The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-09-24
I EFFICIENCY IN THE CROP FACTORY
PROFTE G. BLLo
(BY PROF. HENRY G. BELL

organic contents OF the soil, to keer
the soil sweet to provide for suffi
cient storage OF moisture and to have
the soil sufficiently open so that the
air can circulate within II.
All of the conditions referred TO
hinge upon the proper tillage OF the
soil. The first implement of tillage
was the plow. Most ancient historians
tell us Of the plowman's labors. The
pillow was undoubtedly devised in or
der to provide for the use of power
other than mans In short, the pillow
was designed to take the place of the
spade or the mattock. Under modern
conditions. the pillow IS supplemented
by the disk. the harrow, the roller,
the planter. the cultivator. and some
times the subsoil plow. All of these
Implements together are designed to
accomplish the complete stirring of
the plant feeding area OF the soil and
to put that area into as near perfect
physical condition for the growing
crop as possible. EXPERIENCES in the
handling Of any or all OF these i'm
plements has made II possible to re
duce most OF the prevailing types OF
soil to suitable seedbed form. Yet
their labor does not seem to have
given entire satisfaction.
Tho agriculture OF this continent
up TO date has been relatively waste
fuL Methods pursued on some OF the
older soils have reduced their fer
tllity. Az population has grown, peo-
PIE have moved 10 new area, where
virgin soils could. in their turn, be
induced TO give UP much of their
plant food. But the time has come
when more attention has to be paid
to the yields OF even some Of the
richer soils OF this country. At the
marvellous increase In price per acre
at which Middle West soils are val
uei, there has come about a time
when a. present average yield OF crops
per acre. the many farmers are not
making a reasonable rate of interest
on money Invested In land and equip
ment One of the factors responsible
for such a condition IS the relatively
low yield Of the land, which Is In
creasing in value out Of all proper
ton to the productiyeness
Men who are giving study to the
subject have concluded that our farms
must be speeded up and our crop
factories must be made more efficient.
one Of the WAYS Of making the soil
Yield moro per acre IS by adding
available plant food In the form OF
manure and fertilizers. This Is we'll
ana good Intensive agriculture has
proven permanently profitable In older
European countries However. in Or
der to make this work most effec-
tive, II must be preceded by careful
attention 10 soil preparation. 1t is
not logical TO neglect the condition. OF
the home Of the plant and to pay all
attention to It's food needs. Each has
its place. Both working together will
product maximum crops and profits.
Soil tillage Is an art, As we have
already said, to be most productive,
the soil should be well supplied with
humus, should be well drained and
sweet in Its reaction. The object of
the tiiler. after getting the soil in
this desirable form. should be to stir
the soil once a year at least as deep
ly as the larger quantity Of roots of
normal crops penetrate, The old die
tum used to be: Plow deeply in the
fall and shallow IN the spring. Now.
under certain conditions OF soil and
climate, such a. practice Is proper,
Under seni-arid conditions. however.
deep blowing, even In tho fall, must
be done with great caution It Is not
well. moreover, to change from shall
low blowing TO deep blowing sud
denly and thereby turn up one or
two inches of dead soil whose plant
food is looked up in unavaila Bile form.
II care Is not taken, by continuous
blowing at given depth. there Is
produced an impervious subsoil. which
may limit the depth OF roofing OF
crops and may actually lead to their
starvation during season of drought.
In the cultivation of some OF our
field crops, there IL sometimes much
In o,,J
tivation near the corn roots or the
crop is growing vigorously IL bad
practice. Such cultivation not only
stirs the soil to q great depth, but
prunes off large per cent of the
feeding roots Of the plant The plant
is not only NAMED. but actually
starved by such practice. Now, the
object OF intertillage Of crops outside
the killing OF weeds Is to preserve a
dust mulch, which. in turn, prevents
the evaporation OF moisture. Such
cultivation Is highly desirable. The
conservation Of the moisture can be
brought about by comparatively shall
low cultivation equally as well az by
deep cultivation. By a ten years Sc
Fies of tests at the Ontario Agricul.
tural Experiment Station, 1t was
found mat the largest yields OF best
quality were obtained where the
deepest cultivation was done early In
the season and each successive cul-
tiYation was shallower than its pre-
decessor.
That soft tillage is deserving OF
greater investigation goes without say
ing This factory for tho production
Of crops must be so managed that
It's workmen have the best possible
conditions for their work, so that the
store of plant food which is the raw
material shall be plentiful and cor.
rectly balanced. Efficiency in soil
management follows the same course
as efficiency in any other line of hu.
man industry. There is no question
as 70 its payng-the only question
is as To how much careful attention
this Important phase OF farming shall
receive at the hands OF Its managers
NJ ms REVIEW cANC