The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-03-16
KEEPING SOILS FERTILE.
New England's Warning to Those Who
Live on Rich Western Lands.

The maintenance Of soil fertility is the
most serious material problem in Amer.
lea. writes J II, Shepherd IN Farm
stock and Hcme. There is no country
that we can look to for the solution OF
il as there is no old country that has
worked It out IN practical way Fam
ines occur frequently in China and India,
which result in the death OF thousands
/ of people Russia also has had great
suffering at times, and we find that in
every old country where the population
has become dense no permanent plan for
keeping the land productive has been
worked out
In the New England states are many
abandoned farms that scientific farming
is bringing into cultivation again They
should stand as warning to those OF
Us who are living on the rich western
lands You who live il the Red river
valley have soil that nature prepared
with great pains Lake Agassiz was
made up BY the final stopping OF moving
water, which deposited its finest parti-
Giles that moving water viii carry to
make up soil 6ne.grained soil VIII
grow better crops than a coarse grained
soil; it will hold moisture better, il will
free the fertiliaing ingredients more rap
idly After the water OF Lake Agassiz
left the soil grass, vetches and other
leguminous crops grew here century after
century, adding fertility 10 the soil, As
result OF all this aid from nature.
you are given the richest soil that has
come TO any people as a heritage China,
India and the New England states point
out the advantages OF a rich soil through
that strongest OF lessons The lack Of
one
A friend 1T mime an old lady who
lived as a young woman in good circum
stances. as middle aged woman Ia mod
crate circumstances, and as an Old wom.
an in poverty through the short sighted
ness OF her husband, remarked to Inc IN
the midst OF her struggling and saving
during her last years, that it was then
a diseouraging task and elinched the
whole matter in the very terse state
ment that the time to save is when YOU
have something to save. A few Red
river valley residents are in exactly that
position You have q vast amount OF
plant food in your land and now is cer-
tainly the time to save it.
Nmety-five per cent. OF the crops which
you grow are made up Of material taken
from the ain and water; the other ) per
cent. they absolutely require, however
The things that are first removed from
the soil, until they are too small to pro-
duce crop, are nitrogen, phosphoric
acid and organic matter These are tax
Ell out ID nearly equal quantities by
wheat, oats, barley and fax crops. Bran
and shorts carry nearly all OF the fer
tility OF the wheat grain crop. Oil meal
contains almost the entire fertillzing
value Of the faxseed Live stock retain
only about one fourth of the nitrogen
aud phosphorus that is in the food they
consume.
II you bed stock heavily, as most of
YOU do. the fertilziug value OF the feed
is largely retained, II you could keep
the bran. shorts and oil meal at home,
and only sell the linseed oil and the
-four, your soils would wear indefinitely.
If YOU will adopt rotation of corn.
wheat. barley or oats, clover and wheat,
VI tidNF NVh VIA AaNt a. NNtAHtAAAAiVii VI
crops as good as ! can suggest TO you,
and still be within the limits Of taking
the full money value from the land. The
corn and clover will make it necessary
for you to keep stock TO market them
through. ! am certain that YOU will
make use OF the stable manure so that
this system OF farming viii maintain
soil fertility ! put the maintenance of
soil fertility on the same basis as | do
the support OF the flag. That the keep
ing OF the soil so that it will support
is as important as the main
tenance OF liberal form Of govern
ment