The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-11-12

SEhse W 1hOSO w mere commercial Fer
filters Alone Were Depended Upon to
Furnish Elements of Plant Growth.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
ATLANTA, Nov. l, 1896.
Our accounts for the year 1896 must
soon be made no. In summing up these
accounts, and iii taking a general re-
view of farm operations for the past
year, there are certain facts which stand
out in bold relief 1t is from these that
we should deduce conclusions to be re-
membered in planning for and man.
aging the crops for another year. The
immunity of the early planted cotton
from many of the disasters which befell
the later paintings we have already re-
ferred to, but we wish now to call at
tention to the condition of the cotton
crop, and indeed, of all crops ON lands
supplied with humus, in contrast to
those where the commercial fertilizer
alone was depended upon to supply all
the elements of plant growth But, we
hear some farmers say, the commercial
fertilizers profess to contain all these ell
ements, and if this is true, why need
we supply anything else, except the
necessary preparation and cultivation
Of the land. This is in a measure reason.
able. Reliable fertilizers do contain all
the main elements of plant growth,
but in order that plants may appropri-
ate these elements to the greatest ad.
vantage in the proper development of
stalk, foliage and fruit. certain condi-
tions of the soil are absolutely neces-
sary, some Of the most important of
which are moisture, deep seed bed, a
finely pulverized surface. All of these
may be largely supplied by judicious
plans OF preparation and cultivation,
but every experienced farmer knows
how much easier these conditions are
reached If there is plenty of vegetable
matter in the soil. In such protracted
drouths as we have suffered from the
past season, the contrast in the crops is
even more marked. In September of
the past season many cotton fields were
bare of both leaves and green bolls,
while on lands well supplied with hui
mus, the frost, which came about the
middle of October. found the plants
still covered with leaves and top crop
of hollis maturing. At this writing all
further growth has been checked, but
even now the appearance of these plants
is altogether different from those on
lands from which almost every vestige
of vegetable matter has been used up.
Let us examine into some of
THE USES OF HUME,
and we will at once understand the
wonderful effects its presence EXERCISES
on all plant growth. But before we en-
ter into this subject we must first un.
derstand that by the term ''humus" we
mean decaying vegetable matter. This
Is OF course at first unavailable, but by
gradual decomposition it becomes not
only available itself, but in the process
OF its own decomposition forms comb.
nations, by which the surrounding soil
is also decomposed. Nearly every soil
is rich in the mineral elements of plant
food, but in such form that we cannot
appropriate them to our use. AS an
agentfor unlocking these valuable stores
"humus" cannot be too highly valued.
The process is partly as follows: The
decomposing vegetable matter or humus
Is constantly generating carbonic acid,
which Is known to be powerful solvent
OF mineral substances. The carbonic
acid thus formed uniting, with the soil
water. becomes the powerful, though ST.
lent agent. by which we break down
and dissolve immense deposits of plant
food otherwise useless, because insolu-
BILE in water alone.
EFFECTS OF HUMUS ON DIFFERENT SOILS.
Another benefit derived from humus
is its mechanical effect on different
soils. It loosens stiff clay soils. in.
creases their power to take up water
from rains, and also to absorb moisture
and gases from the atmosphere. On
loose sandy soil its office is to bind it to.
gether-make it more compact This
will prevent the rains from carrying off
the available plant food, and enables
the soil to hold whatever moisture there
may be deposited in it. A porous soil
of this kind, when filed with humus,
has also the power in very large degree
OF absorbing moisture from the air.
This may be illustrated at any time by
an examination of such soil, but is more
marked during drouth, or early in the
morning. Lands, which are we'll filled
with humus, whether they be stiff clay
lands or the lighter sandy soils, do not
suffer from drouth to the same degree
as lands destitute of vegetable matter.
and the stiffest clay soils, well supplied
with humus, rarely bake or crust even
during a drouth
WATER HOLDING POWER OF HUMUs.
The addition of humus to the soil not
only increases its power of absorption
from the atmosphere. but during dry
weather the soakage in the subsoil is
constantly returning toward the sur.
face, where the humus will hold it and
prevent its escape into the atmosphere.
The amount of water needed for healthy
plant development cannot be reduced
without injury to crops, but we may, by
the use Of humus and other means, no.
tally, shallow surface cultivation and
destruction of all unnecessary plants
and weeds, which also draw on the wa
ter supply, control for the use of our
growing crops the reserve supplies of |
moisture, which would otherwise be
evaporated into the atmosphere or ap-
propriated by grass and weeds. That |
HUMUs is A SOURCE OF NITROGEN
has also been proven. This is the case
more especially from peavines and clover !
when plowed under, but is measurably |
true Of all decaying vegetation
HINTS APCORpc urAT