American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-03-29

about a dozen 10 form their course of
study until summer. After they had
finished the one on barnyard fertilizers
they took two evenings 70 review and
discuss II.
Tell You what. joe said MIR. Yves
ton the second evening. that there bull
letin has given me lots of idees. Now.
we all know one Of the biggest ex-
penses In farmin right Is this here
commercial fertilizer. Seems Il me If
we could find somethin' to take its
place we could save a whole lot
That's just the thing we want to
do-instead Of paying the fertilizer fac
tories for it do our own manufactur-
ing
Sure. an make the profit ourselves.
You know and | know the commercial
fertilizer is gone in a year. Maybe a
little Of the phosphate stays In the soil
for the next year. but not enough to
do any good. Got to buy again next
year"
That's So
Now. l see by this here bulletin
we've just read that an experiment
showed that seven years after a piece
Of soil was treated with barnyard fer
tilizer 1t showed effects of the stuff as
against a piece of the same land treat
ed with commercial fertilizer. That
showed no trace hardly after the sec
ond year,
Looks like the thing to do is to fig
ure the way to get more barnyard stun
and build the land up so it will stay
built" commented Joe.
That's Just what | mean, son. Stop
the outgo for the commercial chemical
stuff"
How are we going to do it?"'
TITS goin' to be slow work. In the
first place, we've got to have more cat
tie, an we've got practically no money
now. But we can do this: Winter is
on, an folks will sell cattle cheap 'rath-
err than feed EN-. We ought to be able
to pick up a dozen or so half starved
little calves for next to nothing. We
can get credit at the bank for a hun
bred dollars, an | think we better put
1t In calves"
Say" observed Joe, that's a per
fectly fine scheme. | know where |
can buy two fve-months-old calves now
for 81 apiece"
An I'll start tomorrow to bust up
six or seven acres more an put In
more oats. It's hate. / know, but they
will make all right. That win give
winter grazing and stuff to feed on an
straw to bed 'em In an turn under
later. We can pun them calves through
without much cost until grass comes
out; then mex summer put every foot
Of ground we can in pea vine hay"
peas are fine for the Iand-colIect
nitrogen from the air and store it on
the roots in those little bumps-'no.
dulles the book calls them" said Joe.
Then the leaves that fall from the
pea vines help put humus in the land
along with the decaying roots"
$50 with the oats and pea vine hay
and fodder we will be well fixed TO
take a big herd of cattle through next
winter. and what nubbin corn we
raise" said Mr.. Weston. Wen keep
the cattle up at night. bed 'em in
leaves an straw, compost it. and we've
got a good start on fertilizer. In two
years more we ought to have those
calves in prime fix for beef cattle and
get $50 apiece for EN-"
That looks mighty fine" assented
Joe. Besides. the oats being grazed
by the cattle will help the oats, and
the land will get the benefit of what
fertilizer is dropped there then. and
that will amount to a heap"
Then" continued Mr.. Weston. Il
figure that this next fall. instead of
seAing our cotton seed. we ought to
swap 1t to the oil mill for c~ottonseed
meal and hulls. There's a heap of fat
tening stuff in the meal, and it forms
about a fourth OF these commercial
fertilizers and furnishes nitrogen. Mix
the meal and bulls and feed il TO our
cattle. We get the benefit of the fat
tening for the beeves an then have the
rest of 1t with the nitrogen in 1t for the
land"
Say. you were late getting started.
but you sure are farming like an up
TO date farmer nowr' enthused Joe.
''Tryin' to make up for lost time,
son. Wen have somethin' yet. you an
|. Well. as | was sayin'. in this scheme
we practically get our beef cattle for
nothing. get the benefit OF permanent
fertilizer for the land and ought TO
make a profit of 60 or IS per cent on
each animal"
1T looks good j~udicially admitted
Joe.
1T is good. and it's horse sense too
Why, If we just broke even on han
ding the cattle II would pay us, for
the good we will get In fertilizer for
the land and TO stop the outgo for
chemical stuff each year. But WEN
make m0neg on EN-. big money"
IF we keep planting peas and ell
ing the ground with the roots full of
nitrogen and planting cover crops In
winter and grazing it and turning un
der stubble and putting rotted leaves