Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-01-16
ROTATIONS rOn
SOIL FERTILITY

list. University of Idaho Extension
Division.
Feed the land. Don't take every
thing from the soil and give no
thing back You can't continue ia
write checks on your bank deposit
indefinitely without making ad-
ditional deposits. Neither can you
continue to grow bumper crops on
your land without returning in
some form the plant food elements
which you are taking out.
One of the first essentials In
maintaining and building up soil
fertility is the adoption or a crop
rotation. The second most import
ant factor is to include in this crop
rotation a leguminous crop. Cues
tions, such as, Why can't l obtain
the yields from my crops that l
obtained ten years ago? What fer
tilizer do I need to use to increase
my yields? are being asked at the
present time in regard to Idaho
soils. This is largely the result of
cropping the soil to death with one
or two crops and in many cases
failing to recognize the value of a
leguminous crop.
The object in using crop rota
tion is to use crops which do not
draw upon the same plant food ele-
ments each year. In this way the
various elements are MADE available
as plant food and are ready in their
turn to handle their special crop.
This is more especially true when a
leguminous crop is used In the ro
tation 1t is through the crop ro-
tation system that green manure
crops are used to turn back to the
soil as organic matter and this is
the biggest feature in mainta n
ing the soil fertility.
Value of Organic Matter.
First, what do we mean by the
term Organic matter?" According
to Cyril G. Hopkins, Professor of
agrOnomy in the University of 1lli-
nois and one of the best soil au-
thorities in the United States, cor
ganic matter consists of compounds
formed by life processes, compounds
that are or have been living mat
ter
Keeping your soils we'll supplied
with Oranic matter is very import
ant owing to the fact that practi-
cally all of the nitrogen in the soil
is held by this material. In ad
dition to this, a soil containing
plenty of organic matter noids more
water does not run together and
bake and makes the unavailable
plant food elements more available.
Any means of permanently increas
ing the producing power of your
soils without the use of organic
matter will be financially unsuc-
cessful. In many sections of Idaho
there is not sufficient barnyard
manure to turn back to the soil
and therefore you must use green
manure crop, preferably a legumin-
GUS crop.
Value Of Legume in Rotation
Most everyone is acquainted with
the fact that the term 'legume"
means crop on the root hairs, on
which are found plump swellings
resembling gals, which are called
nodules. These nodules contain
bacteria which takes nitrogen fron
the air. If the seed is we'll inocu
lated the bacteria will take from
the air and make available for the
plant, from SO pounds to 100
pounds of nitrogen per 1cre. In tniS
way the nitrogen contained in the
soil is kept in reserve to large
degree for following crops. After
the legume has been grown on
certain piece of ground from two to
five years. depending on type of
legume, the last crop of the season
Is turned back to the soil. Expert
ments have proven that two-thirds
vi the hitEOSeh content IN Il ieSuH-
inous plant is eotained In the tops
and one-third in the roots With
this condition existing, when crop
is turned under. the organic matter
plus the nitrogen with some phos-
phorous and potassium adds an
enormous amount of fertility to the
soil.
If you are planning on producing
better seed, better fruit. larger
yields of hay and better livestock.
give some attention to the fertility !
of your SOIL the foundation of all .
agriculture.
N0NPARTIZANS ARE SOCIALISTS