Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-08-29
FEEDS AND HOW TO PRooUtse
TheM

Il E1rtS.
FEEDS AND NOW TO PRooW,e
1 THEM.
II was wise old preacher who 10 an
Institute, upon being asked to say s,me-
thing, h. STATED at first, but finally re-
marked: AS far as my observ,. .tiop
goes, the best Christians are the ones
who raise the most clover. A man who
has q good crop Of clover has the foun-
dation Of agriculture In hand, and can
well help raise the charities Of the ch lrch
or promote other enterprises that re
quire money. IL Is rotation the world
wants. from start 70 finish, and the man
sho raises clover rotstes his crops and
his mind 81 the same time"
Then he sat down, but he had uttered
profound truth. Feeds and fee ling
bring about a result. The grasses are
soil and water In another form; the ami
NAL is but recomposed grass, snc It's
body st death is re-absorbed by the soil,
and the rotation Is repeated. The work
Of the farmer Is TO assist in this rotai ion,
and he who best understands this best
succeeds.
We talk about WORKOUT soils as IL a
few crops would absorb and sunlhllate
all soil elements Of field. Il II true or
Is IL the fact that worn soils are simply
those that have given of their tree plant
food and the locked up elements-enough
,or thousand crops II never replenished
refuse 10 be taken up and sssimiAted
by the plsntss They need TO be groand
Ovar and ov.r xc;fh ,ha ,.io.gh I'D o,t~,
ed with the plants that are full OF succu-
ience and fibre We say "that mxh is
putting heart into that lot again." when
in fact he hiss onfy set agencies into
action which have caused its heart 10
set again, simply promoting It's own
sources of activity, not creating rev
sources Of power.
A good crop only removes few
pounds OF fertility TO the acre, and this
need not deplete the soil very much.
Gods farming had been going on for
ages before man arrived, and His crops
acre getting larger every year, but q
change came with man, who has not ss
vet fully comprebeuded the words Of
the prophet that ''sll flesh Is grass"
With intelligence that "guesses" little
and reasons more, man has discovered
that the soil needs now and then full
feed of herbsge, as well as manure and
chemicals, and likes It's rotation OF feeds
Science tells Us that the top foot Of or
dinsry soil contains more than twenty
tons TO the acre Of actual plant food,
inert, much Of IL, but getstable II one
proceeds right.
One must realize that rotation OF crops
means q wider range than just simple
changing every year, and the third year
getting back 10 stuoble again. A case
In point: The starch of plants Is much
alike In all, and as food IL TO keep the
animal warm and promote energy. All
over the dairy regions nine men out OF
ten feed hsy, for the great ration OF the
dAy, which In this day OF Investigation Il
proved 20 De the most expensive OF all
feeds. Year by year the old meadows,
once rich Ia vegetable matter, become
more and more depleted OF it; the clods
become harder; the potential plant food
harder for the grass roots 70 get hold OF
the crop yearly grows smaller; the grass
has = harder struggle 20 live; weeds and
other rank feeders come In and fight for
supremacy, just as all other wild tribes
do; the soil becomes .'turf bound" as
the farmer expresses it, but in fact IL Is
so compact thSt air aud water can hard
IN penetrate the solid mass OF soil, and
the plant grass actually stsrves with
tons OF food about it.
On such a turf-bound meadow or old
pasture what a great amount OF corn can
be raised, Tear up the sod, let In sun
light and air, set the old grass roots fer
menting, welcome back the soil bacteria
shut out before, grind up the soil, rub
the particles together until they become
as dust again, set the rank feeding corn
roots TO work breaking down the texture
OF the soil, keep sll the moisture posi-
BILE conserved by dust mulches, and in
stead of getting ton Of hay 70 the acre,
OF which only q little more than third
Il possible Of digestion, get 5000 pounds
OF as good starch and protein from the
same acre. only in another form. II will
need 10 be made fine for the hangers,
Dat the difference between the 500 pounds
OF setusl food In the one case and ten
times as much In the other will pay for
the simple act Of cutting IL up over
and over again.
Here comes in q great story OF gain.
The clover which follows the corn In the
rotation again fills the soil with plant
food charged with new supplies Of nitro
gen from the air, and the oats and peas,
and oats or other crops which follow, all
assist In this breaking up OF the soil par
ticles, and IL the land Is prevented from
washing and teaching in the winter with
he kaff IA "A 4
20 soil maintenance, and that means
chespened rstions for the cattle.
In these days OF good soil working
tools there Ia no excuse for sowing crops
upon half-fittsd land. IL is not matter
20 congratulate ones self about that IL
now requires six acres OF land 20 sum
uer and winter COW, in addition TO a
ton OF grain purchased from of some
other farm. True, corn and its fodder
are not alone good rstions, but forty-five
pounds of silsge Is, along with forkful
OF clover hay and dish OF home raised
osts and peas, and each and all In rots-
ton.
So. with q saving of the farm manures
and getting them upon the land before
all OF their value has been lesched and
fermented out Of them, and with cover
crops, and much vegetable matter plow-
ed under TO maintain humus, the feeds
and feeding Of the farm become pro-
fitsble certainty.
We here do not srgue against selling
such grains from the farm as oats and
the like, and buying back in their places
grains richer In protein than those we
sell. To-day neighbor Is selling oats
AZ 35 cents, and buying best fine bran
for sl4 so ton; !. e., his ton OF oats Is
buyiug $500 pounds OF better milk max
ing cow feed than was the oats, with
gain OF 200 pounds Of grain and It's re
sulrsnt fertility, for the know how" OF
exchanging foods.
Another neigbbor is feeding silage In
the summer 70 his dxiry, along with his
pasture. Two years ago be kept hfteen
cows on his little farm. To-day he has
twenty-eight better fed cows, and with
much larger sales Of milk. :.
The farmer who desires more and
cheaper feed has only 70 stir the HAND
into greater activity, grind up the sou
10 liberate its elements, plough under tne
-, orons IN give the mechanical