The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-09
FARM AND GARDEN INTERESTS

large as with wheat. and when corn is in
PRODUCED into the rotation the losses OF nj
trOgen are less than If wheat were grown.
There is loss annually OF over 1000
pounds of humus per acre when wheat is
grown continuously. due to the decay and
fermentation OF animal and vegetable mat
ter but no material loss of humus occurs
when wheat is grown in rotation with Glow
er and oats. The loss OF humuS changes
the physical properties of the soil. causing
il to be less retentive of moisture. makes
the color lighter and increases the weight
of the soil per cubic foot. When wheat Is
grown without rotation the land Is less able
to supply moisture during times OF drought.
Ii is more detrimental however, to prac-
tice bare summer following than TO grow
wheat continuously, summer following
faVors the decay of humus and the loss of
nitrogen While larger crops OF wheat are
produced after a year of fallow this in
crease is followed by heavy loss of the
total nitrogen of the soil, but summer fall
lowing rapidly eXhausts the soil of its sup
ply of nitrogen. This is an important fact
which is not known TO some. as il has been
the practice in certain sections where Glow
er does not enter into the rotation to grow
corn one year and wheat the next. leaving
the land idle the third year, which is real
ly a system of following or resting the soil,
and for hundreds of years it has been be-
lleved that by resting the land the soil was
improved, but ii is now known that while
the soil did really make an increase in
nitrogen the loss when wheat followed the
fallow was greater than the gain Farm
erS now aim to keep the soil covered at all
seasons with some kind of growth.
1t is not the growing of a crop that re-
moves the fertility much as failure to
rotate Wheat is not exhaustive crop
when grown in rotation. but when grown
continuously on the same land the loss of
plant food is very great. 1t is not the
crop itself that reduces fertility, but the
lack OF systematic methods. When the
nitrogen and humuS of the soil were con-
served by the rotation of crops, and the
production of clover, as demonstrated by
the experiment an increase of twenty
bushelS OF corn and over five and one-half
bushels of wheat per acre were secured
Old wheat soils readily recuperate when
transforming materials returned to
the soil, and by rotation of crops, the use
OF barnyard manure and the growing of
clover the heavy losses of humus and nitro
gen from the soil can be checked and larger
yields and better quality of grain Sc
cured.
No farmer should rely entirely upon barn
yard manure or rotation, however, in or
der to retain fertility of his soil There are
so many losses of plant food from rains,
SHOWS, heat and failure TO properly care
Tor manure that TO attempt to discard fer
tiIlzerS NAV prove disastrous from the fact
that 1t is much easier and cheaper to keep
the soil fertile than to endeavOr to restore
fertility after the soil has become more
or less impoverished. The danger to our
farmers is that they do not appreciate the
fact that fertilizers repay their cost by
giving Increase of crops, and that every
dollar expended for fertilizer is one of the
best investments the farmer can make lit
is claimed that if a farmer must go in debt
and mortgage his farm he can do so safely
only by going into debt for fertilizer. but
while this claim may not be relied upon.
yet when a farmer eXpendS capital for fer
tlliZer he buys the very best raw material
for manufacturing salable crops the
farm.