The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1900-02-24
FARMER AND PLANTER.
CLIMATE AND FERTILITY.
"at"rai Condition that Exhaust the
soils Of the South and the
Remedies to be Applied.


article, refers TO available plant foo
III the soil. Available plant foo,
means substantially tie elements o
Iertility nitrogen, potash and phos
phoric acid,) in such form that the,
are dissolved by, soil water under or
tnnary conditions. The natural condi
lion OF soils is, of course, to exist il
highly insoluble condition. else tn,
continued washing and teaching o.
rains would carry the soil into the sea
While the great bulk of earthly matter
IN soils remains practically unchanged
under the action of water, very
small proportion gradually becomes
Soluble and is carried off by the nat.
rral drainage of the land. This small
proportion is composed largely of the
very substances which are most useful
rs plant food.
The action of soil water alone is not
responsible for all such losses. Air
and sunshine have powerful influences,
us also do temperature changes. Bac-
terial action is also an important fac
Tor. The rapidity with which this SOL
vent action occurs is largely dependent
On climate. Ii. a cold climate, for APP
lroximately half the year, the soil is
frozen. or chilled by frost, not only
does the solvent action of air, water
and sunshine become almost nothing,
but the bacterial action is also checked.
AS partial compensation, the frcez-
ing and thawing in fail and spring
have powerful action in breaking
down rocky particles. In the south
where the soil is rarely frozen, the
solvent action each year is much great
er than in the north. This is one of
those points, more or less withdrawn
from the filed of practical observa-
ton, which has marked influence on
agricultural improvement.
The ultimate result of these natural
conditions is that in the south soils
are more quickly exhausted than in the
north. This is shown by the enormous
consumption of artificial manures in
the south. The south uses fully rs per
cent. of the total consumption of the
United States. Georgia alone uses each
year fully onc-fifth the total output of
manufactured fertilizers. On bottom
lands. where annual flooding renews
the FERTILITY, losses by washing and
drainage are fully made good by the
deposited sediment; but this is at the
expense of some other section which
has lost what the bottom land has
gained.
The nature of fertility losses due to
climatic condition deserves q more
full study by practical farmers than
has been given in the past. So long
as soil is frequently cultivated, there
Is little loss from drainage-except ON
bare hillsides subject to severe wash |
ings. However. the soil can not con-
stantly be under the plow and cult |
vator. While nitrogen is the ingredi- |
ent most liable to quickly take soluble |
forms, curiously enough the loss of |
this ingredient is less damaging than |
the loss of potash and phosphates.
Through the action of legumes, fer
tilizer nitrogen is continually being re-
stored to the soil. Cow peas, for ex-
ample, store up enormous quantities
Of fertilizer nitrogen, wholly from the
air. To do this the crop also takes up
equivalent proportions of potash aud \
acid, about one pound of
The former and one-half pound of the
latter, to every pound of nitrogen
thus stored up in vegetable growth.
As the COW peas crop is harvested,
his fertilizer is removed from the soil,
md very small proportion of it finds
is way back. Even if the crop is
used as green manure the loss is
fery great. 1t is estimated that one
half the nitrogen of green manuring
S lost, and in large measure the pot
lsh and phosphates associated with
his dissipated nitrogen, is also lost,
is the vegetable matter decays in
he soil, the plant food takes soluble
orms, and is subject to loss by drain
ge. This process keeps up continual
y. Each year considerable portion
# the nitrogen, phosphoric acid and
otash is lost, each year greater por-
ion of nitrogen is regained through
he action of legumes; but there are
o legumes which enrich soil in pot
sh and phosphates. The loss of these
npredients is absolute.
This suggests an agricultural prin-
ipic. In the south where the open
rason is long, the loss of soil drain
&C is greater than in the north where
ne closed season is long. In the south
nc supply of fertilizer nitrogen il
ept up largely by the free growth of
gumes which have longer growing
sason. On the other hand, the loss of !.
otash and phosphates is greater.
in n warm climate the
sief ingredients of fertility to be sup
lied the soil are potash and phos- !,
hates and this is found frne 4, ran, | =