Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-04-24

which cannot be marketed satisfac-
torily, except through live stock. And
again, the live stock farmer is a
manufacturer He converts the raw
materials of his farm into finished
products and this is usually done at
a profit
What rotation is recommended for
the farmers of this state? There is
no rotation which can or should be
used to the exclusion of all others.
Conditions as to soil. market climate
and labor vary widely from time to
time and in different sections of the
state. A good four year rotation
which is especially adapted to the
two or three tiers of counties in the
southern part of Iowa is wheat, corn,
oats and clover. In this rotation
clover should be seeded on the wheat
early in the spring and plowed under
the next spring with the stubble for
corn. In case there is no live stock
on the farm to which the clover or
| other roughness may be fed, in the
fourth season the entire crop, except
the clover seed, should be plowed
under The same use should be made
of all other produce except the grain.
This system will maintain the organ
ic matter and nitrogen content of
the soil.
Crop rotation alone will not main
tain the fertility of the soil. In 9TH
er words, a rotation cannot be made
the sole basis of permanent agri-
culture. The experience of farmers
during the last two thousand years
in all parts of the world proves the
fact. Comparatively new agricultural
soils such as we have in Iowa can be
kept highly productive with careful
cultivation and the use of rotations
! for a good many years. In some
cases for one or even two genera
tions. But in the fullness of time in
the case of upland prairie soils which
are not fertilized by sediment de-
posted by overflow, these agencies
fail TO be adequate.
Fortunately for Iowa farmers the
! great majority of the soils of this
state have not yet reached the stage
where factors other than nitrogen,
organic matter and thorough tillage
influence to an appreciable extent
crop yields This is significant
| fact. But it should not be made an
excuse for neglecting to give the
problem of establishing in Iowa a
permanent system OF agriculture i'm
mediate and thoughtful attention.
Eventually phosphorus will be de-
ficient in Iowa soils, as it is now
deficient in the majority of the soils
of Illinois. In due time some of our
soils will also probably require lime
| to neutraliZe an accumulation of
acid. These phases of the fertility
problem should now be studied care
fully in order that our farmers may,
when the necessity arises, intelligent
ly purchase and apply that material
which will exactly meet the require
ments of the soil.
knowledge of this character will
prove of inestimable value to the ag-
ricultural and commercial interests
of the state and will do more than
any other factor to eventually pre-
vent the indiscriminate use of COM
mercial fertilizers in Iowa. These
materials, as they are commonly used
in our eastern and southern states,
are a positive menace to agriculture.
Fertilizers are expensive and are
therefore applied to the soil in guam
titles too small to supply the crop
with all of the plant food which it
takes from the SOIL The auded plant
food stimulates the early growth of
the plants and thus enables them to
draw more heavily upon the soil. The
result is finally to reduce the produc-
tive capacity of the soil to a point at
which the cultivation of the land is
no longer profitable.
In this state unnumbered tons of
our richest soils are annually wash
ed from hillside and valley into the
creeks and rivers and are lost for
ever to the farms of Iowa. 1t is
utterly impossible to estimate the
loss which is thus brought about.
The surface soils which are lost in
this way are rich and productive,
and hence are of relatively great
value. They contain vastly more or
ganic matter and readily available
mineral plant food than the under
lying soil which is left exposed and
becomes the seed bed for future
crops.
A practical scheme for preventing
all soil erosion has not yet been
worked out. The farmer can accomp-
lish splendid results in this line
however, by CD deep and thorough
plowing and cultivation. in order
that the soil may catch and hol6
large quantities of water which
otherwise would rush over the sur
face and cause more or less erosion
CD growing and plowing undel
green manure crops, for the purpose
of increasing the organic matter con
tent of the soil; CD the use of farm
manures for the same purpose: CA
} thorough under drainage and the
construction of adequate bitches fol
J the removal of storm water: (5)
properly installing drains in or ad
jacent to open bitches and then fill
ing the bitches with soil Co con
! strucring retaining walls and spill
J ways where these are needed: Gl
J keeping in grass certain fields il
: which it is practically impossible Il
prevent erosion when the land Il
under cultivation, and (S) the fore
} station of some areas which in tn,
aggregate do not constitute yer,
; large acreage in this state. The us'