The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-03-14

oH6 lOrn or AnOGher, Dut even to these
'urther information will, we are cure,
not come amiss
Plants Of all kinds require for their
successful growth that the soil should
con tain sufh sient amount of potash,
soda, lime, iron, and a few other min
erals, phosporic acid, nitrogen, and or
ganic matter. With the exception of
phosphoric acid, potash, nitrogen, and
organic matter. most soils contain
sufficient of the other ingredients of
plant food. o. potash and phosphoric
acid, many, if not most soils, also con
tain ample supplies, but, unfortunate
ly, they are rarely in a form capable OF
being utilized by the plants in Iffi ;ieut
xuantity for the needs OF profitable
growth, and therefore require to be
supplemented by manure, fertil'z ,rs,
lime, organic matter, and tillage, which
each help to make available these
sources Of food Plants can only utilize
the food In the soil after 1t Is dissolved,
and this fact emphasizes the import
ance OF securing en- Rbun 1ant supply
of moisture in the soil throughout the
whole growing period of a crop. The
only way in which this can be secured
is by perteci deep cultivation Of the
land previous to the planting of the
crop, and by subsequent shallow cult
vation OF the surface, so as By the first
means to make the oil capable of hold
ing the rain which IA lis upon iG, and
by th5 latter meats to prevent the
evaporation Of tnis moisture. Prob
ably the greatest need Of all our South
eTu soils is organic mattsr-that is to
say, the product of the ecomposition
of animal and vegetable refuse By
long C 0ntinued clean cultivation of cot
ton, corn and tobacco crops, nearly
the whole of the organic matter origI
naIly contained in our soils has been
consumed in the production OF these
crops. The absence of this matter or
humus is disclosed by the baking of
the soils, and by their inability to re-
tain moisture. The first step which
should be taken with all infertile soils
should be their deep breaking and the
addition of organic matter, either in
the form Of farmyard manure or the
blowing down Of vegetable growthe.
Until this has been done, it is imposs
sible to say how far it may be neces
sary to apply nitrogen. phosphoric
a id, and potash, in order to secure
profitable crops The part which humus
or organic matter plays In promoting
fertility is a most important one. 1t
ia the great resort of the bacterial
forms of life which, by their constant
working, make available the organic
matter in the soil. These bacteria
break down the tissues of all animal
and vegetable refuse, and form the
acids needed TO complete the solution
of unavailable matter into readily as
similable plant food. The nitrogen re-
quired for the food of plants can be
supplied from organic or inorganic
sources, and from the atmosphere.
The cheapest source is the atmosphere,
of which nitrogen forms four fifehs
To obtain it from this source, legumi
nous plants must be grown Upon the
roots of plants of this family. bacteria
form nodules, which store the nitro
gen, and, as these decay, this nitrogen
becomes available for the support of
other plant life. In the destruction of
animal and vegetable refuse by other
bacteria, nitrogen is liberated and be
comes available for the crops Cotton
seed meal is also very easily obtained
form of nitrogenous fertilizer in the
South. In the inorganic form OF nitrate
of soda and sulphate OF ammonia,
nitrogen is also supplied to the soil, and
becomes available after being dissolved
by moisture. PhosphOric acid is gen
orally most cheaply supplied in the
form of acid phosphate. The reason
for this is that we have here in the
South large beds Of phosphate rock,
which, when finely ground and treated
with sulphuric acid, which is made
from pyrites rock, also found in abun
dance in the South, makes quickly
available form of phosphoric acid.
Bone is also another form in which
phosphoric acid can be readily supplied
to the land but it is more costly than
phosphate made from rock on account
of the fact that bones are not so abun
dant as is the rock. Bone also carries
with it from to per cent. of nitro
gen, and this enhances it's cost. The
phosphoric acid obtained from the
rock is just as valuable as that ob