Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-23

OF crops Is splendid means OF kee
ing the soil rich in plant food and
most excellent physical condition.
We know that If land is cropp1 N
year after year with the same kind \
crop that each succeeding year the)
crop is less.
We also know that if crops are 70
tated. that greater yield Is made. The
farmer naturally inquiries why there Isl
such variation between continuoua|
cropping and the results Of a SYSTEM
of rotation. While the same chemical
clements enter into all farm crops, they
differ greatly in the quantities the va !
rious ones require. For instance, a
grain crop requires less potash than,
clover, potatoes or root crops; oats s
take more potash from the soil thar
wheat or corn, likewise, clover required
more phosphorus than grain crops. Thd
requirements of wheat for instance, ard
the same each year. Each crop calf
for just so much nitrogen, phosphorul3
and potash. The roots of each crofS
penetrate the earth to a certain depth
taking plant food in the ratio and from
the same strata of soil each year. u
Glover has different habits. The root
penetrate deep and their requirementE
are different from wheat. Glover, liktl
other legumes, consumes nitrogen, buI
gathers 1t from the air and deposits VI
In the soil, leaving the soil richer iN
that plant food element than It w@
before the crop was planted. The deeS#
roots decay, forming humus severaT
feet deep and make available plant food
beyond the reach of many grain plants
me decaying roots place the soil Is
excellent physical condition and hidde
plant food is brought to the surfaQS
seed bed by the capillary water and
used by succeeding crops. liz
1t Is erroneous to believe that all tHE
plant food exists in what we term tn
Seed Bed that is, the first six d
eight inches of SOIL Fertility extendIS
many feet down and it can be utilizey
by resorting to a common sense rotaN
ton and through tillage.
Plant food in soluble state forms a &
envelope around each particle of soiM
and is taken up by root hairs and ca III
ried into the plant Carbon dioxide FROM
the air is breathed into the planS
! through air valves in the leaves. Thu
oxygen is separated from the carbu
and passes out as free oxygen and til
carbon unites with elements that had
come from the soil to form starl
sugar, etc. EE
Seed Selection. ~
w now come to the question Of seeN
1t is very apparent in view Of the plieS
| nomena of plant life. that tho seeS
| must throw out holding roots and
stem above ground far enough to SCI
cure carbon dioxide from the air befoA
plant food in the soil can be utilize
hence the great necessity OF planting
seed that possess strong vitality. ~
, seed has been heated in the stack y
| bin. cut green or has been subjected tS
inclement conditions it will be weaN
and anaemic and the stunted ear
growth will be reflected through til
| entire life Of the plant. "a
It has been repeatedly demonstrates
that plump healthy grain will yiey
from twenty-five to thirty per cerM
more than seed ungraded. Corn intendS
! ed for seed should be picked when riptX
| thoroughly dried and stored in a well
ventilated seed house. If corn absorN
! moisture, freezes and thaws, its ger {
minating strength Is greatly weakened
It is practically useless to place see
! in the ground when the temperature M
the ground is below forty-five degree
although it will terminated very feebS
at forty-one degrees. 81
Again. seed is Influenced by heredit.
Breed and strains are as marked III
seed as in animals, hence the advan 4
tage Of securing well bred seed Of q
good strain. Corn is especially suscerM
tible to hereditary influences. InbreM
seed, or seed fertilized by pollen froWs
| "
a great measure produce its kind.
Cultivation Of Plants.
| Plants are cultivated for three purY
poses, namely:
| %. To remove weeds.
(2). To keep the surface in gooA
filth. Js
(3.) To maintain a surface mulch fd
the purpose Of conserving moisture.
Conditions should govern the farmes
as to the nature, frequency and dept Z
Of cultivation. Growing grains may ID
narrowed or rolled. If the soil is bake (
and weedy, narrowing is beneficial
the soil is loose, a roller either corrs
gated or smooth closes cracks, thereH
preventing the escape Of moisture arr
at the same time packs the loose Sc
around the roots Of the grain.
! Hoed crops Of all kinds should
lightly narrowed before and after tn
plant is up. Deep cultivation Of corn -
permitted until the roots are in DANCE
Of being pruned. After corn or pota%
toes are eight or ten inches high, ever
deep cultivation lessons the crop. wig
venture the assertion that the corr
crop of the United States is lesseneT
each year fifteen per cent because q
the almost universal practice Of dee
cultivation after the plant is ten n
twelve inches high or after the rool
! have spread to the point where thf
can be cut by cultivator that ruf
| deep.