The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1890-03-01
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
EXPERIENCE AND SCIENCE.

-, Sahuy ana grayely lands leach
onuly when put in cultivation; that is,
All mold or plant food are washed down
lnso the sub-soil. and the gravel OF
snarp sand flint rocks) remain ON the
ariace. IL any one will take the soil
mat mas been in plowed crops for twen-
" years, and the same kind of sandy
soii mat has been only in cultivation for
TWO or three years and examine them
.nlougn magnifying glass, they will
sec tnat the surface soil of the land in
cultivation for twenty years looks like
piie OF small, clean flint rocks down
% the top of the clay. This sand shows
wnere the mold (plant food has gone,
ior 1t will be found more abundant lust
ABOVE the clay than nearer the surface.
Inc fresh, sandy soils will show most
mold or plant food on or nearer
.ne surface, and very little in
sne clay. On fresh lands--on grass.
ciover, cowpeas, etc.--the roots of
tnese plants catch this substance
In It's descent and return Il to
tne surface in leaves, stalks, seeds. etc.
each year For this reason we should
keep some kind OF crop growing ON the
land all the time. Peas sown in the
corn at laying by tocome in and catch
and retain all the plant food not taken
up by the corn from any cause, root cut
ing, drought, excessive rains, bad drain
age or shallow preparation. Nine out
oi Ten seasons are good, but nine out of
Ten years we guess wrong and curse the
season for our own short-sightedness in
not catching escaping ammonia, for it is
2 settled fact that all ammonia turned
loose by the opening of the soil with
the pillow on clean soils, will either be
lost from evaporation by the long sum-
mer and fall heat, or carried down into
the sub-soii by the winter rains. II
there is no clay foundation or
growing plant roots to catch
1t, ammonia will, in few
years, be carried below where any plant
root can feed. II the soil is filled with
plant roots, the ammonia will be re-
turned to the surface when the plants
decay; II a clay foundation, the clay
Will retain the ammonia, where summer
crops, such as cotton and other tropical
plants will get it. but is lost to the
spring crops Of the temperate zone, such
as wheat, oats. Northern or extra earlv
corn, grasses and clover. Why? Be-
cause nothing can decay or be digested
without air, and roots can not feed ON |
undecaycd substances. All the plant
food during the spring is held sub
merged IN cold water, which is also held |
Dy the tenacious clay until summer
comes So all that the spring plants |
can get is the very scant sub |
stances left in this bed of very
small flint rocks and the food gath |
ered from the air through its little |
feeder roots mot the leaves). All Gull
ovation will do much better on these
old sandy soils than those sown broad
cast, because the cultivation stirring
The soil causes more rapid evaporation
and lets air down deeper While this
sandy soil on clay foundation is un-
lifted for all spring crops, it is COM
plete soil for summer crops. The land
acts ss protection against the heat of
the sun by cutting of all capillary at
traction and forming q dense shade.
The clay keeps both plant food and
water together just on top of it, where
III plant roots will be sure to run, for
hey can not catch into the sand or en-
er the airless clay. There is but little
langcr of crippling the plant by root
utting in cultivation, for they are deep
nough to admit of thorough cultivation
With shallow running implements. +
Do not understand me to say that
hese soils are not suited for any thing
ut cotton and sugar cane. BY no
BEANS They are suited to greater
lumber of plants than the clay soils of ;
he North, open, porous and under ,
rained. We must confine ourselves to
ummer crops, and this is as it should
e. Were it other wise, our summers ,
'ould be much hotter by the direct rays ,
the sun ON the soil protected by green .
nd growing plants that feed themselves !
nd their stalk. In the absense of this .
rowing vegetation our hot months
oud cost us just as much for shade and
10ck feed as the winters do the people
the North. We have many summer
rasses that furnish US with summer and :
III grazing, and the very cheapest and
est hay for winter, which, If fed to !
title land sheep) with cotton seed, win
eep them fat the year round without
ny kind OF grain
We have three hundred acres in cult
stion-all in one field. We have one 9
de in corn, oats, millet. etc. The corn
pulled early. The oats are thrashed
i'd the straw stacked. While we do :
1t get As good crop of oats as on the n
ifier soils, we get full crop of crab
Ass hay, which with the millet is put p
long, narrow shed in the field. As Q
ON as the corn is gathered first of q
we put boy on mule to q
,raing our cattle every forenoon where II
q corn grew. This is kept up until .
tton Is gathered and the rye sown tn u
q cotton shows green sward, then the
tile are turned loose in the field. The b
ows then turn the land where we had Il
m and millet under. Generally there a
. good crop of volunteer oats which W