The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-04
SHEEP, HOGS AND CROP
- ROTATIONS SAVE A FARMER

Ruckler had sworn soff-was quitting
the single-Crop game. In other words,
1t near diversified farming, stock and
the rotation OF crops. Stock meant the
growing Of feeds for stock. though 1t
did not mean the total abandonment
of wheat. Rather, it mean the grow
Ing of more wheat, but on fewer acres.
Consequently Mr.. Buckler began a
system of rotation. in this rotation as
he has worked it out are corn, potal-
toes, barley, wheat, oats, grasses and
pasture. with @topdressing for the pas
lures. The rotation does not run just
as stated, but the corn, potatoes ana
grasses are made to fit in between
grain crops to advantage.
Things Begin to Mend.
Under the new order, things soon be-
San to mend. The land that for three
years had given forth eight bushels
or less of wheat to thu acre. commenced
to show that it was willing to pay for
right treatment. And the better it was
treated with rotations and fertilizers.
the more it was willing to pay.
In 1911, for example, four years after
the dark age of the last wheat failure
on this farm, the yields from the bar
ley fields were fifty bushels to the
acre, and the yields of oats were nine
tyi bushels. S.
| "a VTGaI ZOOS tT1FflGstSciJ 6ElS%Es
And last year. on fields that before
had groaned under an effort to produce
eight bushels of wheat to. the acre.
were grown from about two and d
half to three or more times as much.
iOn one field OF about 100 acres were
harvested 1871 bushels to the acre; on
another Of nearly the same size, Fl IL
bushels, while a third field gave back
1851 bushels to the acre.
Corn? Well Mr., Bnckler has done
so well with it that whereas last year
Ife had raised seventy acres of it, the
coming summer he will have 100.
Used Only Farm Fertilizers.
Not a pound Of commercial fertilizer
was used to bring about these aston
ishing changes. Mr.. Buckler believes
Ithat farm fertilizers, with proper ro-
ltations, will do as much, or even rriore,
than commercial fertilizers. On his
4 farm lasts,year was a fiye-acre
detrimental field Of barley, which had
been treated with commercial fertilizer
and was worked by Mr.. Buckler ac-
cording to the directions of the expert
in charge Of such experimental work.
The yield from this field was forty
bushels to the acre. On a seventy 1ye
lacre field OF Mr.. Buckler's own barley,
which had been In corn and potatoes
the year before, and had been manured,
a harvest of forty three bushels to the
acre was gathered. .
Magical Prosperity.
The magical change on the Buckler
farm. then, was worked by livestock,
the use OF farm fertilizers. and crop
rotation.
1T Is fair to call it magical, for The
kind of yields mentioned in the fore.
going can hardly have been exception
al, The evidence Of this is seen In tht
general prosperity of Mr.. Buckler. Il
war not long after the revival OF
prosperity began before the man was
buying more land, and paying higher
prices for it. The kind of crops he was
growing Just naturally boosted the
prices all around. He now has 1,o4t
acres. on these are four sets of build.
ings, all in good repair, three of then
occupied by families of the men wis
are helping Mr.. Buckisr with his sciell'
tifc farming The last addition to thu
farm was made about a year ago "a
ISIS an acre.
FIocks and Herds increase.
Tn the meantime, too, Mr.. Bucklsl
has been adding to his fiocks and herds
Hs now has on his acres more thar
1000 sheep, a considerable number 9,
hogs. and enough beef cattle 70 LEM
variety to his work. And with thfi
large amount Of stock he has worked
ant ! ischeme Of distributing the farm
Fertilizers by having his animals herd
III On different parts of the pastures
AZ night, during the spring, sui1n1e!
The astonishing thing anout al o
"a tifis il that so much has been accom-
"a plishea$in SO short q time. 5Ihfee S SfeaTr'
of setback recovered. 560ssneWS acre