Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-09-23

FERTILITY.

tenance of fertility is of the clos
est character. 1t would not be
correct to say that fertility can
not be maintained in the absence
of live stock, but it is correct to
say that ordinarily on the farm
ii cannot be prOfitably maintain
ed in any other way. 1t is not
the fertility alone which the live
stock bring to land that results
in improving it, but the humus al
so which their presence brings to
the soil and the rotation which
the keeping of live stock cOmpels
wherever it is EXTENSIVELY carried
on.
When all the food grown on
farm is fed to live stock kept
upon the same, and when the fer
tilizer made is put back upon the
and, it should grow richer rath-
er than poorer. 1t may be asked,
"HOw can this be, since some fer
tility taken from the land is sold
in the form of meat, milk, wool,
or bOne?" The answer is as fol-
lows: The growing of live stock
cOmpels the growing of crops to
feed. Prominent among these
are the legumes which are so
helpful in growing flesh and in
producing milk. Live stock are
also fOndeSt of these and it is
well that this is so.
These legumes, clover, alfalfa,
peas and vetcheS add to the nitro
gen in the soil more than they
take from it, the addition coming,
as is generally known, from the
air. When, therefore, these crops
are grown and fed to stock, and
when the manure, solid and IL
Quid, goes back again upon the
land, the increase in nitrogen is
certain. If, in addition, part of
the food is purchased, the in
crease in nitrogen is still great
er.
But what of the phOsphOric ac-
Id and potash which cannot be
found in the air. When the ioOl
Is all fed and the manure is put
tn the soil, the loss in these is
very small. Il such deep rooted
.legumeS as closer are grOWE they
bring up phOsphOric acid and pot
ash from the subSOil, a large pOr-
ton of which eventually goes
hack again into the surface or
tillable area. If some food is
/ purchased and fed, the am unI
WILDE prOpOrtionately increased
In this way the supply of pies
horic acid will be maintained
whether it will be sufficiently
Haintained in the cultivated pr.
ton. without 2Grcpasing selrt
f,ed will depend upon the extent
10 which deep rooted plants arr
grown
Where stock are grown thiT,
, must be pasture. There must al
So be hay. When the ground :,
broken where these pastures o.
hay grow there is buried in tn,
soil many tons of vegetable mat
ter for every acre Of soil. Thi
consists of roots and Stubbles
This vegetable matter exercises a
important influence on soils.
helps to keep them mechanical.
right. 1t makes heavy soil
lighter by keeping the particle
asumd.r. 1t makes light soils Ii
more cOmpactly by filling tn
spaces between the particles. |
} arrests moisture coming up fron
! below or going down from above
I 1t prevents nitrogen from washir
out of the soil in the form of nj
trates, and when commercial fer
tilizers are applied it makes thel
: action more certain and immediat
J If the vegetable matter thus bur
} led is supplemented by farm ma
! nure the benefits resulting will b
I prOpOrtiOnately increased, and
the manure is applied in the fres
form, the benefit will be create
than if applied in the decOmpOs
ed form.
Live stock cOmpels rotation
} 1t makes necessary the grOwin
J of grasses and clOvers, and tn
! growing of these puts the Ian
! in condition for growing Othe
1 crops successfully. For instance
I corn will yield much better afte
, clover or grass than when theS
J are not grown. and the same ]