The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-04-23
Rich Land and how
to Keep Them So
(By Walter H. Reinhardt)

pursuits in the west | will take
the pleasure while on my home
stead to write a word in regard to
the above subject.
The land here, consists from
some of the richest soils upon the
globe, which if maintained will be
the future protection of the state
in its fertility.
In the pioneer days when our
forefathers established the art of
agriculture in the thirteen eastern
colonies, the land was as fertile
and in good condition for plant
life as it is here at the present
time.
But what is the situation in re-
CARDS to this fertility in the east
today? What does it mean when
they say that they are buying
commercial fertilizers amounting
to millions of dollars yearly?
Also can an inexperience oper-
ator apply commercial fertilizers
to an advantage and profit there
from? Fertility, humus, fertilizers,
what are they? Why talk about
these? we have them in abundance.
Why this is the fertilest soil ever
had the privilege to analize, Why
should we become anxious about
its ever becoming exhausted?
The questions if considered will
be for the welfare of the state in
the future. Therefore l will first
define what fertility and humus is.
Nature made the lands in a
great part, rich and fertile How
did she do it? If we study nature
and note how she maintains the
richness of the land and how she
helps to build up the soil, then
possibly we can if we will, stop
the waste.
For thousands of years on the
prairie, although there are no
trees there are in the state of
nature innumerable shrubs and
plants that send their tap roots
down deep in the soil and perform
the same work that trees do in
timber land. The prairie grass
has an almost solid mass of roots
so tough that it takes four or more
strong horses and a very sharp
pillow TO break it up. This sod
also holds the soil on these hill
sides on the prairie and they are1
rich in available plant food and
has as much humus in it and pro-
duces as good crops when first
broken up as the more level
praries.
What is man doing?' He is
up the rich praries, hill
sides and all.
The process of soil making will
be stopped and instead the farmers
in raising crops of grain will takel
off and sell the fertility of his soil. |
His soil grows poorer each year
if he puts on nothing, the same as
a bank account, if we keep draw
ing therefrom and replace nothing |
The hillsides give out first with |
no fibrous roots and but little
numus, the water has tendency |
to wash the rich soil down so if
would produce but
very little. The level lands hold
out some longer, but even here
he plant food and humus grow
ess and less with each succeeding
year and it is affected more and
more by drought for the land can
hold less moisture as it loses its
ertility as it could when it was
lew and full of humus.
The soil becomes poorer as we
continue to grow cereal crops,
hen naturally if we don't get a
,rop we will lay the blame to the
we will blame the
for not sending us rain
where on the otherhand
We are ourselves to blame for
Using up the crop suppling
dement's which are necessary to
produce plant life.
The first element which will be
Exhausted will be nitrogen. Now
hen nitrogen may be restored bylI
rowing leguminous crops in ro-I
alton with grain crops. HI
Leguminous crops are clover,
YEAS, beans etc, they contain
lodules on their roots and take
he nitrogen from the air and re-
tore it to the soil.
By this rotation of crops the
oil will produce good crops of
mall grain two years out of three
nd then if most of the grain is
ed on the farm to some good
took and the manure spread on
he land if would be just as rich
n. fertility as it was when it came
rom the hand of nature.
We must follow nature and by
ultivating the land we put it in
to obtain greater results
rom the same given area.
i L. L l. L