Soils and Soil
Fertility
Eight Studies In Fundamental
Agriculture.
EDITOR’S NOTE.
Tbs Extension Division of the Uni
versity of Arkansas, In co-operation
with the United States Department of
Agriculture, will offer thla year,
through this paper, a free correspond
ence course in "Soils and Sc Fertil
ity," consisting of eight lessons. Pre
ceding lessons will he sent on reauest.
The next lesson will be “Commarelal
Fertilizers."
SOILS AND SOIL FERTILITY
No. 7. Farm. Manure.
By De F. Hungerford, Assistant Agro
nomist, University of Arkansas.
Farm manure is, without question,
the best fertiliser the farmer can put
on his land. The oldest experiment
station in the world, located at Roth
amstead, England, has conducted ex
periments for many years comparing
manurs with various amounts of com
mercial fertilizers. In one of these
tests the plot receiving no manure or
fertiliser of any kind yielded 13.1
buehel of wheat as an average for
fifty years. The plot receiving 14
tons oc manure per acre each year
yielded 35.5 bushels ae the fifty year
average. Another plot was treated
each year with fertilizer costing $15.25
per acre and produced 23.9 bushels
of wheat. The only plot In the test
which produced as much wheat as tne
manured plot was one which received
each year fertilizer at a cost of $29.85
per acre. This plot averaged 36.9
bushels of wheat per acre for fifty
years. Countless other experiments
have shown that manure is a valuable
fertilizer and should be preserved
and used accordingly.
The reasons for the effectiveness of
manure as a fertilizer are apparent
when Its composition and action In
the soil Is understood. Plants require
certain substances to make them grow
Just as animals must have food. The
most Important of these substances
are nitrogen, phosphoric acid and pot
ash. These are commonly called plant
foods because they serve as food for
plants. A ton of average manure
contains 16 pounds of nitrogen, five
pounds of phosphoric acid and 10
pounds of potash. These quantities
may seem to be Insignificant, but
plants do not require very large
amounts although a little of each Is
absolutely essential. If these mater
ials are bought In commercial fertiliz
ers they are expensive. At the cus
tomary price for fertilizers the con
stituents in one ton of manure would
cost $2.85. The cost would be very
much more at the prices now pro
Tallin*.
The value of manure varies some
■what with the feed the animals re
ceive. The richer the feed Is In pro
tein the more nitrogen Is contained In
the manure. For this reason the ma
nure from animals fed on cotton seed
meal, bran, alfalfa hay or other rich
feeds Is especially valuable. Nearly
all of the nitrogen fed to a fattening
animal Is returned In the manure.
Manure Is valuable for other rea
sons besides the plant food It con
tains. In every ton of average manure
there Is about 500 pounds of organic
matter. This has a very beneficial In
fluence on the physical condition of
The soil. It makes heavy clay soils
more mellow and open, and It binds
the sand grains together in a sandy
soil making a firmer seed bed and en
abling the soil to store up more water
against a time of drought. One of
the greatest needs of the soils of this
state is a larger supply of organic mat
ter. The organic matter supplied In
manure also furnishes food for the
bacteria which are essential to the
best growth of crops Some of the
bacteria fed by the manure are able
to take nitrogen from the air and
make It available for crops In much
the same manner as do the bacteria
which live on the roots of legumes.
Others cause fermentation of the or
ganic matter to take place with the
liberation of carbonic acid which ren.
ders the mineral matter of the soil
available.
Since manure Is valuable In so
many ways, great care should be exer
cised to prevent unnecessary losses.
Some of the valuable ingredients are
soluble and others are lost by expos
ure to the air. Leaching should there
fore be avoided as much as possible.
The manure is frequently thrown out
of a window in the stable and allowed
to lie under the eaves until most of
the plant food is leached out. The
dark brown liquid often seen about
barnyards is rich in the elements
needed by crops. If the manure is al
lowed to lie in loose open heaps
where the air can circulate freely
through it the insoluble nitrogen
changes to soluble forms and is then
lost by leaching. In this way manure
left out In the open subject to alter
nate wetting and drying, quickly loses
much of its value.
In order to reduce losses to a mini
mum manure should be spread on the
land as soon as produced. Then the
rains will wash the soluble part Into
the soil where It is needed. If it is
Impractical to spread the manure
every day losses can be kept down ny
storing In large, moist, compact heaps
under a roof. A basin-shaped cement
floor under the heap will prevent most
of the leaching. A very economical
method of storing manure is to keep
the stock in deep stalls and allow It to
accumulate under their feet. The
animals can be kept dry with bedding.
I FLOWER OF ROMANCE !
By KATE CONWAY. $
"Oh, I’ve known Tuck Crawford ever
since he was knee high to a grass
hopper," said Aunt Bethiah placidly.
"He won't hurt anybody, and I’ve nev
er been afraid of him. He’s got plenty
of money hid down the well, I sup
pose, or under the mounting stone."
