The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1918-08-01
"ROBBING PETER TO PAY
PAUL" "
The Way Some People Figure the.
Fertility Problem.

. that It would run about 20 bushels 4
}, the acre, city visitor Innocent.
: asked, How much profit will Their
| be in that crop?' 1T will sell 70
close to six thousand dollars" re
, piled the farmer. The cost TO
blowing, seeding, harvesting, thresh
ing and hauling to the elevator will
be something between four and fiv,
dollars an acre, say five dollars
There will be nearly five thousand
dollars profit in it for me. That is
what ,all real independence.
That man is losing out because he
is not figuring fertility in the cost OF
production. Fertility is the farmer
capital, and he cannot draw on it in
definitely without replacing it.
Cost of Fertility First Consideration
That ,wenty-bushel crop on the
Dakota farmers zoo acres yielded a
total OF 1000 bushels. Experiments
show us that the fertility extracted
| by that looo-bushel crop was as fol-
lows: Nitrogen $3.50 pounds; phos.
phorus 900 pounds; and potassium
l.o4o pounds. At present prices, that
nitrogen world be valued at $3.50,
phosphorus SIS and potassium $o2:
giving Il total OF 500 worth of plant
food used by that one crop-not TAX
On into consideration by the farmaJ.
This kind OF figuring perhaps goes
on righ' in our own community. The
loss OF fertility is so gradual and its
reduction SO subtle as not to be
noticed for years. But once in a
while now we notice that the crops
do not mature as rapidly as former
ly. They lingcr-the soils vigor of
years ago is not there Silos are
called upon to save immature corn,
and So is the method Of "hosgins
down"
We arc urged to speed up produc-
ton. With more efficient tools, bet
ter seeds, and a greater demand for |
food, still more OF the farmers cap
ital will be taken out without being
replaced How is it to be main
Ianed?
The rse OF legumes. good rota-
ions. commercial fertilizers, etc, can,
If course, be employed, but what
about the barnyard manure?
Every Bit of Manure Should be on
the Fields
Do we realize that it has crop in
reasing value OF $3.50 a ton now!
Most farmers do recognize its in
reased value due to increased price
II crops. but there are still many
arms where we can see the cattle
tanding knee deep in fertility that
hould be Incorporated in the soil.
The rains are carrying away rich ,
rown streams OF nitrogen. potash,
nd phosphorus that the crops are
ungry for and that otheE farmers
re paying good prices for in the ,
orm of commercial fertilizers. Nit
ogen gas is steaming up and floating
way with dollars and dollars worth
leaf and stalk building material. il
preader Most Important Tool on =
Farm !,
There is one thing that will correct tt
lis waste better than most anything d;
Sc. 1t is the use of a spreader. The
vestmcnt is good one, for the Sc
broader should pay for itself on fiji
Ell acres or less the first season by ca
le crop increases it produces even ca
yer the best of hand spreading. But IN
lille the investment is remarkably CT
he one, the fact that the farmer has
oney tied up in the machine will
axe him use it oftener, and frequent
,reading is just what is needed.
bread on the soil. the manure either
les out and stops fermenting, or DC
sing ammonia. or else the plant III
od is washed into the soil by the .''
ms. The spreader saves SO much III
ME and labor that the work can be Sd
one often. The job becomes light 10
Iore instead of heavy, disagreeable W.
SIX. And my, what fine even work vi
me Of those new widespread pr
S do! hi
tn
Figure on Fertility