The Red Cloud chief., 1880-04-01

rARu fOPiCx.
rxxxYuxxr or psyyrxyxY SOILS,
Soia. while naturally depending tor
,k~sr material elements aroo ths sDurcs
from which they are ihsrn-ssSrs dsrIvcd.
NJ The -ans time of;sr rely rSsts upon
artificial treatment than the crsg1zas
source for their fertility. Tsrru ar,
indeed, fev lands q such chs-srfsr g.
10 be permanently independent 81 tes
aid Of appis-d fertilizers: therefor tas
necessity for ks~cwl-tg. II tke cA-@mi-A
cou s,uifucu,. II q sol IN order q kno~
VIA; crops II viii best grow and What
elements Of plan; food IL refutrcs-
Soils co1ntso~e. Of cxr~s land. wkiAs
thew may b. rich in mipe-Sl elements.
are, in the absence Of ladicsous tr-ai-
rnent, n continuzl sourcc of dFs1ppoin'-
ment To the cuIIiva.Or. They allow 3
rapid de--n, Of water through them,
are incapable ii supplying moisture
from below by capillary attraction aa1
are deficient in the power Ut aesoThsns
moisture OF f~rriilizing gssSes fIotn The
atmosphere. Fertilizers applied Ia
these lands arc o. little or no use be-
ezuse they are no, retained. The con
scquencei i a failure Of crops, especially
in times Of druuth. These soils. how
ever, with proper management have
their mechanical defecis corrected and
their value many times enhahced. bail
plowing when there - = clay sutsof!
within reach Is very beneficial. becsnse
Il brings up the clay 20 ming!e with the
sand surface BY the action Oi fro>ts and
rains. A green crop or two turned IN
der further assists in sti4ening the tex
,ure 81 the land. improving its capti!a-
" action and facilitating FOOT action
When there j. not 4 clay sabsoil within
reach Of the plo~, the use Of lime IN
conjunction with vegetable matter turn
ed under is advised a. one Ut the most
~eifeciual and economical means for the
amelioration of the land.
The successful management and cul-
t~ivation If elay or stiff lands are much
more laborioas than the lighter soils.
Clay soils under proper treatment, how
ever. endure long and yield great va
riety Of crops. They are generally
adapted 10 the cereals, make god grass
and pasture lands and grow fine fruits.
Clay lands are deficient IN veg
etable matter and are there
fore greatly benefited by an
application Of the same. Lime Is also
beneficial Ia such lands. assisting To
remedy their stiffness and tenacity. Any
substances which serve a. diyi,ors. pre-
venting the adhesion If the particles of
earth both in times Of drouth and ex-
cessiye wet are OF great service.
Good drainage is especially necessary
for clay soils. Without drainage sea-
sonable work can seldom be done in the
spring. Every farmer knows how
troublesome clay lapd becomes If run
together and packed after having been
plowed. Much needless work is caused
by blowing such lands too early in the
spring. Fall blowing Is n grea, assist
ance; it adds humus through whatever
growths may be on the farface, and the
alternate freezes and thaws of winter
break up the inert clods and grind down
the soil into a more soluble mass. Cold
and unproductive soils which have stag
NEAT ~ater sufficiently near the surface
Ia b., reached by the roots of plants re-
quire % be underdrained.
Alluvial soil may be said 10 have no
distinctive character, being composed
Of successive deposits, continued through
a long period. They partake somewhat
Of the soil Of the country from which
running waters have washed and de-
posted them. Alluvial lands, of course,
are rich in humus and do not need the
assistance Of green crops turned under
I ~ ~. a,t.oatiap in any form nf NaOa-
table matter. They are generally de-
ficient in the mineral elements and are
benefited by phosphoric acid, potash
and other mineral plant-food. The
same may be said Of soils known as veg
etable molds and containing a large per
| cent. of vegetable matter.
Loans are soils in which clay and
sand unite. sandy loans being those in
which the sand predominates and clay
loans those in which the proportions of
sand and clay are reversed. These must
be treated according as the sand or clay
predominates.
If all the crops annually produced up
on ones land were returned To II the
soil would annually improve in fertility.
With this fact in view il is easy To un-
derstand that as a part, at least, of each
crop is annually removed plant-food
equivalent to that contained in the por-
| ton of the crops carried off must be re-
turned to the land to secure it, enduring
fertility. 1t has been practically dem
onstrated over and over again that the
roots of all plants, and especially the
legumes, have a power of acting a.
chemical agents upon the mineral ele-
ments Of the soil in a n which
renders them available as plant-food.
This in part explains the desirable ef-
fects of the cultivation of peas, clover
and the like.
While the general principles here laid
down and already familiar 10 many
farmers are the same everywhere, their
application 10 practice must OF neces-
sity vary with the differing circum-
stances surrounding individual farmers.
Certain practices which give admirable
results nj the North may fail 10 be OF
any avail at the South, and vice versa.
MANY of these differences farmers must
learn from experience, though much
knowledge may be gained by observa-
ton. The interchange of experiences
from all sections of country through
journals devoted TO the farmers inter
ests, agricultural stations and farmers
clubs can not be too highly priced OF
encouraged. Every farmer who take:
the trouble to promulgnte facts coming
into his own line and Of general interes'
is soon rewarded for that trouble by
some equally valuable fact, otherwise
unknown to him, from another farmer
whose opinions were called out. maybe
by his own communication.-Neg Yori
World.