
Soil Bank! 
A good soil must have a 
generous backlog of “‘capital 
assets’—plant food reserves 
which are not soluble enough 
to waste away in drainage 
waters. Nature has_ fur- 
nished this backlog to vary- 
ing degrees, but eventually 
in all soils it must be re- 
plenished by applying lime- 
stone, phosphate, potash, 
and other needed materials. 
Besides these reserves, a soil 
“checking account” against 
which “plant food checks” 
for seasonal requirements 
may be drawn is essential. 
Organic matter furnishes 
such a depository for nitro- 
gen and phosphorus—regu- 
larly renewing organic 
matter keeps this account 
active. The soil clay is an ex- 
cellent “checking account” 
for both phosphorus and 
potash. Finally “‘ready cash”’ 
plant food is needed for ‘‘on 
the spot”? emergencies—may 
be provided by soluble fer- 
tilizers. Surpluses automati- 
cally go into the “checking 
accounts” for future use. 
Treat Seeds 
Seed treatment is probably 
the best-paying practice on 
the grain-producing farm— 
there are large returns 
from time and money ex- 
pended. Experience shows 
yields of from 2 to 10 bus. 
over untreated seed. 
Lost Nitrogen 
Several times as much ni- 
trogen is lost through poor 
handling of manure as is 
purchased in fertilizer... . 
Lost by leaching, not using 
enough bedding, and by fer- 
mentation. 
Pasture Problem 
The pasture problem is an 
individual one, and it’s a 
wise individual who spends 
some time and effort on his 
particular problem. 
Soy Bean Hay 
Where clover, alfalfa or 
other legume hay is short, 
soy beans provide an excel- 
lent substitute. Soy bean 
hay contains 14 to 16% 
crude protein, compared to 
about 15% in alfalfa, and 
about 13% in clover hay. 
Feeding experiments have 
shown soy bean hay equal 
to alfalfa for dairy cattle. 
Sheep relish it and thrive 
on it. From average soils 
1% to 2% tons of good hay 
per acre may be expected— 
depending on the season and 
fertility level. 
Good Color 
Deep, yellow color of skin is 
desired for birds grown for 
either meat or egg products. 
Those consuming large 
quantities of green foliage 
will usually have better pig- 
mentation than those grown 
on bare ground or poor 
range. 
Silage for Beef 
Corn silage may be used in 
fattening beef cattle—saves 
on hay and grain. Cattle 
relish it—older animals can 
utilize comparatively larger 
amounts than the younger 
ones. 
Lime Benefits 
Lime won’t take the place 
of fertilizer or manure, but 
liming an acid soil increases 
bacterial action on the ma- 
nure and organic fertilizers, 
and also combines’ with 
phosphorus, holding it in a 
soluble form. 
Ground Barley 
Ground barley and ground 
corn are almost equal in 
value for milk production. 
Cows will eat barley in the 
mixture if it’s coarsely 
ground—don’t grind it too 
fine or it may become pasty, 
and they don’t like it that 
way. 
23 
Give Them Water 
Cows need water in propor- 
tion to the milk they pro- 
duce—about 4 lbs. of water 
(2 qts.) to every lb. of milk. 
If she can’t get it or the 
water is too cold, she won’t 
drink it—production is 
bound to drop. It’s the 
cheapest ingredient for milk 
production—make it easy 
for them to get all they’ll 
drink. 
Give Cows Minerals 
High-producing cows need 
ample minerals. Cows that 
eat 20 to 25 lbs. of good 
legume hays a day require 
little or no additional min- 
erals, but those feeding 
largely on grain, corn silage, 
or corn fodder need liberal 
amounts of mineral matter. 
Steamed bone meal supplies 
calcium, phosphorus and 
salt. Iodine can be provided 
in the form of iodized salt. 
Machinery 
Most farm machinery 
doesn’t wear out—it rusts 
out. 
Cannibalism? 
According to some _ folks, 
cannibalism and_ feather- 
picking can be corrected by 
increasing the salt content 
of the diet for. two or three 
days. 
Farming 
Farming is a_ profession— 
not to be taken lightly or 
just drifted into. Success re- 
quires greater knowledge, 
skill, study and preparation 
than most other occupations. 
Overgrazing 
There’s much less “over- 
grazing of pastures” than 
underfeeding of pasture 
soils. 
