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HOME COURSE
IN SCIENTIFIC
AGRICULTURE
THIRTEENTH ARTICLE.
SOIL RENOVATION.
By W. J. SPUXMAN. Arrkoltarist la
Cbarfe ol Finn Minatenwiit io
vtstltatloas, tailed States De
I partmect of Afrkaltare.
THERE U a Tast difference In
ths natural fertility of soils.
Some do not produce well from
the itart unless special atten
tion la given to making them produc
tive, others produce large crops for a
short time and then rapidly diminish
In fertility, while others, known as
strong soils, remain productive for
many years without attention to their
fertility. But even the strongest solla
will wer out In time unless they are
intelligently managed.
riants in their growth make use of
thirteen chemical elements, nine of
which they secure directly from the
solL These are called the mineral
plant foods. They are phosphorus, po
tassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium.
Iron, silicon, chlorine snd sulphur.
The growing plant requires four oth
er elements, as follows: Hydrogen,
which it secures from water; oxygen,
which It secures partly from water
and partly from the air: carbon, which
Is secured from carbonic acid gas in
the air. and nitrogen.
Nitrogen is In many respects the
most important of all the plant food
elements. It Is not found In apprecia
ble quantities In the rock particles of
the soil. Ordinary plants depend for
their nitrogen entirely on decaying or
ganic matter. As decay proceeds nl-
Photo by Delaware agricultural experi
ment station.
THE SOT BEAN, A GOOD SOIL BUILDER
trates are formed from the nitrogen
contained In organic matter. The ni
trates are exceedingly soluble, and un
less soon made use of by growing
crops they are washed out of the solL
Nitrogen Is therefore usually the first
element to become exhausted.
Fortunately there are certain species
of bacteria that can use atmospheric
nitrogen, of which there Is an Inex
haustible supply. One family of
plants, the legumes, has learned to ex
change work with these bacteria, and
these plants are thus easily supplied
with an abundance of nitrogen in a
form they can use. When these nitro
gen fixing bacteria are present in a
eoll on which a leguminous crop Is
growing the bacteria Invade the roots
of the legume and live there. Their
presence is usually made manifest by
swellings the so called tuljercles on
the roots of thrifty plants of clover,
alfalfa, beans, pens and other legumes.
The tissues of leguminous plants be
come very rich in nitrogenous com
pounds, and when they decay In the
oil they set free large amounts of ni
trates for the use of crops.
The cultivation of leguminous crops
Is one of the most Important and eco
nomical means of maintaining a sup
ply of nitrogenous plant food In the
soli. Nitrates may of couse be sup
plied In commercial fertll'zers, but fer
tilizers containing nitrogen are very
expensive, and It usually pays better
to supply nitrogen by growing legumes
or by the application of stable manure,
which Is rich In nitrogen when proper
ly handled. In good farm practice
both stable manure and leguminous
crops are used as sources of nitrogen.
In order to produce a ton of dry hay
on an acre of land It is necessary that
the growing grass pump up from that
acre approximately 500 tons of water.
The soil must not only be In condition
to absorb and hold wnter well, but It
must be porous enough to permit wa
ter to flow freely from soil grain to
soli grain. The presence of large quan
tities of decaying organic matter (hu
mus) adds enormously to the water
holding capacity of the soil. Not only
that, but the shrinkage of the particles
of decaying organic matter and the
consequent loosening of soil grains
keep the sol) open and porous.
Furthermore, humus of good quality
Is exceedingly rich In both nitrogen
and mineral plant food. The mainte
nance of fertility may almost be said
to consist In keeping the soli well sup
plied with humus. The first step In
renovating wornout soils Is to give
them an abundant supply of humus of
food quality. Perhaps the best source
of humus is stable manure containing
both the liquid and the solid excre
ment, especially when the stock Is
fed on rich nitrogenous foods. Kven a
poor quality of barnyard manure
which has had much of the plant fond
leached out of It has a eoualdcrnbl
value because of the humus It uiukes.
