Milford chronicle., 1920-05-21
RICH FARMS MAKE
RICH FARMERS
(Second Article)
Drainage

sour barren soil and that by drain
age many acres of Delaware now idle
can be brought into profitable culti-
vation." All soil contains a large
amount of plant food and it often hap
pens that wet undrained land con-
tains more plant food than certain
types of dry land, but this plant food
cannot be used by plants when the
land is water-soaked. Such land
should be drained. Drainage lowers
the water table, making the soil deep
er and mellower; it makes soil dry
er in wet weather and wetter in dry
weather. 1t corrects sourness, or
helps correct il. 1t permits air TO
enter and help dissolve plant. food.
The Delaware farmer should buy
good book on the benefits OF drainage
and study it.
Tillage
It is worth while to say over and
over that tillage is manure. OF
course, it is not literally true, but til
lage and manure produce the same
results. Every soil contains large
amount of plant food that is locked
up. BY tillage this food is unlocked;
the soil is opened to air so that the
oxygen of the air may enter and help
make this plant food available. The
air also makes it possible for the use
ul bacteria to live in the soil. But
moisture is necessary as well as air.
Tillage helps to retain moisture so
that by moisture and oxygen still
more plant food isavailable. If the
soil is titled every few days during
the summer it is pretty sure to be
moist and to be filled with air. Land
that is untitled is baked and dry and
the soil particles are not going thru
any change In titled soil the parti-
cles become finer and finer until they
become so fine that they are easily
broken down so that all the plant
food in them may become available.
An untitled soil usually becomes sour. /
The admittance of air helps to make /
it sWeeter. A well titled soil is in /
suitable condition to be the home OF
the bacteria that ale useful. An un-
titled soil is inactive. Ii is dead and /
it cannot be productive. Delaware /
farmers, as a rule, till their crops /
well. In this matter they are in au-
vance of the farmers of many other /
parts of the country. But one does /
not have to go far to see that Della /
ware farmers are not all alike in this .
matter. 1t is easy to see that, other .
things being equal, those who till .
me best have the best crops. Ii is .
not uncommon 10 hear a farmer say
that he usually has a good yield OF
corn, and hear him say that he gives
his land extra preparation before
corn and that he tills il at
frequent intervals after it is planted.
He will often run a weeder in a few
lays after the corn is planted and give
he surface a gentle stirring, and then
about the time the corn is up he will
'un the cultivatOr down between the
'Ows at a fair depth and then go with
he weeder across the rows. By the
lse of proper implements he stirs
he surface as soon as possible after
very rain, and whether it rains or
lot he keeps his cultivator going. OF
course, if he is wise he gives shallow
cultivation all through the season af-
er once he prepares a good seed bed.
lis success is explained by tillage.
Tillage is manure is a saying that :
las come down to us from the past,
nd it is a wise saying. A little bet
er tillage for all tillable crops should
'e practiced. If the man who gives :
he poorest tillage could be converted
nd give tillage equal to the best, and
he best tiller should increase his till :
ngs to the same extent this alone
TOuld double the yield of many Del
ware crops. :
After these fundamental things,
rainage and tillage have received
roper attention the next thing is to :
II the soil with plant food. CONNER
ial fertilizers cost money and the
lrmers should seek to produce on his
wn land all he can to supply the nee :
ssary plant food for his crops. 1t is :
Ow known by everyone that four :
fths of the air is nitrogent and tina :
his nitrogen is available to such
lants as clover, alfalfa, eowpeas, soy :
cans, ETC., when the soil or the seed
properly inoculated with the right
ind of bacteria. Generally speaking.
is much cheaper for the farmer to
raw his nitrogen rom the air than
} buy it from the fertilizer manufac-
lrers. On the other hand it would
e folly not TO buy nitrOgent in COM
lercial fertilizer if by doing so a pro-
t can be made in the transaction.
it would be folly to plant
fish potatoes without applying a lib
raj quantity of nitrOgenous fertilizer
ut the fact remains that thousands
acres OF Delaware lands remain
are during the winter when they
lOuld be covered with vetch or Grim
IN Glover, and other thousands c
cres should be devoted to lebuminous
rops in the summer time, such as
ly beans. cnwneas and other erens
nd still further all kinds OF legumes
Mould be grown wherever practical
i rotation.
The matter of productive soil en-
olives the whole question of farming
nd farm management. The more
orses, cattle, hogs and poultry are
ept the more farm manure can be
ad; the more manure the more
rops; the more crops the more stock,
nd so on. There is no doubt but
nat the average Delaware farmer
Ould greatly increase the fertility o
is soil. Take for example, the mat
sr of growing and feeding alfalfa for
We stock. Land properly prepared
ill produce from four to six tons OF
Italia every season. If one-tenth of
ne farm is put in alfalfa enough can
e grown and fed on the place 10
ring all the rest of the farm into a
ne state of productiveness in a com
short time. Alfalfa can be
ed to dairy cattle, to hogs, to poultry
+ almost any other stock kept on the
lace. By adopting policy of grow
lg everything possible on the farm.
nd keeping an additional amount of
I've stock any farm can be improved
apidly in its productive capacity.
What the Delaware farmer should
o is to use more lime, more com-
lercial fertilizer, more manure. grow
lore clover, alfalfa, cowpeas, SOW