The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-09
Do Soils Menr Ont,

1t is common to hear men say in all
parts of the country that a certain soil
is worn out" says the Practical Farmer.
But is this really ever the case with a
good loan sol that was originally fertile
and which has strong subsoil? We do
not believe in the wearing out of soils
that had in them originally conditions fa-
vorable to fertility. The really worn out
soils are those that had in the first place
a small store of plant food, and having
a leachy subsoil of sand. are soon ex-
hausted. But the strong, cfayey loan all
over the country, while they may become
unproductive through bad management.
are never really worn out. All over the
South we have evidence of this fact Let
an old exhausted fed lie out a little while
and the broom sedge starts to grow on It.
and among the sedge the young pines
start and send their long tap roots down
into the unused subsoiI, and wear after
year bring up to the surface the matter
they get below, and spread them TO de-
cay on the surface, and after years of this
recuperation, with no help from the fer
ti.izer mixer the land has renewed itself,
and some one comes along and clears the
pines and finds a fresh and fertile soil
Tor him TO go to work in the old way
and dep.ete, or for him to use in n ra-
tional way and increasing its productive
ness why cannot our farmers get hint
from what nature does so easily? of
course we cannot take the time which ma
ture takes 10 do these things, but cannot
we do the same thing in q more rapid
manner by deep subsoiiing and allowing
the deep-rooted legumes a chance to do
for us in a little while what it takes the
pines a lifetime to do
We fully believe that it is possible ia
fully restore the productivity OF any soil
originally good by good culture and the
use of legumes in a judicious way.without
the use of an ounce of commercial ferfil-
izer. We say 1t is possible to do so. bur the
demands OF modern agriculture FORBID that
we should use SO slow practice True
farm economy calls for the judic,ous use
OF every means in our power which can he
economically applied. Not that the recl-
less use of fertilizer simply for the pur
pose OF growing big crops is advisable. for
IL is not the biggest crops that are al
ways the test of the farmers skill hut
the crops that are grown at the largest
pro1t over expenses. Knowing as we do
that we can secure by good farming all
the nitrogen we need for any ordinary
idiiH tIop, tne man VINO buys nitrogen on
a grain farm Is simply behind the times
and is wasting his money. The important
thing to know is where the mineral for.
tlizer which we should buy for the rani.l
development OF our land, should he an
piled TO produce the greatest profit To the
farm and farmer alike. The dribblIng Of a
hundred or two pounds of fertilizer mere
~ to get little more crop to sell at once
from the land is not judcious use of
the fertilizer but is really more extrava.
giant than more liberal application IN
the right place In no part Of a farm ro.
tation can fertilizer or manure be used
to better advantage than on the crops thai
are feeding the soil. You have cut vonr
clover. Then see to It that the stuohIa
gets dressing OF some kind, either from
the osrnyard or in tho shape OF CONNER
cial fertilizer, for when you feed ~.
clover you are feeding ell future crops
NOW is the time to help the clover and
through the clover to get not only more
crops.