Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-06-05
SOIL FERTILIZATION

SOIL Y En- iLtEN WV.
Much is written in these days of
scientific farming, on the subject Of
soil fertilization, and the more of a
science the vocation becomes the
greater becomes the Importance of the
discussion. Expert opinion is always
welcome. Every practical farmer, as
the Massachusetts PIoughman says,
who has studied his business by the
light of his own experience knows
that certain crops are more eXhaus-
tive of the fertility of the soil than
other crops which he may grow there
after the first crop, and many of them
do not leave the soil in condition to
grow good crops of other kinds, un-
less they are such as will generally
give fair to good results, even if the
land is not made very fertile. Promi-
nent in this list are nearly all the root
crops, with the exception of those be-
longing to the onion family, as leek
shallOts, chives and garlic, or the al
lium frequently grown from the bulb,
as a very fragrant house plant when
in bloom, but which shows its Tela-
ton to the onion when the bulb or
blossom is frozen. Potatoes, perhaps,
might be excepted also, as, if the land
is made rich enough to grow good
crop crops of another sort, as corn
and the smaller grains, or other plants
of the grass family, will often succeed
potatoes very well, if the land has
squash, pumpkin, cucumbers and to-
matoes, do not refuse to grow upon
land where potatoes have been grown,
though they need a liberal fertilzing
for themselves.
But there is another class, those
that are classed as the Brassica fam
lily, cabbage, Caulifiowers, rutabaga
turnips, Brussels sprouts and kohl
rabi, that not only will not succeed
themselves to be very productive up
on the land where they grew the pre-
viOus year, or have been grown with
in five or six years, but if it is put in
the grass crops the land seems to be
exhausted, and even if there is fertil-
ity enough left to get a good catch
with the seed. it usually fails to come
up to reasonable expectations, or soon
fails to furnish food enough for a
good crop When the theory of fur.
nishing each crop VII. just the fer
tilizing elements which were required
to produce it's growth was first put
out, we began TO hope that this diff
Guilty was removed and that by adding
to the soil just what the crop of cab
bages or turnips could be shown by
analysis had been taken from it, we
could continue to grow cabbages there
year after year, and not have the
crops deteriorate in quantity or quail
ity. A few tests satisfied us hat this
was not true. and that rotation or
crops must be continued. even under
the condition Of a skilfully compound.
ed formula for the special crops.
We then adopted the theory that
certain plants during growth not only
absorbed the fertility from the soil
that they needed but in so doing they
returned to it a certain amount Of
matter taken up and rejected by the
plant, which was poisonous to it. to
similar plants, and also to certain
other plants. some Of which were of
widely different character. Or it
might be more technically correct to
say that this rejected material is OF
such charac'- as to convey to the
plant Of the second year the germs Of
bacterial or fungus diseases. Of which
the club foot in cabbages and turnips
are instances familiar to many farm
ers, and the cracking of beets black
rot Of tomatoes, blight Of lettuce and
damping of Of celery plants in the
aotoeds and houses are well known
by the market gardeners.
i Is wei known that the clovers in
all their varieties. those plants OF the
bean and pea family certain forage