Another cheap and tamable sourva
of bunnis, but on which must be used
understauditigly. Is crops grown to
turn uuder as manure. The legume
are especially valuable for this pur
pose bei-suae. of the nitrogen they con
tain, but other croin. such as rye aud
even corn sown thick, may sometimes
be made to supply large quantities of
humua of fair quality. Crops thus
used are called grvvn manures.
A proivr circulation of air In the soli
is Just as Important as any other fac
tor of plant growth. Nearly half of the
volume of ordinary soils is occupied
by air space, riant roots must b
supplied with air, and the soil must be
porous enough to permit of free circu
lation. A good supply of humus aud
proper tillage will accomplish this re
sult In clay soils. Sandy soils are usu
ally too porous, needing humus to help
them retain water.
Another Season why air must circu
late freely In the soil la that large
quantities of oxygen are required to In
sure proper decay of organic matter to
supply plant food. Also carbonic acid
gas Is produced by the decay of or
gauic matter, and this must escape eas
ily to make room for the atmospheric
oxygen ueeded In the soil. Oue of the
most Important objects of plowing Is
to loosen up the soli for aeration.
Considerable evidence has been ac
cumulated during recent years to shove
that during the growth of the plaut
certain unknown orgaulc substance
are given off which, when they accu
mulate In the soil to any extent are
harmful to the further growth of plants
of the kind that produced them. It Is
possible that some of the benefits
known to arise from systematic crop
rotation may be explained ou this ba
sis. These harmful sultstances seem
to be disposed of rapidly by certain
soils, usually those In which organic
matter Is readily converted Into humus.
In connection with the study of these
poisonous orpiulc products It has beeu
found that they may be destroyed or
at least rendered harmless In a variety
of ways. Barnyard manure or decay
ing organic matter, such as a green
crop of rye or cowpoas, turned under
has a very marked effect In freeing the
soil from the in. Almost all of the com
mon commercial fertlllilng materials
act more or less- In the same way.
Thorough and complete airing of the
soil by plowing and thorough surface
tillage will often destroy or overcome
these poisonous substnnces. When the
same crop Is not grown oftener than
every three or four years on the same
land the Injurious suustances a crop
throws off seem to have time to disap
pear before the same crop Is grown
again; hence the benefit from crop ro
tation. When the soil Is well supplied
with humus there is seldom any trou
ble from this source, and the same crop
may be grown year after year with
good yields, though continuous culti
vation of the same crop may Invite In
Jury from certain Insects and fungous
diseases which live over In the soil or
in the remains of the crop.
Improper methods of tillage add very
greatly to the evil effects that result
from lack of humus. In many parts
of the country the land Is plowed only
three or four Inches deep. In most
cases work done In sul, soiling Is prac
tically wasted, and It Is doubtful If It
ever pays. A much better method Is
to plow a little deeper each year until
a depth of eight or ten Inches Is reach
ed. This gives a deep layer of good
soil, particularly If the supply of humus
is kept up.
When new soli or that whtcb has
lain undisturbed for several years Is
broken up It Is always best to plow
deep from the beginning, for the deep
er layers will be about as fertile as
any, except the top Inch or two. It Is
wise, too, never to plow the same
depth twice In succession. In general,
fall plowing aboukl be from seven to
nine or ten Inches and spring plowing
from five to seven Inches deep. There
are special cases In which these rules
do not apply.
We plow the soil In order to loosen
up Its texture and get air into It; also
to turn under stubble, manure, etc., to
make humus. Killing weeds Is another
object accomplished by plowing. After
a soil has been thoroughly pulverized
to great depths, so that there Is no dan
ger of turning op packed clay, the
deeper the plowing the better the crops.
But the cost also Increases with depth,
so that ordinarily It does not pay to
plow more than about ten Inches deep.
Some crops prefer rather a 'loose seed
bed. Other crops, sacb as wheat and
alfalfa, prefer a fairly compact seed
bed: bence frequent harrowing and
rolling after plowing Is good practice
before seeding to these crops. Never
theless It pays to plow the land for
them, even if we have to compact It
again before seeding.
