The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-06-07
Loss OF FERTILITY IN DRAIN.
"a 81 aas ACR WATER 5aa58sa

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FaEmers' Bulletin 7S: Among the
principal causes Of loss Of soil fertility
ore de the growth, and removed Of
crops without restoring the equivalent
OF the fertiliEing constituents. they con,
tain, 90 surface Washings and CD leach.
ing. AL crops contain q considerable
amount Of feFtilizing matter drawn
from the soil. Il is evident, therefore.
that If these crops are grown continu9
ously and sold away from the farm
Without CEetREuy OF an equiYalent ID
manure or fertilizers the soil must in
time show; q decline In fertility. The
harmful effects OF surface Waahfng is q
matter Of common observation and
needs no further .discussicn here. This
loss Of fertility ia the dEaiuage water,
however, ig q anbj 9ct not so ven un.
ratOod. The less troEa sis cause is
generally supposed TO be very consid
cradle, and under certain circumstances
this is true, depending upon the char,
scter Of the soil and the treatment to
which il, is subjected and the fertilizers
applied. ''LeRchy'" soils part very;
quickly with the fertilizing materials
applied d to them unless covered with
crops which utilize the fertilizers
promptly. 800 ma afooo,y 80. - s,ad
Certain fertilizers also have q ten,
dency to set some Of the soil constitu
ents free and thus throw them into the
drainage water. AS the Massachusetts,
Station has shown, this is especially
true of muriate Of potash, which con
verts the insoluble lime, compounds of
the soil into very soluble form, which
readily passes into the drainage water
The application Of lime compounds
(gypeum, etc } and salt is believed to
set free the potash and other Ifertilizing
constituents of the soil, thus rendering
them more available to plants, but at
the same time more likely to be washed
ont and lost in the drainage water.
While these are all possible sources Of
loss, it is probably safe to say that unT
der ordinary conditions the chances of
loss Of appreciable amounts, Of limes
potash, or phosphoric acid in the drain
age water Of soils are very small. This
conclusion, is confirmed by numerous
chemical examinations of drainage
water, which have been made BY ex
pertinent stations and similar ipstitu,
tions in the United States and else
where. arfg es3 u.Ynog z9sn Il &, .y91
AS regards the loss Of the important
and expensive fertili4Ing constituent.
nitrogen, however, the case is very
different. The soil appears to have
very little affinity for the forms Of this
element so extensively used in fertiliz7
ers nitrate. Of soda and sllphate Of
ammonia and If they are not quickly
taken up by the crop they are likely to
be lost in the drainage water. . More
over, the soluble nitrogen of the soil Gin
h1mus) or that applied in the form OF
cotton seed mead. dried fiah, etc, which
are also largely insoluble when applied,
is rapidly converted by the process Of
nitrifcation under favorable cOndi-
tions into nitrates, which are readily
available to plants but which pass out
in drainage and aTe7iost if not taken
up promptly by, the plant Expert
ments have been reported in which the
loss of nitrogen in the drainage from q
bare soil in the course Of e year iYas YES
over. 100 pounds per aeFe, While YFlhJillGe o the 9 Z
loss from 8 soil which was kept was was
kept covered By . crop was almost in