The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1940-02-15
$50 PRESENT
TO INSPECT SOIL
fertility TRAIN
Chamber Of Commerce
Serves Luncheon
To $50

serves Luncheon
To $50
A total of $50 farmers and
townspeople who visited the
Soil Fertility Train which is
being operated by the Burl-
ington Railroad in cooperation
with the Montana state college,
the Great Western Sugaf Com
pany, the Holly Sugar corpora
ton and the Anaconda Sales
Company, saw three cars filled
with exhibits showing the i'm
portance of keeping the soil
fertile in order to increase crop
yields and make farming more
profitable.
Shown in one car were COL
Ored pictures which emphasized
the value of feeding livestock
on the farm and the use of
barnyard manure to increase
the yields of various crops.
These pictures also illustrated
the need for planning farm op-
erations so that crops are pro-
duced in rotation on the diff
ferent fields of a farm, instead
of growing the same crop in the
same field year after year.
Results of years of govern
ment experiments on farms
near Scottsbluff, Nebr., and
Huntley, Mont, were shown
demonstrating that manure in
creaSes the yields of potatoes,
sugar beets and oats. Alfalfa
grown in a crop rotation also
increased the production of
these crops, but it was more
effective in increasing yields of
oats and potatoes, while man.
ure has the greater value in in
creasing the production of su-
gar beets.
The value Of a ton of manure
applied to an acre of sugar
beetS is higher, it was pointed
out, when applied at the rate
of 6 tons an acre on both high
and low fertility fields than at
any other rate used in the ex-
periments. If the supply of ma
nure is limited, a greater re-
turn will result from a small
application per acre over a num-
Der of acres than if all of it is
spread on a few acres.
In another car those who
went through the exhibit train
learned that the marketing of
crops from a farm removes
much phosphate from the soil,
but that the marketing of crops
in the form of livestock carries
away much less phosphate. For
most crops, it was stated, phos-
phate should be applied by fer
tilizer attachments, down into
the soil moisture and close to
where the young plans will
grow.
The best way to find out if a
field needs phosphate or any
other fertilizer, it was said, Is
to treat a strip across a. field
with the fertilizer and watch
the result. Speakers pointed out
that phosphate not only in
creaseS crop yields but it in
creases the phosphorus or min
eral matter in hay or grain and
this is absolutely necessary for
the proper growth of livestock.
Phosphate often increases the
ability of alfalfa or sweet clo-
yer to fix nitrogen from the air
in the soil, thereby stimulating
crop growth.
It was shown that amoniated
phosphate actually increases
the yields of potatoes an av-
erage of 20 to 30 sacks to the
acre and improves their quail
ity. Phosphate used as a fer
tilizer for potatoes or other
crops also helps increase the
yield of the crop that follows.
Speakers declared that phos-
plate has increased the yields
of sugar beets from one to five
tons an acre on soils that were
low in phosphate. Black heart
blight Of sugar beets, it was
stated, is an indication of a
serious lack of phosphorus.
In another car of the Soil
Fertility train visitors saw sew
eral different types of farm
1udCIl11lcIy GlldG are uSGu III dp.
plying fertilizers to crops. Ex-
periments show that phosphate
fertilizer placed about two in
ches below sugar beet seed at
planting has increased beet
yields about SO per cent or
more than one-third.
The program IN the commun-
ity room of the courthouse in
the afternoon consisted of talks
by G. H. Bingham, Extension
Irrigation Specialist: Jack May
nard of the Great Western Su-
gar Company of Billings: and
Jesse Green, representative OF
the sales division of the Ana
conda Copper Company. Those
present totaled 100.
The attendance prize was won
by Pete Spomer and the essay
contest by LaRue Young, each
of whom was awarded a sack of
Treble Superphosphate by MIR.
Green.
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