The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-09-25
,ay be III he highest State Of per.

may De IN rs nlshest' state OF per
lection. - &C.
"Now then, how shall we keep up
the soil fertility? One of the first
methods that we will mention is
the rotation of crops, meaning by
this not to grow corn, oats and wheat
one year after the other without
also growing legumes, such as clover
and alfalfa. Why grow clover and
alfalfa? The answer is that the
Lord has provided us with these
crops as a means of keeping up the
plant food elements in the soil. He
has wonderfully provided legume
crops with their own nitrogen fac
tories. by which they are able to
utilize their, nitrogen right out of
the air, transforming II into avail.
able form for the growth OF the
plant. OF course more nitrogen is
manufactured than is needed for
a hay crop, so large quantities Of II
are stored away into the roots and
this becomes readily available for
the following crop when the clover
and alfalfa is again broken up and
corn or some other crop Is placed
on the same ground. ...
Most of you no doubt have seen
these little nitrogen factories when
you pillow up a clover and alfalfa
field. No doubt you noticed little
wart like buds hanging on TO the
roots, and these are the little factor
les l mention. II seems almost I'M
believeable, but the fact remains, taht
legume crops such as clover and
alfalfa feed the soil instead of feed.
ing on the soil, and that Is one OF
the great reasons why these crops
should be grown. .. -
Another very important method
for keeping up the fertility OF the
soil, is the proper application Of the
manure to the land. Eighty per
cent of all the plant food elements
needed in the growing of the crop
can be put back on the land in the
manure. IL that crop Is fed and the ma
nure is properly cared for and put prop
erly in the land. Instead of the genera.
tions finding the land impoverished
we need not worry about that in
thousands OF years to come the soil
will be i'm the highest state Of
fertility II we practice a proper sys-
TEN OF crop rotation, feeding the
grain and carefully applying the
manure to the land. What we must
have up here In Minnesota, is al
falfa. This Is the greatest legume
crop known, and there is no ques-
tion but that 1t can be grown here,
II il Is properly put in and cared
for. There is no country on earth
that can compare in farming opera.
tions to that country that can grow
corn and alfalfa, The king and queen
/ of all farm crops. Minnesota can
grow them both, and grows them
both and with little more care and at
tention to some of the things our farm
ers know they ought to do, but are
grow them much more abundantly
than she does at the present time
by the way, ] wonder, IL all OF
you have selecte' your seed corn
for next years planting? sup
pose 1t is all hanging up in the at
tic somewhere where Jack Frost will
be unable to get It before II is thor
oughly dried out. 4 suppose you
will not object TO my thinking this
way, but I suppose that If we begin
to get personal about II we might
find one or two here who have not as
yet selected their seed corn. wonder
IL II will be possible to find one OF
two who have selected their seed corn
Remember it only takes about four
teen TO fifteen ears of corn to plant
an acre and II certainly is, not good
business to let Jack Frost get
your seed corn when you can get
lit yourself right now by going into
your field and pick out the large
well matured ears that you find
there, and you will find plenty OF
them IL you will just go after them.
Making the farm pay is simply
putting ones head into the business.
, There is no vocation that requires
, more careful thought than farming
II you think to the contrary, just look
around for the men who are making
good interest on land from s125 to
$500 an acre and you will find the
percentage Of them very small indeed
AS matter of fact guess that
many of us have made money in spite
Of ourselves by the land raising In
value, and we would F., have made
money whether we farmed them OF
not, and you must remember. there
are those who are making this high
priced land pay good dividend by
careful management"
| -->----
From Erlday's. Uallv. 70.