The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-08
No. 26


production Of plants which it contains,
and that these exist only in limited
quantities.
That so much of the above elements
as has been required to produce crop
is literally removed from the soil, upon
the removal of that crop.
That therefore such removal leaves
the land, to that extent, poorer in
these necessary elements than it was
before such removal.
That some soils may be deficient in
certain elements which are absolutely
requisite for the production of certain
plants, and that these plants cannot
therefore be successfully raised upon
such soils.
That soil may be barren for some
plants but not for others.
That when a piece OF land has been
exhausted of indispensable soluble
minerals by long course of shallow
cultivation, as is the practice here in
the South, a fresh supply of these
minerals may always, to some extent,
be brought to the surface and made
available by deeper plowing and sub
soiling, and the use of indirect fertili-
zers.
Land-plaster is an indirect fertilizer
which has been in use at the North a
good many years, but not so much in
recent years as formerly. Years ago
it was used on grain, grass lands, Irish
potatoes and in the stables and manure
heaps to prevent the escape of am
mOnia. The practice now is to use
kainit, as that material not only pre-
vents the escape Of ammonia, but at
the same time adds potash to the ma
nure which would otherwise be def
cient in that element. New England
farmers found that after using plaster
for a number Of years, their lands, al
though producing fine crops at first,
gradually became worn out. The plag-
ter seemed to unlock all the treasures
of plant food which the soil COZ tanned,
and finally left it almost barren. Those
were the days before commercial fer
tilizers came into use, and we had to
rely for plant food solely on stable ma
nure. Modern methods and scientific
agriculture have called into existence
the hundreds of fertilizer factories
which are now to be found in all parts
of the country.
Lime is an indirect fertilizer that is
more used than any of the other So
called stimulants. It has, in the form
of either a carbonate or sulphate, been
instrumental in the improvement Of a
great variety Of soils. The application
of lime is beneficial to every soil not
already sufficiently charged with it. Tt
makes heavy lands lighter, and light
lands heavier. It gives adhesiv9ness
to sands or leachy gravel, and COM
parative openness and porosity to
tenacious clays. It has the power of
converting the insoIuble matters in the
soil into available plant food Lime is
used to sweeten soUr soils. LOW mucky
lands and reclaimed gamp bottoms
where excessive moisture is always
present, if put under cultivation and
planted to some crop like sugar cane,
are very apt to become sour. Lime
would be great benef5 to such lands,
and the syrup made from cane grown
on soil 90 treated would have Less
acidity.
There is a great deal of land here III
the South, and especially that devoted
to the growing Of sugar cane, that
would be much more productive if it,
could be given dressing of lime about
once in five years. The amount to be
used would depend entirely upon the
soil. If vegetable matter is present in
the soil to a considerable degree, a.
greater amount of lime could be used
to advantage, say from ten TO twenty
bushels of Stacked lime per acre. To
give lime it's fullest effect, it should be
kept as near the surface as possible,
and this might best be accomplished
by spreading it after plowing, taking
care to harrow it in well. It's weight
gives it tendency to sink, and after g.
few years cultivation a larger percent
age of it will be found to have gotten
beyond the depth of its most efficient
action. This gives an additional value
to the system of subsoiling. And the
deeper blowing brings up to the sur
face, or within reach of the roots of
the plants, the latent plant food that
has gradually sunk beyond their reach.
Common salt is an indirect fertilizer.
In pure state sixty per cent. of it is
chlorine and the rest sodium. It's
great affinity for water has the effect,