The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1912-01-05
DIVERSIFIED CROPS.
Importance Of Crop Rotation for the
Irrigation Farmer.

The basis of farm success is organ
ization system on the farm; the basis
OF organization on the farm is crop
management; on the successful man
agement of the crop largely rest these
five fundamentals:
!. Economy of business.
2. Maintenance of soil fertility.
3. Productivity of soil.
3. Farm profits at end of season
The term rotation of crops" is used
to designate system of crops which
give, a recurring Of field plants with
differing plant food requisites.
Reasons for Rotation.
The primary purpose of crop rota-
ton are LIST, prevention of crop sick"
soils, the result of continuous cultiva-
ton of the same crop for a period of
years; End, the elimination of weeds,
insect pests and crop diseases; Ord, in
crease in the productivity of the field
crops by conserving the soil fertility.
First Irrigated Crop.
The first crop to be grown in any ap-
preciable degree under the ditch" was
wheat. Wheat followed wheat year af-
ter 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 it 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 ele-
ments absorb the readily available
plant food of this particular element
so this class of plants is then sparing-
ly fed. Like starved pig it cannot
make it's owner the profits the we'll fed
ones do.
All plants do not feed alike. They
either use different foods or the same
food from different depths. Therefore,
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, al
though eventually, unless these abb
sorbed food elements be restored, the
available plant food will become ex-
impoverished.
The depositor who continues to draw
his money from the bank without MAX
ing deposits will at last find his
checks returned marked short" No
bank will permit continued over-draft.
We should not be taking off all the
time, without putting back the food
elements upon which plants feed, some
of the time. If we do, we have crop
sick soil that does not pay its checks"
for want of funds--the available food
elements that have been taken through
previous Withdrawals.
Our Utah and Idaho soils are either
of granite or volcanic rock formation.
These soils seem to hold an abundance
of potash, a reasonable amount of
phosphates, limited amount of nj
trates, abundance of lime but great
deficiency in organic matter commonly
known as humus. Here are the essen
tials we need in the soils; they consti-
tute the soil barometer since the les
sened amount of any one of these will
most seriously affect general crop cul-
ture. Humus not only increases the
water holding capacity of the soil but
it also carries an appreciate amount
of nitrates. Hence we need, early in
our cropping, to get humus in the SOIL
Feed the soil constantly that it may,
in turn, feed our crops. How may we
do this? By growing crops that tend
to store what little humus we have
with nitrogen, while it increases the
humus content of the soil. These are
legume crops-alfalfa, beans, peas, al
sike, red clover and vetches constitute
the legume family group-which have
proven profitable for us to grow in the
west. Choose the one that is best
adapted to your farm environment, and
you feel will grow you the most dol
lars. Give it permanent place in
your field crops.
These plants seem to have the pecu-
liar property of utilizing the free nj
trogen of the air and thus store nj
trates in the soil, and accumulate hui
mus the one thing our soils seem most
to need. How is this done? Through
most peculiar little family of lower
organism known as bacteria, which
grow on the root hairs and tinv root
lets of the root system of these legume
plants. This creates. as it were. a
fever in that particular part of the