The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-12-28
CONSERVATION OF THE
PURITY OF THE SOIL
One Of the Choicest Problems Of the Nation Declares H.
BoTey, Of North Dakota A. c. He Is Doing
Great Work Along This Line

But 1t is not OF the conservation Of
waterways, mines and forests that
am expected 20 speak. There is
phase OF conservation upon which
may more properly touch.
Field Now Open.
AS one who has been working In close
touch with the farmer, / realize that
there is field in which true conserva-
ton OF natural resources can begin at
once and can persist with an ever in
creasing enlightenment and improve
ment. We often hear of the conserva-
ton Of the fertility of the soil. This is
an old story. The road recommended
to such conservation has usually been
the raising OF more stock and the
proper rotation OF crops. meaning in
both cases taking OFF from the indi-
vidual farm OF greater amount of
actual fertility. The rotation has been
supposed to be conducted that better
and bigger crops may be grown The
actual raising of stock is conducted In
order that the crops which are grown
on the land may be chiefly returned to
the same soils upon which they were
grown, but IL must be remembered that
always the condensed product in the
form of beef and animal Is sold away
from that farm. Here again, II is evil
dent that conservation of the fertility
Of the soil is different problem.
The possibility of the growth OF le-
gumious plants has assured us that
there need be no permanent loss of
nitrogen. Perhaps II may also be said
I q a,& 10 49, q.
in an equitable distribution Of the nat
ural supply over farming areas.
Question Constantly in Mind.
This question Of the conservation OF
fertility Is constantly before the minds
Of all farmers and agriculturists who
are striving to aid the farmers to a
better production ability. 1t must be
said with all due respect for the the
DRY and practice Of improving farm
lands by the use of artificial fertilizers
and by direct applications Of the barn
| yard manures, that with the excep-
/ tion of the vegetable growers there has
not been that uniformity Of favorable
results that one would most like to
relate. Regardless Of our hundreds of
years Of existence Of thus applying
nourishment to the growing cereal
crop, the matter seems yet to be very
largely one of experiment with each
individual piece of ground. The re-
suits of each individual piece Of ground
though usually favorable when looked
upon in the sense OF a long term of
years are not always uniform, and the
amount Of increase in the crop does
not always seem proportional to the
increased attention given to the appli-
cation of plant foods. So many ele-
ments enter this matter of the con-
servation OF the fertility of the soil
that the processes become one OF great
difficulty. No one is able to lay down
a rule for the growth Of even one sort
Of grain. The best that we can do to
explain the necessity Of proper appli-
cations Of fertilizers to the soil and the
proper rotation of crops rests, even yet
in the plain belief that one must put
something back on the soil IL he has
continually to remove the products
therefrom. That the results OF the ap-
plication of fertilizers are not always
what would naturally be expected yet
remain largely unaccounted for.
For hundreds of years there have
been conducted extensive plans of crop
rotation and not less expensive plans
of soil fertilization by means of chem
zeal fertilizers and barnyard manures
Yet the best that can be said OF any
Of these trials is that we are all now
i assured that some sort of crop rotation
is a necessity to proper agriculture and
/ that some method of re-supplying the
fertility is indispensable; for we all
know that the best of such plans oil
rotation and fertilization have often
failed to give results. and as agricul-
turists as well as farmers or peasants
we have been prone to discuss posi-
BILE changes in climatic conditions, etc.
as influencing our results. The bald
fact remains that some hidden causes
have often entered to interfere with
workings Of the best of such plans Of
cropping or of fertilizing. and have
made invalid many an apparent sound
conclusion.
Soil and Seed Diseases,