Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1912-01-19
Oregon .yboFF
Basis Of Success.

Basis Of Success.
The basis of farm success is organ
lzation, system on the farm; the
basis of organization on the farm Is
crop management; on the successful
management of the crop largely rest
these five fundamentals:
1. Economy of Business.
2. Maintenance of Soil Fertility.
8. 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 a recurring succession OF
geld plants with differing plant food
requisites.
Reasons for Rotation.
The primary purposes of crop ro-
:ation are list, Prevention of Crop
Sick" soils, the result of continuous
cultivation of the same crop for a pc
-iod 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
appreeiable degree under the 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
25 and even SO per cent below what
t 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 elements absorb
the readily available plant food OF
this particular element so this class
II plants is then sparingly fed. Like
4 starved pig, it cannot make its
owner the profits the well fed ones
10.
All plants do not feed alike. They
either use different foods or the same
food from different depths. There
tore, 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
loss, 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 a crop sick soil that does not
pay cts checks" for want of funds
the available food elements that have
been taken through previous with
| irawals.
Our Utah and Idaho soils are either
Of granite or volcanic rock formation
| These soils seem to hold an abund
ance of potash, a reasonable amount
Of phosphates, a limited amount Of
nitrates, abundance of lime. but &
great deficiency in organic matter
commonly known as humus. Here
are the essentials we need in thest
| 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. Humul
not only increases the water holding
capacity of the soil but it also carrie.
an appreciable amount of nitrates
Hence we need, early In our cropping
| o get humus in the soil Feed tn.
soil constantly, that it 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 1t increases the humul
content of the soil. These are legum,
crops-alfalfa, beans, pens. alsike, req
clover and vetches constitute the lie
gume family group-which hav,
proven profitable for us to grow II
the west. Choose the one that Is bes
| adapted to your farm environment
Ind you feel will grow you the mos
dollars. Give it permanent plac'
In your field crops.
These plants seem to have the pc
culiar property of utilizing the fire.,
nitrogen of the air md thus store nj
trates in the soil, a. d accumulate hu
mus the one thing our soils seen
most to need. How is this done
Through a most peculiar little famil
of lower organisms known as bac
terra, which grow on the root hair
and tiny ront1ets of the root system
of these legume plants. tbs creates
as 1t were, fever in that particula
part of the plant, calling for more al
and more water. In a che 'nical pre-
cess not easily understood. the fire
nitrogen obtained from the surround
ing air is worked into nitr'tes avail
able to succeeding plant lie.
Perennial legumes are always dee
feeders, bringing part Of their mil
eral food from soil depths helow tn
feeding ground of. ordinary crops
This value to succeeding crops
shown in the opening narapraph t
Coburn's Alfalfa: There IRE som
silent subscribers that 4, thei
work with ease and in their wa,
more effectually than any tam @
pillow ever hitched. The clover .nlar
Is righteously famed as one 20 thes,
but alfalfa is It's su~er'or 1-r root
work Sunday as we'll as cetu-da,
night and day. they strike 5, 10, ID c