The sea coast echo., 1908-03-14

To avoid this chemical change in new
ly cut corn fodder, green, most farmers
delay cutting until the leaves on the stalk
have cured out standing, and thereby Sc
cure very poor grade of fodder.-J.
C. Norton, in Ame,ieaH Agrienltnrist.
WHEAT CROPS AND SOILS.
The wheat crop is the most important
at this season, farmers making prepara
tions in blowing and narrowing. Al
though the West is considered the prin-r
cipal wheat producing section, yet Penn
sylvania is one of the leading wheat
growing States. The rotation of wheat
with clover and corn is largely practiced,
and the fact that farmers still make
wheat prominent crop is evidence that
it is not exhausting the soil of this State.
Several years experimental work, how
ever, demonstrates that when wheat was
grown continuously upon the same soil
for eight years there was loss of 100
pounds of nitrogen per acre, about 900
pounds being used as plant food and
I4oo pounds lost by the decay of animal
and vegetable matter of the soil and lib
Grafton of the nitrogen as gaseous and
soluble compounds. During the eight
years of continuous wheat cultivation
there was loss of over twenty-one per
cent. of the total nitrogen OF the soil.
equivalent to an annual loss ~of us
pounds per acre, in addition to that used
as plant food. When wheat was grown
in rotation with clover and OATS FIVE
crops of wheat being removed in eight
years, larger yields per acre were secured
and the total loss OF nitrogen from the
soil was reduced to 500 pounds, or
about 45o pounds in excess of that util-
lied as plant food. When corn was
grown with clover and oats, in rota
ton, and farm manure used, the total
loss of nitrogen from the soil in eight
years was less than 100 pounds in ex-
cess of that removed as plant food.
When oats and barley were grown con-
tinuously the losses of nitrogen from
the soil were nearly as large as when
wheat was grown continuously When
corn was grown continuously the loss of
nitrogen from the soil was less than
half as large as with wheat, and when
corn is introduced into the rotation the
losses of nitrogen are less than if wheat
were grown.
There is loss annually of over 1000
pounds of humus per acre when wheat
is grown continuously, due to the de-
cay and fermentation of arimal and
vegetable matter; but no material loss
of humus occurs when wheat is grown
loss of humus changes the physical prop
critics of the soil, causing it to be less
retentiye of moisture, makes the color
lighter and increases the weight of the
soil per cubic foot. When wheat IS
grown without rotation the land Is less
able to supply moisture during times
of drought. 1t is more detrimental,
however, to practice bare summer fallow-
ing than to grow wheat continuously, as
summer following favors the decay of
humus and the loss of nitrogen. While
larger crops of wheat are produced af
ter a year of fallow this increase is fol-
lowed by heavy loss of the total nitro
gen of the soil, but summer following
rapidly exhausts the soil of its supply
of nitrogen. This is an important fact
which is not known to some, as it has
been the practice in certain sections
where clover does not enter into the
rotation to grow corn one year and
wheat the next, leaving the land idle the
third year, which is really system of
following or resting the soil, and for
hundreds of years it has been believed
that by resting the land the soil was
improved, but it is now known that while
the soil did really make an increase in
nitrogen, the loss, when wheat followed
the fallow, was greater than the gain,
Farmers now aim to keep the soil COW
cred at all seasons with some kind of
growth.
1t is not the growing of crop that
removes the fertility so much as fail
ure to rotate. Wheat is not an exhaus
tive crop when grown in a rotation. but
when grown continuously ON the same
land the loss of plant food is very great.
1t is not the crop itself that reduces fer
tility but the lack of systematic meth
DDS. When the nitrogen and hu1nus of
the soil were conserved by the rotation
of crops, and the production of clover,
as demonstrated by the experiment, an
increase of twenty bushels of corn and
over 5h bushels of wheat per acre were
secured. Old wheat soils readily recup-
crate when humus- forming materials are
returned to the soil, and by rotation of
crops the use of barnyard manure and
the growing of clover the heavy losses
of humus and nitrogen from the soil can
be checked and larger yields and bet
ter quality of grain secured.
No farmer should rely entirely upon
barnyard manure or rotation, however,
in order to retain fertility of his soil
There are so many losses of plant food
from rains, SHOWS, heat and failure to
properly care for manure, that to at
tempt to discard fertilizers may prove
disastrous from the fact that it is much
easier and cheaper to keep the soil fer
tile than to endeavor to restore fertility
after the soil has become more or less
impoverished The danger to our farm
ers is that they do not appreciate the fact
that fertilizers repay their cost by giving
increase of crops. and that every dollar
expended for fertilizer is one of the best
investments the farmer can. make 1t is
claimed that if farmer must go in debt
and mortgage his farm he can do SO
safely only by going into debt for fer