The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-04-01
MAINTAINING FERTILITY.

One of the most important methods of main
tanning fertility is by diversfcation of crops and
the practice of rotation, thereby changing the
draft upon the elements of fertility from those
leading ones required by one crop to others need
ed by a different crop. This is natures method
that she constantly displays whenever any pro-
duct is removed from the soil, whether herbaceous
treelike in character. Pines are succeeded by
oaks, and they by other deciduous trees Weeds
spring up by magic from the cleared timber
land or from the field denuded of growing crop.
Men have practiced rotation of crops more than
1000 years.
Half century ago when agricultural papers
were scarce hens teeth, the aggressive Horace
Greedy was exhortng the planters of the South to
raise more corn and less cotton and tobacco. 9th
ers admonished them to raise more corn and less
hell. At the time Illinois farmers were said
to raise corn to feed hogs to buy land to raise
more corn to feed more hogs to buy more land
etc. Later the wheat farmers of the central West
and Northwest followed the same exhaustive .rou-
tine of making one crop the central shaft of their
farming operations around which and toward
which all other lines cluster and converge.
Today the general demand throughout the coun-
try Is for curtailing the acreage of such leading
crops and the greater diverSifcatiOn OF agrcul-
ture Organizations seeking lessening OF
the planted to cotton, to hops and to wheat
Corn forage crops, fruit growing, truck farming.
dairying, livestock, poultry etc., are everywhere
advocated as measures of relief for the soil and
betterment of local supplies. Improvement of
quality accompanies the proposition, and is
worthy measure for the attention OF these or
ganizations Less acres and more and better
products is the end sought.
1t is to promote Investigation and rotation or
crops that a farm demonstration train was inaug-
urated by R. B. Miller, general freight agent for
the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company This
is campaign against the practice of summer
following now general throughout the Inland EN-
pire Under this system half of the wheat fields OF
the interior are idle each year. 1t is planned to
correct this practice and make every acre work
every year by diversifying crops.
To this end the train left Pullman March with
a baggage car used to exhibit wheat and other
cereals wheat producing machinery, etc.; a COM
bination car, and coach used as a lecture hall
for the lectures and demonstrations with maps,
charts and various exhibits. ProI. E E. Elliott,
instructor of agriculture and director OF farmers
institutes, in charge, and with him were Prof.
r. W. Thatcher, director of experiment stations
c. w. Lawrence cerealist; Prof. George Sever
ance agronomst r. G. McCrosky, of Garfield,
Wash, president of the Wheat Growers Associa-
ton, and o. E. Young of Pullman.
The itinerary included stops at Colfax, Elberton,
Garfield Pennington, Satese Tekoa, Oakesdale,
Thornton Sunset ST. John, Winona, La Crosse,
Pampa Hooper, Endicott and Diamond. The car
was too small for the audience at some points.
Prof Elliott has been promised another train in
June for more extended trip and will be allowed
more time at the places OF call
GOVERNMENT GRAIN GRADING.
The federal grain inspection bill under consid-