Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1913-01-24
FASTENER TELLS OF HIS IDEAS
FOR SUCCESSFUL OPERA
TION OF FARM.
MUST Study REQUIREMENTS OF SOIL
No Chance for Fertility of Soil to Be-
come Less-1912 Crop Largest
In History--Modern Imple-
ments Help.

at the hardware and implement deal
ers' convention in Spokane:
The farm is the greatest of all fac
tories. Soil, atmosphere and water
contain the elements of which plants
are constructed. The farmer is the
operator of the factory, and the pro-
duction, whether it be crop or stock,
is the finished product. TO operate
the farm successfully requires knowl-
edge, skill, perseverance and capital.
Ii the farmer is not familiar with the
constituent elements of fertility, II he
does not know the requirements OF
the various crops and what crops to
adapt to certain soils or does not have
a scientific knowledge of the mean
ing of a balanced ration, he will be
wanting as a successful operator, just
as the novice would be a failure as a
foreman or superintendent OF a mod
ern implement factory or any other
manufacturing institution.
Too often the farmer attributes his
failures to the season or to his land,
when in reality he has neglected some
of the essential requirements. A sue
cessful farmer must observe and re-
gard stock raising of equal Importance
to tilling the soil. If he neglects that
feature, sooner or later the soil will
fail. Stock raising is profitable when
the three essential steps, namely,
breed, care and feed, are all observed.
TilIing the soil consists of four eS-
sential steps, namely, the seed bed,
fertility, selection of seed and Guilt
walton. The availability of fertility
depends upon the character and meth
DDS of cultivation and management OF
the soil. The essential inorganic ele-
ments in the soil are phosphorus, pot
ash, silica, lime, magnesia, iron, sui
phur. and soda. They exist in the
particles of disintegrated rock which
compose the substance of the soil and
were placed there when the rocks
were created. Other elements of fer
tility are oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen
and carbon. Oxygen and hydrogen
also exist in water. The availability
OF all of these elements depends upon
the way the farmer manages and tills
the soil.
Humus or organic matter is just as
essential as any of the elements we
have mentioned. Nitrogen cannot ex-
list in the soil without humus. HUI
mus is the home of the soil micro-or-
ganisms or laboratory workers that
form plant food compounds. Humus
exerts a powerful influence on the
temperature of the soil and it is in
strumental in absorbing and holding
moisture, in fact without humus
there could be no plant life. Many
Of
grudgingly and by some are regarded
as worn out" simply lack live humus
in order to be extremely productive.
Plant roots require atmospheric
oxygen. This can be secured by deeI
and thorough tillage and by under
ground drains. Nitrogen can be Sc
cured from the atmosphere by plant
ing legumes. The amount of carbon
which a plant takes from the atmos
phere depends upon the abundance
and condition Of the leaves. TIT
amount and availability of water de
ponds upon the depth and thorough
ness in cultivating and resorting tt
the right methods in storing it. 1t i
generally thought that the entire sub
stance of the plant comes from tn
soil, when in reality from 9712 to 8
per cent of the dry material of tn
plant is composed of carbon, nitro
gen. oxygen and hydrogen, element
which are secured either directly o
indirectly from the atmosphere. I
secure them, however, thorough ii
lage, good seed and a free use c
manures is absolutely necessary.
1t has been said and is being sal
by gloom agitators that the fertilit
of our soils is becoming less and les
each year and that it is only ma
ter of few years before we will fac
absolute want if not famine. Thes
pessimists have just received a sever
rebuke. The crop of 1912 was tt
largest in our history. The soil hs
produced more per acre than ever b
fore, which indicates not depletion b.
that the fertility in the soil has bee
methods.
When l say better farming met
DDS, | mean a deeper seed bed, tho
ough pulverization, storing water
the deeper subsoils to be used duriI
a time of drouth. and the utilization
barnyard manures, rotation of GRO
and better seed selection, adaptil
specific crops to certain soils al
more scientific cultivation.
1t occurs to me that in view of o
recent demonstrations and scienti
researches, no man can anticipate t
possibilities of our soil under prop
management, any more than he c.
foresee the future Inventive power
genius.
Sixty years ago 1t required thr
hours of labor to raise one bushel
wheat and today it requires but
minutes. The cost then was 17.3 Ger
per bushel, now it is 315 cents.
1t required four and one-half hou
to produce one bushel of corn, tod
Al minutes.
In 1860 it required thirty-hve a
one-half hours to produce a ton
hay, and now but eleven and one-h
hours. Then it cost in labor $500 !
ION noxxr 1