Great Falls weekly tribune., 1895-04-05
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FlELR|AtNp GARpEN
Il.
HOW TO MANURE CHEAPLY.

An Answer to This All Important Problem
as Given by American Cultivator.
Virgin SOIL after a few years. cultiva-
,ion. becomes untitled for tho crops that
were at first successful, but at tho same
time is rich enough to grow some other
crop that may pay as well or better.
The wet prairie soil Of some western
states produced large crops of corn un-
ill cropping exhausted the excess OF
vegetable matter, when suddenly these
same soils are found to grow good crops
of winter wheat, With draining and
eome phosphate manure every year.
When wheat is sown, good grain crops
oan be produced indefinitely.
The mineral elements Of soil fertility
can be restored more cheaply and easily
than can any others by the use of COM
mercial fertilizers. The prices, both of
potash and phosphate, arc now so rea-
sonable that there ought to be no hesi-
fancy in buying them for every crop
where either is needed. But the nltrog-
cuous elements of fertility in CONNER
cial form arc SO dear that except for
gardening purposes and sometimes for
farmers who grow early potatoes and
peas for market, recourse must be had TO
other means than purchase. No one
should think of buying nitrogen to grow
crops whose growth is made mainly III
che summer In hot weather stirring
any moderately fertile soil frequently
will develop nitrogcnous fertility more
cheaply than any one can buy 1t or than
it can be made on the farm.
All the stable manure that can be ap-
Dlied without too much cost should be
used in growing such crops. The cult
yation with tho manure will be more
effective than it possibly can be without
it. Part of tho benefit of frequent culti-
yation of crops that are cultivated III
the summer comes from its effect in de-
veloping latent fertility. That i'll coarse
stable manure comes under this catego-
ry. Stirring tho soil over stable manure
brings to it more of tho air and causes
it to decompose and thus give off its
fertility more rapidly. Though stable
manure itself has little mineral fertili-
ty, it's decomposition in contact with
the soil liberates carbonic acid gas, and
that acts as IA solvent for mineral fcrtl!-
ity that the soil contains.
Whero enough stable manure can
neither be made nor easily purchased,
manuring with grccn manurcS Is {
chcaper way than any other 1t ought
to bc cheaper, for it takes moro time,
aud with land very valuable the waste
Of "a year S use of it while growing ;
renoyating crop becomes too heavy ;
loss. The market gardener only occa
Eonally grows Il clover crop, and thc'
onlybccause tho clover roots lightpn th'
sHisoii in away that heavy application
OF stable manure cannot do. For Ordl
nary cases the market gardener tind
green manure too slow. He uses com
mercial nitrogen for the early crop be
fore that from his rich garden soil cal
De made available by warmth and cul
tivation.
The farmer who dovotes much of hi
land to fruit will find the rcnoyatin,
crops, like crimson ti0vcr and peas, hi
cheapest way Of supplying nitrogen
Most Of his outlay in money will be fo
the purchase Of mineral fertilizers, pot
ash and phosphate. 1t will re4ulr
much heavier applications of these min
erals to grow large fruit crops than AZ
needed for growing crops OF grain
One Way to Raise kafIr Corn.
Plow the ground as soon as it is warn
enough to grow corn. Put in fine colldi
sion by narrowing and floating on roll
ing Then take press drill, stop al
the holes but two in eight hoes or thro