The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-06-18
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AoRICULTURIsTs.
Some Up-tO-Dats Hints Apout cur
tivation Of the SOIL and Yields
horticulture, VIticu1turo ana
FIorIculture.
Corn Culture.

| Aiatetin o., Geofsla experiment sta
ton: Corn delights in deep. mellow,
rich and moist loan. Any Of the or
uinary soils of the country that are
either naturally of the above charac-
ters, or can be brought into the re-
CURED condition by proper rotation,
deep and thorough preparation and lib
eral manuring, and can be maintained
IN this condition by frequent and thor
ough surface culture, will produce sat
lsIactory yields of corn, with a mod
crate, we'll distributed rainfall. Per-
maps the most essential requirement
Ior an abundant yield of corn is plenty
OF moisture in the soil. Without this
plenty OF moisture, such yield is abb
solutely impracticable. It is not in
olspensable that the moisture shall be
supplied directly by abundant rains
during the period of the growth of the
crop, but the requirement must be met
IN some way. The supply of moisture
from rainfalls may be supplemented,
OF entirely substituted, by irrigation,
as Is done in arid and semi-arid re-
glons; or the farmer may trust to the
clouds for a generous supply; but the
demand for moisture must be met, or
the crop will be more or less failure.
Without resorting to expensive irri-
cation, and not willing to rely on the
rainfall from the heavens, the farmer
may select the low-lying, naturally
moist and deep soils, along the water
courses-the bottom lands" These
| soils ara m Cistor +bop &Eo ,,nIordc Mt
solely because Of their being lower, and
near watercourse, but-and perhaps
chiehy-because of their greater depth
and their loamy character, or large con-
tent Of humus, or decayed vegetable
matter. These soils become thorough
ly saturated with moisture during the
winter and spring rains, and on ac-
count of their depth and quantity Of
humus, they retain the moisture dur
ing a much longer period.
In the absence Of such soils. If the
farmer wishes to produce regularly
profitable crops Of corn, he must bring
| his uplands, as nearly as practicable,
into the condition of the loamy, bot
tom lands. Moisture, moisture, is the
| "a 4A1C C06CANAd4s anu 4AO4SLNAO 4C 49, NASS
! provide, or he will certainly fail of a
crop, if the clouds withhold their ac-
customed supply. Every intelligent
farmer understands the importance Of
| deep and thorough breaking of the soil
| early in the spring, or even earlier. Not
so many appreciate the Importance OF
fning the soil, by narrowing until the
clods disappear into 6ne soil. 1t is
also desirable to keep the soil in this
fine, friable condition, especially the
| superficial layer. But more valuable
and only permanently effective means
is to fill the soil, as rapidly as possible,
with vegetable matter, or humus. This
may be done in two ways: Il. By actu-
ally transporting from elsewhere the
necessary vegetable matter, in the form
| Of stable manure, composts, leaves
muck. etc. Under the present system
| of farming in the south this method is
impracticable, except on small scale;
| and often it cannot be prOtitably fol-
| lowed, even on a small scale, because
| of the cost of the labor involved ia
handling and hauling of leaves, muck,
and other coarse and crude materials
! (2) The other, and most practicable
method, and one that is adapted to any
scale of operations, is regular rotation
of crops, including small grain, red
clover, cowpeas, or other renovating
| crop. A judicious, well-managed rota-
ton may be made profitable at every
stage and every crop, as well as profit
able in the long run.
An experience Of seven years in di-
| recting the operations of the station
farm has served only to confirm and
! deepen the conviction that the uplands
| of Georgia do not, as rule. produce
profitable crops of corn, unless farmed
| in accordance with the suggestions
here given. Farmers are prone to base
their calculations of the "loss and
gain" in farming almost solely on the
cotton crop, probably because it is the
crop that actually requires the greatest
outlay of capital and labor, and it is
the one crop that is always converted
into cash. But careful account of the
loss and gain Of other crops would
probably reveal the fact that many
farmers lose as large a per cent or Sc
cure as much a profit in producing
corn, oats, potatoes and other provision
crops as they do in the cotton crop.
Force Of habit and the traditions OF
the past have brought the farmers to
rely too much on corn as the great
provision crop. When the soils were
choice and in an almost virgin condi-
| A. or
flying and profitable crop.
Crimson Glover in the North.
Crimson clover has been regarded,