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ll.â€"â€"ll/lalmailling fertility ‘ By (3. v. GREGORY. ’ Author of “Home Course In Modern . Agriculture” Copyright. 1909. by American Press Association ‘ OT all lands need the drainage but there are none on which the problem of maintaining fertility is not an important one. Fertility of the land in its broad - est sense means its ability to produce '- large crops. One of the important factors influ‘ [encing fertility is the amount of plant ‘~ food in the soil. Ten elements, car- ‘nesium, iron, sulphur, nitrogen, potas- =.sium and phosphorus, are necessary to , ‘the growth of plants. From 90 to 95 ' ' l per cent of the dry matter of plants is made up of carbon, oxygen and hy- --drogen, which are obtained from air and water. Of the others only three :. nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, are ‘ used in such large quantities that the asupply in the soil is likely to become "exhausted. These three are usually .2 spoken of as the essential plant foods. J Amount of Plant: Food In Soils. ‘ “These plant foods are present in ravarying amounts in all soils. In many «cases it is necessary to increase the :supply by theuse of commercial fer. ttilizers. The real need of most soils, .-however, is not the addition of more of these materials, but the judicious =use of those already there. It is esti- rmated that there is enough phosphor- :‘us in the upper seven inches of soil :in the Mississippi valley to raise a _;hundred bushels of corn to the acre emery year for sixty years and enough zpotassium to last 600 years at the reame rate. Much of this phosphorus and potassium is combined with other materials in such a form that it is un- .:available for the use .of the plants. ~One of the principal problems of the :1’armer, then, is to make this stored fen wtility available. One of the most effective means of doing this is by keeping the soil plen- ‘tifully supplied with humus. Humus :is the name given to decaying organic -matter in the soil. It is the humus that gives the dark, rich color to soils. 1it leaves that “brown streak in the urrow" that farmers have long re- garded as an indication of fertility. Humus gives the soil 9. spongy texture and greatly increases its water holding capacity. it also makes the soil lighter and warmer. Soils which contain large amounts of humus do not bake or become cloddy easily. They are mel- low and respond readily to cultivation. Bumus contains considerable nitrogen and furnishes a borne for bacteria. which aid in making plant food avail- able. Certain acids are also formed in the decaying of humus that aid in making the phosphorus and potas sium available. It might almost be :said that the chief problem of main- staining fertility is the problem of keep- :1ng the soil supplied with humus. Maintaining the Humus Supply. Probably the best way or maintain- :ing this humus supply is by the liberal ruse of barnyard manure. The surplus :straw should be used for bedding, so .‘as to save all the liquid portion and :add to the bulk of the manure. Shred- ‘ded fodder is also good for this pur- gpose. The manure should be hauled FIG. I‘Ilv-ACCUMULATION OF MANCBE. to the land as fast as formed. When it is allowed to decay in the barnyard much of lho nitrogen is lost. and rains falling upon it also wash out other eh.» ments. The manure spreader is an implement that should he found in every barnyard. The manure can be loaded direct from the statues to the spreader or almost all seasons of the your and spread in an even layer upon the field. \\ ith a spreader the manure can be mado to cover twice as mqu grouNL so that the whole farm can be gone our “telnet. ? bon, hydrogen, oxygen, calcium, mag- had. *‘iii‘fltl’élééimtli‘sfls‘r. . '-.~ .. » .i "7 While barnyard manure is undoubt- edly one of the best means of main- taining fertility, it cannot always be . had. Many farmers, because of their l l l location near markets which demand certain creps, find it more profitable to supply those crops than to raise live stock. chers prefer grain farming because it is less confining. Such farm- ers must have some method of main- taining fertility which does not depend primarily upon manure. The Value of Clover. The best substitute for manure is clever. Clover supplies an abundance of nitrogen, the most rapidly used of the three essential elements. Three- fourths of the air is made up of ni- trogen. crops are able to get nitrogen from this source by means of bacteria which live on their roots. These bacteria change the nitrogen of the air into ul- trates. a form in which it can be used by the plants. Fully one-third of the nitrogen collected by the clover plant is left in the soil in the roots and stub- ble. One crop of clover in a four year rotation will furnish nearly enough ni- trogen tn- the mumbling .Lhm coup. in the maiden. . . . .-. .. ‘ Glover and other legumlnous I How About Your Boys’ School Suit ? Let us assist you in selecting it. cater to the wants of the small man and are careful to select the best suits to be Fabrics, style and tailoring exactly right and variety enough to suit all sizes. We want you to see our lines of Fancy Suits for the little chaps, also our Fancy N orfolks and Three Piece Suits in single or double breasted styles. The boys we dress Will be the best dressed boys you’ll meet and you’ll-not pay too much for their clothes. Terrill Bros. , Fenelon Falls . Cheapest. General Store in the County. This is a much cheaper form of ob- taining ulfi‘ogen than by purchasing it: in commercial fertilizers at 10 to 15 cents a pound. It is much more profit- able to keep the nitrogen supply fairly constant by the continued nee of 8. r0« tatlon with legumes than to add a large amount at one time. Nitrogen in the form of nitrates is readily soluble, and every rain washes some of it out of the soil. other essential elements to any marked extent. Too liberal a supply of nitro- gen at One time tends also to promote too rapid leaf growth at the expense of fruit or grain. The stubble and roots of the clover, together with the cornstale and other rubbish, will do a great deal to keep up the humus supply. in addition to this. if no manure at all is available, some humus may have to be supplied from some other source. This is espe- cially true if the soil is naturally poor in humus. One of the simplest ways to supply this is by green mauurlng. This means the turning under of a green crop. such as clover. cowpeae or some other legch This supplies both humus and nitrogen. The best thus to plow undeniaban in the fall. ._.._..._....