The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1898-04-21

may be prevented. The porous charac-
ter of most soils is doubtless chiefly
responsible for the fact that within The
memory Of farmers still in active busi-
ness the belief was general that q
very material loss of soluble plant
food was inevitable from most soils
whenever the supply furnished was
much in excess of the immediate needs
OF the crop to be grown thereon. II
soils really leach, the lost or leached
material Of course escapes in the
water draining through the soil. Care
ful and systematic study of drainage
waters, both by the use of the lysi-
meter and the tile drain during the
past few years shows first that the
actual loss of nutriment in drainage
waters is far less frequent than was
supposed, and second the character Of
the waters gives definite knowledge
OF the kind of nutriment carried away
by then and the conditions under
which the loss takes place. That
the danger of loss is greatly exagger-
ated is well demonstrated by my W
experience. For two entire
eSeSoio q { 1 III VAL
showed absolutely no loss of plant food
at a depth of three feet, that is, not
a trace of either phosphoric acid, nj
trogen or potash reached three feet
deep in the percolating waters. AS
most plants send their roots to great
er depths than this it is evident that
tnere was not only no loss from the
soil, but that all the nutriment ap-
pied, or within three feet of the ur-
race, was accessible. The important
question now is: Under what conditions
e teaching occur and how can loss
from this source be prevented? It is
now accepted that nitrogen is the only
one OF the three food essentials which
is susceptible to teaching to such an
extent as to render it's loss of mate
rial consequence, and this loss is ex-
clusively of nitric acid. This, however,
is the last and final form of nitrogen
and the only one actually taken up
by the crop. All other forms OF sources
OF nitrogen must be d~ecomposed and
nitric acid be formed before assini-
lation can begin. These other forms
including all fertilizing forms or
sources OF nitrogen except the nj
trates, of which nitrate of soda is the
only one of commercial Importance to
the farmer, are under no normal sell
acceptable to the teaching
property. 1t therefore follows that
these forms of manures or fertilizers
may be used in any quantity and at
any time desired without danger of
loss from teaching. In using stable
manure the important practical fact is
the manure once Incorporated
with the soil becomes fixed beyond the
possibility of loss, since nitric acid
is so slow as to never ex-
,eed the power of a crop to utilize.
Nitrates, on the other hand, being
susceptible to teaching, should be ap-
Piled only to meet the immediate de-
n OF the growing crop lest loss
rom teaching follow. The finer the
SOIL particles in any given case the
greater the absorbing power and the
ess is the probability of loss. This
act explains the absorptive power of
much soils, rather than.a as is com monlv
imposed, the presence of a high humus
in such soils. AS already init
mated phosphoric acid and potash are
lot capable Of teaching through agri-
'ultural soils under normal conditions.
MS fact is due to the absorptive DOW
# OF soils for these substances and
nelr compounds. The important fact
n this connection is that the soil con-
tltuent exerting strongest force in
his direction is the silica, which COM
'oses so large a part of all soils. These
oils high in content of silica. of which
and is typical, are usually of coarse
exture and are those usually consid-
red as especially susceptible to leach
1g. 1t appears, however, that leach
lg OF two of the three essentials of
liant food is actually prevented by the
resence of silica or sand. A very i'm
ortant practical result of these facts
mat potash salts can be applied so
.rly as to overcome any possible evil
lfect from the presence of chlorine on
erta1n crops and yet no possible loss
'om teaching follow.
H. E. Stockbridge.