The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-03-19
MIXING SOILS.


in some cases. The deeper soil may
contain some substance tha! is HARM
ful to vegetation. Toe fact can u.s.
ually be discovered by the previous
step. always to be taken before deep
blowing In moist lands, namely beep
draining, that should be done before
any attempt is made at deep blowing.
Even good draining is rarely effective
at once. Time is needed for water to
ind its proper channels. Possibly fer
two years, or more, subsoil, pillow
may raise as much subsoil as may
be probably M ixed with the surface
soil the frat and second season. Ia
all cases OF deep draining and deep
blowing, exposure to a winters freez-
ing and summers following will
improve and mellow twill dry and
oxygenate il 90 that it may do but
little harm If well mixed with the sur
face soil.
Such draining AM deep blowing
should be done in the latest autumnal
months, that the frost OF winter may
mellow the soil and kill the cocoons
of insects that have found winters
home in tie deeper soil. We zee
then great room for discretion in deep
blowing. Failures in crops do not
show the principles on which deep
blowing is based to be false but local
pecuisrities exist, that demand wis
dom in their treatment. Successful
cultivation Of large tracts of land
mus! be based on science and expert
ence. No royal road to the cultivation
Of coils is known.
One result OF value in draining and
blowing is that they have tendency
to mix soils that are near each other,
one above the other. Some soils do
not possess ell the constituents that
contribute to the growth OF plants.
They may poses o too mach of one and
too little OF another. Peaty soils con
tain too large . per cent, OF vegetal
material. They may be improved by
sand or clay, or lime. A sandy soil
needs the aid of clay to give it more
consistency. A clayey soil may need
sand to give it more porosity. Sandy
coil sometimes rest on clay, and clsyey
soils may rest on eand. Mingle them
and they yield paying crops This
course Of treatment improves greatly
the qualities OF the soil. 1t consoli.
dates the pests and sands and renders
Loose and porous the nearly impsne.
!rable clays.
The productiveness OF soil depends
upon its physical condition scarcely
less than upon its chemical constitu
ents. 1t needs full supply OF all
those inorganic matters, that special
plants need for nourishment, growth
and health. II these matters are in
q full supply. possibly the soil may
need sand to separate its particles and
render the totallty more porous. In
improving any lard, We need to con-
slider it, chemical and physical condi-
ton. Here again We SEQ the value Of
science and experience. We should
not trust to chance, another name
for human ignorance. Usually the
good effects OF adding clay to psaty OF
sandy soil are most due to physical
and chemical alteration. Adding
clay renders all light soils 6rmer and
more able to yield q prolific crop.
Adding mari to land does double
duty. 1t makes clay lands more
friable and porous, and to all soils il
adds the carLonates and often th,
phosphate OF lime. Both these limey
salts are needed to foster vegets
growth and health. The ford plantI
consume graduates their value q
much ss the food animals eat gives
value 20 their flesh. And We clearl
lsee how important and even sbso
lutely necessary mixing varIOu
earthly and chemical constituen:
may be If we wish TO secure psyin
crops. It is the paying faculty c
some soils that gives them their value
And so farmers wisely ask: VII
idsep draining and deep plowIDi
pay? The proper answer to this que,
ton involves the simplest eements {
arithmetic, and competent amour
OF common sense. Ia some district
they do not pay. 10 others thew dc
The difference does a depend er
tirely upon the soil, but parity, il nC
Ient!rely, on the minds who manag
Inf