Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-06-21

the hillsides. Besides this they cut the
land up into small, irregular patches
and greatly increase the cost of till
age. There is a better way OF prevent
ing washing in nearly all cases. In the
first place. where land has been plowed
3 or 4 inches deep for several years,
the subsoil becomes impervious to
water and cannot absorb a heavy rain
fall fast enough to prevent its flowing
over the surface. But when the land
is plowed gradually deeper until a good
depth of loose soil Is obtained. and
particularly when an abundance OF
humus Is supplied from grass roots and
b or from green crops urn
under, or. better still. from barnyard
manure. h soil becomes so porous
that the heaviest rains cause little or
no flowing Of water on the surface.
Striking Illustrations OF this fact are
to be found on the farm of Mr.. w. l..
Williamson. OF Jackson county. Geor-
gia. and on the farm OF Rev. j.. u.
DIETRICH. described in the Yearbook of
the Department OF Agriculture for 1903
under the title "A Model Farm" In
the Yearbook paper referred to. illus
trations are shown OF two fields lying
side by side. both In rye. The pictures
were taken within a few feet of each
other. In one two large bitches had
just been filled with dirt. In the other
there was no tendency to wash. Mr..
Williamson'S farm is located in n re-
gion where terracing is very general.
Since he abandoned cotton culture and
began dairying he has plowed up all
his terraces, and his land does not
wash. He plows deep and manures
heavily. But 1t !s possible to accom-
plish similar results. even III n farm
largely devoted to cotton. by deep
blowing and the use of green manures
to supply humus.
Improving the Soil.
We have seen that poverty in soil
may be II to poor texture. %unfavor-
able structure. lack of humus. deficien-
cieS In the amount, form, or proportion
OF plant food, and to the presence OF
harmful mineral and organic COM
pounds. With the exception OF nitro
gen, most soils. even those that are
ant supply of plant food, though some
times other elements are lacking or are
present only in those forms that plants
cannot use.
To increase fertility we must i'm
prove texture and add plant food and
humus. Tillage may do much to Inn
prove texture, but tillage alone will not
suffice. We must d humus. In do
ing so we add plant food. and max
the soil more permeable to air and
water.
Increasing the Stock Of humvs.
There are three general methods OF
supplying humus to the soil. The first
and best is the addition OF stable ma
nure. When properly managed 1t adds
large quantities OF both plant food and
humus. But is not always
available. When such Is the case, the
best thing to do is to make
forage, keep more stock. and make
more manure. But this takes time and
capital, SO that other means are some
times necessary. When stable
is not to be had, we may plant crops
for the purpose OF turning them under,
at comparatively little cost. Flowing
under green crops Is called green ma
manure. But this takes time and
Is an excellent practice.
to grow crops like clover n timothy.
These crops are usually left down for
two ears or more. During this time
their roots thoroughly penetrate the
soil. Old roots decay and new ones
grow. When the sod is plowed up.
more or less vegetable matter is turned
under. This. with the mass of roots
In the soil. adds no small amount to
the supply OF humus. Another adj
vantage from the cultivation of clovers
and alfalfa is found in the fact that
they are deep-rooted plants. INC when
their roots decay they leave channels
deep into the earth. thus aiding in the
absorption OF rains n letting in air
to sweeten the soil.
Stable Manure.
Properly handled. stable manure is
by all means the best remedy for pow
erty OF the soil. Very few farmers nam
die manure so as to get even as much
as half the possible value from it. There
Is probably no greater waste in the
world thar in connection with the
handling of manure by the American
farmer. Five-eights of the plant food
in manure is found in the liquid part
of it. This is usually all lost. Not only
is this the case, but the solids are piled
beside the barn, frequently under the
caves, where rains wash away much of
their value Fermentation in these
manure piles also sets free much OF the
nitrogen to escape into the air.
The writer has seen few farmers who
had no apologies to make for their
methods OF handling manure. He has
seen one. however. who believed he was
getting every particle of value from
the manure 1t is possible to get. The
farm in question was a dairy farm. and
the methods used are not applicable to
all types of farms. The COWS were
kept in their stalls the year around.
Every day in the year they had either
silage or green stuff from the fields.
They also had enough dry hay to keep
tTe manure from UelHS loo "dSIy, ana
what grain they needed. Behind each
row OF eight cows was a ditch eighteen
inches wide and eight to ten inches
deep. This ditch was cleaned thor
oughly every morning after milking
hours. After h cleaning. a small
quantity of wood ashes was sprinkled
in the ditch to dry 1t; then a layer
about one and one-half inches deep OF
rotten sod or leaf mold was added.
Next morning the contents OF the
ditch were lifted into a cart by means
Of forks. and the cart went immedi-
ately to the held where the manure was
scattered. In exceptionally bad wealth.
err the ditch was sometimes left for two
days. This farmer always had a place
to put manure
This method may not be applicable