The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-01-20


noon a number OF good addresses were
given In the convention, amonge them
one by Doctor Briggs or the depart
ment OF agriceulture Of Washington
d. G., in which he spoke on the rela-
ton OF humus in the soil to crop ro-
tation and followed out the teachings
of the institute corps and other scien-
tific farmers In regard to the necessity
OF crop rotation to the preserving ot
the fertility Of the soil.
In part Mr.. Briggs said:
The continued planting OF land to
one crop win take out certain quail
ties which In time win impoverish this
land to such an, extent that 1t IL i'm
possible for the crop to be raised and
the land will have to be recharged
With the lacking substance before crops
can again be grown upon it. In the
continual raising OF wheat and small
grains as is being done in this state
there is a constant drain upon the
hurnus and the nitrogen OF the soil.
Clover and the legunaes are the crops
which will put nitrogen back into the
soil and these crops should be rotated
with the small grain crops and the
use of manure and in this way the
humus and the nitrogen in the soil will
be kept constant. The nitrogen is sup
splied to the soil by certain bacteria
which lives in the roots of the clover Of
the legumes and these have the power
to take the nitrogen from the air and
incorporate it in the soil in the form OF
nitrates.
Sometimes these bacteria are en-
tirely lacking in the soil and have to
be placed there when plating the seed.
This culture is put up in glass tubes
by the department of agriculture and
sent to the farmers free upon request
and Is used by putting the contents
OF the tube into pail OF water and
the grain then sprinkled with this So
luton before planting"
Mr.. Briggs explained to the farmers
how absolutely necessary II was for
them to rotate their crops in order to
maintain the productiveness of their
soil and considerable discussion fol-
lowed the address to bring out the
points not covered In the limited time
that was given to the subject.
gfSGWA6l0Ws
Question: VIII the manuring Of the
land take the place of the innocnla-
tion of the seed?
Or. Briggs: 1t win, in some cases.
Question: What effect does burning
of the straw upon the land have upon
it2
DR. Briggs: 1t not only destroys the
needed substances In the straw but II
also burns the humus in the soil as
well as other needed vegetable matter
contained in 1t.
Question: What is the best way OF
applying manure?
DIR, Briggs: II all depends upon the
local conditions.
Question: Does putting green ma
Ture on the soil tend to produce weeds?
DR. Briggs: As to that cannot give
a thorough answer which will apply to
this country.
Superintendent Hoverstad: I think
from what / am able to learn from the
experiences OF the farmers that there
is a difference OF opinion In regard to
this
Question: Does burning the straw
stubble on the land kill weed seeds?
superintendent Hoverstad: I think
there could be compromise In regard
to burninG the stubble. 1t might be
burned unIn the weeds are gotten un-
der control but not longer than abso-
lutely necessary to accomplish this
result.
Letter on Glover and Sheep.
Prs. ]. H. Worst read letter from
Datus c. Smith from New York city,
stating that 1t was impossible for him
to be at this session of the convention
but that he would like to tell he as
sembled farmers something of his ex-
periences in raising clover and sheep
on his large farm near Blanchard, NJ.
ID. Mr.. Smith makes his home in New
York during the winter, but spends the
summer on his farm in this state.
In full his letter is as follows:
Glover, Wheat and Sheep.
TO the Tri- State Grain and Stock
growers Convention, assembled at
Fargo, N. D.:
Gentlemen of the Convention--Tt was
my great pleasure and honor to attend
the convention OF 1908 and advocate
earnestly the growing OF clover, par
ticularly In North Dakota.
I was backing my advice with ex-
simple, having then 4a0 acres OF land
laid down In grass with more or less
ssswar In all OF It, and some OF II clear
clover.
Since then / have seeded down each
year. mostly with clear clover, Ls0 to
$50 acres with wheat. and blowing UP
a like amount of clover land, and I
have the seed ready for like seeding
next spring.
But what do really think Of clover
for permanent place in our present
day North Dakota farning7
Well, gentlemen, if persistently seed
ing 1t for ten years is not enough, the
next best answer can make Is that
/ have changed the name OF my farm
to Cloverdale.
What Can Be Done With Glover.
And what can we do with the clover?
That question ought not to be embar-
raising to any North Dakota farmer,
especially this year, but will tell what
we are doing with it. 1 am, as / have
been for several years, bringing my
farm more and more to the plan OF
wheat, clover and sheep.
Wheat must be the basis for many
years. the clover is valuable for hay
and renewing the soil, but for real
maintenance OF the soil, we must keep
livestock. and to my mind sheep ere
the most suitable kind or livestock 10
spread widely over the land The sheep
has indeed golden hoof, but the gold
will not be found In the land of any
careless man. Some looking ahead