Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1912-01-18

'~NiC'it oJ oAtii vi lht lhC
basis OF organization on the farm is
crop management; on the successful
management Of the crop largely rest
these five fundamentals:
l. Economy of Business.
2. Maintenance of Soil Fertility.
3. Productivity of the Soil
4. Subsistence for Livestock.
5. Farm Profits at end of Season.
The term Rotation of Crops" is
used to designate system of crops
which give recurring succession of
field plants with differing plant food
requisites.
Reasons for Rotation.
The primary purposes of crop ro-
tation are LIST. Prevention of Crop
Sick" soils, the result of continuous
cultivation of the same crop for pc
riod of years; End, The elimination of
weeds. insect pests and crop diseases:
Bird, Increase in the productivity of
the field crops by conserving the soil
fertility.
First Irrigated Crop.
The first crop to be grown in any
appreciable degree under tho ditch
was wheat Wheat followed wheat
year after year on the river plain
farms of Utah and Idaho until in
some instances the yield of grain fell
% and even so per cent below what
il first gave the farmer. This was
on comparatively virgin soil which
we think is rich as cream. Why is
this? Feeding at the same depth on
the same plant food clements absorb
the readily available plant food of
this particular element so this class
Of plants is then sparingly fed Like
4 starved pig. 1t cannot make Its
owner the profits the well fed ones
do.
All plants do not feed alike. They
either use different foods or the same
food from. different depths. There
lore. plants feeding at different
depths OF soil, although they may use
the same food elements, the deeper
feeding plants can follow the shallow
feeders without serious immediate
oss. although eventually. unless these
absorbed food elements be restored,
the available plant food will become
exhausted and the soil will therefore
be impoverished.
The depositor who continues to
draw his money from the bank with
out making deposits will at last find
his checks returned marked short"
No bank will permit continued over
drafts. We should not be taking of
all the time, without putting back the
food elements upon which plants
feed. some of the time. If We do. we
have crop sick soil that does not
pay its checks" for want of funds
the available food elements that have
been taken through previous with
drawals
Our Utah and Idaho soils are either
OF granite or volcanic rock formation
These soils seem to hold an abund
ance OF potash. reasonable amount
of phosphates, a Limited amount oil
nitrates. abundance of lime. but q
great deficiency in organic matter
commonly known as humus. Here
are the essentials we need in these
soils; they constitute the soil baron
eter since the lessened amount of any
one of these will most seriously af
feet the general crop culture Humu'
not only increases the water holdins
; capacity of the soil but it also carrie!
, an appreciable amount of nitrates
Hence we need. early in our cropping
to get humus In the soil Feed thu
soil constantly, that II may. in turn
feed our crops How may we do this
BY growing crops that tend to stor'
what little humus we have with nitro
gen, while IL increases the humu
content OF the soil. These are legum
crops-alfalfa, beans, peas, alsike, re-
clover and vetches constitute the le
gume family group-which hav
: proven profitable for us to grow i
the west. Choose the one that is bes
adapted to your farm environment
and you feel will grow you the mos
dollars. Give il permanent plac
in your field crops.
These plants seem TO have the pc
culiar property of utilizing the fire
nitrogen of the air and thus store n
: trates in the soil. and accumulate hi
= mus. the one thing our soils seer
! most to need. How is this done
J Through a most peculiar little famil
/ Of lower organisms known as ba'
\ terra, which grow on the root hair
\ and tiny rootlets of the root syster
/ OF these legume plants. This creates
i as IL were, a fever in that particula
| part of the plant. calling for more al
and more water In n chemical pr
: cess not easily understood, the FIRE
nitrogen obtained from the surroun'
ing air is worked into nitrates avail
| able to succeeding plant life
/ Perennial legumes are always dee
| feeders. bringing part of their mil
eral food from soil depths below tn
feeding ground of ordinary crops.
This value TO succeeding crops
: shown in the opening paragraph
n Coburn's Alfalfa: "There are SON
IS silent subscribers that do thei
X work with ease and in their wa
,r more effectually than any team
y. plow ever hitched. The clover plai
\ is righteously famed as one of thes
but alfalfa is its superior. Its roo
Or work Sunday as well as Saturda
,u night and day they strike >. 10, 10