Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1922-07-28
EXPERIMENTS HERE MEAN
MILLIONS FOR FARMERS
Crop Rotation and Diversified Farm
ing Results Shown at West
Central School

dollars to the people of West Central
Minnesota if they will just adopt
the idea," said visitor at the West
Central Experiment Station at Nor
ris, Wednesday, July 10.
The visitor who made the remark
was a member of the party of editors
Of agricultural papers and of exper-
iment station staff men who toured
the state last week and this, inspect
ing the work of Minnesota Sc expert
ment station and substations.
The thing which called forth the
remark was the sight of an expert
mental plot of wonderful wheat and
the explanation of how it was pro-
duced. On the plot was such a stand
of wheat as has become altogether
too rare in these days. 1t was pro-
duced by rotating crops and the ap-
plication of relatively small
amount Of fertilizer.
SCHOOL SHOWS WAY
That plot of wheat, according to
the men who saw millions in it for
the farmers, was evidence of the fact
that the agricultural experiment sta
tion at Morris has shown the way
to increase the corn crop of the II
counties of West Central Minnesota
about bushels per acre; the wheat
crop about 4 bushels; the oats crop,
more than bushels, and the hay
crop .69 of ton. That very thing
has been done not only once at the
station, but it has been the average
over several years.
1t was done with crop rotation
of corn, wheat, oats, and clover in
the order named, and with one appli-
cation of concentrated or super
phosphate phosphate 100
ment the corn yield for six-yar per-
iod has averaged 46.4 bushels to the
acre, as against AIT bushels on un-
fertilized plots; the wheat has aver
aged for seven years PAT bushels to
the acre as against 2O.6; oats for six
years 613 bushels as against 56.1,
and clover for five years 2.81 tons
as against 2.18.
Moreover the same kind of thing is
being Appropriated at least by farm
ers who have cooperated to give the
system thorough trial under farm
conditions. OF such cooperators
there have been SIS or more
Through these farmers, through
some 200 students who for the sum
mer are back on their farms, through
some 400 graduates of the school
and through some 1000 former stu
dents who were unable to complete
: their courses at the school Of agri
culture maintained in connection
with the expiment station, the system
is being spread through West Cen
trail Minnesota. AS a result, ever!
now and then comes in report tina
somewhere a group Of farmers ha
: shipped in carload of the acid phos
phate, and such reports are being re
ceived with increasing frequency.
MEANS CROP ROTATION
But there is more than just an in
l crease in crops in the system worke'
out at Morris. The system mean
crop-rotation, diversified farming a
against single cropping, and tha
S means permanence in agricultur
4 with the introduction of livestock
D beef cattle, dairy cattle, hogs an
pretty much all the rest. Then, toe
0 it means a saving of labor. 1t mean
that the easily transportable acid
3 phosphate may be used on the outly
I ing fields of the farm, whereas tn
I stable manures may be used on tn
I fields around the barns and reduc
5 the hauling costs.
o This fine achievement in bette
}. farming and the evidences of it wa
just one of the things shown tn
: visitors by P. e. Miller, superintenG
IL ent of the station and the member
> of his staff R. o. Bridgford, Phili
, s. Jordan, and J. A. Andersen
Ii Among the other things, were the &C
II vantages of the use of acid phosphat
+ in increasing alfalfa yields from
- to 1 ton per acre; the increase {
grain yields-in the case of winte
q grains-from two to 10 bushels a
}, acre by seeding on September / ratf
l. er than September 10, 20, or 80, til
IS economy in feeding tankage in til
rations of swine.
The discovery of the need Of aci
phosphate in the soils of West Ger
It tral Minnesota, however, is one {
t the big things in the history of til