The silver messenger., 1912-03-12
Diversified Crops
'nE IMPORTANCE OF CROP ROTATION rop
THE IRRIGATION FARMER Wy


VOsU A~eCbUp0,
! ~ 1eet deep, making innumerable
pefloratlons, while storing up nitro
gen. and when these roots decay they
ieave not only generous supply OF
,,erulity for any desired crop, but mil
mons OF openings into which the airs
anu rams OF heaven find their way.
ana nelp to constitute an unfailing
reservoir of wealth. upon which the
nusbandman can draw with little fear
OF protest or overdrafts"
Professor Bufrum, some years ago
at the Wyoming Experiment Station.
made a test showing the gain on al
lalla ground for small grain and DO
edtoes over the same type of soil
"here alfalfa was not grown. His re-
suits obtained are here given.
Wneat, gain in bushel per acre.
II; gain In value of harvested crop
local prices), $1,000.
Oats, gain in bushef per acre. Al:
gain in acre value of harvested crop
local prices), $500.
Potatoes, gain in bushel per acre,
~; gain in acre value OF harvested
crop Qocal prices), $500.
Therefore, get the land into a le-
gume OF some kind, alfalfa, vetcb or
neld pea, as soon as you can that it
may be better prepared for success
full and profitable after crops.
In case the farmer Is in doubt Just
what crop to put in, he will make no
mistake to seed down to alfalfa while
he Is planning out the crop rotation
that hiQ
indicate best for him to adopt.
Rotation Destroys Weeds.
The elimination OF weeds is ef-
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 tho
practice Of crop rotation and cutting
ditch and canal bank weeds, they can
be, and are, eyterminated. 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, l shall
pass up any discussion of them.
Rotation Fundamentals.
Let US now consider the fundamen-
<A1 ~h{oh
selves with, In adopting 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.
3. 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
s. All legumes are soil bui, fers
and soil renovators.
7. Some form of stuck raising,
combined with crop growing. will fur
nish manure for making humus and
building up the soil. The old English
adage mo grass no cattle; no cattle
nc manure: no manure, no grass" is
true everywhere.
Rotation on Irrigated Lands.
Every rotation on the irrigated
lands in this region should contain:
1st, At least one money or cash
crop;
End. At least one cultivated crop;
3rd. At least one legume crop;
4th. At least one live stock or feed
ing CROP
5th. These should be so grouped as
to most economically distribute farm
labor throughout the year.
9Th. SO arrange the rotation that
the farm can turn cheap and bulky
feeds into milk, poultry or meat pro-
ducts.
7th. Thus make factory methods on
the farm. turn ordinary waste pro
ducts into profits.
The meat packer so utilizes the
calf lamb and pig that now there Is
nothing lost but the blat and the
squeal.
The adoption of a definite crop TO
tation and the practice of factory
methods on the farm will stop the
leaks which now reduce the profits
and tremendously improve the quality
while it increases the quantity of the
output of every farm in this district.
know an irrigated farm in the
Rockies where the suggested method
named above is followed and the re-
turns for the period of their crop ro-
tation of six years, which | checked
nm last year, averaged 800 gross per
acre crop per season. Do not be sat
istied until you feel you have worked
ont crop rotation adapted to your
soil. climate and market environment
and that rotation is averaging you a
gross return of $50 per acre crop per
season.
Mother Goose Up to Date.
Miss Hobble-skirt Hubbard
IL Nd