The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-12-17
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural ReaierS
More Crop. and More Fertilizer.


two or more crops a year If possible, as
it can be done by proper system Of rota-
ton. The farmer will have TO get rid Of the
that there are bat three or four
crops that can be grown on q farm.
Tue kind of crops TO grow cannot be de-
termined for the farmer, as he must regulate
his operations according to the climate and
his SOIL bat on all farms there is room for
something new and an improvement upon
the old. The farmer who is averse TO grow
ing more than one crop a year. for fear of
exhausting his soil, has no right to attempt
farming. The soil should never become
exhausted under any system of farming that
permits profit TO be obtained, as true farm
ing means that nothing should be taken
from the soil without rendering an equiya-
lent, and if more than one crop gives
larger profit than before, then the ability Of
the farmer to feed mis- soil is correspond
iugy increased, and he can invest more
largely in fertilizers.
Naturally the land is ever striving to pro-
duce something As soon as one crop is
removed another takes its place, and weeds
spring up as if by magic when the land Is
given up to rest. There is no rest TO the
soil, if it is capable of producing anything at
all, and il might as well contain some
thing of value TO the farmer as TO expend
its substance on weeds. Nature also covers
the ground and the forest land with a nulch
in Winter, if the farmer does not interfere.
Under the covering there are chemical pro-
for IN
being manufactured from insoluble sub
stances, humus is prepared, and the soil is
in better condition when the Spring opens
to produce cultivated crops. Nature covers
the ground both Winter and Summer, and
if field is left to recuperation by natural
methods the soil will improve in fertility,
although nothing has been added by the
farmer, and yet it was under growth of some
kind from early Spring until late in the
Fall, and also covered with the dead weeds
in Winter.
The rotation Of a number of crops gives
many combinations When rye is sown in
the Fall it becomes Winter covering. If
followed by early potatoes. and the potatoes
By turnips. crimson clover can be seeded as
the next Winter covering. In that case two
crops and one green manurial crop (rye) are
occurred in one year, with the land seeded
down to the crimson clover. Early potatoes
and late cabbage, or early cabbage and late
potatoes, are grown in some sections. Early
peas have been gotten out Of the way for
beans, and in order to save time two crops
are grown at once by planting at differens
periods. For instance, sugar corn or cab
bage can be planted between the potato rows
before the latter are dug, and turnips are
always in order for late catch crop, while
rye and crimson clover can be carried oyer
the Winter to be plowed under in Spring. 3
Such crops as melons and sweet potatoes
can be used in the rotation on light soils,
and a crop of millet or buckwheat can be
grown if seeded down as late as July, where
the growing season is not too short. But
these crops demand of the farmer more fer
tilizer, and he cannot ignore them. He
gains more than before and his land becomes
richer by judicious application of fertilizer
and the blowing under of green material.
The cost is no item if the land returns it,
and if the productions of the land are in
creased the profits are also larger, the real
wealth, however, derived from better farm
ing being the increased fertility of the soil.
Millet as Forage Crop.
The unfavorabIe conditions for the hay
crop which prevailed over large part of the
country in 1895 and 1896 directed increased
attention to millet as forage crop. It
proved highly successful, giving good yields
where the work of preparation and seeding
was properly done. Well-cured miIIet hay
is reIished by horses and cattle. But some
caution should be used in feeding it to mich
cows, especially if the heads contain much
seed. In that condition it is stimulating to
the tactical glands, and therefore creates q
predisposition to mammites or inflammation
of the udder. If millet Is fed freely and
alone, great care must be exercised to keep
the cows from exposure to bad weather,
especially avoiding sudden transitions from
a warm stable to outside cold. On the
whole, it is better to feed the millet only
once or at most twice o day in alienation
with corn fodder, silage or meadow hay.
Many serious eases of acute mammites have
been traced to the source indicated above.
Winter Care of Turkeys.
Turkeys are subject to roup, and they also
become lame from no apparent cause. Re-
Election will make plain the fact that tur-
keys have severe trial in Winter. Because
they naturally roost high, seeking the limbs
of trees, it is supposed that such locations
are the NEST suitable; but the turkey would
take better care of itself if it knew how. Ii
does not understand that it has any interest
in buildings or shelter, and must be ta1ght
how to seek warmer roosting- places than
the tree limbs. To alight from high limbs
the turkey is compelled to strike the ground
with heavy weight on its legs, and as this
is repeated daily the birds soon become lame.
The cold winds often cause frosted feet, and
the birds become also blind and have swollen
eyes. The indication of blindness and swol-
len eyes is that of roup, due to exposure to
cold winds. By combining the turkeys in q
building having high roosts, and feeding
them early in the morning and late at night
in the building for week, they will forget
| the tree-tops and roost under shelter When
roup gets into flock of turkeys they might
as well be destroyed at once, as they seldom
recover.
Lime for Acid Soils.
The Rhode Island Station finds air-slacked
| lime a great help for most crops in land
which is inclined to be sour. They say:
"Our sandy loan soil, where the natural
drainage is good, has been found to be de-
cidedly sour and acid, and some plants al
most refuse to grow, while others flourish
upon it. By the use of the air-slaeked lime,
which reduces Or overcomes the acidity of
the soil, the yields of number of plants
have been increased from four to II times;
with number of others the yields have
been doubled, while with few plants they
have been reduced from one-half to one
fourth of those obtained without lime. The
plants ordinarily grown in Rhode Island
which have have shown an injury from the