The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-04-13
FEE0- AND FERTILITY.

the two-fold problem confronting
many farmers IS, how to maintain the
SER ility of the soil while growing crops
that are,'to be sold and removed from
the farDy and how to grow on the
farm substitutes for the expensive pro
teip feeds now so generally purchased
by tdaifynYef alta stock feeders. ''''''
The airs a great stOrehouse OF
nitrogen and vast amounts Of potash
and ph0sphoric acid. If we can trap
or coax the nitrogen from the air and
unlock the other ingredients from the
soil and unite them in living plants,
We can grow crops cheaply, and re
duCe the icost of farm, stock and dairy
products and largely increase our
profits While scientists are devsing
some means to combine the nitrogen
of the air with some other substance
that will make it available for agri-
cultural purposes, the best we can do
is to study with care the leguminOus
plants that we now know do actually
draw a part of their nitrogen from the
air. and store it for use in their roots,
stems, leaves and seeds.
These plants, c!0vers, beans, peas,
etc., furnish for stock what we call
protein, nitrOgenOus substance, nee
esSary for the making of lean meat,
milk and eggs, that are always salable
farm products. The entire plants, or
their roots decaying in the soil, add
to it considerable amount Of the val
uahe plant food we call nitrogen, and
leaYe it in a comparatively stable
form. Even if a part of this nitrogen
has been obtained from what was al
ready in the soil, the legumes have
brought it up from below by their long
roots, or have collected it from near
the surface, where it was going to
waste. In other words, they have
trapped some from the air and gath !
ered4tkg wastes and have put it into a
form available. for the crop that fol-
lows. So .. ST..
1t, is also characteristic of these
plants that they leave the soil in a
mellow and friabIe state favorable to +
the agrowth of other crops. We feel
sure from the experience we have had
that it will be profitable for many of
our readers to experiment this year On
their own account, to learn how they
can make some of the lesser known
legumes profitable in their farming.
Particular attention is called here
to the soy or sofa bean, one of the
least4kneWa af the legume family of
plants. ..... ......-.
1t comes to US from Japan, and has
been tested in limited way by few
persons here. and there. Five years
ago at the Kansas Experiment station
several, fields aggregating sixty acres
were planted with very satisfactory re-
suits in every instance.
Ins feeding the beans they take the
place of linseed meal or gluten meal.
They surpass. linseed meal in the per-
centage Of protein and fat. In the
bean meal there is 36.S per cent of pro-
tein and 1862 per cent of fat; in lin
seed-meal 1872 per cent and per cent.
Comparing soy bean hay and dry corn
fodder, the former has 15.4 per cent
of protein and SO per cent of fat,
while the latter has 3.S per cent and
IL per. cent, The green beans are
also twice as rich in these respects
as green corn. Thus it appears they
afford convenient feed for balancing
the corn crop to make it suitable ra-
ton for growing or fattening stock
and for making milk.