"Then it’s a pity he doesn't dig up
some of it for Berenice,” said Laura
passionately. ‘‘She has had to stay at
home and take care of her father and
all those children, five of them, ever
since her mother died, and they're—
well—not poor—I suppose, but always
Just getting by—don't you know what
I mean, auntie? There isn't enough
money for this and that, and Bernice
can’t even think of getting married for
years and years.”
“Has she got anyone picked out
yet?” asked Aunt Bethiah.
‘‘Has she? Why, don't you know
she's engaged to our Rob?”
Mrs Fennimore dropped her cro
cheting and looked over her eye
glasses at her youngest niece. The hope
of the Fennimore family was Rob.
“I suppose,” said Mrs. Fennimore,
with just a bit of a sigh, “they were
sweethearts when they were children.
Rob’s the kind of a boy lo keep the
flower of romance blooming for years.
Is she nice, Laura?”
‘‘Nice? She's just a darling, auntie.
We ll ride over there this morning and
you can see her. She’s the winsomest
girl you ever saw—Just that, the win
somest.”
“Willing to marry Rob?”
"Oh, yes. I tell you they've been en
gaged since his junior year, but she
has a big idea of duty, and her fa
ther needs her. But if their Grandfa
ther Crawford would do the right
thing they could afford to hire a house
keeper and let Berenice get married In
peace.”
“Always was too selfish to give a
crow a crumb,” Aunt Bethiah agreed.
“We’ll see what can be done. I never
was afraid of Tuck Crawford and I
ain't today. He needs a boss fear
fully.”
About ten they drove over to the
Junior Craw-ford home.
“Real sightly old place, ain't It?”
said Mrs. Fennimore when they came
away, “and I do like Berenice. She s
sweet as a tea rose, I declare she is,
with those big brown eyes and that
fair, curly hair. Bless her ’’oart!
Just drive over to her grandfather's
place, will you, Laura?”
Back on an old side road it wras, a
little gray house in a tangle of trees
and grape vines, with a big well sweep
at the back and the barn across the
road. Mr. Crawford was struggling
with. th_e well, trying lo draw up a
ii
pail, and Laura hurried over to Help
him.
‘‘Don’t spill it. mind.” he cautioned
testily. “Can’t bear a mite o’ damp
or mildew round my house. Some
folks don’t mind, but it makes me fear
ful chilly. Just set it down on that
shelf by the sink, Laury. Much
obliged.’’
“How be you, Tuck?’’ called Aunt
Bethiah, happily, coming up the path
toward him, her full skirts brushing
off leaves and cobwebs from the dry
weeds. So sweet-faced and blooming
she looked that Laura stared at her.
And so did Tucker Crawford. Not
such a vision had he seen in many
years in his front yard. He wiped his
hand off on his coat and gave it to
her a bit shakily.
“Why Bethiah, how be ye?” he ex
claimed. “Look Just as young and peri
as ever. When did you get ovei
here?”
"Been East two weeks.”
"Widow, too, ain’t you?”
“These ten veais. Tuck.”
“Well, well. How pert you do look.”
His faded blue eyes lingered on hei
cheerful face hungrily. “Want a place
as housekeeper, Bethiah? I’ve been
looking ’round for a good, hard-work
ing woman."
"No, thanks,” she laughed. “I'm
provided for, Tuck. I wanted to see
you about Berenice, your grandchild
Our Rob’s in love with her, and she
with him. I want them to be married
before I go back West. Now, I'll give
Rob some money, enough to set him
up, and I want you to Iook after Here
nice; give her a nice wedding and
some of her grandmother's linen and
silver. I know she had a lot of it;
probably right up in your garret this
minute.”
“Like enough it is,” murmured Mr
Crawford, stroking his little pointed
beard. "I ain't looked to see. How
pert you look, Bethiah! I can’t gel
over it.”
After they had said good-by and
driven down the road, the old mat
stood watching them, leaning his arm?
on the little rusty iron gate. His face
wore a peaceful, satisfied smile. He
had promised all Bethiah had asked —
wedding clothes, old silver and linen
even the housekeeper.
“Let 'em have it and enjoy them
selves, ’ he said. “Take about twe
hundred to start with, she said. And
I got eight thousand in the bank ai
Willimantic and four over in Putman
Guess we can give Berenice a wed
ding like her grandmother had. Wa
tering the flower of romance?’’
He sighed. Sixty years back he had
loved Bethiah Newell, or was it fifty':
Now she stepped into his old gar
den and the flower df romance liftec
its head at her coming and bloomed
for another girl and boy.
He went back up the path smilim
and nodding his bead, talking softlj
to himself.
(Copyright, 1915, by the McClure News
paper Syndicate.)
it
■■ I ■ 1 -II
A Few Smiles
• Annihilating Distance.
Paeon—Do you think the automo
bile has done much good to civiliza
tion?
Egbert—Sure. Why, I don't believe
my wife ever would have had any
, thing to do with that woman next
door if our neighbor hadn’t got an
automobile.
Not Neceeeary.
