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Show Humus Our Greatest GreatestSoil GreatestSoil GreatestSoil Soil Need NeedBy - By Thomas L Martin MartinAgronomist MartinAgronomist MartinAgronomist Agronomist B Y UniversityPublished University Umverslty UniversityPublished ( Published by the tine general L LD LD LD D S Church welfare com corn commlttee cornmittee cornmittee better betterfarm betterfarm betterfarm mlttee mittee : in m the Interest of farm and aDd home practices ) Men in days gone by have oc occaslonallY oceasionally occaslonally caslonallY easionally become discouraged with withcondItions withconditions witconditions condItions because soils sorls would not notproduce notproduce ncproduce produce as they should Wllters Writers Wllterswould Writerswould Wilterwould would tend to nullify this dtscour- dtscour discour- discour dtscouragemcnt discouragement discouragemcnt - agemcnt agement by ridiculing the idea of ofthe ofthe cthe the land lands sever s ever w " wearing "earmg earmg earing out SOme SOmeold Someold Somold old Roman Senator quoted on one oneoccasion onoccasion occasion It is neither just nor nortrue notrue i itrue true to think that the material materral of ofthe cthe ! the ground which the Creator of ofthe ofthe cthe the universe endowed with perpetu perpetual perpetuI al fecundity is effected , with barren- barren barrenness barrenness barrenness - ness nor does it become a wise man manto ma ; to believe beheve that the earth with withdefinite a adefinite definite and everlasting everlMting youth be- be bestowed bestowed - stowed upon it 1t and called the com coin common coinmon cornmon mon parent parent- parentof . - , of all things thmgs sho\1ld sho 1ld should sho1ldgrow shouldgrow shoulgrow \ grow old like a woman Such Suchcommpnts Suchcomments Suecommpnts commpnts comments as this thts no doubt stirred stirredthe stirredthe stirrethe the farmer to renewed efforts He Hewould Hewould Hwould would follow Instructions and produee produce pro duee duce results I Thf ThP The same condition prevails now nowThere nowThere nowThere There are a numbel number of things one onecan onecan onecan can do to Improve the situation situationSuppo situationSuppo situationSuppo Suppo e a rotation Is practiced more morevi morevigorously morevigorousli vi vigorously roush better yields would be beproduced beproduced beproduced produced The diseases so common commonto commonto commonto to fields cannot develop if crops cropsare cropsare cropsare are changed Beets should not be begrown begrown begrown grown more than two years in 111 suc sue succession suecession suecession cession Beets tor for two years follw- follw follwed follwed follw-ed follw ed - - ed by grain as a . nurse crop for al alfaUa alfalfa alfalfa faUa falfa then alfalfa grown five years yearsand yearsand yearsand and plowed up and the land plant planted planted planted ed to corn com and potatoes followed followedby followedby followedby by beets again will so change the theland theland theland land that it will take on renewed renewedvigor renewedvigor renewedvigor vigor Manure should be applied to tothe tothe tothe the alfalfa corn potat potatoes Jes < and sugar sugarbeets sugarbeets sugarbeets beets The land " would "auld auld need to te be beplowed beplowed beplowed plowed but three years out of the theten theten theten ten year rotation It has been beenlearned beenlearned beenlearned learned that continual contmual cultivation cultivationbreaks cultivationbreaks cultivationbreaks breaks down the structure of the thesoil thesoil thesoil soil and makes it possible for the thevigorous thevigorous thevigorous vigorous winds wmds so common here to tocarry tocarry tocarry carry away the surface layers But Butreducmg Butreducing Butreducing reducmg reducing the numbers of ploWlngs plowings ploWlngsover plowingsover plowingsover over the ten iear Sear ear period perrod prevents preventsthts preventsthis preventsthis thts this tendency to wind wmd erosionIn erosion erosionIn In addition to the above benefits benefitsfrom benefitsfrom benefitsfrom from rotation it will be found that thatdiseases thatdiseases thatdiseases diseases are better controlled the theplant theplant theplant plant food supply is equalized equahzed less lesslabor lesslabor lesslabor labor is needed and it is better dis distributed distributed distributed tributed through the season the theoil theoil theoil oil increases mcreases in 111 fertility fert11lty it is also alsoeasier alsoeasier alsoeasier easier to WOI woik k and above all the thedlscourag thediscourag thediscourag dlscourag discourag ! ng features of a poor poorso11 poorsoil poorsoil so11 soil are eliminated elimmated The growmg growing growmgboy growingboy growingboy boy and parents too will begin to tofeel tofeel tofeel feel that after all farming farmmg is not so sobad sobad sobad bad and a new spirit splnt in m agncul agricul agnculture agriculture agnculure ture ; will permeate the community communitylargely communitylargely communitylargely largely because this fine s system ) stem of ofI ofpermanent ofpermanent ofermanent I permanent ? soil fertility fertrllty will nave have navetaken havetaken havetaken taken hod again |