FARM AND HELD

Lake County Press, Issue 2635, 8 June 1916, Page 7

FARM AND HELD

ORIGINAL ARTICLES.

(By F. 0.5.)

PLANTS AND SUPERPHOSPHATE. When plants are nourished by acidified or dissolved phosphates they do not take them up in the form in which they are applied. The moisture in the soil first dissolves the acid phosphates, and these combine with the basis of the soil. If there is a fair supply of lime in the soil, the acidity is counteracted, and we get precipitated phosphate of lime. If there is absenco or deficiency of lime the phosphate forms acid phosphates of lime and alumina, the sourness of which will only gradually disappear, and these are less healthv for plant food than thoroughly and rapidly neutralised phosphates, such as would be formed in a soil well supplied with carbonate of lime. MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY. Taking all experiments into consideration every soil is an individual soil and e% r ery farm is an individual problem, and it is impossible to lay down general rules which will apply equally to all cases, but there are some general conclusions that can be drawn from these results. Two of the important conclusions that can be drawn are economic farm management requires, not the use of farmyard manure alone, because there is not sufficient of it, not tha use of commercial fertilisers alone, but the use of homo-produced manures supplemented by commercial fertilisers so far as may be found profitable, and, secondly, that commercial fertilisers may be used satisfactorily and with good financial results—it is necessary they J should be used regularly and in n systematic manner in connection with

a well-ordered method of cropping, rather than in a haphazard manner. j ANIMALS AND NITROGEN. j • Animals, like plants, must have nitrogen. It is necessary for the growth of meat, hair. skin, and , various body tissues, and for the fori mation of milk. Animals cannot use | the free nitrogen they breathe, but ; must get it, already prepared, from l plants, or as in the case of flesh-eat-|mg animals, from other animals. These substances of which nitrogen is a part can thus he utilised by the animal, and are called by the general term of protein. It has been found by experiment that an animal such us a dairy cow, for instance, needs a cor-1 tain" amount of protein if she is to do , her best. The casein of the milk is j a protein. If the cow docs not consume protein she lias no protein to form the casein in the milk. Sugars and starches and fats are carbohydrates, and they contain no nitrogen. Thus, when a cow is fed on corn fodder, timothy hay, and corn meal she does not give much milk, for these feeds are short in nitrogen compounds or protein, A cow under these conditions will get fat, for the carbohydrates, the sugar, and the starch form fat, and fat forms energy and heat in the body. APPLICATION OF LIME. As the crops are removed from the land, and farmers begin to think of the folowing season, one of the first considerations is the question of liming. The liberal use of artificials, especially of sulphate of ammonia and superphosphates brings with it the necessity for applications of lime. Most soils, particularly those of a heavy retentive or sour peaty nature, are greatly improved by an application of lime at least once during the rotation. The amount of the dressing varies from one to three tons per statute acre, according to the nature of the land and the frequency of application. Light dressings applied every few years are most effective. If applied to the land shortly before the potatoes are planted, lime, unless used in a very fine condition, is apt to cause scab in the crop, and hence it is usually advisable to give this dressing to a previous crop. Where potatoes must of necessity he grown year after year on the same ground, there is no alternative as regards the application of lime, and in this case a dressing of finely slaked lime at the rate of 15-20 cwt." per statute acre should bo given every second, or at most every third season. It may conveniently be airplied when the land is being prepared for drilling. POTATO TOPS AS FODDER. The crops commonly used for supplementing bare pastures are vetches, maize, cabbages, early turnips and mangold leaves, but where a sufficiency of these is not available, potato tops may be found useful. The tops should be cut soon after they begin, normally, to turn yellow, and be fed on grass land, but, as a precaution against the transmission of disease to future crops should not be fed on grass which is to bo broken up lor potatoes in the following year. Green tops should be used very sparingly, preferably after being dried in the sun and wind. Tops bearing many blossoms or unripe fruits should lie avoided, as these are likely to be unwholesome. The tops should bo collected as free from earth as possible, and be fed in small quantities along with other food. I