Mexico weekly ledger., 1905-12-07

I81tt ~ 8EEa
the ways hereafter indicated. excepl
now and then a rich bottom field sub
tect to frequeat overflow, where thu
land is already 50 rich that the small
grains fan down and the grasses grow
too rank for good hay.
The difference 10 the way nitrogen
is gotten makes the differences betweer
rational and irrational practicc, and
between successful and unsuccessful
farming.
First-It mar be purchased in a
commercial fertilizer. such as raw
bone meal, dried blood, nitrate OF
soda, or sulpbate OF ammonia. Pur.
chased In this way, the nitrogen costs
from Isc TO 20c q pound, delivered "a
the farmer. This price make this
source of nitrogen absolutely pro
hibitive for the ordinary farm crops
and under the ordinary conditions
The farmer who relies upon this
source Of supply win be sold out by the
sheriff In q few years.
Fortunately 1t is not necessary to bo
at this expense for this very impor-
tant element OF plant food. In truth,
every farmer may have this nitrogen
given to him. That is TO say, all
plants belonging TO the clover family,
such as red clover, bckhara or sweet
clover, white clover, alfalfa, cowpeas,
ssjo beans, etc, have the power of
gathering this nitrogen from the air,
through the nodules or tubercles or
knots adhering TO the roots OF these
plants. II one win take the trouble
to dig up a red clover plant carefully
and wash the soil from the roots, he
will find attached TO these roots q
large number OF small knots Oh nod
ules, which resemble in appearance
ordinary clover seed. These nodules
or tubercles are in reality a low order
OF plants with the power to feed upon
the nitrogen that Is In the air and
later to give it over to the clover plant
to which theyare attached, as so much
fertilizing material. These tubercles
will not grow upon the roots OF corn,
wheat, timothy, nor indeed upon any
agricultural plant except the clovers,
peas and beans.
The poorer the land is, the more
numerous these tubercles are on the
roots, because OF the greater need for
them. On a piece of land excessively
rich in nitrogen, such, for example, as
where an old stable has stood for
many years, the clover plans will be
practically devoid Of these tubercles,
brcause there is no need for them.
Thus, a piece OF land having been
grown In clover is richer by several
dollars worth Of nitrogen per acre than
before this crop was grown. This is
even true when the clover has been
harvested for hay, because the nitrogen
left in the roots and stubble is suffi-
cent to make the land more produc-
tive than before.
1t Is unnecessary to say, ia passing,
however, that the clover hay thus
made should under no circumstances
be sold of the farm at any price that
1T will command on the market, but
should be carefully fed and the man
ure saved and returned to the soil. -
Another very important way OF
securing nitrogen for nothing Is To-
buy feed and take care Of the manure.
This means TO enrich your farm at the
expense Of somebody's else farm. 1t
ought to be the policy Of every Mis-
souri, farmer not to sell any corr or
hay and to buy all Of the feed that he
can use with profit, and to so arrange
his feeding operations that as much
possible OF the manner is dropped
where II Is wanted and that the rest
is carefully hauled TO the fields. The
trouble with most Of our feeding lots
Is that they are In the wrong place
and most OF the manure made either
from the feed which We have grown
ourselves or which we have bought is
washed away and lost.
AS an example Of the possibilities in
this direction, cottonseed meal may
be laid down at any Missouri railway
station at less than SIS a ton, In car
lots. The Georgia, Alabama or Caro-
lima farmer gladly pays $50 a ton for
this same material TO be used as 3 fer
tilizer. The Missouri farmer can feed
this cottonseed meal in connection
with bis orn at a profit, and have
left 10 the manure SIS 10 go worth OF
plant food for every ton Of cottonseed
meal fed. A ton Of clover, which can
usually be bought for FROM s6 to IS a
ton, brings onto the farm approx
mately $40 worth OF plant food, at the
price this plant food commands in al
commercial fertilizer, and from eight
tenths to nine-tenths OF this is left on
the farm in the form OF manure, II it
is properly handled.
On the other hand, every thirty
bushel load Of corn that is hauled of
OF the farm makes that farm a little
over s6 poorer. Every so bushel load
Of wheat takes away sl2 50 worth OF
plant food and every ton Of timothy
hay sold robs the farm OF al worth
Of fertility. This makef the differ
ence between selling grain on the farm
and Of buying II on The farm.
II is, furthermore, true, although 1t
not possible at this time to go into
this phase OF the question, that the
richest 10 nitrogen, that is, hav-
ing the greatest f~ertilizing value and
making manufe that is the richest,
are also Of the greatest value to the
as a feed and as a supplement-
10 bis corn.
It's apparent, from all that has
been said, that IL is not profitable to
grow timothy hay when you can grow
and it is not profitable to feed
timothy hay under any circumstances
10 any class Of stock, except mature
working horses.
Thus is the farmer able, through the
growing Of cowpeas, clover, and such