Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-03-18
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0I..A
culture.


matter is composed
of four only, car
bon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen.
Adding silicon. aluminium and calcium,
the seven will make up almost all of the
mass OF the world. In addition sc have
the various metals, which are of such
value in the arts, and potassium, phos-
phorus and sulphur, which are essen
tial for all animal and vegetable life.
In plants we find but thirteen forms
OF matter. including sodium, magnes-
1um and chlorine in addition to those
named above
The first four come almost entirely
from the air. while the nine mineral
substances all come from the soil. Not
all are of equal value, as many are In
great abundance, while others are rare.
Silicon is abundant in plants, but is
the base of sand, and with aluminium.
which Is not found in agricultural
plants, and is common in clay, makes
up the great mass of our soils. They
form the framework of our Soils and
are nearly. if not quite. soluble. They
hold the lime, magnesia, potassium,
phosphorus and sulphur. which are
more soluble, and enter the plant in
solution in water. These last cannot
be dispensed with, as no plant can grow
without them.
Upon Thursday morning DR.. Kedzie
gave talk upon Soil Exhaustion"
In the early days the valleys of the
Mohawk and the James were thought to
be fnexhaustible, but after cropping for
number of years the yield obtained
was so small that the crop was not prof
liable, and when that condition was
reached they were exhausted. There
are two causes for soil exhaustion: CD
unsuitable physical conditions. such as
too wet or too dry, too loose or too COM
pact, so that they are not in condition
to grow crops, and (2) when plant food
Is lacking. The soil Is not mine to
be worked out. 1t must be cultivated
with reference to it's continued fertility;
anything else is robbery. All soils have
supply of reserve matter in an in
soluble form that will be gradually
drafted into service. Potash is de-
rived from the decomposition of the
mineral ingredients of the soil. Field
spar, one of the constituents Of granite,
and as it weathers it decomposes and
produces clay, setting free a large
amount of potash, of which 1886 per
cent. is available as plant food. The
greatest danger is from the exhaustion
OF the soil nitrogen. While it exists
In immense quantities in the air, 1t is
In free state-in that form it is of no
value to most crops. AS a rule about
So pounds of combined nitrogen per
acre are annually brought down in rain
or snow, but this is insufficient for farm
crops The humus Of the soil, as a re-
suit of nitrification, yields up a large
amount of combined nitrogen. Nitrates
are easily washed out of the soil, but
it can be largely prevented If some crop
is kept upon the land, as winter rye,
which will take it up. Fallow land
develops nitrogen, but a large amount
is washed away.
In his fourth lecture DR.. Kedzie spoke
regarding Manure and Fertilizers"
He considered barn-yard manure as the
best material for use as a fertilizer,
and the pivot of successful farming. BY
means of charts, the loss of the ma
nurial elements when it is exposed to
the weather was shown. When kept
for year under the caves Of a barn,
more than foTr-fifths o. the ammonia
and nearly as much Of the potash was
lost. In the open air, but away from
the caves, the loss was slightly less,
but was more than two-thirds for the
| above elements. Only about one-fourth
| of the phosphoric acid was lost under
either condition.
Wood ashes came next in value as a
fertilizer; 100 pounds of wood ashes
free from dirt will contain pounds of
| potash and ga pounds of phosphoric
acid and will be worth nearly so cents
| per bushel. AS they are seldom pure,
one-half the above will be high price.
Leached ashes have lost part of their
potash, but are generally one-third as
valuable as the unleached. There is
/ little value in coal ashes.
All the remains of vegetables and
especially of animal materials are of
great value as fertilizing materials, as
well as for their physical effect upon
the soil, as the capacity of the soil to
f! hold water depends largely upon the
! amount OF vegetable matter it contains.
/ The lack of nitrogen can be helped by
| growing leguminous crops, such as
clover and peas, as they have warts or
| tubercles upon their roots which have
the power of utilizing the free nitrogen
! of the air.
! From Farmers Review special re-
/ port of South Haven (dichigan) farm
! ers' institute)