The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-08-28

k2IsE2zY
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 sys-
tenn of grain farming planned to main
tain the supply of humus and nitro.
gen. If 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
suming 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 crops will remove from the
soil about 369 pounds of nitrogen, and
the clover hay will contain about 100
pounds, which we assume was Sc
cured from the air, making 4S9 pounds
! of nitrogen in the total feed and bed
ding. If one-half of this is recovered
in the manure and returned to the
land, there would be deficiency of
l24 pounds. But two-thirds of the Nh
trogea can be recovered by feeding
upon cement floors and liberal use of
straw and shredded fodder for bed
| ding, thus reducing the deficiency to
% 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. If 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
% pounds of phosphorus; 50.bushel
crop of wheat, 16 pounds; a four-ton
crop Of clover, 20 pounds. And to
produce such crops for lifetime, "a
years. would require as much phos
phorus as the total supply in the first
seven inches of most common Illinois
prairie soil.
Phosphorus is sold from the farm
largely in grain, in the bone of ami
l AoA5, duO udy. uS phosphorus I0
moved from the soil in the average
corn crop of Illinois (grafn only IL
equal to the total phosphorus con
tanned in $4,000 acres of our corn belt
land to a depth of seven inches. and
large amount is removed in the az
gregate of the other crops. Because
the effect is only gradual and wide
spread, many people ignore 1t. E,
The most practical and economical
method of maintaining the supply o.
phosphorus in the soil Is by the appli
cation of 1000 pounds to the acre o.
foreground natural rock phosphate
once every four to six years, In con
nection with liberal supplies Of decay
ing organic matter, as farm manure
legume crops, or other green manures
But repeated experiments have
NNNN~N~N@~ee~
Share Il Equally. f
EYES," seid the fellow with the bali
brow, "it's certainly true that II 4
man has no respect for himself no.