Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-06-05
AZ icultural Lore

plants that have been lately intro
duced but have not yet been proved
worthy of general cultivation in New
England and certain spices of weeds
do tend to enrich the soil where they
are grown, by an absorption of nitro
gen from the atmosphere as was first
thought through their leaves, which
might have been partly true but now
is more attributed to certain nodules
on their roots We believe that the
list of such plants might be con
siderably extended by further inves-
tigation.
1t may include several of the grains,
especially if not allowed to ripen their
seed. We have known of a field
planted to corn for about Is years, in
which rye was sown among the corn
each fall and plowed under in the
that increased its production from 10
bushel of corn per acre to about 40
busheI without the use of any fertil-
izer or manure The corn crop did
not seem to take much more fertility
from the soil than was supplied by the
roots that decayed there, while the
rye which many writer's assert can
return nothing more than it took in
its growth, seemed to add something,
though possibly it was but the humus
or vegetable matter. An onion field
sOwn with the same crop every year,
with the same amount of manure ap.
piled every season, will increase in
productiveness every year when con,
ditions are at all favorable, until the
maggot or the blight gets in it. That
is, it used to do so on the barnyard
manure. We never gave the matter
fair test on commercial fertilizers.
We never saw a tree of the honey To-
Gust under which the grass did not
grow nearly as rank as in the best
cultivated fields, while other trees in
the same hedgerow would seem to rob
the soil of all that the grass wanted
to feed upon.
The question then of enriching
the soil is not altogether one of whar
manure we shall add to It. but to a
certain extent of what crops we
should grow upon 1t, how we shall
grow and handle them, and what part
Of their non-merChantable products
We may return to them, either as
green manure, or in the droppings Of
the stock we can induce TO eat them
The rotation of crops has been
spoken of above, and has been a favor
lite theme with many agricultural
writer's, and we believe that the idea
is a correct one, though some of the
rotations laid down as a course Of
three, four or five years, we would not
think adapted either TO the market
gardens around Boston, or to the av-
erage farm in New England The ro-
tation should be adapted to the soil
and the demands in the market, as
also to the wants of the crop. AS we
have said above, the corn crop and
the onion crop can be grown for many
years in succession upon the same
field without apparent diminution Of
the production, if disease or insects
do not appear and possibly some
others might be added
We think, however, a rotation Of
manures or fertilizers is not less de-
sirable We do not mean that the
farmer should change from one manu-
facture or brand TO another every sea
son, but If he uses his horse manure
that If well kept is rich in nitrogen
one year let him try COW manure orI
some commercial fertilizer rich in
phosphoric acid and potash the next
season. After a term Of years in com
merc'al fertilizers let him try a course
Of green manuring to rupply the hui
mus Of vegetable matter. And not
least in the question Of enriching the
soil must rank its water supply. it's
drainage, thorough pulverization be-
fore the seed Is put In, and frequent
to conserve the natural