The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-05-28
HOW no. soILs.

Methods By which Barren Land can b
Raised to Great Degree Of Fertility.
Much attention has been given in THU
country to the mechanical treatment o.
soils, Inventive ingenuity has been taxed
to produce now ploWs, hArrows, cultiya'
tors, and other implements for working
the soil. Little attention, however, has
been paid to improving the composition
OF the soil. 1t Is time that this matter
should be considered, as the complaint Ia
general that old farms produce but scant
crops, A Michigan correspondent to
The Country Gentleman writes on this
subject:
One need not 60 far for proof that man
has the power to reduce the fertility Of
even the richest soil to practical barren
nessi but the illustrations are not 80 nu-
merous TO prove that naturally poor soil
can be raised to q high degree Of fertility,
In order to become successful in bringing
up Q soil, the philosophy and chemistry OF
the changes ought to be understoOd-not
not that It ia essential that the endeavoF
should await the study and mastery OF
these sciences, but there should be q
discriminate plan in view, based upon
knowledge. Therehave, indeed, beennum-
berless instances where farmers have been
constantly improving their farms have
followed the exact path. which science
would have marked out, without knowing
even the Tudlments OF scientific agriCul-
ture. The trouble with such farmers is
that they have no language in which to
express their operations, They under
stand facts, but mot terms. Chemistry ex-
presses in terms what these farmers know
in the abstract, and 1t can inform in q
language which all may understand, The
farmer has learned that certain processes
produce certain results, Science tells
how these results are produced, II We
know how things happen, we are more
likely to strive 10 bring about q change in
the direction oil our understanding,
Every farmer knows that the iuuda.
mental character Of good soil is sand,
clay, and deCayed vegetable matter, or
bumus, TheseimpOrtant constituents vary
greatly in their proportions. A strong
clay soil has B to 10 percent OF siliClous
sand, Clay loan has 10 to 80 percent OF
fine sand, A lOamy soil has soto 90 per-
cent oil sand q sandy loan, 20 TO 90 per-
cent, and a sandy soil has no more than
10 percent Of clay, and often less, as 1t DO.
comes more barren. A strong clay soil,
by constant cropping, Is robbed Of Its &C.
cumulations OF vegetable matter, and soon
becomes too compact for the roots oil
plants To penetrate freely, It's improve
ment Is much quicker and more certain
than the other extremes Of sand, but the
same process must be employed. The
roots OF clover, In penetrating, open and
loosen the still clay, difuslng themselves
everywhere. They gradually raise, by In.
the bulk OF the surface soil. This
upper soil Is thus converted into a
mixture OF clay and decayed roots, and Is
necessarily more loose and iriable than
before. This admixture Of roots affects
the chemical composition as well "a the
physical condition oil the soil. The roots
and stems OF plants and gases contain
much inorganiC-earthy and saline-mat.
ter, which Ia gathered from below, where.
ever the roots penetrate, and Is by them
sent upward 10 the surface. Atom Of
clover hay contains about 100 pounds OF
this inorganic matter, Suppose the roots
To contain as much land they doubtless
contain more) II the product Of both top
and root equals four tops to the acre, we
have elk hundred pounds OF inorganic
matter added yearly to the soil, which, Il
purchased in the open market, would
amount To $40 per acre. Much OF this Ia
doubtless washed back again into the
earth, or eaten and carried away by stock,
but the possibilities are very promlsing 10
those who are e%ndeavoring to improve
heavy clay.