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Show Food For Bugs And Microbes Keeps Good Soil To keep good soil from becoming becom-ing poor soil, some trash, hay or manure has to be left on the ground. Some people will call it organic matter when they are trying try-ing to talk over your head, but the soil doesn't care what you call it, just as long as it is food for bugs and microbes. Bugs and microbes keep any soil loose and open and dig the fertility ferti-lity out of the soil grains. E. A. Brush on his farm south of Delta was tellnig how he keeps up his supply of bug food on the alfalfa fields he leaves for seed. He sprays the fields with something some-thing to kill lal the plants, including includ-ing the alfalfa when the seed is ripe. Then when the plants are dry, he picks up the seed with a combine, and all the chaff is left all over the fied for the bugs. There are other advantages, too. "There is no more trouble trying to find ia crew," Mr. Brush said, "two men can do it all. One on the combine and one handling the seeds sacks. And the wind does not stop the work." Then he explained how he and his son estimated that to cut, rake, haul and thresh an acre of alfalfa seed would cost about $23, w:hile the actiual cost of spraying and combining was only $13 per acre. And just think of all the bug food left there. Finally he exulted, "and no threshers for my wife to feed." Speaking of food for micrrobes, Mel Sharp said, "Men used to say that spreading manure would ruin good farm land. But that was before be-fore they got those mechanical manure loaders." By Justin M. ' Smith |