The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1912-01-11

Il
pounds or 300 bushels will remove
Ionly 2S.S pounds of nitrogen. 9
pounds of phosphoric acid and 1876
pounds of potash, and contain 1884
per cent. water. At present valua-
alton Of these plant food the corn
takes from the soil $11.74 worth.
while the tomatoes only take away
1884 worth, and this in spite OF the
fact that the tomatoes remove more
pounds Of plant food than does the
corn, but II is of the cheaper phos.
! phoric acid and potash, while the
corn takes away the more costly nj
trogen of nearly twice the amount
that the tomatoes do.
Now fortunately for the truck
grower, in addition 20 the fact that
his crop as a rule removes less nitro
gen from the land than staple crops,
he has the further advantage of be-
ing able to follow his vegetable crop
with some leguminotls one such as
COW peas or soy beans, that will
gather nitrogen from the air and at
the same time the stubble of the
truck crop. leaves. vines, etc, in con-
nection with the stubble OF the peas
or beans. will be constantly adding
humus or organic matter to the soil.
in veiw Of the necessity for the
free, even lavish use Of commercial
fertilizers or barnyard manures,
which every trucker must make IL
he expects to grow profitable crops,
and the further fact that no vege-
table crop ever uses up all of the
plant food placed there for their use.
but leaves a considerable residue for
the use of the legumes. and this in
turn produces luxuriant crops OF
them you can readily see what a
great advantage the trucker posses
es over the general farmer in the
matter OF keeping up his lands.
The thucker is also compelled to
practice a systematic rotation If he
would avoid the different diseases
which are liable TO attack his crops
II grown upon the same land year af-
ter year. and as truck crops remove
varying amounts of plant food from
the soil, just as do staple crops, the
balance OF the different elements is
very easily maintained.
you viii probably understand bet
ter If explain that one crop will re-
move more potash than another
while the other will remove more
nitrogen, and still another will take
out more phosphoric acid. and If any
one crop is growing continuously up
on the same piece of land. that land
becomes exhausted of the particular
element of which that plant requires
most, and it gets into such condt
ton that IL will not grow maxim I'M
crops of that one; but IL 1t is grown
in rotation with crops which require
more of the other two, then the
clements of plant food remains upon
a more even balance and each crop
does better in its turn than IL
grown continuously on the same land.
Taking into consideration the re-
markedly small amount of plant food
removed from the soil by fruit and
vegetables as compared TO the total
weight of the crop, makes a defini-
ton that ! once heard given of a
trucker seem very fitting. The def
milton was that he was "a man who
put water for sale in fancy pack
ages"
Another advantage is that less
land being required upon which TO
operate, means more homes, and
more homes means more churches,
more schools and more of that COM
ing in contact with each other In a
social way that constitutes for the
average man and woman one of the
chief charms of life, and without
which the JOY of living would be
greatly lessened for the country dwell
err.
so much land labor being necessary
in truck growing. it offers much bet
ter opportunities for all the people
of the community to get employ
ment; even very small children can
do good deal of the work, such as
picking berries transplanting tomatoe
tying an helping to gather them; and
in addition, the greatly increased ton
mage produced per acre. which the
railroads have to carry away. fur
nishes work for many extra men,.
"One other advantage TO which
wish to call your attention is the OPP
portunity offered trucking districts
of building up at the expense of 9TH
er and usually distant places
ssNou vau understand "a mall "a