[PDF]Elements of farm practice : prepared especially for teaching agriculture

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A practical farm scene.


ELEMENTS

— OF—

Farm Practice


PREPARED ESPECIALLY FOR TEACHING
ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE


A COMPLETE REVISION AND EXTENSION OF “AGRICULTURE
FOR YOUNG FOLKS”


BY

A. D. WILSON

DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND FARMERS’
INSTITUTES, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

AND

E. W. WILSON


THIRD EDITION



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Copyright, 1915, 1919, 1921
WEBB PUBLISHING CO.

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PREFACE

This book has been prepared primarily for use in rural
schools and for elementary classes in other schools, wherever
it is desirable to study the plain and practical problems
of the farm and home in their relation to daily life.

The book deals largely with common farm practices,
rather than with scientific principles. It is intended to
throw some light upon and add interest to the things that
are done on the farm from day to day. We feel that, if
pupils can be interested and enabled to use the farms and
the farm homes as laboratories in which to observe and
apply the things learned at school, a great step will have
been made toward bringing the school in close touch with
the home life of the pupils.

A study of agriculture in the rural schools elevates, in
the minds of the farm youth, the calling of agriculture.
A rather close study of a few farm problems impresses
one with the great amount of knowledge and skill required
to operate a farm successfully; and must convince one that
a farm, rightly managed, affords as much opportunity for
development as a professional or business career.

We do not suggest that the topics shall necessarily be
taken up in the order presented, but that each teacher
begin with that portion of the book dealing with the parti-
cular phase of farm work that is being done on the home
farms of the pupils at the time the lesson is given.

Each section is a complete reading lesson, followed by
questions, examples, and exercises, which relate to the les-
son. The questions may be answered orally or in the form
of a language paper. The examples will enforce some of
the main facts taught in the text. The exercises will require
study and observation of local .activities and will help to
connect up the lesson with the practical things in the com-
munity. This manner of presenting the various sub-
jects was chosen so that the study of agriculture might
replace a part of the regular reading, language and arith-
metic lessons, and thus allow a study of agriculture


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without shortening the time of, or crowding out, any other
subject.

Many of the complex problems encountered in the
management of the farm are discussed here with a view to
simplifying them, so that any one may easily understand
the principles involved. It may even prove valuable to
farm managers, by enabling them to put into practice
some of the better methods of soil and live stock manage-
ment, and to see clearly the aspects of farming as a busi-
ness.

The idea of preparing these lessons originated with Mr.
D. A. Wallace, editor of The Farmer, and we gratefully
acknowledge his suggestions.

We have freely used many of the agricultural books
and bulletins in the library at the Minnesota Agricultural
College, and have obtained much valuable information
therefrom.

Nearly all photographs used were made by Mr. H. D.
Ayer, and the drawings were made by Mr. C. H. Welch
and Mr. G. F. Krogh.

As it is difficult to keep changing the prices of farm
produce and labor as given in the problems, to keep in
harmony with market fluctuations, teachers may insert
market prices when assigning the lessons.

A. D. WILSON
E. W. WILSON

University Farm, St. Paul, Minn.

May, 1921.


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CONTENTS


Chapter Page

I Soils 9

n Tillage 19

HI Fertilizers 31

IV Grain Crops 39

V Cultivated Crops 60

VI Hay and Pasture Crops 97

Miscellaneous Crops 116

Co mm on Weeds and Their Eradication 123

The Garden 134

Fruit on the Farm 143

Plant Disease and Insect Pests 156

Live Stock 165

Feeds and Feeding 173

Horses 177

Cattle 192

Dairying 212

Sheep 220

Swine 229

Poultry, Birds and Bees 244

Agricultural Engineering 259

Community Activities 284

The Farm Home 305

Farm Management 318

Power Machinery on the Farm 349


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Out in the Fields with God.

The little cares that fretted me,

I lost them yesterda'y
Among the fields, above the sea,

Among the winds at play,

Among the lowing of the herds,

Among the rustling of the trees,

Among the singing of the birds,

The humming of the bees.

