St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-02-04
FARMER AND PLANTER.
HOW CROPS GROW.

FAkMEk AND PLAN | Elk.
HOW CROPS GROW.
rhere 10 Nothing Accidental About It
Every Step In Development II Fro
viaied for by Natures Laws
The growth of crops is never an ac-
cidental circumstances. For every step
in the development of vegetable mat
ter, nature has provided laws which
may not be broken. With care and at
tention to particular wants, crops I'M
prove both in quality and quantity.
This Improvement of plants Is the un-
DERIVING principle Of agriculture.
Plants are improved in quality and
quantity of their products. by sur
rounding them with conditions most
favorable to their growth and develop
ment. This may mean simple tiillge
of the soil. liberal feeding with fertil-
izers or other manureS. or protection
from injurious diseases and the at
tacks of insects. I'm measure. all OF
these methods of improvements are de-
pendent upon one another. Liberal
manuring of itself can not make good
the damage caused by improper or in
sufficient cultivation. Plants illy-cul-
tivated or scantily fedf fall an easy
prey to the various plant diseases.
Plants grow. therefore. by giving
them soil conditions of the right kind
and at the right time: in this is COM
Iriseh practically the whole art of s'ic-
ccssfnl agriculture. The soil must be
thoroughly broken. and kept in high
state of filth By frequent cultivation.
Heavy soils should be plowed in the
fall. or very early in the spring: light
soils are not improved by fall blowing.
The seed led must consist of open.
porous soil. and this means a deep soil
in most cases. No two soils are pre-
ci>ely alike so that the farmer must
exercise Judgment for his individual
conditions. 1t will never do to let well
enough alone. An effort should be
made to make each crop an improve
trent on its predecessor. Each years
work should be studied closely, or
nothing is gained from experience.
The feeding of plants is perhaps the
most important feature in modern
farming. because it Involves the use
of materials in Il more or less blind
manner. Aianures or fertilizers are
applied to the soil before the crop has
appeared. and once applied are no
longer under the apparent control OF
the farmer. AS matter of fact the
action of manures is very much under
the control of the farmer throughout
the whole stage of plant growth. III
81 surface layer from one to two inches
in thickness maintained constantly in
Il dry. pulverizcd condition. either fer
tiliZers or farm manurcs are much
more effective.
In large measure. the profits in
farming depend on the amount of
sales made off the farm; and. conse-
quently it is impossible to keep re-
turning TO the soil. all that is taken
off. No farm can he maintained in
normal condition by the sole use of
the manures made by feeding the
roughage. us in such cases more plant
food is taken from the soil each year
tlian is returned. AS result. chem
ioal fertilizers must be used sooner or
later, and it is I wise farmer who does
not wait until his soil is nearly ex-
hausted before making use of them.
The proper use of chemical fertil-
izerS is one of the most important
problems in agriculture. and one on
which there are many disagrecmeuts.
The best practice ut present seems to
he in using the farm-nade manures
on corn. or other crops having clean
cultivation throughout the year. On
all other crops the chemical fertilizers
are best used. and even on the clean
culture crops. applications of the min
eral fertilizers tpotash ana phosphoric
acid). are very profitable in most
cases.
As all farmers now know. chemical
fertilizers are materials of commerce
which contain the fertilizing princi-
Piles found in farm yard manures:
that is. they contain ammonia. potash
and phosphoric acid. Some Of these
chemical manures contain only ane
of the fertilizing Ingredients. others
two of them. and in few eases all
three are found. They arc generally
much richer in plant food than farm
yard manures. and the consequently
much more cheaply applied. One of
the points of disagreement is the
proper quantity of fertilizers to use.
and the pounds of potash and phos-
phoric acid likely to prove most profit
able. but il may be taken as a fairly
safe rule that the chemical analyses
of all ordinary farm crops may be
obtained from any state agricultural
experiment station, free of cost to
farmers.
Besides these chemical fertilizers,
indirect fertilizers such as lime. are
most important aid. Lime not only
improves the mechanical condition of
soils. but also tends to increase the
effectiveness of chemical manures. II
should he applied at least once in
every rotation. say every third or
fourth year. and at the rate of 20 to 30
bushels per acre. In conclusion. il is
well to note that plants grow by and
with the aid of the farmers skill rs
husbantlsman. lie must not blindly
follow the track laid down by past
generations. but must study his busi-
ness and take advantage of every step
forward proved by the experience of
others as we'll as the points gathered !
from his own eSperience.-R. Gar |
wood, in Texas Farm and Ranch.
nHCE ACEC M u0nCEC