Handy soils are usually not Injured
by handling when wet, but the case Is
different with clay soils. The effect
produced by working clay soils wet Is
known as puddling. The proper time
to plow land Is when It Is Just moist
enough to break up mellow, neither
wet enough to leave a slick surface
where rubbed by the moldboard nor
dry enough to break up In large clods.
If continued rain follows wet plowing
little harm follows, but hot, dry winds
would soon leave only a mass of un
manageable clods. In spring and mid
summer plowing particularly it Is of
the utmost Importance to run the har
row Immediately after the plow. This
prevents the formation of clods. In
late fall plowing the clods are no dis
advantage, for they will be broken up
by freezing nnd thawing.
T7TJI
ii uii.iiin
NOTES
BY
C.M.MRNTTZ
IUVTRSIDE
o
KORKtSIHIKTCNCI
SOLICITED
Tha articles and tlluitrsttons mual not
b rvprttitvd wtthuut specUl permis
sion.) TUBERCULOSIS AMONG TURKEYS.
One who knows the huhtts of turkeys
might wonder that they should be af
flicted vllh tutxTcultwi.
They sleep lu the tree They are
out tu the air all day; they roam the
clean, beautiful green Held. Now
whence the disease? Hut tuberculosis
doc not Just find Its cause In bail air
or poisoned hen coop ground that wig
gles with nilcnlea.
Us cause is found In anything that
weakens the constitution aud make
It rle for the reception of the germ
Inbreeding makes the turkey ripe for
I'hoto by C. M. llarnltl.
D1INQ or Tt'HKXfl'LOKia.
tuberculosis, as It docs the pigeons that
"go light" and other fowls and ani
mals. The country Is In the turkey grave
yard bell because turkeys have been
inbred to death.
Inbreeding has brought tuberculosis
and blackhead to the turkey, and these
diseases have much In common, lu
both there are wasting away to extreme
emaciation, progressive diarrhea, the
sleepy llstlessness, the dragging foot,
but In tuberculosis the cneia, or two
branched pouches of the Intestines,
and the liver are not always affected
as in blackhead.
Of seven postmortems on blackhead
victims last summer In every case
these organs were affected, abnormal
( . T.'
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Photo by C. M. Barnlts.
TUBERCLE ON TC11KEY FOOT.
in size and with the characteristic
yellow ulcers ami yellow deposits that
invariably attend this disease.
Well defined cases of tuberculosis are
nearly always attended with tubercle.
These cheesy growths, or "warts," ap
pear on the wing Joints, face, head, In
the foot web and at times on the liv
er, lungs, caeca and the Intestines.
There Is no cure for tuberculosis, but
It may be prevented by keeping up tin
vigor of the flock with fresh blood,
sanitary precautions, good feeding and
careful breeding.
DONT8.
Don't nse nil your time on experi
ments and shirk your work. Enough
has already been discovered to keep
you busy for a lifetime.
Don't forget that spring Is best time
to spray the fruit trees for scnlo and
the poultry house for mites and ml
croles. iJou't ex pet to keep the boy on the
fnnn unless there are inducements.
He will take pride In thoroughbred
poultry on the side.
Don't mosey along In the same old
rut every day. when progress points to
a better way. Hoopsklrts and tallow
dips were once the go, but now they
are teetotally too slow.
Don't expect to make a mint the
first year you are In business. In
poultry, as In every other legltlmnte
avocation, you must learn to lubor nnj
to wait
"I've had myStudebaker
15 years and not
' a cent for repairs"
A word of just praise for a wagon that has
done Us work faithfully and well.
Men become attached to their Studebokers
proud of them.
Because they realize that a Studehaker is
built on honor and with an experience in wagon
building that dates back to 1852.
Studebaker wagons are a result of that long
experience, coupled with a desire to build the
bed wagons, not cheap ones.
And when your dealer says Buy a Studebaker
there's no better wagon ynadc' he's giving, you
the verdict of a million farmers. I lo ia not asking
you to try an experiment.
Fn W
tM W.MM
Faar
5m mt OtUt ot wrth mt,
STUDEBAKER South Bend, Ind.'
KIXtOK riltCAllO rU.A1 KANSAS CITY IMNVSR
MINNEAPOLIS AXt LAKR CTTY SAN fSANUStO roBTLANU, OSS.
