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Show I DIVERSIFO CROPS H -Or, the Importance of Crop Rotation H for the Irrigation Farmer. M i)y W. II. OLIN, Dlroclor of Agrtcul" H turol Kxtonnlon, University H of Idaho. BBBj -i - H Orojjon flliort Lino Demonstration H aVnln Jjecturo. H laele of Success. H The basis of farm success In organ H Jifttlon, nystom on th'o farm; the H basis' of organization on tho fnrm Ib H crop mnnriBonient; on tho successful H management of tho crop largely rest H those flvo fundamentals: H 1. Economy of Business. M 2. Maintenance of Uoll Fortuity. m 3. ProducUvlty of tho Soil. H 4. Sulislslonco for Livestock. H S, Farm Profits at end of Honson. H The tenn "notation of Cropn" la H used to dcslgnato a system of crops H which rIto a recurring succession of H flold plants with dlfforlug plant food H requisites. Hj Reasons for Rotation. H The primary purpoacn of a crop ro H tatlon are 1st, Prevention of "Crop H flick" soils, the result of continuous B cultivation of the same crop for a po-' H rlod of yearn; 2nd, Tho elimination of M weeds, Insect posts and crop disomies: H 8N, Increase in tho productivity of M tho field crops by conserving tho poll M fertility. i H First Irrigated Crop. H Tho first crop to ho Krown in any M appreciable dogroo "undor tho ditch" m was wheat. 'Wheat followed whoat m year After year on tho river plain B farms of Utah and Idaho until In fl some lnstancen the yield of grain foil B 25 and even GO pur cent bolow what H It first riwo tho farmer. This waa fl on comparatively virgin (toll which I H we think Id rich an cream. "Why la Hl this? Fending at tho samo depth on H tho samn plant food clomontH absorb H the roadlly avallabln plant food of B thU particular element so this class H of plants In thou sparingly fed. Like H b starved pig, It cannot mnko its H owner the profits tho wolt foil ones1 All plant do not feed alike. Thoy B either use different foods or tho same K food from different depths, There. H fore, plautB feeding At different to depths of soil, although they may use p' the name food olutiii'nts, tho deeper H feeding plants can follow tho shallow H ffMidnrs without serious Immediate L -sVHlW 1om' "Jm,uh evB(uJlY, tifJN the Bsp1f,i, iibsorbHl' food lomMtiT he rstorMt, the ayallalile plant food will hecomo m- exhausted and the soil will thoroforo .. be Impoverished. H k The Uivoi--p who continues to H draw his money from tho bank with H out making dopostta will at lust find 1 , his chooks returned marked "short." B No bank will permit continued over. H drafts. Wo should not bo taking oft nit tho time, without putting back tho H fond olomonts upon which plants H food, eomo of tho thno. It wo do, we H hnvo iv crop nick uoll that does not H "pay Its ohnckii" for want of funds H tho available food olonumts that have H boon taken through provlous with. H drawala. H Our Utah and Idaho noils aro either Hj ot granltla or volcnnlo rock formation. H Theso soils iieem to hold an utmnd H anew ot potash, a roanotmblo amotint H of phosphatos, a limited amount ot H nitrates, abundnuco of lime, but a Hj croat deficiency in organic mnttor H oammanly known as humus. Hero H urn tho oKsoutlals wo need in those H soils; thoy coustltuto tho soil barom- B oter nlnco tho lessoned umount of any H one of theso will most seriously at- H feet the general crop culture. Humus H not only Increases tho water holding H capacity of tho soil but It also carrloa H an appreciable amount ot nitrates. H Honco wo need, early in our cropping, H to got humus in the soil. Food the H soil constantly, that It may, In turn, H food our crops. How may wo do thltt? H Uy growing cropn that tend to storo H what little humuH wo have with nltro- H gon, while It Increases tho humus H content of the soil. Those nro legume H crops alfalfa, beans, pens, nlslko, rod H clover ami vetches coustltuto the lo H gutno family groupwhich have H proven profttnbto for us to grow in H the west. Choose tho ono that Is best H adapted to yovir farm environment, H and you fool will grow you tho most H dollars. Ciivo it ft permanent place H In your fluid crops. H Those plnutn soom to have tho po- H cullar property ot utUUlng the free H nltroRon of tho air and thus storo nl H tratos In tho soil, and accumulate hu H mus, tho ono thing our soils soom H most to need. How Is this done? H -ThrouKh a most peculiar little family H of lower organisms known as bao- B "trlsi. which grow on tho root hairs H and ttuy rootlets of the root systum H of theso legume plants. This croat ea, H as it wore, a fever In that particular H part ot tho plant, calling for more air B and more water. In n ohomlcal pro B coss not easily understood, the free H nitrogen obtained from the surround- H lng air Is worked Into nltratos aiill- H able to suococdlng plant life. H I'oronnlal legumes nrv always deep B feeders, bringing a part ot their mlu- B oral food from soil depths bolow the H feeding ground of ordinary crops. B This value to succeeding crops is 1 shown In tho opening parngniph to H Gohurn's Alfalfa: There are some j sllditt sulk-uollors that, do their work with eae and In their way, H mgrt iuTetillvv cbau a.v ti or p.ow t vt.i- iiitvtioo. tno wovi-f piniu In righteously famed ns ono of theso, but alfalfa In Its superior. Itn roots work flunday as well as Saturday, night and day. they strlko 6, 10, in or 20 feet deep, making Innumorablo perforations, while storing up nltro gen, and when theso roots