sup.
piled BIZ outsiders who come FOR the
purpose, aud must be paid wages
bigh enough TO attract them.
In the far West there are bands of
tramp harvesters who begin on the
southern belt OF wheat growing and
travel northward. helphg in the
harvest Of grain till they stop in the
Red River region Of North Dakota or
OF Canada They demand and get
large pay. At present low prices OF
wheat they take actual profit. Posi-.
bly, while virgin fertility makes his
crops good the farmer may think
that he Is making something. But I
after a few years crops decline. and
the crop is too poor 70 pay the ex-
cessiye cost Of harvesting IL Il a /
mistake To suppose that tho Western I
wheat grower gets the benefit OF the .
improved machinery he buys IL
goes to the help that he. even with
this advantage, is obliged TO hire.
Tine business OF wheat growing
must In future be an incident In i'm
proved farming that will furnish
work for farm help all through the
year, and thus reduce harvesting
prices to reasonable figure. With