Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1853-11-18
AprituItaral.
rhs Fertility Of soil.
AN ADDRESS


Nov. 5th, 1893, By J. X. .Goopwis, M d.
Mr.. PxksrDEsr, AND GEsrLEmES OF
THE AGRICULTURAL SocrETY-In selec-
ting the subject Of the fertility Of soils, f,
and the means for maintaining that fer
tilitys for the regular address, I have
been influenced by the fact that there
ives no committee appointed to report
on the subject for This days discussion,
which 70 manures-their production and
application.
A paper on the fertility OF soils. and
the means Of maintaing that fertility,
must Of necessity answer the two-iod
purpose OF q regular address, and a report
on the subject OF maDurcs.
There isa very wide difference be.
tween the ages fthe Art OF Agriculture,
and the Science Of Agriculture. The
former has existed ever since man began
Co catch and tame wild plants. The latter
only since the natural science genera lily.
and chemistry the especially, came In to
explain and TO teach. t..nI
The Art taught the fertility Of tho
soil, and found out the advantages Of
follow, and the rotation Of crops, aud the
necessity OF manuring. The science
searches out the cause Of that fertility
teaches tho theory Of fallow-instructs
in the rotation ofcrops, and directs, with
an unfsiling certainty, In the application
Of msnures. The Art considered the
soil itself a. the essential, In the produc-
lion Of crops. Here the science differs
widely. and considers the mass OF the or
dinary soil as contributing nothing to
nutrition Of plants, more than does the
lamp itself which merely holds the oil,
contribute to the production Of light
Following the directions Of practical
farming, or the Art OF Agriculture, the
most contradictory results are often OBJ
tanned, and many farmer has sadly ex-
pcrienced the fact IL Is frequently only
after TIE lapse OF a long time, and after
. series Of successful and unsuccessful
trials, that II 10 at last found out which
soil will suit this particular plant and
which will not. A celebrated writer on
agricultural chemistry has said with rel
erance to similar facts: "All this may
be obviated and the question determined
at once, by burning the plant. examining
lie ashes, and carefully analysing tho
soil; this will enable " TO determine
whether a given field will repay the cul-
tiystion or not"
The fertility OF the soil then, as taught
by scientific agriculture, is In direct ratio
20 the amount and variety Of the ele-
saents necessary 10 the production OF
plants II contains; and though Il may
fail on the production Of one species of
grain, IL IL no con ,lasive evidence yet
sgsinst its fertility. II IL very evident
that In the soil must be contained all the
elements that 20 10 constitute tho pro-
dueed plant, except that furnished by the
atmosphere; and II IL equally as evident
that the soil Il impoverished. Just TO the
amount OF the material furnished to any
given crop. II we then assume that all
soils are equally fertile, and possessed Of
nhe same elements, (Which 10 an errone.
ous ssspmption,) then very limited
class Of experiments would teach us all
that was necessary In maintaining that
fertility against the exhaustion OF crops,
and hence practical agriculture would
become selentihc agriculture. This
diffcrenee In soils however, exists, and
upon that difference must be based oil,
OF principally all that ever will bo known
a. seisnliie agriculture.
The fertility OF soil 10 an expression
that has reference 10 its power Of pro-
dnclnr vegetation. The term ls rsla-
dive, and not positive one, for some
coils may bs fertile with reference TO
some crops, and not at all 30 with others,
or, IL may be capable OF producing ono
crop oi q certain kind Of grain, and the
elements OF that crop be 30 Tar exhaus-
ted that there could not be another crop
Of the same grain produced without
again supplying TO the soil, the necessary
constituents. A perfectly fertile soil
u such there Is. must be one that pos
sesses, an ilIImitable amount of the nee
essary mineral constituents 70 produce,
on and on, successive crops OF the same
cereals continually and forever, without
any necessity OF artificial aid. A We
have no such soils, II becomes OF great
practical Importance 10 inquire how
lands are impoverished and by what
means their fertility may be restored.
The treasures OF the earth are exhaus-
ted just as the treasures OF acapltaIist by
giving more than receiving. The farm
CT that pIows, produces, carries of and
sells, without restoring any thing TO his
land, is a. certainly selling out. as u he
sold acse by arce; and in longer or
shorter time, in proportion to the origii-
nal wealth OF his land. he will find him.
self without farm, as certainly as the
monied man, constantly outlaying, and
not receiving. would find himself out of
fortune having only the purse that on
tanned IL. Against this ultimate ten
dency both practical and scientific agri-
culture contend, either by fallow, rota-
lion Of crops, or By manureing. The
latter mode however Is the only means
OF fully compensating, for the gifts of
the field, and IL is here that the science
agriculture promises to aid the tiller of
the soil more than in any other way.
The term "fallow" Is, believe, gen.
orally considered synonymous with rest;
and when practiced by the farmer
amounts 10 but little more than the rest
OF the field. during the time that il might
have produced one crop. This is
widely different meaning from that CIV
en- 10 the word in early ages.
Thaer, In his "Principles OF Agricul-
tfre" tells Us that lands, in "fallow,"
were worked harder than any other lands
by the Romans. But they were not re-
quired 10 produce. The Jsiio,oingof field
required, upon the authority Of Roman
writers. six different plowings. The OBJ
jcct was, which 10 the truc object Of " fall
low" 10 entirely pulverize the soil and
often bring lie particles to the surface
whsrs they may be exposed to the ac-
tion OF the stmospere, and rot oily 30,
but frequent STRINGS. and perfect pulver-
ixing hsstens the natural process OF deg
rsdafion, that Is, the dssolv ing Of the So
Iuble minerals contained In The soil, by
which alkaline salts and soluble silica
arc formed, and these are the most I'm
portant ingredients for the growth Of
plants- e. t...
Il can easily be seen what good We ex-
pect 10 derive from fallow In reclaiming
lands, but the mode practiced by as gen
l..