The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1914-07-02
TESTS SHOW NEED
OF CROP ROTATION
Interesting Object Lessons in Fer
tility Have Been Produced at
State College Farms

The Importance of keeping live
stock and of practicing a rota-
ton of crops in maintaining the
producing capacity Of the soil is
becoming more apparent each
each year on the State College
farm. Three plots show this
fact very strikingly. One plot
has been growing wheat contin-
ually every year since 1899 with
out any manure or other fertil-
izer being applied. The second
plot has grown wheat every year
since 1899, but has had a light
application of manure plowed
under each fall. The third plot
has had no manure applied and
has grown a crop every year but
a rotation of wheat one year,
oats one year, clover two years
and corn one year has been car
ried on since 1899, the 1914 crop
being wheat.
The important lesson to be OBJ
served at this time is that the
plot that has grown wheat con-
tinually without manure prom
ises a very low yield. To the OBJ
server, the plot that has been
MANFRED and the plot that has
not been MANFRED. but has grown
a rotation, show an equally good
growth of wheat at this time and
show a better growth than they
did fifteen years ago.
The plots show CD that the
fertility of the soil may be main
tanned either through the use of
barnyard manure or by a rota-
ton of crops that includes clover
or some equally good soil improv-
ing crop; (2) that it is kept in a
high state of fertility. 1t is not
necessary to practice summer
following with the rainfall re-
ceived at Pullman, either to give
the land a rest or to conserve the
moisture of two seasons for the
growth of one crop. If the soil
is sufficiently fertile, one inch of
rainfall may carry more food into
the plants than two inches of
rainfall may dissolve and carry
to the plants from a very poor
soil. This is beginning to be
very apparent in the field prac-
tice on the college farm. Except
in small experimental plots, sum-
mer following is no longer prac-
ticed on the state farm, but a
rotation is followed that involves
cropping annually with clover,
alfalfa and peas. grown period
ically to improve the soil and corn
to serve as a soil cleaning crop
(Corn is a soil cleaning crop only
when it is properly cultivated
corn itself has no effect in clean
ing the soiD.
One 12-acre field lying on a
south slope was in summer fall
low in 1894. It has grown a crop
every year since. Every five
years well cultivated corn crop
has helped to keep the soil in
good filth and free from weeds.
while peas and clover, inter-
spersed at about like periods.
have served to keep up the sup
ply of nitrogen and humus. The
field now produces much better
than when it was first taken over
by the college. In 1911 it yield
ed forty-seven bushels of wheat
per acre. In 1912 it yielded forty
bushels of peas per acre. In
1913 it yielded forty-six bushels
of wheat per acre. At present
there is an excellent crop of oats
growing on this field that will
produce a very satisfactory yield
if the season is fairly normal
from now to harvest.
The rich color and rank growth
of nearly all crops on the farm
are beginning to show the effect