The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1906-10-12


armer Everything shows that he
does not think that he pays no at
,ention to what his soil needs and
how TO supply those needs with ma
erials at hand. Nine times ont Of
every ten, the man who is consider
ed poor pay" belongs 10 the last
lass. He does not pay his soil
hat he owes it, and out OF force
II habit he does not pay his Eel
lows what he owes them.
Most of the readers of the Jouru-
al Of Agriculture have seen the de-
serted mining camp and know that
lothing can be more desolate. The
open shafts, the repulsiye heaps
of burned clack, the cayed-in por-
lions of the surface, and the de
serted dwellings, all tell that the
interior Of the earth has given M
all II had In store OF the miner and
that he has gone on to newer fields,
where he can continue his system
Of taking without giving anything
in return. As desolate as this may
seem. the same is praciced on the
farm that is being cropped year
after year with no attempt TO re-
turn what is removed in the crops.
There is an excuse for the desc
lation at the mining camp. because
the miner has no way OF returning
the equivalent of the coal taken
from the ground For the mined
farm. however there is no excuse.
Means have been provided by which
the farmer can return the elements
which he has taken from his soil
to produce his crops, and no rea-
sonable excuse can be advanced
for neglectling to make that return
HOW TO SAVE FERTILITY.
There are several things the farm
er must take into consideration when
he sets about 10 learn how 10 main
tain the fertility OF his soil. The
first is. what To raise and what not
TO raise; what to sell from the
farm and what not sell There
are some crops that require less
fertility than other crops and still
bring the farmer as much money.
There are some crops that sell FOR
practically no more than other crops
yet they take from the soil two or
three times as much fertility There
are some products that can be pro
duced on the farm, which when sold
will remove practically no fertility
from the soil. However, they can
be sold for as much or more than
crops that draw heavily on the sup
ply OF fertility in the soil.
Corn or wheat removes great
deal of fertility from the soil. As
We have shown before, to produce
an acre OF corn II requires over 81
worth of fertility. To sell $500
worth of corn and corn forage from
farm will mean loss Of more
| than $3.50 worth OF plant food. tt
produce an acre of wheat II requires
no less than $40 worth OF fertility
and TO sell $500 worth of wheat ahC
burn the straw in the stack, asis
done by some Of the readers OF
The Journal Of Agriculture in The
Southwest, would mean loss Il
the soil OF no less than $3.50 wortf
of fertility, while II $500 worth Of
butter is sold from the farm no more
than 81 worth of fertility is taker
/ to market with the butter. II $500
worth OF fat cattle are sold. the
amount of fertility removed will
of course, be more than that by
the butter, but in no case will j
be as great as that removed by th'
grains, Every reader will admi
that it requires Int little, If an,
more effort, to produce $500 wortl
Of fat stock than it requires to pro
duce $500 worth of corn or wheat
/ This b. ~ truA. IL can he seen how
important it is TO know what u
raise and what 10 sell from tbs
the farm. Whenever it is possible
the farmer should raise stock anc
cell the products from stock from
the fam.
We 81, that Il this is done i
win be an easy MT" N maintail
he ;. Aility of the So However
there are simple means Of maintain
ing this fertility even If We do grow
and market exhaustive crops. lik'
corn, wheat or cotton
One Of these ways is by the ap
plicauon Of mtnurc.. That is. ey
cry second, third or fourth yea
make an application OF manure 4
the fields cropped Ills plan &
generally followed by the truck griW
ers who live close TO the larg,
towns or cities where manure is oh
tanned for the hauling from tn
town barns BY so doi,s they cai
maintain the fertility of thei
garden plots even though the gard
en- crops be very exhaustive an,