The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1920-06-10
A New Fertilizing Process
For the Farms of Waldo County.

For the Farms of Waldo County.
An experiment of special interest to the
farmers of Waldo county is to be made
this year under the direction of the Waldo
County Farm Bureau and its outcome will
be watched with great interest as it marks
an advanced step in modern farming in
this county.
The demonstration is not new one, as
it has been practiced in various sections
of New England for some time, but not
to any extent in Waldo county. 1t starts
under the most suspicious conditions and
with the hearty cooperation of some of
the leading and most progressive farmers
in this section and under the personal
supervision of County Agent Donahue
The plan calls upon nature to assist in
fertilizing the soil through the cultivation
of field peas, soy beans and grimm alfalfa
which stores the soil with nitrogen to be
released for the fertilization of future
crops, thus dispensing, in measure, with
the use of commercial fertilizer.
The law of Natures storage of fertilizer
lays in the fact that these crops produce
little nodules, which forms on the roots,
and in these nodules are millions of bac-
terra which have the power of taking
nitrogen from the air and storing it until
the coming year when the roots decay
and release the fertilizer to nurture future
crops. By this method nature supplies
plant food in place of high priced COM
mercial products.
If lime is supplied and each kind is
inoculated with its own bacteria success
is sure to attend these crops. Not alone
are these crops valuable as fertilizer
but they are each rich in food value and
are profitable crops to raise for their own
worth.
So valuable is this advanced step in
farming recognized by the United States
Department of Agriculture, that to en-
courage it's use farmers desiring to try it
are furnished seeds, in limited lots, free
of cost
The following farmers have agreed to
demonstrate this plan of work the coming
season: field peas. Ralph Hayford, John
Waterman, Mark Wadlin, L. E.. Pitcher,
Lorris Ramsey, j. w. Fenwick, Marthon
Doak, Carroll j. Clark, Frank Quimby,
B. l.. Aborn, j. p Sanford, C. w. Bagley,
o. R. Keene, w. j. Greeley, w. L. East
man, Frank P. Clement, A. L Croxford,
Z. L. Putnam, H. 7. Putnam, Fred P.
Emery, Leroy Mansur, John Goodwin,
Charles H. Gray, W. H. Ames, j. e.
Packard, Chas. E. Luce, C. F. Andrews,
w. B. Bowley.
Soy beans, C. F. Bellows, P. j. Bryant,
Percy Bessey, E. W. Downer, E. G.
Burnham, H. E. Hardy, A. H. Miller, z.
L. Putnam, H. T. Putnam, Fred Emery,
Leroy Mansur, John W. Goodwin, John
E. Pratt, Seavey Piper, Clyde M. Ward,
E. B. Carleton, L. c. Stone, F. A. Mer-
rick, Charles Hatch.
Grimm alfalfa, Frank Keene Clyde
Ward, j. G. Packard, C. E. Bellows,
Charles Clement, Norman Donahue.
To meet the. demand for cheaper
priced fertilizer by purchasing the chemi-
calls direct and mixing them on the farm,
the work commenced last year has been
extended so that farmers in this section
have purchased nine car loads of chemi-
Gals, equivalent to 275 tons, and mixed
them at home, thus making a saving of
$4,000. The home mixed products aver
age as high any bought through the regu-
very satisfactory.
This work is being aIried on by certain
Community clubs or land units, which,
through the efforts of County Agent
Donahue, have been organized in most
every town in the county. Each COM
munlty has its own organization, consist
ing of president secretary and such other
officers as the club thinks necessary.
These clubs are taking up some ad-
Vanced methods of farming and Demon
srrating their worth in the various locali-
ties and as they prove successful will be
generally adopted as an advanced step in
farm science.