Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-07-04
Sam And The PlOw Handles


when Sam arrived at No. 6 with his
team, ready to begin blowing His
horses were paving the ground anX-
ious to begin, and while Sam was
waiting for the Sand Farmer, he
looked over the lot which but few
days before had been covered with
brush and small trees. 1t now lay
even and clean, but he knew there
were old pine roots, and many oak
grubs to be encountered before that
soil was turned over. Here and there
a fern, or a bunch Of flowers showed
green against the brown moss and
leaves which covered the ground, but
Sam was as anxious to begin the bat
tie as his horses, for he was getting
interested, and imagining what his
own farm would look like in another
year or two, and how surprised his
mother would be when she returned
from Aunt Hates.
What are you going to do, Sam -
asked the Sand Farmer, as he came
over to No. 6.
"Plow, of course said Sam, rather
surprised at the question.
"And why do you pillow ." asked the
Sand Farmer.
"Why, to turn over the sod. or what
ought to be sod" said Sam, as he
looked over the moss and bare land.
every good" said the Sand Far
mer "but why do you turn under the
ground where there is no sod if
you're simply blowing to turn under
the sod ~
"Why, to get fresh dirt" replied
Sam
And why do you want fresh dirt -
asked the Sand Farm er.
Il don't know" said Sam. Il never
thought very much about why |
plowed, I've always just plowed be
cause father did. and everybody else
around me did, but | guess | don't
know why | pillow, but I'm here to
learn
Willingness to learn Is the first
qualification for success" said the
Sand Farmer. MANY men refuse to
learn because they think they know
all there is to the subject Others
never ask the soil questions and do
not know that the soil is the only real
teacher for any farmer"
Does the soil talk like the trees '"'
said Sam.
Eyes, but in a different language,
replied the Sand Farmer. Here you
have some ground that once produced
the pines that made Michigan ia
nous throughout the world. 4 few
days ago it was covered with brush.
and now only the moss and dried
leaves, with here and there a fern,
or willow, give any sign that there
hi. Isnt
"The willows grow because there -
a little pocket Of hard-pan which holds
the surface water when there is ram.
and they seem able to live through the
dry season with what little moisture
these pockets may hold. but the moss
is really the only crop in this grave
ward of the ancient forests.
"For centuries the pines dropped
their needles on this soil, and formed
a thick covering These needles con-
tanned an acid which is death to vege-
tation, and few were the flowers or
grasses which grew beneath these
trees Then came the lumbermen, who
took the best logs, left the tops and
the down logs for a fire trap, and soon
some hunter, smoker, settler, or pos
sibv railroad, added the spark which
SI1lIt0 the lOItSL IRE LlAll eAlF az N'''
covering of pine needles, destroyed
the young pines, and left charred amt
blackened trunks and stumpS, Ike
tombstones to the departed gIorles ot
the Michigan forests. These hree
have swept over this land time and
time again, and have eaten all OF the
humus, or vegetable matter out OF
the soil, and the dark color you see
is little more than charcoal, but the
acid whmich was i'm the pine needles
has been left on the surface, and SIN
continues its deadly work.
Later, the oaks, which seem to be
Natures rotation, followed the pine,
and because they can live IN an aetI
soil. and draw through their great tap
roots the moisture and plant tood Ia'
down i'm the soil, they have tOurShed,
and would have made trees but Tor
the fires. and the men who have con
tinualy cut them as soon as they p'-
came large enough for stick OF tlrt-
wood. | want YOU TO notice Nature
rotation, for it will help you IN plant
ing your crops in future years.
"First came the pines. II you Will
avamine the leaves. or needles, you
will note that the veins are paralle!,
look at an oak leaf, and you will see
that it is net-veined, or the veins run
from one central vein out either side,
to the edge of the leaf. Corn, rye,
wheat, the grasses, oats, etc, are all
parallel-veined plants, while the clio
vers. alfalfa, beans and vetch are net
veined plants. If Nature alternates
the parallel and the net-yeined leaves
in her long rotation, is it not worth
while for US to follow her example
If YOU will make your rotation ac-
cording to Natures, you will not go
very far wrong; and just one tmng
here I want to call to your attention.
Nature is every trying to cover tne
soil with something. II man inter
venes, and takes off the pine, and the
fires destroy the seedlings, she pro-
vides the oak, which can endure
countless fires, because the roots go
into the moist sand, and the eyes from
which the young sprouts come are be
lou, The surface, and the oaks can