D. P. Adamson & Co.,
Druggists
For Drugs, Patent Medicines, Chemicals
Lownev's Candies, Ice Cream Soda, Sta
tionery and Prescriptions see
D. P. Adamson & Co.
DeLAVAL
Cream Separators
Sold on Easy Terms
Pioneer
Prineville, Oregon
NIGHT TRAIN SERVICE DAILY
Through Between
Cent'l Oregon 1 Portland
Beginning Sunday, June 22d, 1913
Tourist Sleeping Cars and First-Class Coaches
This service ia in liou of the day trains run heretofore. The
train will leave Bend at 8:30 p. m.; Deschutes, 8:48 p. m.; Red
mond, 9:10 p. m.j Terrebonne, 9:24 p. m.; Culver, 10:02 p. m.;
Metoliue 10:20 p.m.; Madras 10:30 p. m.; Mecca, 11:08 p. m.;
Maupin, 12:40 a.m.; Sherar,l:08 a.m., arrive l'ortland 8:10a.m.
Leave Portland 7:00 p. m., arrive friherar 3:03 a. m.; Mau
pin, 3:20 a. an.; Mecca, 5:18 a. m.; Madras, 6:00 a. m.; Metoliuaj
6:13 a. m.; Culver, 6:28 a. m.j Terrebonne, 7:08 a. m.; Redmond,
7:23 a. m.; Deschutes, 7:43 a. m.j Bend, 8:00 a. m.
- Connections are made in Portland to and from Willamette
Valley and I'uget Sound points.
Fares and schedules and details will be furnished on
application or by letter.
W.C. WILKES, R. H. CROZIEIt.
Aunt. Gen. F. & P. Agent. Asst. Gen. Pass. Agent.
II. BAUKOL, Agent, Redmond, Ore. G-19-tf
D.S..C, W
Son?
Carts
Cream Co.
goiiTruiRy
CENTRAL OREGON LINE
HAVE YOU
Filed your Deed. Of Course.
HAVE YOU
An Abstract.
Certainly everyone lisa an aluHrart now.
INiviiii know where your corners are.
Well, No, Not esai'lly,
Brcwiter Engineering Company,
I'rltiKVlllit, Oregon, will liln llixui lor
Vuu ami aiiiirsnlM (lis work. Hurts?
Ins, I'lsitlng, Irrigation Knglnnoriiig.
I'liona rionror VH.
r:
RECEPTION'
Champ Smith, Propr
Imported and Domestic
Cigars I
Famous Whiskies
Old Crow; I lermitnge; Red
Top Rye; Yellow Stone; !
Canadian Club; Cream
Rye; James EL Pepper; r
Moore's Malt
rorter, Ale and Ulympia
Uralt Deer on lap.
4
Imported Wines and
Liquors.
The Brosius Bar
Finest Brands of Wines,
Liquors and Cigars,
LAGER BEER ON DRAUGHT
F. E. BROSIUS, Proprietor
Coroner's Coctail
Mix three chorus girls with
as many man and soak in
champaign until midnight.
Squeeze into an auto. Add a
d ah of joy and a drunken
chauffer. Shake well. Serve at
seventy miles an hour
And do not forget that we do
all kin .In of photo work. If
you are wanting haying or
harvesting pictures, get our
prices. Wo are constantly
aililing new apparatus and
doing better work. See our
latest work and be convinced.
Amateur IIiiIhIiImk done neatly
ami tpilckly, Mall orders at
tended to promptly. I'lioto
work excliaiiKed tor wood,
LAFLER'S STUDIO
We Strive to Please
Fruit Trees! B
Central Oregon Grown
The only kind you can afford
to plant. ILLUSTRATED
..iTALOGUE FREE. .Write
for one. Prices low enough
to'aurprlHe you.
Lafollette Nursery Co.
Prinrvills, 6 0 Oregon
ii
The Oregon Bar
At the Old Stand
G. W.Wiley & Co., Prps
All kinds of Choice Liquors
Wines and Cigars.
Farhous Ranter Beer in
Bottles and on Draft.