The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-09-03
ALFALFA AND BETS
BEST AND CHEAPEST WAY OF
FERTILIzING SOIL.
Practical Methods Of Preparation by
Which the Farmer May Acquire
Piece of Land Upon Which He
May Raise Three Sue
cessive Crops.

AS ! see it the thing most needed is
the fertilization of the soils that they
may be brought to a high state OF pro-
duction, says Mark Austin, in Den
yer Field and Farm. No doubt many
OF us realize that it is impossible to
take something from the soil that
1T does not contain. In other words,
we cannot hope to continually make a
draft upon mother earth unless we
make a deposit, any more thar we
s9uld upon the successful banks of
our country. Neither could we hope
to get successful work from our ami
mails unless they are properly fed, for
we could not urge them beyond their
strength, and, furthermore, we would
not care to do So.
The best and cheapest method of
fertilizing, and. one hat is possible
to use in a large way here in the arid
region, is the one we should study out.
lind after three years of expert
mental work that alfalfa is one of the
most lasting and cheapest methods of
fertilizing that we have found, and
while we have tried to use this in a
great many ways for the preparation
OF the soil for the raising of sugar
beets, | have come to the conclusion
that the blowing under of the first
crop during June, having the soil
moist and in excellent condition for
blowing and seeing that it is plowed
proper depth with regard to the kind
and condition Of the soil, and previ-
Gus plowing-about eight to ton
inches deep-and then see to it that
every root Of the alfalfa is out and
that all the green foliage is properly
covered and thoroughly turning the
soil and Immediately running a
smoother v it so that it will re-
tain h moisture, is the best mode of
procedure.
Then the soil may lay fallow until
say towards fall and just before beet
harvest feplow about an inch to an
inch and a half deeper than the pre-
vious blowing, thoroughly turning the
soil again and see to it that the plow-
ing is well done. In the spring fol
lowing all that would be required
would be proper narrowing and pull,
verifying of the surface, planting of
beets as soon in the spring as the
condition of the weather. and season
will permit. During the last three
years we have begun planting about
the 5th to the 10th of April and as
a general rule our beets planted early
have been the best. Instead of lying
fallow after the blowing potatoes
could be grown upon the land, plant
ing Immediately after the blowing is
done by taking a shovel pillow and
opening a shallow furrow, dropping
the potatoes from about three to four
inches deep, then covering immediate
ly by running a plank leveler or pota.
to c%ultivator yer while the ground
is moist SO that the potatoes will be-
gin to grow at once.
The best method, however, would be
be to use a potato seeder, as the work
can be done properly. Then the
ground should be cultivated in a week
or ten days after the potatoes are
planted and the ground should be thor.
oughly stirred from IL to is days until
the time arrives for irrigation and in
this way the weeds will be kept down
and the potatoes assisted in growth.
The potato crop would pay the *
pense of the preparation of the soil
and would leave the ground in excel
lent condition for sugar beets. Pota-
toes do not extract the same elements
of plant food from the soil that beets
do. Either of these preparations will
give the farmer a piece of land upon
which he may raise three successive
crops of sugar beets.