Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-10
How 10 Retain The FARMS Fertility.

dress by the professor Of agriculture. in
the Massachusetts agricultural college, "
j. Brooks.
The conditions contributing TO make
our lands productive are numerous.
Physical or mechanical conditions as tex
ture, drainage, water capacity, ETC., have
as much to do with productiyeness as
docs the chemical composition. Regard
ing physical conditions, according to Hill
gards system, there are thirteen grades
Of grits, sands, dust silt and clay. An
alysis has been made Of Agawam plain
land Of poor fertility, Of the Massachusetts,
experiment station soil, fertile and Of
nearly ideal physical character, and Of
the dikcd salt marsh of Marshfield, sodden
in rains and baked in drouths. These
analyses show the soil Of the experiments
station to have fortunate blending Of
materials, securing good agricultural con
ditions, while the other soils represent
two extremes: the Agawam soil too much
coarse, the diked marsh to much fine ma
terial. Large applications Of manure may
be proftably made on the station soil,
while the use of manure on the other
sorts Of soil requires caution. Thorough
preparation and careful culture help
amazingly to keep up fertility.
The fertilizing constituents REQUIRED by
the farmer are nitrogen, potash and phos-
plIOric acid other minerals occur in sur
iieicut quantity for rlic plants needs. The
poorest soil, the ACawam plain land, cor
taius u the upper six inches q much nj
trogen as eight crops Of corn, rs much
phosphoric acid as 20 such crops and Of
potash as 28 crops. Much OF tlll- pant
I. n. lid .4...
all the food crops need, there nlust b.
more than enough at hand 1t fhns be
hooves farmers to so manage their land as
to favor the conversion of inert .eod into
available forms Just how far it will pay
to substitute tillage for manures must be
left to individual determination. Thor
ough drainage, fall plowing, complete
aeration and pulvcrization before and dur
ing the growing season are means Of keep
ing up fertility, which have received too
little attention.
Soils have but very little capacity for
holding nitrogen in soluble compounds
as nitric acid and ammonia, while ordina-
tily phosphoric acid and potash are easily
held. The bank which holds the phos
phoric acid and potash is solid, " but not
so with nitrogen To endcavor to accumu
late "a working nitrogen capital by the
application of soluble materials such as
nitrate of soda is folly; but such capital
is desirable and its accumulation I'M
manures, stubble and roots of grass and
clover green crops to be Dlowcd under,
etc, is sound practice. Green manuring
cannot increase the quantity of phosphor
ic acid or potash, as the plant returns only
what il received from the soil; neither
does the plant prevent their loss, as the
soil has the capacity for their retention.
As green manurng plants are vigorous
growers, the feeding roots are provided
with an acid which cxerts a powerful sol
vent action. The myriadsl lbf roots ramify
throughout the soil, dissolving phos
phoric acid and potash as they grow.
Unoccupied soils in late summer or
autumn lose soluble nitrogen. \ growing
crop should therefore he kept on the fields.
Green manuring enables the farmer to
conserve soil nitrogen. 1t enables him
to adopt a simile--to put the soluble nj
tratcs which his effective handmaids
warmth, air and bacteria have been pro
ducing under lock and key, and to hold
them there during the period-auttmn,
winter and early spring-when that active
thief-heavy rain-is most likely to alb
seond with them. As an illustration,
Indian corn finishes growing by sept. -.
While growing the roots stand ready to
absorb the nitrogen as fast rs liberated,
but these roots become inactive at the very
time rains are the most frequent and nj
trogen for two months is likely to be lost
by leaching As preventive | have
sown white mustard about August 1, and
which grows until November 15, in the
corn field Winter rye may be sown if
the land is to be unused until May %
Don't allow bare land after early potatoes
or rye 1t is bad practice. Plow or har-
row and sow some cheap, quick growing
seed to cover the fleld-kecping down
marauding weeds and preventing the theft
of nitrates.
Glover peas. beans, vetches, lupines
and n few other plants absorb nitrogen
from the air. The supply of nitrogen in
the air is exhaustless and nitrogen is the
most expensive plant food. Through the
agency of bacteria, which develop in little
nodules upon the roots of the plants named
above. atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated
For success in growing these air nitrogen
users the soil must be well drained and
pulvcrized, potash, phosphoric acid and
lime must bc in plentiful supply, ~ must
the germ, of the proper bacteria md but
"a small stock OF available SOIL hitfogCh
Ii thc proper bacteria are absent the plant
is puWerless to use atmospheric nitrogen
Every crop has two values, food and man
urial Plow the crop in and the entire
manurial value is obtained, while If ted
wisely, the full food value and -four iitths
of the manurial value are obtained. Ford
value plus four-fifths the manure value
minus the cost of handling crop and
manure under conditions prevailing III
Massachusetts, will generally be greater
than the full manurial value, hence the
wisdom of feeding rather than turning
under Il crop which farm stock WI rel
ish. Whether the crop is pastured or cut
and fed green makes no material differ
eu1e. The manurial effect of roots and
stllbble of a green crop is always consider
able