decay they leave not only a goneroun Bupply of fertility for any desired crop, bul millions mil-lions of openings into which the airs and rains of heaven find their way, sad help to constitute an unfailing reservoir of wealth, upon which tno Busbaudmnn can draw with Uttlo fear ef pretest or overdrafts." PnifsBor nufTutn, nomo years ago at dfio Wyoming Kxporiment Station, niH.de n test showing the gain en alfalfa al-falfa ground for small grain and po-iHttK's po-iHttK's over the namo typo of soil where alfalfa was not grown. His re-nulls re-nulls obtained aro hero given. Wheat, gain In bushel per Bcre, 12; gain in valuo of harvested crop (local prlceB), 110.00, Oats, gain In hushei per acre, 41; gain In aero valuo of harvested crop (local priced), $10.00. Potatoes, gain in bushel per aero, 20; gain in acre valuo of harvested crop (local prices), $10.00. Therefore, get tho land Into a legume le-gume of some kind, alfalfa, vetch or flold pea, as noon as you can that it may bo bettor prepared for succenn-ful succenn-ful and profitable after crops. In case tho farmer Is in doubt Just; what crop to put In, ho will make no mistake to seed down to alfalfa while ho In planning out tho crop rotation I that liln environment would seem to Indicate best for him to adopt, Rotation Destroys Weeds. The elimination of weeds in of- fectunlly accomplished by tho introduction intro-duction of cultivated cropn like potatoes, po-tatoes, ntock routs, nugar beets, field I hearts and truck gardening crops, The irrigation ditch in oven a greator car- I rlor of weeds than -tho winds. Whore an ontlro Irrigation district adopts the prnctlco of crop rotation and cutting ditch and canal bank woods, thoy can bo, and aro, exterminated, Most oi our worst weed postB aro annual and whan nil users ot -a given ditch prac tlco a good crop rotation tho wood qouBtlon In eolvod, Get Station Bulletins. Uocauso wood and Insect posts as well an fungus diseases aro fully dls-cuiiHod dls-cuiiHod in Btntlon bullotlns which can be had by addressing tho director of your atato experiment station, I shall pubs up any dlscusulon of thorn. ! Rotation Fundamentals. I lo t us now consider the fundamental fundamen-tal which wo should concorn our-solvon our-solvon with, In adopting a rotation for our Irrigated lands, where wo cannot afford to grow many cheap forago or grass crops, unless upon said farm wo can contort those cheaper crops Into moro remunerative meat, dairy or. poultry products. 1. All. phjuUAjtaulvto. exhRiisUtUo, soil, ipiey r.bstract some ono or more fond elements to the full amount of availability. 2. All plants do not oxhatiBt tho soli in tho samo way and manner equally. II Plants grown conBtnntly or con tinuously on tho samo Hold favor tho spread ot insect posts and certain plant dlsonsos. 1. Somo plants, by mothods of till-ago, till-ago, aro favorable to wood growth, while others are not. n. PlautB differ .In habits ot root growth. G. All logumca nro soil bulldors and soil renovators. 7 Somo form of Btoclc raising, combined with crop growing, will fur nlsh manure tor making humus and building up tho onll. Tho old English ndago "No grass no eattlo; no cattlo no manure; no manuro, no grass," 1b 'true, ovorywhoro. j Rotation on Irrigated Lands. j Every rotation on tho Irrigated land In this region should contain: 1st, At loast one money or cash I orop; 2nd, At loast one cultivated orop; 3rd, At lotnt ono legumo crop; 4th, At least one live stock or feeding feed-ing crop; Gth, Theso shou'd bo bo grouped as to most economically dlstrlbuto farm labor throughout tho year. Gth. So arrange tho rotation that tho farm cab turn cheap and bulky foods into milk, poultry or moat products. pro-ducts. 7th, Thus mnko factory methods on , tho fnrm, turn ordinary waBto products pro-ducts Into profits, , Tho meat packer so utlllzos tho 1 calf, iRmb and pig that now fhoro Is nothing lost but tho bint and the squeal. ' Tho adoption of a deflnlto crop ro tatlon and the practice of factory methods on tho farm will stop tho loakH which now reduce tho profits and tremendously Improve tho quality while It Increases tho quantity of tho , output of every farm In this district 1 know an Irr'gutod farm In tho Kocklrs whero tho suKgosted method named nbovo la followed and tho ro turns for tho period or their crop rotation ro-tation of six years, which I checked up last yor. averaged $100 gross par aeit crop per season. Do not be sat lsfled until you fool you have worked out n won rotation adptod to your soil climate and market environment and that rotation Is averaging you a Ki return of $10 por noro orop per season. Conclusion. I Thoroforo, in closing, permit mo to say, study your farm soil and make your crop rotation Improve rather than impoverish your land. Then you omu never be accused ot being a s !' robber and leave tohluH you a depM ed soil. Wo must get our brea-l :.r.d butter for today, but wo stouM r way have a eyo c tomorrow's sup y. Nature lies been prod!4 with us, tiattar u far rem.-!- - I . Wo nroth' stewards of thfs heritage , no wo nnpuld use, but not abuse, cur inherJtancftr. Yea, wo should do moro. i We nheHl ,pans the farm on to our t posterity Jwprorcd In every way so : tho neict tfe neratlon can truthfully cay ot th , one, the farms are bettor for their nWylng lived on them. I This miilng brains with the noil, enriches the farm, makes country I home Inviting and farm life attrnc- tiro, healthful and remunerative. |