tt1
Garden
VOL. T.XTTT
in
edtest e
9 1908
INDIANAPOLIS  OCT   10  1908.
NO. 41
TIH3
—
Our Greatest Asset.
Editors Indiana  Farmer:
In the great conference of Governors,
at Washington, recently, Secretary Wilson, of the National Department of Agriculture, used the following language: "The
soil is our greatest asset, and we are doing all in our power to exhaust it as rapidly as possible."
A great truth and a lamentable fact are
both expressed in this single sentence.
The Secretary showed that no country in
the world was spending so much for the
improvement of agriculture as was yearly
being devoted to this purpose by our national and State Governments. Lest
this fact serve to continue the complacency with which we have here-to-fore regarded all warnings against the results
of our national improvidence, an equally
forceful statement made by another
speaker at this same conference may appropriately be placed beside that of the
Secretary. Mr. J. J. Hill, in speaking
of this rapid exhaustion of the soil by our
wasteful system of farming said: "No
civilized country in the world, with the
exception of Russia, has so low a condition or so wasteful a system of agriculture."
If any proof of this unpleasant condition was needed it is found in the fact
that though our wasteful and irrational
methods of farming have in a few generations nearly exhausted the original great
fertility of the American Continent, there
are many other countries where long centuries of a more provident agriculture
have maintained the original fertility of
the soils.
In the interesting address of Secretary
Wilson one fact stands out as of great
practical importance. It must be borne
ip mind that he is the official head of the
greatest and most effective system of agricultural investigation and assitance in the
world. He and his department have
never been slow in presenting their claim
for public recognition or for actual
achievement. Yet notwithstanding all
that expensive scientific effort, notwithstanding all the advocacy of improved
methods, all the introduction of new
plants and crops, notwithstanding all the
claims advocated for soil inoculation, the
Secretary has but two suggestions to
make for the saving and economical use
of our "greatest asset"—the soil. With
all the resources at his command, he has
nothing new to offer. He falls back on
the old and tried practice of "rotation and
fertilization."
Our greatest asset is the soil. It feeds
our- people and produces the exports
which maintain our balance of trade. It
keeps our railroads busy, the factories occupied and the greater part of the people
employed. This asset, this great natnral resource, is being steadily depleted.
It is constantly growing less productive.
trnless a radical change in present methods be made and the end of all the pros-
rerity founded on the soil is a matter of
cnly a fiw years.
How is this calamity, almost in sight,
to be averted? This question deserves
the thoughtful consiaaeration of every citi-
zpn. It should become the key to the
Practice on every farm. It is one of the
most vital problems considered at the recent remarkable conference.
The answer to the quesiton is found in
*he simple practice of rotation and fertilizing."
Rotation—change of crops—conserves
fertility by allowing the soil to recuperate
from the exhausting effects of one crop
"Wore producing nnother    of the    same
kind. Fertilizing either restores the
plant food taken from the soil, or directly
supplies the needs of the crop. In either case the result is to prevent soil exhaustion.
The importance of rotation being recognized, the necessity for including a legume—air feeder—in every rotation should
be insisted on. With many crops this
eliminates the need for supplying nitrogen
in the fertilizer.
There remain bnt two other substances
to be supplied to the soil to maintain it as
our greatest asset,—phosphoric acid and
potash.
The average crop removes fully twice
as much potash as phosphoric acid from
tion to the manner of application and distribution of nny commercial fertilizer we
may select to use. It is highly important that its distribution be such that the
roots of every plant may come in contact
with it at once after germination takes
place. This means that it must be evenly and thinly spread at a depth equal to
the seeding, a condition most satisfactorily brought about through the use of a fertilizer drill. Hand sowing and harrow
ing in will usually givegood results, but !s
not as advisable where the former method
can be followed. In this way small
amounts of fertilizer can be used with the
assurance that it will be properly distributed.
cates sufficient nitrogen in the soil but a
li>ck of available mineral elements. The
application of 200 pounds of acid phosphate and 3 pounds of muriate of potash
per acre would undobutedly prove very
profitable under these conditions and
would be well worth trying, as would also
the complete fertilizer where the grain
crops show more nearly the average soii
condition. H. E. Young.
the soil. The sources of supply of the
latter are very mueh greater than the
former. It therefore follows that a
more intelligent use of potash is absolutely necessary to the continued maintaining
of our ''greatest asset."
H. B. Stockbridge.
Profit in Fertilizing Wheat.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The past season has demonstrated that
even in good wheat years, when fields
without special treatment plrove profitable,
the application of fertilizer pays. If such
can be said of the practice in such years
as these then how much more can be
legitimately claimed for it in years when
the general crop proves a failure. Then
it is that the greatest benefit from its application is recognized.
