The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-02-04
PER|SHO |NO|CTS
SOIL ROBB|NG
OUR SOILS WILL WEAR OUT AS
THEY HAVE IN THE STATES
OF THE EAST
HITS THE EUROPEAN WAR SITUATION
War Will Destroy Every Resource Of a
Country Except Its Soil, Said Or.
Perisho-Would not Sell Europe

IF South Dakota continues her
wasteful system of farming, it is only
a matter of a comparatively short
time when our soils will wear out like
those of some eastern states where
farm after farm has been abandoned"
This statement was made by DR.. ELL
wood c. Perisho, president of the
State College on Wednesday before a
combination meeting of the associa-
tons of Corn and Grain Growers, Live
stock Breeders and Poultry Raisers at
Mitchell.
President Perisho asserted that ex-
perts show that some of our best
western states Ollinois, Wisconsin,
Iowa, and others) are, under the com,
mon system of farming, losing their
fertility at the enormous rate of one
half to three per cent annually. This
is a serious condition, and one which
confronts South Dakota as well as the
other states mentioned. South Da-
kota's u are magnificent. For
a million years nature worked without
rest and without fatigue that she
might, in a far away future age, endow
this commonwealth of ours with a
great forest, a magnificent river, rich
ore beds, and greatest of all, a rich,
magic mantle of soil up from which
will yearly grow the greatest wealth
of many a state"
In order to show how the fertility of
the soil might be maintained Presi-
dent Perisho first explained that in ad-
dition to the common foods, plants
require three important elements:
(1) Nitrogen-to give size to vege-
table growth,
(2) Potassuin-to give strength to
plant life, and
(3) Phosphorus-to give maturity
to our crops.
THE nitrogen may be obtained" he
said, from legumes, such as alfalfa,
clover, COW peas, etc.; the potassium
from ashes, manures and decayed rock
material; and the phosphorus only
from bones, and rock phos-
pilates.
"An acre of our soil seven inches
deep weighs approximately two mil
lion nn11nIc an1 in thic Cama aero
there We're originally six thousand
pounds of nitrogen, t~wenty-four thous-
and pounds of potassium, and perhaps
twelve hundred pounds of phosphorus.
Each bushel of wheat will take out of
the soil almost one and a half pounds
Of nitrogen; a bushel of corn one
pound, and a bushel of oats two-thirds
of a pound. When South Dakota
raises 100 900, 900 bushels of wheat. it
means that $50, 100000 pounds of
nitrates valued at % cents a pound
are taken from the soil of the state,
For all crops, it is safe to estimate
that in one year the state loses $780,
OOO, 900 worth of nitrogen alone"
President Perisho carried on the
analysis with potassium and phos-
phorus and showed that it is only a
question of arithematic to demonstrate
c~onclusively how long the fertility Of
any farm would last if man did not
come to the rescue of the soil while
growing his crops. Mature does near
ly all the work, furnishes without
price the greatest part of the fertility,
and only asks that mar should assist
to a very slight amount. A ton of alf-
alta will store up in the soil at least
so pounds of nitrogen; a ton of clover
40 pounds; and fully as much by grow
ing a ton of sweet clover. 1t is not a
difficult matter to calculate how many
tons Of alfalfa should be grown every
year in South Dakota to maintain the
present standard Of fertility-so far
as nitrogen is concerned"
President Perisho threw grave
uOuDlS upOH the d~uNlSdUiIity VI wv
American nation continuing her pres
ent policy of selling to European
armies not only munitions of war but
also horses and provisions. War will
destroy every O of a country
except its soil. Americans should re-
member that when this wal is over
the first great enterprise to be re-
sumed will be agriculture. When that
day comes, these now stricken coun-
tries of Europe will NOT only feed
themselves but will be ready to send
their provisions to the peoples of the
world"