The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1912-04-26

! in positive SOIL ueterlvIatlon'
The most striking and wholesome exam
pie of a total crop removal is that CT
cutting corn or fodder, removing the en-
tire plant and leaving almost nothing
to he returned to the SOIL Slower, corn
stalks and blades, of course, have feed
ing value, and 1t is economy in many
cases to utilize such for winter roughnes
However,if the soil is not as fertile as 1t
should be, 1t would be better economy
in the end in many cases to husk the
corn in the field, leaving all the re-
mainder of the crop to be returned TO
the soil for decay and enrichment. "A
good way to handle corn stalks for this
purpose is to drag them down after
husking time and allow them TO lie on
the wet soil for partial decay till the
field is again ready for the pillow. 1t Is
best If the stalks can be dragged down
in early winter so that they may lie
on the ground for a long season. The
same is true for dead weeds and other
dry trash When a field, covered with
corn stalks or other trash, is to he
plowed, it is well to go over the sur
face with a heavy, sharp disc 10 cut
the trash into short lengths for easier
blowing and for quicker decomposition
when the trash is turned under ON hill
" fields or any soil subject to wash
ing, stalks and other trash on the sur
face during late fall, winter and early
spring when no crop is growing will
aid wonderfully n preventing soil ero-
sion. and a crop of stalks allowed to re-
main on the field is an essay and eco
nomical way of saving the soil and
holding it's fertility
The same is similarly true of other
crops. Wheat and other grain crops
should be cut as high as possible, so as
to leave an abundance of stuble on the
ground to be plowed under. All the
straw from such grain crops, where not
used for stock feed, should either be
used for feeding or hauled and scattered
over the land where it will pre,Dnt
erosion and becomes humus.
Stable manure is one of the best gener
al fertilizers readily available for farm
use. Farmers of to-day are proportion
ing more and better stable manure than
they did in the past, and most of them
are utilizing it in better way. Stable
manure greatly improves the physical
nature of the soil to which it is APP
Piled besides furnishing considerable
amounts of soluble plant foods. The
best way to use this cheap but valuable
directly to the fields as fast as it accu-
mulates. The best way to apply 1t Is
with a manure spreader, SO that it will
be evenly distributed, finely divided
and in condition for easy and perfect
mixing with the cultivated SOIL There
is no danger of burning the crop when
the manure is scattered with modern
spreader Allowing table or lot manure
to lie outside in heaps, subjected TO the
action of rains and the elements, Will
result in losses by teaching and heating
to the extent of one-half or more OF
the product
Where the farmer wishes to maintain
and increase the fertility of his land,
too much emphasis can not be placed
upon liberal bedding in Of the live stock
Straw and other similar dry matter used
for this purpose are absorbing ma
terals for the stall liquids, the richest
part of the manure. The straw for
bedding, as we'll as the feeds which the
animals consume, have been taken from
the fields. If plenty of bedding is used
to absorb all of the liquids in stables,
and the manure hauled and scattered up
on the land as fast as it is made, then
the soil will be given practically all
that was taken from it.
Not as much manure is produced in
the summer as at other seasons, when
the animals are housed more, yet some
is made, and this should be carefully
saved and used. 1t may be placed on
an idle field not growing a CROP One
good way to use summer manure is to
scatter it on the surface between the
rows of a growing crop. This practice
is gradually gaining favor among the
best farmers.
The subject OF the composition, use
and value of different commercial fer
tlizers is a long one. However there Is
one main point TO consider in using
them. Commercial fertilizers are always
used to best advantage in connection
with stable manure or where the soil Is
well supplied with humus Where they
are used year after year in thin land
the soil gradually burns out and becomes
ifeess. III the sol full of stable manure
or other organic matter, and commercial
fertilizers can be used with profit.-Globe
II