Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-04-03
HOME COURSE IN
SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE
One Of Series Of Sixteen Articles by
Noted Government and State Experts
FIRST ARTICLE CONSERVATION. Z
sPlLMAN Agculust 10 Charge Management Bureau Of
Plant Industry, Department Of Agriculture

leguminous crop frequently leave in
I the soil sufficient nitrogen for the
needs Of the crop that follows Recent
investigations by the department Of
agriculture In Kansas and Nebraska
show that the average increase in the
yield of corn grown after alfalfa, com
pared with corn grown after nonlegu-
minous crops. is 70 per cent. A good
crop Of clover has similar effect on
the yield of crops which follow 1t. In
stances are known where the practice
of sowing bur clover in cotton fields in
the fall Of the year and turning 1t un-
der in spring in time for another crop
of cotton has in three years doubled
the yield of cotton. Crimson clover
sown in a similar manner between
crops of corn has In q few years in
creased the yield Of corn 80 per cent
or more.
e The reason these leguminous crops
| have such q marked effect on fertility
in many cases on depleted soils lies in
the fact that nitrogen is not con-
stituent Of the soil proper, but only of
the decaying plant and animal matter
In the soil. When soils are farmed for
many years without any attention to
their fertility this organic matter is
rotted out and the nitrogen disappears.
Hence nitrogen is nearly always the
first plant food constituent to become
deficient in the soil.
The fact has already been referred
to that we export a large proportion
Of our cottonseed meal, oilmeal and
other rich nitrogenous feeding stuffs.
These materials are all exceedingly
rich in nitrogen. They should be kept
at home, fed to live stock and the
manure returned to the land.
Dependence on Our Own Resources.
There is this difference between our
situation and that of the older coun-
tries of Europe: Hitherto we have been
exporters of our feedstuffs rich In fer.
tilizer constituents, while they have
been importers. They haze been draw
ing on the newly settled regions Of the
world for materials with which to feed
their crops. The American farmer will
be making along step forward when
he quits exporting these materials and
returns them to his own soil. What
ever shortages there may be must be
made up by the Intelligent use of COM
mercial fertilizers. There Is no danger
Of nitrogen famine. We can grow
leguminous crops 70 supply nitrogen
We can also, by judlcious use Of the
refuse from grain and other crops and
by the use Of intelligently planned crop
rotations with occasional catch crops
for green manure, keep up an abun
dant supply of humus. Even II we had
no other resources for maintaining the
fertility of the soil than leguminous
plants and humus making crops We
could on much Of the land In this coun
try maintainA much higher standard
Of yields than obtains at the presen
time.
Examples Of Successful Farming.
In New York state there are larg,
areas Of land which formerly produc
ed satisfactory crops, but which In re
cent years have been reduced in fertili
ty to the point where their cultivation
Is no longer profitable by the method
In vogue In that section. A few year
ago a representative of the department
Of agriculture induced far mer in tha
section to grow four acres of potatoe
under his direction. This farmer ha,
been growing potatoes for many years
using seed which had been grown 70
sixty years in that locality without Sc
lection to maintain its quality. His ol
dinary yields Of potatoes We're abou
forty bushels per acre. He was induC
ed to secure new and improved see
and to cultivate in the most thoroug
manner AS a result these four acre
produced yield of $50 bushels Of pC
tatoes per acre. Similar results hav
since been secured by number Of otl
er farmers in the same locality.
An Illinois farmer good many year
ago established on his farm II rotatio
OF corn, corn, oats, clover. The cor
and oats were fed to hogs, which wer
allowed to Craze on the clover Yer
little feed was purchased, but every
thing raised on the farm was couverte
into manure aud returned to the lnn(
At the beginning of this system Q
farming the yield Of corn was abou
thirty-fve bushels TO the acre. re
years later it had risen to eighty busl
els per acre. the average yield for fou
consecutive years being S0.4 bushel
per acre.
A Missouri farm which had been d,
voted TO corn and wheat for sevent
years and on which the yields OF when
were about eight bushels per acre an
corn about twenty-fvel bushels wa
subjected to system Of farming sim
lar to that just described for an III
nois farm. In six years the yields q
this farm were more than doubled. |
work of this character the followin
points are emphasized:
Deep fall preparation of the soil.
Planting OF well selected seed.
Mainly shallow aud frequent Guilty,
ton OF the crop during the CROWN
season aud especially after a rain.
Ihe judlcious use OF commercial fe