One of the chief functions of the commercial fertilizer with wheat is to furnish
the young plants with plenty of available
plant food right at the start, enabling
them to make a rapid, vigorous growth ft
the time when it will mean most to the
later development of the plants. With
such a start the roots soon reach down
into the soil where they may gather food
from the less available sources and there
is no standing still of the plants just after germination, as is often the case
where no fertilizer is nsed. The most
perfectly prepared seed bed will not present the conditions for the most rapid
growth unless there is plenty of available
plant food near the surface where the
first formed rootlets can readily find it.
And! right here do we also find the reason
for the necessity of giving special atten-
As with fertilizers for other crops, the
selection of the particular mixture to use
for wheat is often a quandary, especially
to those farmers to whom the use of the
commercial product is new. Just what
is the best formula to use depends almost entirely upon the condition of the
particular soil upon which the crop is to
be grown. This, of course, can only
be determined by a close study of the
plant growth thereon, supplemented by
actual experiment with various fertilizers.
But for all practical purposes it is well
enough to arrive at a starting point by
a trial of an average grain fertilizer as
recommemled for ordinary soils. After
mailing such a trial it is time enough for
one to concern himself with the proposition of finding out just what is best for
special soil conditions.
For ordinary good wheat lands a fertilizer having a formula of about 2-8-6 will
be fouud to give good results when applied at the rate of from 200 to 600
pounds per acre. This, of course, is understood to mean one showing 2 per cent
of nitrogen, 8 per cent of available phosphoric acid and 6 per cent of actual potash. A mixture of this kind furnishes
the required elements in about the right
proposition to be most useful to the wheat
plants under average soil conditions.
There may be special cases where some
other mixture would come nearer giving
the best results. For instance, on soil
where the straw yield is too heaby in proportion to the yield of grain it would be
better to use a fertilizer carrying no nitrogen. The excessive growth of straw
in proportion to graia   development   indi-
Crimson Clover.
Editors Indiana   Farmer:
During the past few years I have had
brought to my notice several examples ol
the wouderful renovating power and the
feeding value of the crimson clover. Ia
some sections of    the   country the    plant
s not succeed, because of the
cold. This variety of clover is more apt
to winter-kill than the common red clover,
l.ut it is well worth the trial, where there
is a possibility of its thriving. In this lo-
crlity (Northern Ohio) I have seen som*
very fine fields of this plant and have been
much interested in the results of feeding
it to stock, as well as noting the great
beneficial eFect upon poor, wornout soi^s.
The see.l of the crimson clover is large*
than the red clover and is oval in shape.
New seed has a high polish and is of a
bright, reddish yellow color; as it becomes
older it changes to a reddish brown, then
loses its polish and becomes a dull, dark
brown.    Let such seed alone.
The crimson clover should be seeded at
the rate of 12 to 15 lbs. per aere, either
broadcast or with the drill. We usually
broadcast ours in the potato or corn after
the last cultivation and do not cover. If
ii is to occupy the ground alone, slightly
harrow or roll it in. We sow the seed between July 15th and September 15th, but
m the South it should not be sown before
August 15th. It will then mature the following spring from three to four weeks before the red clovers. As soon as it comes
into full bloom it should be cut, if wanted
for hay, as the matured blooms are injurious to stock. Crimson clover thrives in
a lighter, sandier soil thnn any other clover and it reqireg but little humus, and
comparatively little moisture. It is of
great value as a green manure upon poor
soils and a rank growth quite insures a
satisfactory succeeding crop. If the soil
is not already fertile, it will pay well t>.
apply 600 pounds per acre of mineral fertilizers containing 9 per cent actual pot- £j_-
ash and 8 per cent available phosphorie
acid, and on very poor soils the addition
of one or two per cent nitrogen will make Kr
the catch more certain. The fertilizer
can easily be broadcasted by lowering tho
hand through thegrowing crops, if it is desired to grow the clover there.
The amount of fertilizer may seem excessive, but not when we recollect that
not all of the material possesses fertilizing
value. All clover soils must contain n
oonsiderabe amount of potash, as well as
phosphoric acid and lime. If the soil is
made rich so that the clover roots are able
to penetrate to a good depth before freez
ing weather, we are pretty sure of a good
crop the following spring and do not look
foi winter-killing. Stock for fattenin;.-
ond milch cows make great returns when
led crimson clover hay.
Ohio. E. A. Season.
A GREAT HELP.
I have been a reader of the Indiaim
Farmer for two years and like it very
much. I don't see how I kept house
without it. It is a great help to me in
different things. Mrs. H. C.
—Thank you, very much.