Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1915-03-17
THE BOY
FARMER
Or a Member OF the
Corn Club
By ASA PATRICK
Copyright, 1915. by American Press
Association.
CAAP TER "

ME spring and summer-in fact.
the whole year was very
busy one Tor Sam. And it was
not less SO for Florence and
MIS-. Powell. Florence often helped
her brother when the work crowded,
and Mrs. Powell put in all her spare
time in the garden, melon patch and
orchard.
On the contest acre Sam was forced
to do all the work himself. The rules
were strict on this point, and after
Sans patch had been laid off and
measured by committee be himself
planted the corn and no one else struck
lick In its cultivation.
Sans first planting was the Irish
potatoes. He bedded up an acre.
dragged down the beds almost fat and
planted them early in March. Next
came the contest acre. and when that
was finished he planted four more
acres in corn, making five in all, then
turned to the cotton.
Next came the cane, and Sam sowed
this broadcast and very thick. for he
wanted to make hay OF it Il the
stalks grow large and stiff 1t doesn't
make good hay.
The young farmer wound up the first
round Of planting by sowing the OF
chard in rye. His idea was to let no
bit Of ground lie idle, but to keep some
thing growing on it instead of weeds.
The weed problem was pretty hard
one for Sam, so many had gone to seed
on the place. But Undetermined that
not one should make seed this year.
So he was the busiest farmer in the
whole community. He plowed and
hoed constantly, but it was mostly
blowing, for Sam soon learned that
hoeing is mighty slow way to kill
weeds and grass compared with plow-
ing.
People passing along by the Powell
place marveled at the clean, well cul.
ti7ated little farm. But Sam consid-
cred other needs OF the crops besides
cultivation.
The soil of the place was not nearly
so poor as the neighbors had said it
Was-not even so poor as Sam had
thought The trouble was that the
surface OF the ground had merely been
scratched, and he had remeiied this By
thorough cultivation Still the crops
lacked something, and be found that
each acre had certain qualities. As be
studied the farm he began to see that
each bit of land was strong in certain
ways and weak in others.
There was no time to have soil analy
sis made this year, but he began te
trees growing about and to read the
bulletins and the book be had bought
on How Crops Grow" 1t wasn't az
easy subject by any means. Sam reaG
and reread the book and finally went
over it slowly and studied it page BY
page. Pretty soon be knew nearly az
much about the soil he was cultivatins
as any expert could have told him
Here is what he learned about soil fer
tility:
Acid in soil that causes crops to fir,
and die is indicated by sorrel CROWN,
On the land Acid can easily be detect
ed also by getting slip of blue litmu
paper for a nickel at the drug stor
and pressing it in ball of the sol
IL it turns red there is acid. An appli
cation of lime cures this.
Crops and plants of all kinds are fe
by several elements of the soil. bu
there are three more important tina
the rest-nitrogen, potash and phos
phoric acid
Nitrogen forms the leaves of plants
that part of the plant body whic
breathes.
Potash makes the trunk, stalk an
tuber Of plant or tree.
Phosphoric acid reproduces-sets tn
blooms and makes abundant seed an
fruit.
Sam learned these things from rea6
ing But. when he knew them. all b
had to Go was to look about the far1
and learn more things by observation
Where trees grew or had grown we
he knew that potash was plentiful.
leaves were rank. nitrogen was abu1
(iant If flowers formed and fell O