Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1899-07-21
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
ACRICELTURISTS
some Up-to-Date Hints About Gull
tivation of the Soil and Yields
Observation-Disclosures yIticuIture and
Horticulture.
Farming without stock Exhaustive.

When the lands are grazed by sheep
and cattle the soil fertility is drawn
upon TO the extent of the nitrogen.
phosphoric acid. and potash required
to build the blood, bone, and tissue of
the animal body. This is considerable
in the case OF growing animals, but in
Significant in case of animals which
have made their growth ESPECIALLY OF
bone) and are simply maintained or
fattened on the pasture. II, however.
concentrated feeds are used in addition
to pasture, and the manure produced
returned to the land, there is an ac-
tual gain in fertility of the land. Ii
will thus be seen that exclusive grain
farming or continuous culture OF a
single crop has much greater ten
dency to impoverish the soil than stock
raising or combined grain and stock
raising. A comparison OF the amount
OF plant food removed from the soil
and the amount capable OF being re-
turned to 1t under different systems Of
husbandry has been made by the Min
nesota Experiment Station The sys-
TENS taken into consideration were all
grain farming, mixed grain and gen.
eral farming, mixed potato and general
farming, stock farming, and dairy
farming, examples being selected which
represented the different systems In
each case the farm is considered to
contain 100 acres.
In the example of all-grain farming
selected no stock was kept and no fer
tilizers of any kind applied to the land.
the small amount of fertilizing mate
rial which necessarily accumulated was
disregarded. and the grain was all sold
from the farm. The entire farm OF 100
acres was under cultivation The crops
raised were 100 acres of wheat, 40
acres of barley, and 20 acres OF oats.
yielding Is, 40 and so bushels per acre,
respectively. 1t Is calculated that the
fertility removed from such farm in
the grain and straw of one years crops
amounted to 2.460 pounds phosphoric
acid, 1920 pounds potash. and $500
pounds nitrogen This does not include
the fertility removed by the weeds.
which often is very large, and the
amount of nitrogen lost from the soil
through teaching and the decomposi-
ton of humus.
In the example of stock farming Sc
lected for study. 25 acres were sown
to oats, 20 to barley, 10 to corn, to
peas, and 1 acre each to potatoes and
millet- The remainder OF the farm was
in ha etc
kept in this case comprised 10 beef
cattle, and 10 dairy cows. 10 horses. 5
steers, 10 head of young stock, 80
sheep, and 20 hogs. Five steers of l.
300 ponds each, 5 head of young stock.
horses, 10 hogs of $50 pounds each.
and 1.500 pounds of butter were sold
from the farm. All the crops grown.
including 40 tons of timothy and 80
tons of clover, were consumed on the
farm. Eighteen tons of food material
and 5 cords OF wood were purchased
and consumed. besides the crops pro-
1uced. Under these conditions there
was approximately gain Of 35 pounds
If phosphoric acid, and a loss of so
pounds of potash, and S9S pounds OF
nitrogen The loss of nitrogen was
more than balanced by the gain due to
he clover crop. so that on the whole
here was practically no loss of fer
ility from the farm.
In the example given of dairy farm.
70 cows. head of young stock,
iorses. and 20 pigs constituted the |
took kept on the farm. The crops |
aised were 10 acres OF wheat, 20 OF |
'ats. 10 of corn, Z of rye, of oats for |
lay, 2 acres each of roots and peas.
each of millet and potatoes: 25 tons
4 both clover and timothy were pro- /
uced, and the remainder of the farm |
,as mainly in pasture Sixteen pigs OF
so pounds each and head OF young
took, 5000 pounds of butter. and all
be wheat and rye produced were sold
rom the farm. while the rest of the
roducts were consumed as feed and so
er cent returned to the soil as fertil-
Ter. Ten tons OF feed and cords of
God were purchased and consumed in
EDITION TO what was produced on the
lrm. The figures given for dairy
lrming show gain of rs pounds of
hosphoric acid and a loss of SIS
ounds potash, and 500 pounds nitro
en-. The loss of nitrogen, however.
again more than Offset by the gain
trough the clover crop, so that there
practically no loss of fertility In
iiry farming under proper manage
ent, but rather a constant gain.