The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1912-03-08

leave not only a generous supply OF
fertility for any desired crop, but mil |
lions of openings into which the airs
and rains of heaven find their way,
and help to constitute an unfaillng
reservoir of wealth. upon which the
husbandman can draw with little rear
OF protest or .overdrafte."
Professor Buffum, some years ago
at the Wyoming Experiment Station,
made a test showing the gain on al
falfa ground for small grain and po-
tatoes over the same type of SOIL
where alfalfa was not grown. His re-
suits obtained are here given.
Wheat, gain in bushel per acre,
~; gain In value of harvested crop
(local prices), $1,000.
Oats, gain in bushei per acre, Al;
gain in acre value of harvested crop
Cocal prices), $1,000.
Potatoes, gain in bushel per acre,
30; gain in acre value OF harvested
crop (local prices), $1,000.
Therefore, get the land into le-
gume of some kind, alfalfa, vetch or
field pea as soon as you can that it
may be better prepared for success
full and profitable after crops.
what crop to put in, he will make no
mistake to seed down to alfalfa while
he Is planning out the crop rotation
that his environment would seem to
indicate best for him to adopt.
Rotation Destroys Weeds.
The elimination of weeds is eff
fectually accomplished by the intro
duction of cultivated crops like po-
tatoes, stock roots, sugar beets, field
beans and truck gardening crops. The
irrigation ditch is even a greater car
rier of weeds than the winds. Where
an entire irrigation district adopts the
practice of crop rotation and cutting
ditch and canal bank weeds, they can
be, and are, exterminated. Most of
our worst weed pests are annual and
when all users of a given ditch prac-
tice a good crop rotation the weed
qeustion is solved.
Get Station Bulletins.
Because weed and insect pests as
well as fungus diseases are fully dis
cussed in Station bulletins which can
be had by addressing the director of
your state experiment station, | shall
pass up any discussion of them.
Rotation Fundamentals.
| Let US now consider the fundamen-
tails which we should concern our
selves with, in adopting a rotation for
our irrigated lands, where we cannot
afford to grow many cheap forage or
grass crops, unless upon said farm
we can convert these cheaper crops
into more remunerative meat, dairy
or poultry products.
1. All plants tend to exhaust the
soil They abstract some one or more
food elements to the full amount OF
availability.
| 2. All plants do not exhaust the
soil in the same way and manner
equally.
8. Plants grown constantly or con
tinuously on the same field favor the
spread of insect pests and certain
plant diseases.
4. Some plants, by methods Of till
age, are favorable to weed growth
while others are not.
5. Plants differ in habits OF ROOT
growth.
6. All legumes are soil bui, fers
and soil renovators.
7. Some form of stock raising
combined with crop growing, will fur
nish manure for making humus anc
, building UP the soil. The old English
adage mo grass no cattle; no cattle
no manure; no manure, no grass" II
true everywhere.
: Rotation on Irrigated Lands.
| Every rotation on the irrigated
: lands in this region should contain:
? LIST, At least one money or casl
! crop;
End, At least one cultivated crop
!, 3rd, At least one legume crop;
4th, At least one live stock or feed
= ing crop;
9Th, These should be so grouped a
= to most economically distribute farm
e labor throughout the year
: 9Th, SO arrange the rotation tina
/ the farm can turn cheap and bulk
a feeds into milk, poultry or. meat pro
-? ducts
Y 7th, Thus make factory methods o.
), the farm. turn ordinary waste pro
s ducts into profits.
n The meat packer so utilizes tn
J, calf lamb and pig that now there
T nothing lost but the blat and tn
r squeal.
) The adoption of a definite crop n
e tation and the practice of factor
l. methods on the farm will stop tn
l. leaks which now reduce the profit
and tremendously improve the qualit
p while it increases the quantity of tn
L output of every farm in this distric
e l know an irrigated farm in tn
Rockies where the suggested metho
IS named above is followed and the r.
o turns for the period of their crop r.
e tation of six years, which l checke
r up last year, averaged 800 gross pc
Y, acre crop per season. Do not be sa
n isfied until you feel you have worke
1t out crop rotation adapted to you
e, soil, climate and market environmer
IS and that rotation is averaging you
=, gross return of $50 per acre crop pc
IT season.