Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-06-02
Agricultural Help
Greatest Soil Profile m.

There is a rather common opinion tnat
that the growing of clover enrlehes the
soil in nitrogen, and many even pelleVe
that clover in crop rotation will MAINTAIN
fertility of the soil. These same people
are likely to think the application OF
limestone and phosphate involves mnen
expense and work. and that the returns
are much less certain than from other
labor and money investments.
Such opinions are largely erroneous.
The mere growing of clover on normal
land does not enrich it; even the nitro
gen is not increased unless the clover
| crop is returned to the soil either direct
ly or in farm manure. Rotation with
such crops as corn, oats and clover de-
pletes the soil of all important elements
of fertility and always results ultimately
in land ruin on normal soils unless some
system of rotation is practlced. Clover
takes large amounts of calcium and
phosphorus from the soil, and the roots
and stubble of the clover crop contain
no more nitrogen than the clover itself
will take from soils of normal productive
power.
To increase or maintain the nitrogen
| and organic matter of the soil is the
greatest practical problem in American
agriculture In an hours time one can
spread enough limestone or phosphate
| on an acre of land to provide for large
crops of wheat, corn, oats and clover for
10 or 20 years, while to supply the nitro
gen for the same length of time would
require from 20 to 40 tons of clover, or
from so to 100 tons of farm manure, TO be
added to the same acre of land, even
though one of the four crops harvested
secures its nitrogen from the air.
Certainly We are making no such addi-
tons to the soil in average Illinois agr1-
culture, and one may well ask. how then
is it possible to- grow the crops we now
produce in this state? In the simplest
language the answer to this question is:
BY 'skinnirig'' the soi-by working the
land for all that's in it-by following the
example of our ancestors who brought
agricultural ruin to millions of acres OF
once fertile-farm land in the original IL
states. aaaF
For the live stock farmer a nve-f1elo
system is suggested-a four-year rotation
of wheat, corn, oats and clover being
grown on four fields for five years, white
the tigth field is kept in alfalfa, the al
tion and one of the four nelds being
seeded to alfalfa for another five-year
period. and so on. If the crop Yields are
fifty bushels of corn and oats, two tons
of clover and three tons of alfalfa; if the
straw and half the cornstlaks are used
for bedding and all other produce for
feed, and if GO per cent of the nitrogen
in the manure is used for the production
of crops, then a permanent system Is
provided for the maintenance of nitro
gen.
For the farmer who sells grain and hay
25-bushel wheat crop may well be sub
stituted for the first corn CROP clover be.
ing seeded on the wheat, to be powee
under the next year for corn. If the fal
and spring growth of thsc lover aggre.
| gates one and one-half tons and II only
| the grain and clover seed and the alfalfs
are sold, al clover stalks and straw be
ing returned to the land, this also pro
| vides system for the permanent main
/ tenance of nitrogen.