Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-01-21
CROP farmer HELD
70 B. SOIL burglar BUR
REMARKABLE BULLETIN ISSUED
BY DEPARTMENT. OF AGRl-
CULTURE.
vRooMAN TELLS HOW TO
MAKE coRN-RELT FARMS PAY
Outlines Ways Of Cooperating and
"cashins In"-Farmer Who Robs
Soil 10 Saving OF Limb on Which
He 10 sittins-Proper TiIlase and
Fertilization Grow In Importance.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
| Washington, Jan. 2O.-One Of the
most remarkable bulletins recently is
sued by the department of agriculture
| has Just been published and is likely
/ to command wide. interest among
farmers in the corn belt region. 1t is
entitled Making Corn Belt Farms
Pay" and is by Assistant Secretary
Vrooman himself. He treats on the
farm as unit and suggests plans for
"cashing in" on the scientific advice
of the department.
! ITO suggest to the corn-belt farmer
/. of the middle west, especially the
! farmer whose soil has been run down
by continuous grain farming, some
ways Of o-ordinating and 'cashing in
the scientific advice offered him in
hundreds of invaluable bulletins on
single crops" is the purpose of the
! bulletin as stated by its author. 1t Is
No. 7O4 and will in all probability be
! in much demand.
Live Stock az Side Line.
| In statement by the department 1t
is said that the standpoint of the bulle-
(! tin, "Grain Farming in the Corn Belt
With Live Stock as Side Line" Is
! that Of the farmer who is farming for
a living, and emphasis thruout Is on
i simple ways Of securing greater cash
returns without depicting the soil. The
whole farm is considered as unit.
All grain crops suitable for the section
are dealt with in their relation to one
another, in rotation with various
legumes, green manures, clover crops
for soil maintenance and feeding, and
in connection with live stock as a
profitable side line and especially as a
source Of manure and fertility. Special
attention is given in the closing pages
to effective employment Of time and
capital, profitable side lines, the need
for cooperation, and the Importance
of efficient marketing Of crops. There
are also chapters on the human crops
of the farm, especially the boys, girls
and women folk.
This new type Of bulletin, for which
the author acknowledges his indebted
ness to many authorities but assumes
full responsibility, refers in its forty
four pages to many department and
state college bulletins dealing in detail
with the growing Of a single crop The
many original recommendations in the
bulletin are designed ito supplement
the other publications" but its chief
purpose is ito serve as an introduce
ton to them and to stimulate a wider
and more profitable study and appli-
cation Of them by the average corn
belt farmer"
Maintaining Fertility.
The bulletin turnout strongly con-
dennis "soil robbing" and "crop
burglary" and emphasizes the needs Of
keeping up fertility and productive
ness by means Of stable manures, greet
manures, legumes, rotations, lime and
phosphorus. Put humus into the
soil; manure after every CROPS the
major text OF the bulletin.
The following extracts, necessarily
emitting detailed recommendations,
such as special treatments for each
grain crop, the fourteen possible rota-
lions discussed In diagram and text,
and the use of waste in feeding live
stock-give an outline Of the authors
plan for combining business farming
and scientific agriculture to the none
tary and social profit of the farm:
Civilizations Unit.
"The farm is vastly more than
business enterprise; it is a home,
social and civic center-the most i'm
portant unit Of civilization The sue
cess Of farm home is based on the
success Of the farm business. What
farmers need most to know Is how to
make the science Of agriculture boost
the business Of farming
The farmer who robs his soil Is
saving off the limb upon which he is
sitting. Your deed calls for the sub
soil as well as the surface soil and the
subsoil is mine Of fertility and well
Of water If properly utilized.
Lime is the one thing most needed by
the average rundown soil. Phos-,
phorus next to lime, Is the mineral
plant food probably most needed by
the average unproductive SOIL Manure
as regularly as. you harvest. Stable
manure is the best form Of fertilizer.
Where stable manure Is not available,
green manure must be used.
Proper tillage becomes more Inn
portant as the farm grows older until
on worn out farms it is factor OF
chief Importance. Tillage gives the
crop more soil surface on which to
feed without increasing your taxes,
makes existing plant food more avail
able, gives air to the roots, regulates
water supply and kills weeds. Where
the ldCkS NATURAL etSiS-
thing else depends on how thoroughly
the soil is ditched or tiled"
Burglarizing the Farms.
The farmer who sells all his crops off
the place and then also burns all his
cornstalks and straw reminds one Of
the burglar who takes all the valu-s
ables he can carry OF and sets fire tic.
what is left.
Humus is the stun with which
nature fertilizes uncultivated soil
Plow under all stable manure. straw.
corn stalks stubble, leaves weeds and
green manure crops.
Where nature grows sweet clover.
you can grow sweet closer. Remember
there is a legume crop for almost every
SOIL The productivity of farm is not
being kept up on a permanent basis
unless annually at least one-fourth Of
that farm is made to grow legumcs, al
OF which except the seed Is plowed
under as stable manure or green
manure. Do not, unless under excep-
tional circumstances grow corn in the
same fleld more than two years In. suc :
u