The foolish fears of what may happen,

I cast them all away
Among the clover-scented grass,

Among the new-mown hay,

Among the rustling of the corn,

Where the drowsy poppies nod,

Where ill thoughts die and good are born,
Out in the fields with God.

— Anonymous.


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ELEMENTS

OF

FARM PRACTICE

CHAPTER I

SOILS

Soil, from the standpoint of the farmer, is that por-
tion of the earth’s surface in which plants grow. It is
composed of small particles of rock, as grains of clay and
sand, and decayed and decaying plants.

Origin. — We are told that at one time, many, many
years ago, the earth’s surface was all solid rock, and that
the wind and water and frost have been able to break off
little pieces of rock to make soil. These little pieces of
rock are called clay when very fine, sand when a little
coarser than clay, and gravel when quite coarse. In the
mountains, or where there are very large stones or boulders,



Figure 1. — The action of vegetation, water and the weather gradually causes the
disintegration of solid rock.


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large-creeks * jvill* be- seeji'ja -.the rocks. These cracks are
made by frost, by alternate expansion and contrac-
tion caused by heat and cooling, or by the force of
growing roots. When these crocks are formed little
particles of rock are broken off. A strong wind will blow
these particles about over the rocks, make them finer and
wear off other particles. Rain and water running over
the rocks do the same thing. The wind and water tend to
gather the soil particles into crevices in the rock and other
sheltered places. When several of these little particles


Figure 2. — Soil well filled with humus.

have been gathered in one place, there is the beginning of
a little patch of soil. When this little patch of soil becomes
moist from rain or melting snow, and the warm sun shines
on it, some kind of a plant, like moss, will start to grow.
At first these little patches are very small and plants can
grow only a very little while. When the plants die they
are added to the soil. Then other small pieces of rock are
added and still other plants grow and die and are added
to the little patch of soil. This has been going on for many
thousands of years, so that nearly the whole surface of the
earth is covered with soil.


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SOILS


11


Parts of Soil. — All soils are then composed of two parts,
the part made up of little particles of rock that we call
sand or clay or gravel, and the part made up of decayed
or decaying plants. This part is called organic matter,
vegetable matter or humus. Wherever crops are to grow
it is necessary that the soil have both particles of rock
and vegetable matter. In a sand pit there is no vegetable
matter in the soil and plants grow very poorly or not at
all. In an old drained lake-bed, where the soil is made
up almost entirely of vegetable matter (peat), crops do not
grow well. In farming it is very important that there be
a proper combination of these two parts. The part made
up of particles of rock is called mineral matter. . The part
made up of dead and partly decayed plants is called organic
matter. Plants contain both mineral and organic matter.
Questions:

1. What is soil?

2. How has soil gradually been formed from solid rock?

3. What are the two important parts of soil?

Arithmetic:

1. If there are 2 lbs. of ash in 100 lbs. of dry vegetable matter,
how many lbs. of ash in one ton (2,000 lbs.) of vegetable matter?

2. If there is lb. of vegetable matter in 10 lbs. of soil, how
many pounds of vegetable matter in 100 lbs. of soil?

3. How many pounds of vegetable matter or manure would be
required to cover 12 acres, if six tons were applied to each acre?

CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS

In the study of soils one finds that there are many
different kinds. To enable us to talk and write about
soils, and to understand what is meant, it is necessary to
classify soils so that everyone will know what is meant
when a certain kind of soil is named. The most common
names applied to soils are gravel, sand, loam, clay and
peat.

Gravel is the coarse part of the soil. The particles may
vary in size from that of kernels of wheat to stones as large
as hen’s eggs. Such soil is not as a rule productive. The
particles are so coarse that they hold very little moisture
or plant food. Soil containing a large percentage of gravel
is called very poor or very light.


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VI


ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE


Sand is the name applied to soil with particles much
finer than gravel but still comparatively coarse. The
particles may be as large as grains of common granulated
sugar or cornmeal. Sandy soil is much more productive
than gravelly soils. The particles being finer, they hold
moisture better and usually contain more available plant
food.

