The herald., 1896-12-19

applied to all soils. That is, the texture
or physical condition of the soil is near
ly always more important than its mere
richness in plant food.
A finely divided, mellow, friable soil
is more productive than hard and
lumpy one of the same chemical compO-
sition because:
1t holds and retains more moisture;
holds more air; presents greater surface
to the roots; promotes nitrification;
hastens the decomposition of the min
eral elements; has less variable ex-
tremes of temperature; allows a better
root-hold to the plant.
In all these ways, and Others, the
mellowness of the soil renders the plant
food more available and affords con-
genial and comfortable place in which
the plant may grow.
The reader will now see the folly of ap-
plying commercial or concentrated fer
tilizers to lands of poor texture. He
will see that If potash, for example, were
applied to the hard Jumps OF sample
l. Gig. 1887, it could not be expected to
aid in the growth of plants. because
plants cannot grow on such soil. IT the
same quantity were applied to sample
H., however, the greater part of 1t
would be presented to the roots of plants
at once, and it's effects would no doubt
be apparent in the seasons crop. The
reader will readily understand that 1t
Is useless to apply commercial fertilizers
to lands which are not in proper physi-
cal condition for the very best growth
of crops.
The poor or lumpy soil contained the
greater percentage of potash and phos-
phoric acid, no doubt because of the
lack of humus in the sample. AS 1t
contains less organic matter, 1t there
fore has less nitrogen than the good soil
(sample 10. Probably because of this
less percentage of organic matter, this
lumpy. soil also contains less moisture
than the other. As matter of fact,
however, these differences which the
chemist found in the organic matter. nj
trogen and moisture, are not sufficient
to account for the very great differ
ences in the productivity of the two
soils. The chemical examination would
have thrown more light upon the
value of these soils if deter
mination had been made of the
amount of potash and phosphoric acid
which Is soluble; but even then. the
chemist could not have told, from analy-
sis alone how valuable this land might
be for any particular crop. Analysis
does not show how agreeable or COM
Portable the land may be to the plants.
There is sufficient potash in the rock
Sample 81. and even enough phos-
phoric acid, to grow a crop of beans;
and yet, even if l add nitrogen and water
and make the mineral plant food soluble
cannot hope to grow crop on the walls
of my house In brief, chemical analy-
sis of the soil is only one of several
| means of determining the value of land,
and in the general run of cases 1t is Of
very secondary value.
How can the texture of lands be i'm
proved? In general, by three means
hx- ind {ptn vNJc -iy,o- la l,t-
the interpretations of humus. and by the
use of underdrains. The value of sim
, pie tillage or fining of the land as a
means of increasing its productivity was
first clearly set forth in 1918 by Jethr1
Tull, in his New Horse Hoeing Hus-
bandry. The premises upon which Tu;l
founded his system are erroneous. He
supposed that plant roots actually take
in or absorb the fine particles of the
earth, and, therefore, the finer and more
numerous these particles are, the more
luxuriant the plant will grow. His sys-
tenn Of tfllage however, was correct,
and his experiments and writings have
had most profound influence. If only
one book of all the thousands which
nave been written on agriculture and
rural affairs were to be preserved to
future generations, l should want tina t
honor conferred upon Tull's Horse Hoe
Ing Husbandry. 1t marked the begin
ming OF the modern application of scien-
tific methods to agriculture, and pro-
mulgated system Of treatment of the
land which, in its essential principles, is
now accepted by every good farmer,
and the appreciation of which must in
crease to the end of time. These dis
cursive remarks will, l hope, empha-
size the Importance which simple till.
age holds in agricultural practice.
Farmers do not appreciate the impor-
tance of humus as an ameliorator Of
land. In farm lands it is usually supplied
in the form of green crops, stubble or
sward, and barn manures. When
humus is absent sandy soils become too
loose and leachy and hot, and clay soils
bake and become lumpy The different
physical characteristics of our samples
] and are largely due to the greater
amount of humus in the good soil. ami
yet we have seen that the chemist pro.
nounced the other soil richer in native
plant food.
The writer has much of this hard un-
productive land, like sample l. What is
to be done with It? To cover it with
common fertilizer would be of little ben
eft. 1t must first be put in fit condition
for the growing of crops. A crop Of
clover plowed under would quickly i'm
prove it, but the land Is newly planted
to orchard and he does not care to seed
1t down. The next recourse Is stable ma
nure. OF this enough can be had to COW
er the hardest spots. For the rest, catch
or cover crops must be used. Follow
ing beans or potatoes he can sow rye
and plow it under very early in the
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