St. Landry democrat., 1884-09-06
Fertility Of Soils

Y
on the condition and composition OF
the soil from which it grows, yet the
soil contributes but a small per cent. OF
the material used in that growth. Ii
we take plant aud carefully burn it,
the ash which remains will represent
the material drawn from the soil, and
this is seldom more than three or four
per cent, and often less than one. The
great mass of material used IN Vegeta-
Bile growth is derived from the air by
the leaf machinery. If vegetable mat
ter be exposed to high heat in exclu-
sion from the air, a mass of charcoal
will remain which is nearly pure car
bon. This is derived from carbonic acEu
gas carbon dio oXide), which is always
mixed with the atmosphere to q greater
or less extent. This is absorbed by the
leaf and decomposed in its cell struct-
ure by the Joint action of the life force
in the plant and the suns rays. The
oxygen is given back 10 the air, and
the carbon is appropriated to the pro-
duction OF gum starch, sugar and woody
fiber, for all these are composed OF car
bon and the elements OF water.
But before particle of this carbon
can be organized and built into veg
etable form, there must be present q
| substance containing nitrogen, which
| is derived from ammonia or nitric acid.
In vegetable composition this substance
| takes the form of gluten albumen, or
| caseine, Familiarity known as that which
| piyes adhesiYeness to wheat dough, or
as seen in the white of an egg, or IN
cheese. Now, nitrogen is literally dis
| tributed in nature. It forms four-htths
| of the atmosphere, and is, to limited
extent, found in all organic bodies.
whether animal or vegetable. But in
its simple, uncombined condition, as it
exists in tie air, it can not be appropri-
| ated by growing vegetation, and 1t has
a wonderful aversion to entering into
chemical combinations. In the decom-
| position of animal and vegetable sub
stances the nitrogen takes the form OF
/ ammonia and passes into air as a gas,
or is dissolved in water, The strong
odor given off from pile of fresh stable
manure gives evidence of the liberal
contribution of ammonia it is making
| to the air. But though this has escaped
| from it's rightful owner through his
carelessness, vet it is not lost. 1t floats
in the air, ready to be washed out by
the first shower that falls, or to be abb
| sorbed by the first mellow soil it comes
jim contact with.
/ But though these two elements of fer
tility may be abundant and in an aVall-
able form, yet if the small per cent:
contributed by the soil and represented
by the ashes remaining after combus-
ton be absent, there can be no perfect
growth. This mineral, or earthly mat
i ter, consists chiefly Of lime, potash,
soda, silica, phosphorus and sulphur.
Il Except the two last named, these are
compounds of oxygen with a simple ele-
/ ment; and these last named form acids
by combining with oxygen. Now. all
these elements of plant food must be
soluble in water, or exist as a gas, III
order to be available as plant food; and,
of course, water must be supplied to act
as solvent and to carry the material
to the various parts of the plant where
| it is to be used.
But this formidable array of materials
of plant growth is not all to be taxed to
the farmer. The carbonic acid and wa
ter are supplied from the atmosphere
with but little care on his part, and the
/
soil in a pretty generous supply IN this
country, though they are not always in
, an available form, and may be exhausted
by constant cropping. Our soils, under
steady cultivation, viii need supply o.
potash and phosphorus, which may be
} furnished by the use of wood-ashes, OF
German potash and bonemeal. Avail
3 able nitrogen in the form of ammonia
or nitric acid is largely supplied from
the atmosphere either by rain water o.
from absorption by porous soil abound
ing in absorbent material.
/, Sir j. B. Lawes, by a careful exam
, ination of the rain-water that fell a
! Rothamsted in 1882, ascertained that il
I that year his fields had received, in thu
. form of ammonia by rain-water, q
pounds of ammonia per acre, ant
, nearly the same amount in the form o
n nitric acid. If we add to this a variable
: and uncertain amount absorbed directl,
from the air, we will have five or ST
u pounds of nitrogen, derived from thu
Q air alone, on each acre Of soil, and in
: form available for the use of crops
This explains the effect of high cttltiVa
!. ton on the fertility of soil. If vege
| table loan, containing q large amour
: of carbon from the decay OF organi
Q matter, be made very fine, it will alb
sorb from the air enough ammonia t
: supply the fullest demands OF GROWN:
CROPS. if the mineral elements be i
}; proper proportion. -Iazdian0 Farmer
, WHY Bottles Should Be Labeled.