Clay is the name applied to the very fine particles of
soil. Clay is often as fine or finer than wheat flour. Gen-
erally clay soils are the most productive soils, because the
grains are very, very fine. A given quantity of clay will
hold much more water than the same quantity of sand
or gravel. Clay soil is very sticky when wet, while sandy
soil is not.

Loam is a name applied to soil that has a liberal amount
of vegetable matter mixed with either sand or clay or both.
If a soil has a very large proportion of clay, it is called a
clayey loam. Nearly all the soils have a mixture of sand
with clay, but the proportion of each naturally varies.
On this account there are all kinds of mixtures, varying
from nearly all sand and very little clay, to nearly all clay
and very Little sand.

Sandy Soils. — Soils containing a large percentage of
sand are known as sandy soils, or sandy loam soils. They
do not hold as much moisture as clay soils. Such soils,
therefore, warm up more quickly in the spring than do
clay soils, and crops grow more quickly. If it does not
rain for several days or weeks, crops on such soils are likely
to be injured for lack of moisture. Sandy soils contain
less plant food than clay soils and give it up more readily.
On this account clay soils are regarded as better; but,
if sandy soils are well handled, they produce good
crops and are more easily plowed and cared for than clay soils.

Clay Soils. — Soils containing a large percentage of clay
are known as clay soils, or as clay loam soils. Because
the particles of clay are very small, there is more surface
exposed in a given amount of clay soil than in the same
amount of sandy soil. Soil holds water on the surface of
the particles, on which account a clay soil holds much more
water than a sandy soil. The fact that a soil with fine


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SOILS


13


particles has more surface exposed than soil with coarser
particles is illustrated by an apple. The surface of a whole
apple is represented by the .peeling. If the apple is quartered,
or cut into many pieces, each cut increases the exposed
surface of the apple by the two newly cut surfaces. The
apple is no larger. The exposed surface represented by
the peeling is the same. If a grain of sand is pulverized
to form many particles of clay, the amount of surface will
be greatly increased. Because clay holds moisture better,
it warms up more slowly in the spring. Crops start more
slowly, but are much less likely to be injured by drouth.
Questions:

1. What do you understand by the terms, gravel, sand, clay?

2. Tell the difference between a sandy loam, and a clay loam.

3. Explain why clay soil holds moisture better than sandy soil.
Arithmetic:

1. If a cubic foot of sandy soil weighs 90 lbs. and holds 17% of
its weight of water, how many pounds of water will it hold?

2. If a cubic foot of clay soil weighs 75 lbs. and holds 30% of
its weight of water, how many pounds of water will it hold?

SOURCES OF PLANT FOOD

Plant Food in the Air. — Plants as well as animals must
have food; and it is as important to know what plants
need and how to supply their needs as it is to know how to
feed animals properly.

The greater portion of the plant food comes from the
air rather than from the soil. All those substances in a
plant called carbohydrates as starch, sugar and fibrous
tissue, are made entirely from carbon dioxide gas and
water. The plant takes in carbon dioxide from the air,
through its leaves, and water from the soil, through its
roots. When the water and the carbon dioxide are brought
together in the leaves of the plant, and the sun shines on
the leaves, the sun and the green coloring matter (the
chlorophyll) in the leaves cause the water and the carbon
dioxide to unite. The oxygen and hydrogen in the water
unite with the carbon in the carbon dioxide. These three
elements form starch. The oxygen in the carbon dioxide
is liberated and given off to the air. In this way plants
purify the air for animals to breathe and animals exhale
air containing carbon dioxide, which furnishes food for


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14


ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE



plants. Some of the starch formed in a plant is slightly
modified during the growth of the plant and forms fibrous
tissue and sugar. Examine kernels of wheat and corn
and a potato to see what a very large part is starch. The
white part of them all is very largely starch. It is seen
that by far the greater portion of our common plants does
not come from the soil, as is usually supposed, but is formed
from the poisonous gas, carbon dioxide,
from the air, and water from the soil.

Plant Food in the Soil. — A small por-
tion of every plant comes from the plant
food in the soil. A fairly good idea of the
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