The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-11-25
SOILS AND THEIR IMpOyERISH.
MENT.

lNllj WncTchS once any average nplaIlU
acre in the southern states yielded, with
little labor, u bale Of cotton, IL IL now
considered very fair cropping 10 get half
that much, though twice the labor Is cx-
pended.
One Of the causes Of the increased Ia
Dor il the closcncss or hardness Of the
soil, A single beating rain will now
very often cause the soil Of n newly
ploughcd field TO run together and be-
con ~ hard rs If not ploughcd in twelve
months, This, in its turn, offers serious
impcdimcnts 10 the extension Of the
r0Otlcts, and, AZ n consequence, greatly
rctards the growth Of the young plant
A prime result Of this tagging growth u
Il large increase Of hoe or hand work, Tor
had the soil furnished the conditions n
vorabIc to prompt and vigorous CROWN
the young plant would have OutstrlPPcn
the weeds and prass, or mounted 80 high
M 10 offer p%rcatcr facilities for their de-
struction by the plough, The rctarda'
ton Of the growth Of the plant gives in
creased potency 10 all its cncmics-licc,
etc, 80 delays the production of
IIlII lIlI NV l'll w "l"IN ''''I
away the greater portion Of the crop.
II *, therefore, interesting 10 consider
the causes which have produced n c0ndi-
ton of soil 10 uniayorabIc 20 the de-
vcIopmcut Of the young plant. The lOSs
Of vegetable matter first suggests itself,
There can not bc Il doubt that if to any
Of our stiff, hard fields a liberal amount
Of vegetable mold were added, the result
ing crops would be considerably aug
mcntcd, even if the added mold contrib
utcd nothing 10 the sustcnance Of the
plants; for if il did not nOurish the grow
ing plants, il would, besides fayOring the
progress Of the r~OOtIets in search Of food,
insure u more Gquable supply of water,
and air, and the substances with which
they are ircightcd.
Our latitude has, doubtless, something
to do with n speedy dcarth Of vegetable
matter, for the long hot weather dctcrm-
ines a prompt conversion Of vegetable
matter into carbOnic acid gas, etc; while
farther north the same material would
remain on or in the soil Il much longer
time without dccomposinG. But the loss
Of the vegetable matter Is not the sole
cause Of the propensity to bake. The
withdrawal Of the mineral ingredients
must bc credited with some Of it, for the
soluble mineral plant food in n soil X
c]rcisc. aIso a strong influence in keeping
it light and porous.
The question then arises; To what
cousrs urr duc fine general exhaustion of
orr IoudsY An casy unswc il: Crop.
nina witLout mouuriny, This il oniy
nn,rti,IIv cnrrcct for ihourh il is tlc
iruiL il il moi thc whole truth II IL fine
t,mth hccnnsc oII nI,nis ryh,ust fine
,,iI nn ,,IioL, iLnv darnw rInvnr o.rn.
,;,IIv vL;nL :, LIy monv roon,,IoL ~ q
L",'5 "gy, L,nr, LS"n lao "n,
wv. ,L",'",' ~, nI,'o,, La,non nn,,
"h'or fn"mt s,iI ;nnnYcriyI nr i"as
;nnnI;nn ~, ,wn nr thrc" crnns NJ
.,,7,,u ,,,ain
~, an,i,,g;, oruo co,iou GLro voull
.oom ,n Hy,alJiyL ,hn G,c, ,Lo, land
rl,nioj coniinnnnIv ,n cnt,ou nu,ht IN
n,rnn ho,inr voor hSy yoor C,r ,Le yory
ssn,iI ],mouni 81 nj yoScn and allied min.
crnIs Which cuicr inin ,hc cnmnnitinn
.r n,i ,,n ,,,,,I oro n,ouoaii,nnLI mucL
lose ,hom ,hat which il ~onnrnmriStrJ Nv
| , I''' cN.' u,a q" If.Ii;L !
over yearly from the condition of imam
p%ropriablo to %appropriahlc plant food.
WHY then should lands planted to cotton
dctcrioratc? Because, while the fibre
crop does not exhaust. even in n sIipht
decree, tho seed crop il an enormous
yearly drain upon the soils fertility.
Taken as n Whole. fine cation crop /.
cmincnlIy exhaustive. But being, like |
clover, n deep rooted plant, the transfer
of material from the srbsoil 10 the sur
face soil, insnring to surface roofing
GIANTS which come after it I'M abundant
,abuIum, the extent of its cxhaus- ,
~ivcucS has been mcasurabIy lost sight ,
I
But the sublime folly of suunndcring
he cotton seed has been given up. 1t is !
0w universally admitted that such n I
curse is cmincntly detrimental. But q
ven if all the seeds were returned To the r
md from the gin, or ~ manure from /
he hog and cow-lots, the cotton crop =
'ould, we think, he still Il degree ex- /
a%ustivc, unless certain conditions, to be- u
%rcscntIy discussed, were strictly re- +
/
There is one test which goes bcyond ,
Others in determining Inc value of t
nv farmers tactics. 1t Is this: Have ,
lis lands become more fertile? DO his
iclds Weld, with the same kind and
mount of labor, larger crops than they
lid five or ten wears opo? Tried by
Ich II tcst-cud the excellence of tho
est il unuucstiounblc-thcr has been a
,ost omouut IF had farming in thc Uui.
ed Stntrs The c,rt il ihrrc nrc thr
GOOD farmers from Maine To tLc /
Gr,udc Tho northern G,rmcr. I
,Lirb orc "]rnying hotter yc,r hv vn,r
re- few an5 far bet wccn iva ID nnt
incI,,dc yogctaLIc Crmn, in ,Lo
cirhhorhonJ orcitirsI CIoycr dccoiycJ
49, ~ WV ''' :.