THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 269 



FERTILIZING CROPS FOR CORN LAND. 



A. D. Shamel in Wallaces' Farmer. 



The question of fundamental importance to the corn growers is how 

 to maintain fertility of the soil in order to produce profitable crops of 

 corn. The most successful farmers of Illinois who have had long ex- 

 perience with all methods of fertilizing are convinced that commercial 

 fertilizers are not practical for producing corn crops. If the crop is 

 produced by commercial fertilizers the crop cannot be sold for enough 

 to pay for the fertilizers. 



Some other method for maintaining the fertility of the soil must be 

 found. It has beo/i f ound that leguminous crops as clover, alfalfa, soja 

 beans and cow peas, are valuable crops for putting the soil in condition 

 for corn. They add to the supply of nitrogen in the soil, and by their 

 root development improve the mechanical condition of the soil. It is 

 also likely that they bring up the fertility of the sub-soil to the surface 

 soil where the corn plants may use it. However, it is being found that 

 in spite of rotations of corn and clover, when the crops are taken off 

 the field, year after year, the soil grows gradually poorer and poorer 

 until it will no longer produce profitable crops. There is no escape from 

 the fact that the crop must be fed to stock, and the manure carefuily 

 conserved and spread on the fields. 



Such a plan is found to restore and keep up the fertility of the soil. 

 So true is this that in many sections where the soil has been exhausted 

 by wheat farming, wheat is being abandoned, and corn and clover crops 

 grown instead. On many of the poor fields it is found to be impractical 

 to secure a profitable stand of clover. So that the corn growers are 

 turning to some other, not so precarious crop, which will add to the 

 fertility of the soil, furnish a valuable protein feed to be fed with corn 

 and improve the condition of tne soil. Wherever clover and alfalfa can 

 be grown no better crops have been found. But for other conditions, two 

 valuable and successful crops have been introduced from China and Japan. 

 These crops were first introduced in the south where they gave results be- 

 yond the anticipation of everyone. They have been carried north to the 

 northern line of Michigan, and certain varieties have been found to suc- 

 ceed under all conditions. 



These crops are the soja bean and cow peas. The soja bean is adpptcd 

 to the prairie soils, and the cow-pea to the clay and upland fields. On 

 rich soils the cow pea runs to vine and does not seed. On such soils the 

 soja-beans reach their fullest development. Thousands of acres of these 

 crops are now grown in Illinois, and their cultivation extending rapidly 

 over the entire state. 



The two crops are cultivated and harvested in a smilar manner. 

 They yield when raised for seed, from 12 to 25 bushels per acre which 

 is worth about ij.2 per bushel. They yield from 2 to 5 tons of hay per 

 acre which is recognized by experienced stockmen to be as valuable as 



