The Columbus journal., 1902-02-05
FARM AND GARDEN.

FAkM AND
MATTERS OF INTEREST 70 Aaa1.
cUlTvRlsT&
Ssno U~p-eo-loss Hints Ahsat C1aes.
votsoo of The Ecu ooA Y1aonp
Thsesse-Heetssslt.Es. vjtisale1ss -
E~1ssse1ltaEA
Netss - lewo EsDssa0sata
At the Iowa Agricultural College. 10
Ated 1t Ames. Iowa. there have been
carried ON for . number Of years in
teresting experiments With field cropeI
Dine cannot help wondering what would
result IL the common farmers Of the
country went to work In q syste.
matte . manner a. do the men 1t these
colleges. Tho volume Of agricultural
products turned out would be immense
" increased.
About 50 varieties OF corn were tried
In 1888 and in 1883. In 1900 the nine
teen best varieties were selected for
6eld work. Five Of the best varieties
yielded from s0.s to zoos bushels Per
acre. while the poorest Of them yield
C SIS bushels per acre. Yet this lat
ter yield IL far ahead Of the average
yield Of corn In the United States or
in Iowa. II IL Interesting in this con-
necti0n to note tho annual yields Of
corn In bushels In the state OF Iowa.
They were as follows: 1891. 36.7: 1891.
1S.3: 1893. 33.9: 1894. Is: 1895. ISL:
1886. 80: 1897. -: 1884,. IS: 1854. n:
1900. 50. Yet at the experiment sta
ton Of that anne state the lowest
yield wa more than u bushels better
than the best average for the years
quoted. This shows what method viii
do. It illustrates the truth that II .
man knows what he should know about
the cause and effect Of cultivation. the
conservation Of fertility and tho result
Of methods Of culture he can be rea-
sonably certain Of having . good crop
almost any year.
The average results At the station
for two years gave rs bushels per
acre with deep cultivation, and Sz.4
with shallow cultivation. This bears
out the opinions expressed BY % many
readers of the Farmers' Review that
deep cultivation 10 harmful for corn.
and that shallow cultivation 10 the
only kind that should be given Il. The
difference Of IL bushels per acre. -
shown here. Is very marked.
Sorghum was soWn under the best
Of conditions and gave - tons Of green
feed per acre, equal to - toms Of sor-
ghum hay. After the barley was har-
vested in July sorghum was sown and
by September 20 was well headed and
stood z feet high. It yielded q tons
to the ere and VA cured into Z tons
Of sorghum hay. This illustrates the
ease with which IN added supply Of
winter forage may be obtained after
the grain crops are gathered.
Their experiences in growing rape
were no less striking. Rape sown May
"a and harvested September 10. gave
Il tons Of green feed to the acre. Still
better results were obtained when six
pecks Of oats and NJ pound Of rape
seed were sown together in the spring.
A 60-bushel oat crop was obtained and
Is toni of rape. This was in 1893. On
the following year the same combina-
ton Was again tried on upland and
l0wland. On tho lowland the rape grew
20 rank that the oats were entirely
smothered out, but ON the upland .
good crop Of each was harvested.
Restoring lest Fertility.
From Farmers Review: A question
has been asked as to the quickest
method Of restoring fertility to an
exhausted soil. The answer will de-
pend IN the kind of q soil and what 1t
lacks. Most exhausted soils are such
because they lack humus nor than
anything else. This exhaustion of hu-
mus has been caused by long and
improper cropping. What is the best
method depends on circumstances.
Barnyard manure, being . complete
fertilizer ind furnishing q large
amount Of mature vegetable matter.
will give humus after 1t is decayed.
It Is therefore q good thing to apply.
tie only drawback being that It some
times cannot be procured In necessary
quantities.
The sowing Of COW peas 10 q good
and cheap method for some soils, II
the soils are in localities where COW
peas will grow. Bone meal. phosphate
and nitrate Of soda are also good
fertilizers on some soils for some crops.
Each particular case must be treated
in . manner peculiar to itself. depend
ing on location, kind Of soil, how It
has been cropped In the past and what
Is intended to 10 grown on Il in tho
future.-E. A. Riehl. Madison county,
illinois.
Woala Not Flew Hay Nasshsa
From the Farmers Review: When,
more than fifty years ago, my father
went from Western New York, to look
over Southern and Central Michigan.
he returned saying that about one
third Of the country NJ waste land.
owing to the many marshes. large and
small. Now for about thirty years I
have been having active experience in
handling this land. and have now
moro than n hundred acres Of differ
emit kinds Of marsh and swamp land.
In this time I have paid not less than
i've hundred dollars tax for township
bitches. and have spent as much more
in retaining some Of this land. As
. result, I have dried out . good many