Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-07-26
ExPE ] I / |! |
lN0RR IS SCHOOL

90
Party Of Visitors Learn Result. 81
Many Experiments IN Grain
Crop.
hat means literally millions of
dollars do to the people of West Central
Minnesota linn if they will just adopt the
idea, said visitor at the West Cen
trail Experiment Station at Morris,
Wednesday, July 10Th.
The visitor who made the remark
was a member of the party Of editors
OF agricultural papers and Of expert
mrFent station staff men who toured
the state last week and this, inspecting
the work of Minnesota's experiment
station and substation.
The thing which called forth the re-
mark was the sight of an experimental
plot Of wonderful wheat and the ex-
PLANTATION of how it was produced. On
the plot was such stand of wheat as
has become altogether too rare in
these days. 1t was produced by rotat-
ing crops and the application of re-
latlvely small amount of fertilizer
That plot of wheat, according to
the man who saw millions in it for the
farmers, was evidence Of the fact that
the agricultural experiment station at
Morris has shown the way to increase
the corn crop of the II counties of
West Central Minnesota about bu-
shells an acre; the wheat crop about 4
bushels; the oats crop, more than 5
bushels, and the hay crop !63 of ton.
That very thing has been done not
only once at the station, but it has
been the average over several years.
It was done with a crop rotation of
corn, wheat, oats, and clover in the
order named, and with one application
of concentrated or super-phosphate-
acid phosphate-of 100 pounds to the
acre. With such treatment the corn
yield for six-year period has aver
aged 46.4 bushels to the acre, as ag-
ainst 42.7 bushels on unfertilized plots
and the wheat has averaged for seven
years 24.7 bushels to the acre as ag-
ainst 20.G; oats for six years 61.3 bu-
shells as against 56.1, and clover for
five years Psi tons as against 2.1S..
Moreover the same kind of thing is
being appropriated, at least, by far
mers who have cooperated to give the
system thorough trial under actual
farm conditions. Of such co:operators
there have been SIS or more. Through
these farmers, through some 200 stu
dents who for the summer are back on
their farms, through some 400 gradu-'
ates of the school, and through some
1000 students who were unable to
complete their courses At the school Of
agriculture maintained in connection
with the experiment station, the sys-
tenn is being spread Through West
Central Minnesota. ASA result, every
now and then comes i1I report that
somewhere az group OF farmers has
zshippedin aScarload of5the acid phos-
.phate, and such reports are being re-
ceived with ncreasingthequency.
But there is more than just an in
crease in crops in the system worked
out at Morris. The system means
crop rotation, diversified farming as
against single cropping, and that
means permanence in agriculture, with
the introduction Of live stock-beef
cattle, dairy cattle, hogs, and pretty
much all the rest Then, too, it means
a saving of labor. It means that the
easily transportable acid phosphate
may be used on the outlying fields
Of the farm. whereas the stable man.
ure may be used on the fields around
the barns and reduce the hauling
costs.
This fine achievement in better
farming and the evidences of it was
Just one of the things shown, the Wis
itors by p. E. Miller, Superintendent
OF the station and the members of his
STAIR. O.. Bridgford, Philip s.. Jor-
dan, and J. A. Anderson. Among the
other things, were the advantages of
the use Of acid phosphate in increas.
ing alfalfa yields, from q to l. ton
per acre; the increase Of grain yields
lin the case Of winter from
2 to 10 bushels an acre by seeding on,
September = rather than September
10, 20 or 80; the economy in feeding
tankage in the rations of swine.
The discovery of the need Of acid !
phosphate in the soils of West Cen
trail Minnesota, however, is one of
the big things in the history Of the
region.
Following the inspection Of the sta
ton and the school, the visitors and a