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Show To the Farmers of West Millard County THE soils of the west end of Millard County show tendencies to bake at the Burface. This is due, in all probability, to the large amount of sodium salts that are present in the waters of Sevier river, which waters are used for Irrigation purposes in this region. Sodium salts destroy granulation. They make each particle of the granule function Independently, and, when water Is applied, the small particles flow into the air spaces between the large particles, and thus puddle the soil. This occurs after rains and irrigations. This problem constitutes one peculiar to this region. It need not alarm us, however, if we will use the more progressive methods of farming advocated by successful farmers of many years' experience, and by men who have made a special study of the problems of our soils.' The soils of this county will yield abundant harvests if we will "plow In the fall, practice a system of crop rotation, apply geen manure and farm manure, and keep on our farms dairy animals to take care of the corn crop and furnish manure to the land. Pall Plowing. Soils plowed in the fall have every part of their mass expose, to the winter elements. The frost particles break up the cloddy tendencies (that develop due to irrigation; the wetting and drying process of the late fall and early springtime redistribute the substances within the soil mass in such a way as to make for favorable, granulation; plant food elements become dissolved; the physical condition becomes so improved, that temperature tem-perature and air adjustments stimulate bacterial activity to a very large degree. All these things are necessary in order to make the soil a better medium for plant growth. Without these, crops will not develop profitably. 'We put the bounteous harvest chances in our favor when we plow our soils In the fall. . - ' ' Manures. Bacteria are organisms that must have energy Just the same as you and I. The bread and butter which we eat gives to us warmth to our bodies and energy to do our work. The bacteria make the same call upon nature as you and I. The energy material, chemically speaking, consists of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. This is found in manures. This is bread and butter to the bacteria. Deprive the soil of humus and you deprive de-prive it of bacteria. They starve to death, and it is questionable whether or not the soil will continue to produce plants if bacteria are absent. The organisms make available the various plant nutrients and produce a gaseous and chemical condition favorable to plant production. Experiments produced in Nebraska, South Dakota and Montana have hown that beets grown continuously without manure averaged 13.39 tons per acre, while beets grown with manure averaged 17.26 tons per acre., An average of four years' experiments at the Utah Station at Logan have shown that beets grown without manure averaged 6.9 4 tons per acre, and with manure applied ten tons yearly the production was 19.75 tons per acre. We-must apply manure to our ground If we want to grow crops. It Is much better to apply a thin coat of manure yearly over a large creage than to apply a heavy coat over small areas at intervals of several years, At the Ohio Station, where manure was applied at the rate of twenty tons to the acre once In four years, eaoh ton of manure caused an Increase of two buBhels of corn to the acre. When ten tons was applied once In two years, each ton of manure caused an Increase of four bushels per acre. When five tons was applied every year, each ton of manure caused an Increase of eight bushels of corn per acre. It pays to spread a little over a large area. If farm manures are not available, then it becomes necessary to ln-corporate ln-corporate the soils with green manures; green crops such as rye, sweet clover, or alfalfa, turned under the soil and allowed to decompose. There n are a number of records on hand wherein green manures have proved more proltable than barnyard manure. There is more energy locked up 1 for bacterial use. Crop Rotation, j Instances are numerous wherein the same crop grown continuously on the same soil, has continued to yield less and less as the years have gone by. This is in all probability due to several things: 1 The byproducts by-products sluffed off by the roots are destructive to the plants In question. 2 Plants often make an exhaustive draw upon some one plant nutrient in the, soil. 3 The plants may be shallow rooted or deep rooted and deplete de-plete the soil of Immediately available foods In their particular region. 4 The type of bacteria related to the crop grown continuously becomes so weak, due to constant effort, that they fail to perform their part in the production of a crop. 5 The continued growing of one crop encourage? the development of dieases pecular to the plants in question. , Some plants prepare the soil for the crop that follows. They leave a new type of bacteria, a good supply of organic matter, and leave the soil In such a splendid condition physically that the crop following grows abundantly. In Minnesota a continuous growing of grain caused the greatest loss of humus compared to any other crop. Beets grown continuously con-tinuously caused the least los3 of humus. No crop will put a soil in a better condition for beets than will potatoes. A continuous growth of wheat will' get less every year, but If wheat follows beets it will yield abundantly. If wheat precedes beets the crop will not be nearly so good as if potatoes precede beets. In "Mlnneosta a two year rotation without manure with potatoes and sugar "beets yielded a beet crop of 11.6 tons to the acre. When wheat preceded the sugar beets Instead of the potatoes, the yield was only. 9 . 8 tons. If alfalfa was grown in the rotation for two years, then followed by potatoes, then beets, the yield was 17.5 tons. There la a certain ordtfr that must be followed In practicing a system of crop rotation. rota-tion. The best rotation as I see It for this region is as follows: Alfalfa five to eight years, followed by corn for the silo one year, potatoes one year, sugar beets two years, grain one year as a nurse crop for alfalfa. Five to ten tons of manure should be applied to the sugar beets each year. This will meet the fertilizer needs of the soil in such a way that very large harvests will beforthcoming. Potatoes, perhaps, would not do well in some sections at the present time. If not, then eliminate this from the rotation and take the crops in the order given. After the soil is bulit up, potatoes will do as well as the other crops, , Dairy Animals. It will be recognized that corn is a part of the recommended rotation. I would suggest that corn be grown for the silo. Manure Is needed and cows will produce that manure. Every forty to sixty acre farm ought to be provided with, eight to ten milk cows. They make an economical use - of much fod material that otherwise would be wasted; furnish the family with a monthly pay check, and, above all things else, furnish fertility for the soils. At the Iowa Experiment Station, experiments were performed for the purpose of finding what effect cows had upon the fertility of the soil, and It was found that the land after five years produced two and one-fifth one-fifth tons of hay compared to one and one-fifth tons on land where no cows had been allowed to roam after harvesting the crop each year. Fifty-two bushels of corn were produced on land where the animals were kept, as against thirty-eight bushels on land where- they were not. The effect of the manure is very great indeed. A cow weighing about 900 pounds will produce fifty-two pounds of manure per day, liquid and solid. This makes nine and one-half tons per year. When one considers the straw used for bedding eight to ten cows, it is plainly in evidence that the fertility to the solf would be enormous.- If a farmer is' in business to stay and to get all there Is In it, the greatest key to his success is fertility. Its source is the by-product of the dairy animal. Silos. The silo Is another money saver. It saves easily 40 of the corn crop that would otherwise be wasted when the corn Is husked and the Btalkf left for pasturage for the cow. It also furnshes to the cow an all-the-year pasture, the secret of good milk flow. Conclusion, Farmers of west Millard County: If we do anything we ought to do It well. Life is too short to waste It in excessive labor that brings but small returns. Some of the things I have said Involve no financial outlay, while some of It does, but It Is well worth the effort. The returns would be 100 on money Invested. The drains as they are now being Installed will take care of the water-logged and alkaline conditltion of our lands. The baking tendency due to the salt content of the waters used, will not trouble us if we will but exercise the principles of soil fertility as advocated In the above writing. writ-ing. It is to the advantage of every organization in our region to push this question and push It hard. If we don't, it will be a stumbling block to our progress. Let us all get together and farm with a purpose , crowd things vigorously, and our dreams of a wonderful agricultural region will be realized. THOMAS L. MARTIN, f Soil Specialist, |