Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-08-24
FEEDING OUR SOILS.
The Advent of Truck Farming HIS
Emphasized the Necessity of
Feeding the Soil.


1t is only in recent years that any
attention has been paid to fertilizers
in Texas, except that some farmers, to
get stable manure out of the way. have
hauled it to the field instead of n dist
ant dumping ground. The advent of
truck farming has changed this, so far
as truck farmers are concerned. Com
mercial fertilizers may be said to have
been unknown to Texas soils until this
new departure was in a fair way of de-
velopment. Even now the use of these
preparations is confined almost eXclu-
sively to the output of the Texas pack
cries, slaughter-houses and onl mills.
Neither has restorative rotation been
practiced to any greatextent. Alternate
years in corn and cotton, or oats and
cotton, regardless of system has been
about the only rotation practiced. On
account of the rich virgin soils this
reckless system has not yet worked
ruin to many farms. A few have been
practically exhausted, but alluyial bot
toms are good for hundred years, and
with decennial overflow will main
tain their fertility for thousand
years, and then be as good as at first.
The black waXy soils would be prac-
tically inexhaustible under a wise sys-
TEN of rotation. The sandy soils be-
come short on humus in a few years,
and commercial fertilizers do not sup
ply this very necessary element to the
soil. Therefore, for all such soils barn
yard manure should be literally sup
piled, and clover or COW peas grown
every two or three years, either alone
or with corn, the latter being the most
economical process. The chemists tell
us that we can buy nitrogen, phos-
phoric acid and acid from the fertilizer
houses for less than the cost of haul
ing barnyard manure to the field. But
it aften occurs that the farmer has
the stable manure, and the carts and
teams, and has not the money TO spare
to buy the commercial article. Then
the value of good stable manure is not
fully disclosed by chemical analysis.
The vegetable matter it contains is AZ
necessary as the three main sub
stances. 1t has been demonstrated that
a soil containing 3.5 per cent. of vege-
table matter contained IA quarter
more water to the cubic foot than q
similar soil titled until its vegetable
contents was reduced to 2.52 per cent.
Precisely the same conditions pre-
vailed with both soils. Other tests have
developed a greater difference than
this. Soils rich in humus not only con-
tain more moisture, but give 1t off by
evaporation more slowly than soils
poor in humus. Not only do soils rich
in vegetable matter contain more wa
ter and retain it better, but the same
humus makes the soil blacker, and
consequently warmer, because black
absorbs, and it opposite reflects the
suns heat. We have never known but
one case where barnyard manure was
used at loss, and that was where
| farmer hauled dry COW manure ten
years exposed TO the weather and
spread the briqucttes over his ield.
| "ho 4" NoiS dEOi anu tbNSN hhiu
Jumps are in the soil yet TO impede
the pillow. That particular article is
one of the most durable substances in
nature, and is only fit for fuel. Barn
yard manure, properly cared for and
, properly applied, aided by an occa-
, cional crop of peas and judicious ro-
, tation, will not only maintain the fer
tility of soil, but improve it. It will
, even redeem a soil absolutely barren
from excessive cropping. This we have
= seen well and fairly tested. To, keep
: up the fertility of farm, keep live
r stock and plant cowpeas, and the re-
r suits specified will follow. as sure as
S fate. There are some soils to deficient
/ in phosphoric acid that this substance
e must be supplied from without, but
t such soils are rare exceptions and this
is intended not for exceptional, but for
D general application Farm and
:, Ranch. .i ,lH ill HGi ~