The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-09-18

drought than, do the States of the
Mississippi Valley. The cause is
found in the conditions of the soil in
the two localities. In the g newer
portions of our country, where there
is sufficient rainfall to grow crops,
and where there is a deep soil full of
ihumus, much less rainfall cwill ma
ture crops. The Southern States
have been under cultivation for a
Long time, but humus is Fbecoming
scarce in the soil. Humus is decayed
vegetation, When the soil is we'll
stored with it, it, is able to retain
moisture. Continual cultivation
oxidizes or burns out the humus and
leaves the soil incapable of retaining
moisture The heavy rainfall of
the South gives you large streams.
much larger thanaare found in por-
tions of the country where the rain
fall is less. The plant food formed
in your soil from humus that may
exist there is washed out much more
rapidly into your streams than if the
soil were well stored with, organic
matter. If the waters of your great
streams were analysed when they
are flowing thick with soil, it would
be found that the plant food is flow
ing away from the land. Putting
the soil, in such condition as to re
tain these things until the plant can
use them is an absolute necessity.
A drought where rainfall is heavy
is followed by different consequences
from drought where rainfall is
light. In the latter condition the
nitrates and other plant food remain
in7the soil in the former they have
been washed away Drought ON an
exhausted soil where, the humus has
been washed-out,- soorches while it
lastsg leaving the. soil no better from
arrested growth but drought on q
soil full of humus arrests growth for
the time being, while the plant food
remains ready for use as jsoon as
moisture is supplied to hquify othe
nitrates and minerals and prepare
them for, the use of the plant. 500
In 1894 we had a drought in Iowa
of such severity as practically to-der
stroy, the corn crop. In 1895, as soon
as the moisture came, our. crops
were the heaviest in the history. of
the. State, showing eonclusively that
the effect of. the drought i'm 1894 was
merely to lock, up the plant food and
let in remain until the following
year. During several months of the
winter the soil, was frozen solid,
when no loss of plant food could take
place. 1t is different with you in
the South. Your soil does not freeze
up in the winter, while you have
rains that wash out the plant food
rg- .- GROW GRASSES. -g. .ai
We find Unnecessary in theNorth, in
order to maintain the fertility of our
soils, to rotate crops, so that grazing
crops shall occupy the ground at
leastrone-third of the time. We get
our. greatest crops from plOwing up
our pastures. / think it is entirely
practicable for Southern cultivatOrS
to replace the humus in their, soil by
growing u grasses, and legumes,, be.
cause, there is a great demand at the
present time, and probably, always
Will be,r for frst-class horses, cattle,
sheep and other grazing animals, and
the Southern cul ltiYator isrfamed for
his excellence as fi0ck4masters Il
The, cotton crop of the South has
been suffering on aceount7of drought
! and onr account of heavy rains. %
will not at the present time discuss
! the latter conditions There are, OF
course, methods by which the bad
effects 9of heavy rains -On bottom
lands can be. avoided, that are nc
doubt we'll known to Intelligent cuE
tiyatOrs, in the South. A greater
! problem is the loss Of crops. from
drought and tho~necessity of adopt
ing systems of management that will
prepare the soil to resist to as great
an an. E extent 1tBi as possible the effect Oi
long-eoptinued dRoughts. Soils thai
have had their humus or decaying
pIant food oxidized and burnt ou1
by perpetual I cultivation, when rlPr|pFltt PpFlt
into cultivated crops like cotton OF
corn are, nuchmore subject to losses
than soils that are full. Of plant roots
that enable them to retain moisture
1 . think it would be entiFFfely cprac
! 4ionIlo o., -zn1ar nlirht -hillR lands ctG