-.._i._1.-.w......._,~.y-" A v This is not true of the' l l . : ..- .1- V'WA‘ .4 u, 5" UV“ , 'n . , ~ ' 31' .‘y . .â€" .m‘='f"r°.-‘.e l *be‘x ’ WV are? " L 1 ._ .11"- We avg!" ,_~r_...,. gr . . their - f -. .- x, b I 4...,» .‘J .~;,.~ .. n i5!“- ‘7 1:» ‘74 isn‘fik-‘v'lli'fi‘XJQ- FIG. I'Vâ€"LOADING MANUBE SPREADER- so that it will have time to decay be- fore spring. A large mass of unde- fcayed material plowed under in the spring checks the upward movement of moisture and is liable to make the land sour. l Another method of adding to the hu- mus supply is by mowing a crop of clover about haying time and letting“: lie on the ground. The Second crop can be cut in the same way or used to: tallieedorforseed. . l 2? A “‘Clover Sick" Soil. After clover has been grown for a considerable length cf time, especially if much has been plowed under for green manure, the land is liable to be- come “clover sick." This is caused by an excess of acid in the soil. This acid can be neutralized by the applica. tion of ground limestone. Caustic or quicklime is not so good as limestone, since it burns up large quantities of humus and in general is too violent in its action. Lime has another advan- tage on clay soils in that it causes the particles to adhere together in larger masses, thus amaking the sell more porous. The usual rate of application is from twenty to forty bushels to. the acre. With the application of lime, as, well as with the adoption of any other new method, it is best to try it on a small scale first. Then if it proves profitable its use can be extended. The judicious usc of clever or some other legume will effectively solve the humus and nitrogen problems. There remains the question of the potassium and phosphorus supply. Clover also aids with these. The humus formed from it helps to dissolve the unavail- able materials and prepare them for the use of the plant. As stated before. there is enough potassium in the upper seven inches of the average prairie soil to last 600 years under the most intensive culture and enough phos« phorus for fifty years. Clover changes this seven inches into twice as many feet. Clover roots go down ten or a dozen feet or farther. Alfalfa roots go I down twenty feet or 'more. These deep roots bring up minerals from the lower layers of soil and leave them where the shallower rooted grain crops can get them. Making Fertility Available. Gypsum, or land plaster, has a con- siderable effect in making potassium and phosphorus available. Applied at the rate of 500 or 600 pdunds per acre, it will often increase crop yields con- It also has a beneficial ef- siderably. Use one or two feet on alkali soils. bushels to the acre. Probably the most effective way of making phosphorus, potassium or oth- er plant foods available is by tillage: Frequent and thorough cultivation, keeping the soil fine and mellow,_.ta- vors the chemical processes by which locked up plant food is made available. It must be remembered, however, that the faster these materials are lib- erated the sooner will the supply has come exhausted. When rotation with legumes, tillage and the application of- lime and gypsum no longer produce satisfactory results it is a sign that: there is a lack of potassium or phos- phorus, or both, in the soil. Phos- phorus is more liable to become scanty, in amount since the supply is smaller. Bonemeal and ground phosphate rock are the best forms in which to apply this material. in its action, but considerably more ex- pensive. Potassium is usually bought in theform of muriate or sulphate. FENELON FALLS MARKETS Fenelon Falls, Friday, Sept. 3, 1909. Wheat, Scotch or Fife, 950. to $1.00 Wheat, fall, 90 to 95 Wheat, spring, 80 to 85 Barley, per bushel,_45_ to 50 Cats, per bushel, 32 to 35 Pease, per bushel, 75 to 80 Potatoes, new, 50 to 60 Butter, per pound, 20 to 23 Eggs, per dozen, 20 to 21 Hay, per ton, $10 to $11 Hides, $8.50 to $9 Hogs, live, $7.50 to $7.75 Hogs, dressed, $8.50 to $9 Beef, $5.50 to $6 Sheepskins, 50 to 80 Wool, 17 to 18 - Flour, Brandon’s Best, $3.00 to $3.20 Flour, Silver Leaf, $2.80 to $3 Flour, Victoria, $2.75 to $2.95 Flour, new process. $2.70 to $2.90 Flour, family, clipper, $2.65 to $2.85 Bran, per 100 pounds, $1.20 to $1.25 Shorts, do., $1.25 to $1.35 Mixed Chop, do., $1.50 to $1.60 SEGGND DIVE$ION COURT â€"or runâ€"- County of‘ Victoria. The next sittings of' above Court will be held in Twomey’s hall, Fenclon Falls ON TUESDAY, SEPT. 24th, 1909, commencing at. 1.30 o’clock in the after- noon. Monday, Sepl. 13th, will be the last. day of service on defendants residing in this county. Defendants living in other counties must be server] on or Wednesday, Sept 8th, 1909. 32%“ Office hours from 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. ELISHA MARK, Bailifl‘. before E. D . HAND, Clerk. with all Commercial and English sub- jects thoroughly taught. by mail or at College. Write for particulars to CENTRAL BUSINESS COLLEGE, 398 Yongc Street, Toronto. W. H. Shaw, g President. 'MOM'QMONQ QMOWMMOOwOO W: .arassrmtfi The former is quicker. x: â€" 5‘ - “"7 Macaw-Iv ’ < la r. mxtvmW-¢,J .-a- 4’ . - " Thenâ€".u’ftn