Show 7 f i y y ALFALFA AND BEETS BEST AND CHEAPEST WAY OF fertilizing SOIL practical methods of preparation by which the farmer may acquire piece of land upon which he may raise three successive crops As I 1 see it the thing most needed Is the fertilization of the soils that they may be brought to a high state of production says mark austin in den ver field and farm no doubt many of us realize that it Is impossible to take something from the soil that it does not contain in other words we cannot hope to continually make a draft upon mother earth unless we make a deposit any more than we could upon the successful banks of our country neither could we hope to get successful work from our ani mals unless they are properly fed tor we could not urge them beyond their strength and furthermore we would not care to do so the best and cheapest method of fertilizing and one that Is possible to use in a large nay here in the arid region is the one we should study out I 1 find after three years of expert mental work that alfalfa is one of the most tasting and cheapest methods of fertilizing that we have found and while we have tried to use this in a great many ways for the preparation of the boll tor the raising of sugar beets I 1 have come to the conclusion that the plowing under of the first crop during june having the soil moist and in excellent condition tor plowing and seeing that it Is plowed proper depth with regard to the kind and condition of the soil and grevl ous plowing about eight to ten inches deep and then see to it that every root of the alfalfa Is out and that all the green foliage Is properly covered and thoroughly turning the soil and immediately running a smoother over it so that it will re tain the moisture la the best mode of procedure then the soil may lay fallow until say towards tall and just before aeeti harvest about an inch to an inch and a halt deeper than the pre alous plowing thoroughly turning the soil again and see to it that the plow ing is well done in the spring tol lowing all that would be required would be proper harrowing and pul of the surface planting of beets as soon in the spring as the condition of the weather and season will permit during the last three years we haye begun planting about the ath to the of april and as a general rule our beets planted early have been the best instead of lying fallow after the plowing potatoes could be grown upon the land plant ing immediately after the plowing Is done by taking a shovel plow and I 1 opening a shallow furrow dropping the potatoes from about three to four inches deep then covering immediate ly by running a plank leveler or pota to cultivator over while the ground s moist so that the potatoes will be gin to grow at once the best method however would be be to use a potato seeder as the work can be done properly then the ground should be cultivated in a week or ten days after the potatoes arc planted and the ground should be thor hughly stirred irom 12 to 15 days until the time arrives for irrigation and in this way the weeds will be kept down and the potatoes assisted in growth the potato crop would pay the expense of the preparation of the soil and would leave the ground in excel lent condition for sugar beets pota docs do not extract the same elements of plant food from the soil that beeta do either of these preparations will give the farmer a piece of land upon which he may raise three successive crops 0 sugar beets |