The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1894-04-21
EcoSoMx OF PRODUCTION.

ECOSOMX OF PRODUCTION.
True. economy as applied to farming
consists of the largest production from
the smallest area with tho ex oonditure of
the least amount Of time and labor. To
do this, the best methods must be adopted
and the best must be employed through
out. from ''start to finish"
To produce from one acre MS much as is
usually obtained from two acres, will save
the expense or cost of one acre, which is
saving just one-half.
If 81 much time and labor is extended
on one acre as is usually given to two
acres and rs much had from the one acre
as from two acres. there is still the saving
af the cost of one half of the land; but if
by the adoption Of true methods for a
term of years the lobor to cultivate the
one acre is lessened each ye.r. the econ
omy of reducing the area is still greater.
Can This be dOne--can one acre be so
cultivated as to produce as much as is
usually obtained from two acres?
It has beer demonstrated that not only
can the Yield be doubled, but that it has
been increased five and ten-fold-1,OO O
bushels of potatoes have been grown on
one acre; two hundred and fifty-five bushels
of corn have been produced from an acre
the average Yield of potatoes in, the
United States for twenty years past has
been less than ono hundred bushe!s per
acre, and the average yield of corn has
been twenty-five bushels per acre-this
then shows an increase IN the yields re-
ferred to of ten-fold, both in potatoes and
corn, and the other crops have been pro-
duced by the stimulating influence of large
prizes offered for the largest crops. that
are ut least four times greater than the
average.
If, therefore, these large yields can be
obtained, is 1t not clear that tho wrong
methods Or n wrong system has been fol-
lowed: If, as is true. the soil is losing it's
f%ertality and the Yield of crops arc con-
stantly diminishing, does it not demon
strate that a wrong system of farming has
been practiced?
Shallow and careless blowing has been
the rule and yet blowing is the most i'm
pertant part of agriculture, and if this
work is not we'll done nothing can be done
afterwards that will make up for this fail
ure. Deeper blowing must be dom if low
yields of wheat is to be overcome. The
principle in blowing is to so loosen up the
soil to the depth that will enable it to
absorb the moisture of rains readily, SO
that nc time is gwen by either to escape
bv evaporation or injury to result to the
crop by IN excess of moisture remaining
at the roots of the growing plants. If
the soil is made open. deep enough to
absorb all moisture from rains quickly.
then the moisture is constantly doing good
to the crop and large yields must be pro-
duced; but If the soil by shallow plow1ng
becomes hard and impervious to rains:
injury results to the crop by an excess of
moisture and the greater part of the
moisture carried off by the evaporatlng
influences of the air and sun and is SO lost
to the use IF the crop, and this may ac-
count for low Yield and depleted fertality
of soil. The remedy then is very plain;
pillow tho ground deeper, that is as deep as
is practical with a good team of horses
and a good pillow.
How deep should the blowing be done?
Almost all farmers claim that they pillow
deep. The average soil should DO plowed
at least II foot deep, and many soils
can be plowed much deeper. while there
are some soils, and they are exceptions,
that. could not DO plowed one foot deep.
BY blowing n foot deep and marking
narrow burrows the soil Is broken up.
viii some Of the bottom soil falls on top
and some of the top soil falls below, S o
That a covering of the bottom soil on top of
the surface soil il prevented. 1t IS known
that the earth brought to the surface from
great depths in the earth, o o becomes
fruitful by the fortilizing of the. clements
All earth contains plant food in the
elementory state and by the action of the
air, light and heat, these elements Of fer
tillty are transformed into woodable forms
for the use Of plants. hence tho great util-
ity of deep blowing by exposing the sub
soil to the action of the elements. the pro-
ductive soil is made deeper and richer. If
the cultivation is deep the n acre soon
becomes as rich in available fertility as
two acres formerly we're, and in this way
the ono acre is made capable of producing
as much as two acres under ordinary con-
ditions. Deeper blowing and careful,
thorough narrowing will produce the re-
suits the country is now languishing for
the want of. The narrowing must follow
Immediately after blowing and before the
soil has time to dry out. The soil must be