The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-11-04
Soil Covers.

farmers became cOgnizant of the fact that
soils during the winter months lost Ger
tain amounts of fertility by teaching, and
in certain instances it has been found that
the escape Of nitrates amounted to us
much as was required to grow succeed
ing crop Of oats. The action Of frost
with rains and melting SHOWS has great
dissolving effect; and as nitrogen is east
est liberated it is the first to feel the dis
solving action of the water and to escape.
The lesson that is fast being learned is
to cover the soil between crops with some
rank growing catch crop. and, as the
plant food is liberated, have it appropri-
turned under. The plant fertility which
would have otherwise been lost in great
er or less degree is now recomposed into
the catch crop, and as this is turned I'M
der it is by it's fermentation freed from
it's store Of absorbed fertility. In addi-
ton, humic acid is evolved in liberating
latent plant food in the soil, SO that what
would have been positive loss, has been
changed into a positive gain, not to men
ton the mechanical effect upon the SOIL
These quick-growing crops are many,
but the farmer should see to it that the
crops grown as soil covers should be as
far as possible allied to the legumes, to
add to his stock of soil nitrogen, the most
shy of the fertilizer elements and the
most costly; Such crops as rye, with a
large starch content, are not what are
wanted; but all classes of clover, peas,
vetches and the like, rich in albuminous
matter, catch more nitrogen from the
air. gather the escaping nitrates of the
soil, cover the soil as protection against
the elements and when turned under add
rich stores of decaying plant food to the
stock of always acceptable fertility.
In some quarters the practice of late
sowing of COW and Canadian peas is prac-
ticed, the object being to keep the ground
covered through the fall and into the win
ter. They act as protecting mulch un-
I'll the piow claims the lot again, but in
the Northern states the COW pea is too
tender and cannot resist even light
frost, while the Canadian pea seems little
affected and withstands pretty severe win
ter weather, some of the plants actually
living through till spring. In some in
stances Canadian peas and oats, bushel
and half each, are sOwn to the acre,
as soon as the corn is in the Shocks. This
crop will stand great deal of frosty and
freezing weather before it is killed, and
for the amount of fertility it affords, as
well as mulch, am we'll satisfied with 1t
crop to follow the silage and field corn on
our farm This crop makes fine growth
before the ground freezes. Last winter
the peas lived to some extent through the
winter, much to my surprise. A neighbor
once sOwed late crop of turnips, leaving
them on the ground, and the oat crop
which followed was one of the largest l
ever remember seeing, the probable effect
Of the turnips being to liberate plant food,
through the decay of the crop. Another
hint here may. not be amiss. Every
change that occurs to a plant after it is
mature and prepared for food is to facili-
tate the escape of the elements; for fer
mentetA plant material becomes digestible
animal food, and as manure, the conditions
are all the more facilitated for it to be
diffused. because digestion largely liQue6es
the food elements, causing them to escape
later. Nitrogen.j s first a gas, whatever
it's form in captivity, and it is ever on the
lookout for chance to escape back to
gas again. The object should be for the
farmer to see that, so far as within him
lies, the means to prevent it are used
Washing and wasting of soils should be
prevented with catch-cover crops to take
up nitrogen as fast as liberated by tine
elements or by washing and teaching of
manures. Fermentation in the manure
piles should not be allowed, and when the
| manure is applied to the fields, see that
valuable plant is there to get that fertili-
ty as fast as. the fermenting soil germs
have worked it over into condition to he
taken up and assimilated by the grain
plants or useful grasses: The farmer
must remember this: Nitrogen, whether
in the soil or in the phosphate sack, is
worth 10 cents pound, and to waste it
through any neglect or fault of his carries
| double penalty, for pound of nitrogen
lost must be replaced with another pound
| purchased. These are some of the mat
| tiers in farm economics which the farmer