Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1912-08-23
SOILS LOSE FOOD.
Plants Remove Valuable Elements
Which Must Be Returned.

The farmers of the Northwest are
fast recognizing the fact that each crop
which is harvested removes from the
soil certain plant-food elements which
must be replaced. If crop yields are to
be maintained. If care is not taken to
keep the soil fertile by putting back
these forms Of plant food that have
been removed, it has been found that
smaller and smaller crops will be OBJ
tanned.
The four elements removed by grow
ing crops which oftentimes, exists in
such limited quantities that they must
be replaced, if the crops are to con-
tinue to do their best, are nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, or
lime. The nitrogen is found in the hum
US, or decaying vegetable matter Of the
soil, while the other elements are found
principally in mineral combination. The
following figures show the amount Of
plant-food which is removed from the
soil by the different crops, the value Of
this plant-food being measured in
terms Of what it would cost if pur-
chased as commercial fertilizer:
Twenty bushels of wheat will re-
lONt 11Oll tuC oOll pOuINS VI
gen, 1875 pounds Of phosphorus, and
pounds Of potash, with a fertilizer
value Of $4.91. The straw removes 10
pounds Of nitrogen, rs pounds Of phos-
phorus, and % pounds of potash, with
fertilizer value of 1888. The entire
wheat crop, unless the fertility removed
is replaced, takes fertility out Of the
soil valued at 1924, nearly one-half
of it being removed by the straw.
In similar way, a fifty -bushel oat
crop will remove fertility worth $11.O6
sixty-fve bushels Of corn contain plant
food worth $7.96 in the grain, and
worth 1874 in the stalks, or nearly
twice the total amount removed by
the wheat crop. Two tons Of clover
hay will remove plant food worth
$3.50. This is the commercial value
OF the potassium and phosphorus re.
moved, for the clover plant, though
the medium Of tiny bacteria living in
nodules on the rootlets, leave the soil
richer in nitrogen. It is an error,
however, to believe that clover is the
remedy for an exhausted soil if more
than nitrogen is needed, for it cannot
turn back the phosphorus and potas-
SUM which has been removed by pre-
ceding crops. A crop of $50 bushels
of potatoes will remove plant-food
worth $11.05. The average yield of
flax, which is supposed to be harder
on the soil than other crops, removes
plant-food worth $1,000.
Certain general figures can be drawn
from the aboveestimate. The crop which
removes the least plant food-accord-
ing to its commercial value-is the two
ton clover crop, which removes
potassium and phosphorus $4.56.
The 65-bushel corn crop and
the slower remove from the soil plant
food worth $3.50, the largest amount
taken out by any Of the crops men,
toned. 1t all proves how necessary
1t is for the farmer to carefully con-
serve every bit Of fertility. on his
tive. NN
A system of grain farming, when
not much livestock is kept, denletes
the supply Of fertility in the soil. II
has been proved that such a system
OF farming cannot be continued. be-
cause the yields will eventually fail
TO pay expenses and the interest on
me investment. When all crops ara
TED Tea on the farm and only milk and
livestock is sold, there will be onlv
a small loss in fertility each year Il
all the manure is returned carefully
to the fields. A small amount of mill.
feed purchased and fed to swine. Or
GARY cows, will usually supply the
FERTILITY lost by selling the milk and
livestock. <'nu
me farmer must learn to conserve
the Fertility Of the soil if permanent
success IS to be obtained. It is az
necessary Tor him to do this, as it is
Tor me manufacturer to keep the ma
c On! and system of organization in
ms ms factory at its highest point of
e ea II ne does not do. this, he
PainI T cope TO succeed permanently
Minnesota Agricultural College,
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