Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 March 1912 — MAINTENANCE OF PRODUCTIVE SOILS AND PROFITABLE FARMING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MAINTENANCE OF PRODUCTIVE SOILS AND PROFITABLE FARMING

Judicious Use of Fertilizers in Rotation Systems, Homos Supply Has Been Kept Up Has Been Means of Making Many Eastern Farms Pay Good Returns—Methods of Culture. !

The maintenance of productive soils and profitable farming on the highpriced lands in the eastern section of the country is due largely to the Intel* llgent use of commercial fertilizers. This statement does not mean that re* liance on fertilizers alone has been the means of maintaining high crop yield, but that the judicious use of fertilizers in rotation systems, whereby the humus supply of the soil has been steadily maintained; has been the means of keeping the farm lands so productive. Plowing for corn or other early spring crops usually begins about March 20, or as early as the weather and soil conditions will permit. The object of plowing early is to allow the soil to be thoroughly compacted by spring rains so that the sod or stubble turned under may decay readily and good capillary circulation of soil moisture become established. Sodfor corn or potatoes Is plowed from six to nine inches deep. Where the top soil' is shallower than this it may be deepened by turning up one-half to one inch or so of subsoil at each plowing. The field is rolled or planked immediately after plowing to level the soil for harrowing and to prevent clod formations. Instead of rolling many farmers prefer to use a small, square seeding or smoothing harrow, such as Is shown in Fig. 1. The field Is then disk harrowed, lapping half In order to keep the field level, cross harrowing if necessary, until the soil Is fine and pulverized. The disk harrow is followed by a spike-toothed or other smoothing harrow. (Fig. 2.) The use of the spike-tooth harrow is repeated every week or ten days, especially after a rain, until the time of planting. If the soil is loose and dry the field should be rolled again and the

roller should be followed with a light harrow to prevent evaporation. Practically, all of, the barnyard mar nure is applied to the corn crop. The rate of application usually ranges from ten to fifteen tons per acre, depending upon the available supply. One successful farmer, whose fields yield 75 to 80 bushels of corn to the acre, never plows under manure even on sod, but spreads it in the spring after plowing and disk harrows It under. " When ten or more tons of manure are applied to the acre, most farmer* in this section consider it unnecessary to apply commercial fertilizer except on very poor land or where corn follows corn. Where fertilizer la used for corn, a few farmers follow the practice or applying to this crop 300 to 500 pounds of fertilizer contain, ing three to four per cent .of nitrogen, eight to ten per cent, of phosphorte acid, and ten per cent of potash. Other faripers appear to be getting aa good results with corn by applying a fertilizer containing two to three per cent of nitrogen, eight to ten per cent, of available phosphoric acid, and four to six per cent of potash, especially in connection with an application of eight or more tons of barnyard mo nure. Where either crimson clover or hairy vetch, or both, are turned under as green manure, the practice among successful farmers who plant winter cover crops for green manure indicates that as good yields of com are obtained as from an application of eight to ten tons of barnyard manure. Moreover, where these green manure crops are regularly grown the nitro gen in the commercial fertilizer may be considerably reduced. If not entirely omitted. ,

Fig. 1.—A Smoothing Harrow for Use I mmedlately After Plowing and to Be Followed by the Pulverizing Harrow.

Fig. 2—Harrow for Smoothing and Leveling the Soil Behind tho Plow.