The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1894-04-05
ssOkiE PROBLEMS IN SOUTHERN
OHIO AGRICULTURE.

4 Summary Of an Address Before the
.tudents of the School cf Agriculture of
: the Ohio slate Universally, by Mr.. AIva
ACee, Cheshire. Galiia County, q.
pAHTu
IT we do not, then, use commercial
fertilizers. and barnyard manures are
limited in quantity. what may be ex-
pected? AS our agricultural chemists
have shown us. the soil is vast store
house Of plant food, the most OF which
is not in available form. The field that
we say has been robbed by greedy
farmer. has lost usually only an in6ni-
tesmal part of its strength, the most of
it being safely locked up, and the more
, we starve nature. the less inclined she
is 10 dole out any thing more to us.
We make the condit ions more unfavor-
able for her work But when in vari-
Gus ways we enable nature to work for
us, can we in pure agriculture succeed
without the livestock and the chemi-
calls? This is our problem, to which
point. and then Leave with you, al
though it will follow us farmers to the
field until it is solved.
Probably can quote no better au-
thCrity than Prof Storer who says:
The natural disintegration and de-
composition Of matters within the soil
tend 10 counterbalance the exhaustion
produced iy cropping" And again:
Where land has once been brought
into good condition, the amount OF this
disintcgration may every year be sut1i-
cient to keep up the supply of mineral
matter necessary for the growth Of the
crop" We have learned that clover
takes the nitrogen of the air and stores
it up in it telf in availa Bile form for the
use of other plants. am not here to
try to give any scientific facts but
give the foregoing as the basis on which
we have dared to abandon in part out
stock. rs il became entirely unprofi.-
able in itself on our land. and to try
pure agriculture. If Prof. Storcr is
correct as to the possibilities of natural
disintegration in furnishing all the
mineral manurcs we need. and if we
could make clover furnish the nitrogen.
there is sufficient apparent temptation
to take away the fences. and try to
make highly taxed land produce some
thing better than Scent cattle or IT,
cent wool
AS understand it, few soils are def
cient in any elements except potash,
phosphoric acid and nitrogen. II dis
integration of the soil can furnish the
relatively inGnitisimal portions of pot
ash and phosphoric acid relatively
small when compared with the great
ctN 0f a II eN
that each crop needs, and il clover will
send down its roots and pump up these
elements from the subsoil, and will fur
nish the nitrates needed, the arrange
ment is highly satisfactory. We press
the button. and nature does the rest
But there are difficulties. In my To-
cality it is very noticeable fact that
growths Of clover are not in proportion
to the fertility Of the fields. Land that
has been run too hard, or that is not as
strong naturally rs other land. will
produce rank crop of clover tile first
time it is seeded. while richer land that
has grown clover in three-years crop
rotation for long term of years will
often fail entirely, or else will produce
such stunted growth that weeds ap- +,
pear and almost smother it. ! have in
mind small field whose owner nc
quired habit of cropping it in corn
every year for some reason or without
reason. 1t was a bad ha bit. OF course, +.
and unlike most bad habits, was broken
OF when the field quit trying to yield
profitable crop of corn. 1t was then
seeded to clover, and the crop OF hay
was remarkably good It WAS grand.
BY its size lay feil that had been un- ;
der thrce-years' rotation that in
cluded clover, and in the same year !
that the small field produced the heavy
growth of clover the other field had !
such 4 stunted growth that the weeds |
were nearly masters of the situation. |
If it were not SO stale would like to
theory" AS / have said elsewhere, !.
some of this land that has been failing !
in late years to produce clover well, is !,
not exhausted land. 1t is capable of |,
producing seventy bushels of shelled |
corn, or thirty bushels of wheat per |
acre. 1t responds to COOL tillage, and |
there is no difficulty about getting |
catch of clover, but w, can not hold it !
after we catch it. Something happens. !
Sometimes it is one thing, and some
times it is another-often it is both; !
and this has set us to wondering what !
We are going to DO abcut it.
You have learned in your text books
what we are learnin, in our field work,
viz: That" as Prof. Johnston, of
England, pointed out fifty years ago,
LAND loves change of crop. and :
instead of perpetual clover, let tarcs,
or beans or pears occasionally succeed
your crop of corn ''Give them Qegu-
lninous crops) long rotation, and they
will not disappoint you" Or, rs Prof
Storer says: "When red clover is sown
every fourth year. the crop is apt to
fail especially on light soils, and the
land is said to be clover sick" The
fields of which spoke have grown po-
tatoes, wheat and clover in rotation for
a long term of years. On account of
the closcness of the rotation, or for
some other reason. weedy clover fields,
or if you will permit the expression for
truths sake, clovery weed fields have
grown more and more common despite
our very best efforts to give clover a
chance. / again emphasize the point
that this occurs in fields that produce
good crops OF corn or wheat, and fair
crops of potatoes
few years ago began an expert
ment with the southern cow pea 1t
is, as you know, a legumen, aud conse-
quently capable of fcsding on the nitro
gen of the air, and benefitting the soil
in the same manner as clover, although
not in equal degree, proba bly,, in this
latitude. This pea is proving to be
great help. think. Formerly. when
field failed in part to catch in clover,
Or when weeds sprang up in weak
growth of clover. it was difficult mat.
ter to handle the field satisfactorily.
Now. we turn the clover under when
in bloom. and seed the ground to peas.
The soil probably gets about all the
-alue possible from the clover
under the circumstances, the weeds are
from seeding, and a good
:rop of peas is grown for manurial
purposes The root growth is very
'reat, and much fertility is doubtless
Id'led to the soil. ,
When 4 field gives little promise of a