The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-20

produce wheat for 40 years, but only
enough nitrogen TO produce the same crops
Of wheat for about 100 years.
For great many reasons then we see
that any method or practice which viii
Increase the store of nitrogen in the sol
will greatly improve its fertility. It has
been determined, as before mentioned, by
careful experiment that all legumuous
Pants have the peculiar power of fixing
the free nitrogen gas of the air which
exists in such great abundance. and chang
ing it to the form of ntrates, in which
form il can be readily used by all species
OF plants. This fixation IS accomplished
by means OF a minute micro-organism In
the soil, which attaches itself TO the roofs
OF these plants, causing the development
OF small tubercie or swelling, and in
side this tubercle or swelling the free nj
trogen gas of the air is changed % nj
trates. So far as we know, the legumjno-
sac are the only plants which are able
TO Tx this nitrogen in this way, in guam
titles large enough TO be of practical I'M
portance to the cultivatoT of the soil. This
then opens TO us an easy way of main
tanning soil fertility.
In soil of ordinary fertility, by prop
er rotation of crops in which clover or
COW peas or some other legumlnous plant
occurs, we are continually adding to The
soil this valuable and costly element nj
trogen. Practical experience has taught
US that the fertility of the soil so far as
nitrogen is concerned, may be maintained
by growing a sufficient number of crops
or clover or COW peas. How then Is the
supply OF phospnoric acid related TO the
growing of leguminuos plants? We have
found that nitrogen may be supplied by
growing these clover plants. and in the
beginning 1t was stated that the only three
materials which we need to consider in
a discussion on soil fertility are nitrogen,
phosphoric acid and potash; then if we
can snow that potash and phosphoric acid
may also be accumulated in the soil by
the use of these crops, we have partially
solved the important problem of maintain
ing soil fertility.
The roots of the leguminous plants, par
tlcuiarly clover, grow deep in the soil. The
roois of our ordinary grain crops are sur
face feeders. and a soil may soon become
exhausted so far as the plant food avail
aDle for wheat is concerned and may still
be fertile for the growth of clover, for the
reason that clover goes deeper in the soil
and is able to feed upon plant food there
that is out of the reach of many other
crops. But when clover or cowpeas are
grown on the soil for fertiizing purposes,
they also bring the potash and phosphoric
acid from the deeper layers of the soil to
the surface Not only is coil fertility
brought up from the deeper soil, but the
roots of plants growing in contact with
The soil are continually dissolving the ele-
ments of plant food, particularly potash
and phosphoric acid, and any crop grown
upon the soil for the purpose of green
manurins is at the same time increasing
the available plant food in the soil by dis
solving the unavailble compounds.
These are some of the reasons why the
ovvth Of ba
soil will increase the fertility of the land.
and the growth OF leguminous plants is al
ways a cheaper process Of fertblizing than
by the application of commercial fertiliz-
ers. Wherever clover can be successfully
grown 1t is unquestiouably the best of all
| leguminous plants fer fertilizing purposes.
| but we sometimes have soils that are 100
| poor 10 grow clover successfully On such
soils we have sometimes found that cow
| peas may produce a large growth and sue
| coed IN fixing considerable quantities Of
| nitrogen.