The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1885-10-07
The c.. ton Plant and Soil Fertility.

The writer has believed for many
years that the cotton plant-or, in
other words, the much abused ''cotton
crop"--if properly managed, was a
great renOvatcr of the soil-possibly
the best renovating crop in tic world
taking into consideration the fact
that the farm, after taking all his lint
cotton for market, still has left on his
land the seed, stalks and leaves, and
nearly everything made from the soil
is returned to the soil.
In giving what we take to be some
of the causes why certain plants enrich
the land more than others, and why
cotton more than the grain crops, let
us the first take into consideration the
effect produced on the soil by the tree.
Mention has been made of the forest
tree fertilizing the land, and that its
teaching should be followed by the
~fnrmers, to which we agree, for as with
the plant, so also with the tree, some
having tap roots and others only sur
face roots; and those, in each case
that have tap roots fcrtiliZc the soil,
and the accumulations arc of great
benefit 10 the cultivated crop. Being a
case in point we will take the old field
pine, though we are unable say why
the full grown pine trees Of the forest
do not act in the same way as the old
field pines in improving the soil. But
the old fields seem to be all especial
provision of Providence to reclaim old
worn out and badly washed lands,
which 1t does TO an extent that is UNI
equaled by anything else known to
u section of the country where tie
land is left by itself to rest, nothing at
oil hptnn lnnn 70 - l,,t -. A.. A q.
alone Tor some twenty years more or
less. These pines come on the land OF
themselves, and when left alone they
take all over the land, CALLED, quilted
and all, and will grow and thrive i'm
stop washes, form new soil or enrich
the old where t ere is any left to
enrich. Tue question is, where and
growing on what seems to DO "stcrility
itself? This tree appears to be a very
gross feeder, and sends its roots far
and deep into the sterile and hard
earth and takes up fertilizers that are
deep down, too scant and too insolublc
for any cultivation to reach, take I'M or
appropriate. But this tree does all
this, penetrating deep and wide, taking
~ W. w . " ilSh Dull llOIl ~
depth Of many feet, absorbing them i'm
away to form leaves and burs, which
Is thrown down to rot and become a
rich and fertile soil; this crude matter
becoming soluble to feed cultivated
crops, the land often appearing as
good, If not better, than when first
cleared of the original forest that might
have been there for thousands of
years.
Aud so 1t is with the plants, some
have tap roots, such as the clover,
pears aud cotton and some Others, ali
of which enrich the soil more or less
upon the same principle as the old
field pine, If not to the same extent,
being some of them only ANNALS and
not such gross feeders; but they all
improve the soil, going deeper than the
grain crops do. 1t is generally admit
ted that the clovers can yield good
crops Of hay and at the same time be
improving the soil; why not the cotton
plant, that returns all back to the soil
which is not the Ease with the
And the case is worse with
the grain crops which feed from the ]
and. And It is not possible thael