Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-06-23

When these progressive farmers first settled on this land it was so poor it would not grow hardly any thing, so they set about at once to remedy the defect. Commercial fer tilizers, obtained by paying out vast sums of money, proved to be of only temporary value. AS the men discov- cred that this chemical fertilizer did not improve,( but rather injured the texture of the soil, they began to seek a better method of restoring the fer tility. The United States government, through the department of agricul- ture, helped them in their struggle by establishing and maintaining ex-
 pertinent stations, where the best methods were worked out and proved This information has been handed out gratis to the farmers with the
 best of results. One of the easiest ways, and in fact, the only safe way, to restore the soil fertility, is by rais- ing live stock in connection with the crop. When the products are sold in the form of hay, grain or seed, the land is Icing robbed of it's plant food and nothing returned. But when the crops are pastured or fed to cattle, and marketed in the form of beer, or preferably as butter, which carries
 away practically no plant food, near ly 85 per cent of the fertilizing value of the feed is returned to the soil in the for moi manure, after the animal
 nutrients have been take nout. This
 manure, on being applied to the soil, | iv,n fhn of vo1 improves the texture and increases
 the water holding capacity. Not the
 least benefit derived from barn-yard
 manure is the chemical effect of the
 bacteria, and acids, that act upon the
 soil particles, and render available
 the plant food that has been lor.>i
 up.
 A farm should be so laid out and
 the crop rotation so planned that
 one piece of ground is not occupied
 by the saD'e crop two years in success
 sion. Unless this is done, the plant food content of the soil rapidly de- creases, and as each plant takes more of one certain element than of any other, the fertility is said to be one
 sided. Most people farm their land only in the~summer, but the progress i've farmers rotation calls for winter crops of small grain, vetch or clover, to hold the soil if it washes badly, and to take up all the available plant food to prevent it's teaching. These cover crops can be used as grain or hay, cut and fed and the manure returned; or they may be pastured and then plowed under. Another and better method, so far as the benefit to the soil is concerned, consists of blowing under the whole crop when it is green. This last method is called green manuring." Its benefits come from the fact that it returns all the plant food. adds humus, thus increas- ing the water holding capacity, and
 improves the texture of the soil, loosening Up clay soil, and binding sandy soil together. When peas. clover or vetch (the legumes) are plowed under, the benefits are still greater, as these plants have the pow CT of gathering nitrogen from the air. By growing these legumes a farmer can save money on his ntrogenous fertilizer bill.
 In connection with all that has been said, and indeed, without it nothing could be done, proper tillage is of vast importance. In preparing the land, the depth of blowing de- pends upon the quality and texture of the soil. the amount of trash and for eign matter to be buried, and the crop to be grown. Suffice it to say that the best possible preparation is none too good, we'll pulverized seed bed being essential. No less import l