Do you have
to put a scare
f crow out in the
cornfield to keep
away the birds?”
asked the city
man.
w “Oh, no,” re
plied the farmer,
* taking another
^ pull at his pipe;
"my wife's out
there every day, hoeing.”
Can't Believe It.
Bacon—By examining the soles of
a baby’s foot a French woman claims
she can tell what kind of a man or
woman It will become.
Egbert—I don’t believe she can
really tell If they are to go through
life cornless.
Against Deals.
"I see a Frenchman has Invented a
machine for dealing cards that Is said
to make misdeals impossible,” said
the business man.
“Well, I’m against those machine
deals,” said the disappointed pollti
clan.
Touches of Life.
Bacon—Switzerland normally sella
$3,000,000 worth of cheese yearly to
the United States.
Egbert—Well, it's an even break.
American tourists put a lot of life into
Switzerland, too.
She'll Finish Him.
Patience—Is she going to marry
that man?
Patrice—I believe so.
“He’s a self-made man, Isn't he?”
"Yes; but she’s going to put the
finishing touches to him.
Tramps.
what did the
lady up at that
house give you?”
asked one tramp.
"Advice,” re
plied the other
tramp. "And It
made me sick."
“Well, the oth
er day she gave
me pie, and It
had the same ef
fect.”
RAILROAD TIME TABLE.
St. Louis, Iron Mountain St Southern
LITTLE ROCK * MONROE NY.
South
5:39 a. m .. .
7:40 a. m.
Leaves
11:40 a. m.
Huttig
Monroe .
local. *
Huttig
North
. 2:27 p. m
.12:25 p.m
Arrives
12:15 p. m.
St. Louis, Iron Mountain St Southern
FARMERVILLE 4 SOUTHERN RY.
North South
6:0 1 a. m. Huttig 2:56 p. m
4:15 a. m..Farmerville 4:16p. m
local, t
10:10 a.m. Huttig 2:25 p.m.
tArrives Monday, Wednesday, and Fri
day from Monroe and goes to Farmer
viile.
•Arrives Tuesday, Thursday and Satur
day from Farmerville and goes to Mon
roe.
LODGE DIRECTORY.
ROWLAND LODGE No. 594 F. St A.
M.meets every second and fourth Satur
day evenings at 7:30 o’clock. Visiting
Masons always welcome.
L. M. Despain, W. M.
C. A. Berry, Sec’y.
HOWARD CHAPTER, No. 122, R. A.
M.—meets every first and third Thurs
day evening at Masonic hail. Visiting
companions welcome.
L. G. Gibson, H. P.
D. F. Collett, Secy.
HUTTIG CHAPTER No. 320, Order of
the Eastern Star, meets every first and
third Friday evening at 7:30 o'clock.
Visiting brothers and sisters welcome.
Mrs. J. A. Brignac, W. M.
Mrs. L. G. Gibson, Sec’y.
HUTTIG LODGE No. 348 I. O. O. F.
meets every Tuesday evening. Visiting
brethern cordially invited to attend.
W. E. Chadwick, N. G.
Harlan Sehon, Secy.
HUTTIG REBEKAH LODGE No. 66.
meets every Monday night at 7:30 o’clock
Visitors are invited.
Mrs. Lou Milstead, N. G.
Miss Murray Pilkinton, Secy.
SWEET BAY CAMP No. 411 W.O. W.
meets every first and third Saturday eve
nings. Visitors made welcome.
C. A. McCormick, C. C.
J. C. Bridges, Clerk.
Sweet Bay Circle No. 145, W. C..
meets every second and fourth Thursday
night at 7:30 o’clock. Visitors are cor
dially invited.
Mrs. W. R. Dickerson, Guardain.
Mrs, C. A. McCormick, Clerk.
SUGGESTIONS
IF YOU CAN’T GO TO A SUMMER RESORT
YOU CAN BRING ONE TO YOUR HOME
If you have a porch we have the equipment
to transform it into a veritable pleasure park.
And the expense—well, that’s our main
talking point.
A Hammock, a Porch Swing, Porch and Lawn
Chairs and other restful summer articles are
here waiting to make your hours of leisure
real hours of pleasure.
And there’s not a home that cannot afford
one or more of them at our surprisingly low
figures.
We Also Carry a Complete Line of
THE BLUE FLAME OIL STOVES
WHICH ADD COMFORT IN THE KITCHEN
EARLY BUYING
Means More Service From Your Purchases.
No doubt you intend buying a new suit this
Spring or Summer, but you think you will
wait until real hot weather begins. That
plan, Mr. Man, is a mistake. You cannot pos
sibly wear out one of our suits in a season,
even if you wore it every day, and the eariler
you buy it the longer wear you will get from
it this year. Then too, an unexpected occa
sion may arise any day when you would wish
you had equipped yourself with your new
outfit. Come in at once. You have every
thing in your favor when buying early.
We Handle the Famous
HART, SCHAFFNER & MARX x
LINE OF RELIABLE CLOTHES.