Morris tribune., 1922-07-21
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
SHOWN AT FARM SCHOOL
Visitors to Local Institution Are
Given Interesting Data From
Various Experiments

to stock is throwing away a crop
and wasting his labor, DR.. F. L. AL
way, head of the soils department of
the University Farm, st. Paul, de-
clared Wednesday morning in a talk
at the experimental plots at the West
Central School of Agriculture. DR..
Away also maintained that the farm
er loses nothing when he burns his
straw stacks in the fall, contrary to
the general opinion in regard to the
straw. These facts have been prov
en- by experiments during the past
eight years at the West Central
School here.
Farmers, business men, leading
farm journal editors and faculty
members of the University of Min
nesota travelled about through the
experimental fields at the West Cen
trail School Wednesday morning and.
listened to talks by DR.. Away, Prof.
A. c. Arne, President P. E. Miller
and r. o. Bridgford explaining the
results that have been obtained
through the experimental work at
the local farm school and also at the
central station.
EXPERIMENTS EXPLAINED
In explaining the results of exper-
iments showing that results obtained
proved the valuelessness of blowing
a green crop under for enrichment
of the soil, both Superintendent
Miller and DR.. Away explained that
green manuring had practically no
effect on the land towards the pro-
duction of better crops in this Sec
tiOn of the state. In some sections
it has proven valuable but on the
heavy soil of Stevens and neighbOr-
ing counties it's value is practically
unnoticeable. DR.. Away maintained
that the turning under of the sod was
of equal value and the only way to
secure benefit from such a crop is
to feed it to stock. He also main
tanned that experiments have proven
that the turning under of straw is
practically valueless. He said that
farmers have been condemned in the
past for this but nothing is lost
when straw stack is burned. In
the rotation of crops some benefit is
obtained by the turning under of
clover, but this is slight, it was said.
Considerable time was spent at the
experimental fields in the explana-
tion of crop rotation and showing
the necessity of this for the produc-
tion of better crops and keeping the
land clean. Prof. A. C. Arne spoke
on crop rotation urging a regular
rotation of a grain crop, clover and
a cultivated crop. Wheat or oats
followed by clover and then a culti-
waited crop will bring results, it was
said. The clover benefits the crops
that follow by getting nitrogen from
the air and furnishing organic mat
ter. Alfalfa or soy beans will serve
a similar purpose. The cultivated
crop cleans up the weeds. Results
from experiments have shown a Is
per cent increase in the grain crop
when alternated alone, while the
wheat, clover and corn rotation has
shown an increase of 33 1-3 per cent.
Wild oats will gain great headway
in fields where there is no crop rota-
ton or cultivated crop put in over
a period of years, it was stated,
some fields showing a SO per cent
crop of wild oats under these con-
ditions.
PHOSPHATE VALUABLE
Acid phosphate is a valuable fertil-
izer in this section of the state, ac-
cording to DR.. Away. Experiments
have shown that neither lime nor
potash is needed by the soil but
treatments with acid phosphate have
shown marked results. Phosphate
is something that is constantly being
taken off of the farm and unless this
supply is replenished in one way or
another crops will show the result of
the absence of this ingredient The
United States is rich in phosphate
and it is expected that it will be
used to a greater extent each year
for fertilizing. According to speak
ers at the farm school Wednesday, a
treatment of acid phosphate will be
more than paid for in increased pro-
duction with the first crop following
it's application. 1t still produces re-
suits for several years following. If
applied once every four years the
ground should be kept in excellent
condition for the production of max
imum crops.
Among the editors who were
guests of the University as repre-
sented by w. C. Coffey, dean and di-
rector of the University Department
of Agriculture were, during the trip,
D. A. Wallace, M. C. Cutting, and H.
L. Klien, of the Farmer, st. Paul; G..
w. Kelley, of the Northwest, Farm
stead, Minneapolis; ]. A. Drake and
Harry N. Owen, of Farm, Stock and
Home, Minneapolis; A, J. Glover,
editor of Hoard's Dairyman, Fort At
kinson, Wis; Samuel o. Rice, Cap
per's Farmer, Topeka, Kansas; T. A.
Leadley, the Nebraska Farmer, Lin