The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1908-09-05

In threeyear rotation Of corn, oats
and clover. let US assume yields of
100 bushels per acre Of corn and oats,
four tons Of clover and four bushels of
clover seed. We may SOW cowpeas in
the corn, the last cultivation, and pos
sibly produce catch crop OF one-half
ton to the acre.
We will plan to husk the ear corn
and leave the stalks on the land to be
disked down for seeding oats and
clover. The oats should be cut as
high as possible and the threshed oat
straw should be spread over the land
either before or after rotting, as may
be found best. The third year the
clover may be clipped two weeks be-
fore haying and left lying on the
land, the second crop being harvested
later for seed. using a buncher at
tached to the mower so as to avoid
raking. The threshed clover straw
should be spread over the land, and If
rock phosphate is used 1t may be ap-
piled and .plowed under with all Of the
accumulated organic matter in prep
aration for the following corn crop
which would begin the second rota-
ton.
These three crops remove about 173
pounds Of nitrogen, while the clover
and cowpeas return about 1872 pounds
Of nitrogen, and together with the
corn stalks and oats straw furnish a
large Supply Of humus. This is q sys-
tenn Of grain farming planned to main
tain the supply of humus and nitro
gen. II the yields are cut in two the
basis Of the system remains the same.
Many other rotations for grain farm
ing might be followed. but in all
cases liberal use must be made Of
legume crops, catch crops, other green
manure crops. and crop residues in
order to supply humus and nitrogen.
In live stock farming take a FIVE
year rotation. including corn two
years, oats with clover and timothy
seeding the third year, and two years
OF clover and timothy, using one year
for hay and the other for pasture, as
Stunning the same yields as before
Shock one-half Of the corn or put it
In the silo; husk the other half and
use the oats straw for feed and bed
ding.
The four croRs will remove from the
soil about 369 pounds of nitrogen, and
the clover hay will contain about 800
pounds, which we assume was Sc
cured from the air. making 4S9 pounds
OF nitrogen in the total feed and bed
ding. II one-half Of this is recovered
In the manure and returned to the
land, there would be deficiency Of
124 pounds. But two-thirds of the nj
'trogen can be recovered by feeding
upon cement floors and liberal use Of
straw and shredded fodder for bed
ding, thus reducing the deficiency to
43 pounds.
The pasturing may gain IL pounds
of nitrogen. BY feeding more or less
upon the fields and by leaving consid-
cradle clover in the pasture to serve
as green manure. this small deficiency
can be replaced, but to maintain or
increase the supply OF humus and nj
trogen in the soil is by no means an
easy problem, even with live stock
farming.
Keep in mind these two words,
phosphorus and humus. II these are
increased In soil the farm will be
growing richer and more productive
but whoever removes the phosphorus
or destroys the humus more rapidly
than they are replaced, will have
poorer land year by year with poverty
as the only future for the children
who continue the same ruinous sys-
tenn.
A 100-bushel crop Of corn requires
23 pounds Of phosphorus; 50.bushel
crop Of. wheat, 16 pounds; a four-ton
crop Of clover, 20 pounds. And to
produce such crops for a lifetime, 70
years, would require as much phos-
phorus as the total supply in the first
seven inches of most common Illinois
prairie soil.
Phosphorus IL sold from the farm
largely in grain, in the bone Of ami
mails, and hay. The phosphorus re-
moved from the soil in the average
corn crop of Illinois (grain only Is
equal to the total phosphorus con-
tained in $4,000 acres of our corn belt
land to depth Of seven inches, and
a large amount Is removed In the ag-
gregate of the other crops. Because
the effect is only gradual and wide
spread, many people ignore It
The most practical and economical
method Of maintaining the supply OF
phosphorus in the soil is by the appli-
cation of 1000 pounds to the acre OF
fine-ground natural rock phosphate,
once every four to six years, In con-
ifection with liberal supplies of decay
ing organic matter, as farm manure,
legume crops, or other green manures.
But repeated experiments have
shown that natural rock phosphate
gives practically no immediate returns
II used in the absence Of decaying or
ganic matter.
Humus is the decaying organic mat
ter of the soil. Its most important
constituent IL nitrogen. A 100-bushel
crop OF corn for 80 years would re-
uuire as much nitrogen as Is contained