The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1913-04-03
HOME COURSE IN
SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE
One Of Series Of Sixteen Articles by
Noted Government and State Experts
FIRST ARTICLE-SOIL CONSERVATION
By w. AcuIust Charge Farm Management bua" Of
Plant Industry Department Agriculture.

leguminous crop frequently leave In
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, CON-
pared with corn grown after nonlegu-
minous crops. is IS 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 it un-
der in spring in time for another crop
of cotton has in three years doubled
the yield of cotton. Crimson clover
sown in similar manner between
crops of corn has in few years in
creased the yield Of corn 80 per cent
or more.
The reason these leguminOus crops
have such a 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 hecom"
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 heterogeneous feeding stuffs
These materials are all exceedingly
rich in nitrogen. They should he kept
at home. fed to live stock and the
manure returned to the lnnd.
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 have 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 a long step forward when
he quits exporting these materials and
returns them to his own soil. What
ever shortages there may bc must lr
made up by the intelligent use of com
mercial fertilizers There is no danger
Of nitrogen famine. We can grow
leguminous crops to supply nitrogen
We can also, by judiciOus use OF the
refuse from grain and other crops and
by the use of intclligently Planned crop
rotations with occasional catch crops
for green manure, keep up an album
dant supply Of humus. Even II we had
no other resources for maintaining tue
fertility of The soil than ieguminous
plants and humus making crops we
could Oh much Of the land in this coun
try maintain a much higher standard
OF yields than obtains at the present
time.
Examples Of Successful Farming.
In New York state there are large
areas of land which formerly produc-
ed satisfactory crops. but which in re-
cent years have been reduced in fertiIi
ty to the point where their cultivation
is no longer profitable by the methods
in vogue in that section. A few years
ago representative Of the department
Of agriculture induced farmer III that
section to grow four acres Of potatoes
under his direction This farmer had
been growing potatoes for many years.
using seed which had been grown for
sixty years in that locality without Sc
lection to maintain its quality. Ills or
binary yields of potatoes were about
forty bushels per acre. He WIS induc-
ed to secure new and improved seed
and to cultivate in the most thorough
manner AS result these four acres
produced yield Of $50 bushels nf 20
tatoes per acre. Similar results have
since been secured by number Of 9th.
er farmers in the same locality.
An Illinois farmer good many years
ago established on his farm 4 rotation
of corn. corn, oats. clover. The corn
and oats were fed to hogs. which were
allowed to Craze on the clover. Very
little feed was purchased. but every
thing raised on the farm was converted
into manure and returned to the land
At the beginning of this system of
farming the yield of corn was about
thirty-five bushels to the acre Ten
years later it had risen to eighty bush.
els per acre, the average yield for four
consecutive years being SO.4 bushels
| per acre.
Missouri farm which had been de-
voted to corn and wheat for seventy
years and on which the yields Of wheat
were about eight bushels per acre and
| corn about twenty-five bushels was
subjected to system of farming simi
lar to that just described for an I'LL
nois farm In six years the yields OF
this farm were more than doubled In
work Of this character the following
points are emphasized:
Deep fall preparation of the SOIL
| Planting of well selected seed.
| Mainly shallow and frequent cultiva
ton Of the crop during the growing
season and especially after a rain
/ The judici0us use Of commercial fer
tiizers and the increased use Of HON,
produced fertilizers and the CROWN,
Of leguminous crops.
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